Black Knight Enterprises

04/07/2024

Hey All,
I hope you will join us at Noble Knight Games in Fitchburg this Saturday, July 6th from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm. Bill will be there promoting some new products and would love to answer any questions you might have about how we do what we do and how we can personalize your game accessories!
We will feature the Modular Miniatures Display Stands and the new paintbrush boxes and paintbrush cleaning station.
Please stop by and say hello!
Location: Noble Knight Games - 2835 Commerce Park Dr. Fitchburg, WI 53719
Times: 1 pm to 4 pm
We will be in the gaming area with the Madison Miniatures Painters open painting event in full swing!

16/05/2024

Hey all! We just finished getting the newest product up on our Squarespace website!

Introducing our new modular miniatures stands!

https://blackknightartisans.com/shop/display-stands

We have also added a quick intro video for the smallest straight stand to our YouTube channel...

https://youtu.be/nqocJco5NT0?feature=shared

Obviously, more to come on the line, but for now here are some facts...
The Modular Miniature Display Stand system from Black Knight Artisans is designed for gamers and collectors who want a simple, customizable display solution. Made from durable 3/16 inch (4.5mm) clear acrylic, this stand offers strength and clarity to showcase your prized miniatures.

The Modular Miniature Display Stand is the perfect solution for gamers and collectors who want a versatile, easy-to-assemble, and durable display option. Elevate your miniature collection and proudly showcase your figures with this hassle-free, customizable stand.

Key Features:
1. Easy Assembly: The modular design of this display stand ensures a quick, effortless assembly process. No glue or tools are required, allowing you to set up your display in minutes. Simply connect the acrylic panels using the tab and slot design, and you're ready to showcase your models and miniatures.

2. Customizable Configuration: We offer several stand models that can be arranged and reconfigured to suit your specific needs. Using straight, inside-corner or outside-corner stands you have limitless possibilities for presenting your models and miniatures.

3. Sturdy and Durable: Crafted from 3/16 inch (4.5mm) thick clear acrylic, this display stand provides excellent stability and durability. Compare it to our competition’s acrylic stands made from 1/16 in. (2mm) material.

4. Versatile Placement: The compact size of the display stand makes it suitable for various settings. Whether you want to display your miniatures on a shelf, desk, or tabletop, this stand will fit seamlessly into any gaming or collector's space.

5. Easy Disassembly and Storage: Need to transport or store your display stand? No problem! The modular design allows for easy disassembly, making it convenient to pack and store when not in use. Reassemble it whenever you're ready to showcase your miniatures again. Great for displaying your miniatures and models at a painting competition!

See what we currently have in stock and ready to ship. Most items can be personalized with laser engraving or inlay work.

26/04/2024

Hi everyone, Bill here. I am hoping that those of you who have honored us with following Black Knight Enterprises will be willing to follow our new Black Knight Artisans page.

Black Knight Artisans will be where we announce all of the new products and other information about what we make and sell. Black Knight Enterprises will be used for more business to business stuff and general information about all of our endeavors.

We are trying to get more exposure for Black Knight Artisans in preparation for an upcoming Kickstarter campaign. Tim and I will be implementing a few ideas for how to increase exposure to the brand, but you can help.

I have decided to concentrate our efforts on the gaming community. This is a community that I have been involved in since the 1980's (yes, I am that old) and know very well. If you know people who are interested in gaming and model building then referring them to Black Knight Artisans will be doing them and us a service!

Black Knight Artisans will be focused on providing gamers and hobbyists with products that enhance their hobby experience!

You can find the Black Knight Artisans page here:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084818101497

Thanks so much for your continued support!

We design and manufacture heirloom quality products for home or business.
Our lines include househo

26/04/2024

I am so happy to announce that we have enlisted the help of a good friend to help with marketing at Black Knight Artisans! Please join me in welcoming Tim Deschaines!

Bio:
Tim started playing roleplaying games with a mix of 1st Edition AD&D and the purple box Basic Set. These days Tim still plays lots of D&D along with other games, including GURPS and Call of Cthulhu.
Inspired by what he saw at his first GenCon back in 2011, and after years of collecting miniatures, as well as a mountain of Dwarven Forge, Tim finally decided he should learn how to paint. So, now Tim also paints miniatures and terrain. Not satisfied with just painting Tim also decided to start modifying and kitbashing minis, crafting his own terrain, pouring resin, adding LEDs, and other fun stuff.
At his regular day job, Tim can be found doing marketing for companies that make and sell various scientific products including instrumentation, reagents, kits, services, and related products.

Tim will be helping out with marketing, social media, product development, trade show evaluation and is one of the "Not ready for prime-time gamers" who will be featured in our advertising!

Join us in welcoming Tim!

24/04/2024

Started shooting the new video for dice trays last night! It was a lot of fun with friends old and new! Thanks to the "not ready for prime time gamers"; James, Paraj, Tim, Evie and of course our wonderful DM Jess!
Look for the upcoming promo video and get ready to order your new dice tray from Noble Knight Games!
More to come, so stay tuned!
By the way, if you haven't done so already, you can get the latest updates on what is new at Black Knight Artisans by following them on the Black Knight Artisans page!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084818101497

15/01/2024

Dragons are coming to Black Knight Artisans!

Choose any of the designs shown to personalize your project!

We are making key fobs, magnets and specialty boxes with these designs. Stay tuned for more or contact us with a project that you would like us to build for you!

27/10/2023

Hi all!
Just finished two prototype dice trays!
I will have these on the store soon, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek. I have not determined a price-point yet, but should have on Monday or Tuesday next week.

With Christmas coming up, I will be posting a few specials on the Black Knight Artisans (blackknightartisans.com) web site. I am hoping that this will boost interest in the shop and in our product line.

I would love feedback on these dice trays. Please share this with others, thanks!

One is roughly 9 inches wide with a 6 inch rolling pitch. The deluxe tray is roughly 11 inches wide with a 7 inch rolling pitch. The deluxe tray also acts as a storage vault for your dice!

Both trays are lined with blue "velvet", but I also have dark red available for the smaller tray.

Next up is a re-work of the dice vaults and a mobile paint station. Stay tuned!

22/09/2023

Hey everyone! My buddy Brian Best from Anarchy Models is going live with a new kickstarter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/805848592/hs-stencil-system-wave-4-from-brian-anarchy-models

You may have seen Brian at Adepticon in our booth. He makes the best airbrush stencils and masks on the market.

Please support Anarchy's latest kickstarter! I will be!

adding to our range of already popular stencils for the Wargaming market as well as many other genres of painting

23/03/2023

Black Knight Artisans has created dice vaults for Adepticon 2023!
Black Knight Artisans will be offering custom hardwood dice vaults with the Adepticon 2023 logo engraved on their top. These vaults are hand-crafted and hold roughly 10 standard sized dice. We are offering vaults made from Walnut, Oak, Cherry or Maple and in three edge styles; round, 8-champfer and 12-champfer.
Quantities at the show are extremely limited, but we will be offering them on our online store until sometime in June 2023. After that, we start on Adepticon 2024!
We had planned on having two other items available for the show, a keepsake box and a brush holder, but unfortunately we had some equipment failures that prevented us from producing stock for the show. These items will be offered on our site as well starting in April 2023 and the 2023 versions will be available until sometime in June.
The cool thing about ordering online is that we can personalize your dice vault by laser-engraving your initials on the side of your vault. Personalization increases the value of the vault by $10.00. See our website for more information.
Because we want to support the best miniatures convention on the planet, we are donating 10% of your order for any and all items with the Adepticon logo! This includes any of the items you order after the show! It’s our way of saying “thank you” to a great organization who has faithfully supported the gaming community for many years and provides us all with a great convention year after year!
Stop by booth 305 or visit us online at blackknightartisans.com after the convention to order your Adepticon 2023 memorabilia!
Thank you!

10/02/2023

Hey everyone!

I have been working on the Black Knight Artisans site and would love some feedback. It has been a real challenge since December 2022 to get the shop moved and up and running, and now it's time to get the BKA site working correctly!

Lots of stuff in the works right now so look for more posts very soon. Getting ready for Adepticon 2023 next month, so there's another thing! LOL

I am actually back in production now so if you have a need, please visit the site and let me know. I would love to get this thing going full throttle!

The address is: http://www.blackknightartisans.com

Thanks!

Welcome to Black Knight Artisans Black Knight Artisans designs and hand-builds distinctive heirloom-quality projects that last for generations. We work with wood, acrylic, resin, metal and other materials to deliver one-of-a-kind projects based on your requirements. Our focus is on creating displays...

06/12/2022

The shop will be closing this week as we get ready for the big move! The new shop will be located in Mount Horeb and will be a lot bigger and better than where we are now.

I suspect that we won't be operational until the end of January 2023, but at that point we are hitting the ground running. While the shop is down, I will be working on getting a bunch of paperwork done (because I have neglected it) and learning some new 3D software for design work.

10/10/2022

Here is an example of one of the new patterns I am working with. It includes Cherry, Paduk and Silver Maple woods. Tell me what you think!

12/07/2022

New stuff on the way from Black Knight Artisans!

I have several items that are currently in development. No images yet, but they will be posted here and on Instagram when I get some decent shots.

First, I am re-introducing the miniatures travel case. Some of you purchased these many years ago when I was making them, and can hopefully attest to their quality.

I don't have images of the new version yet, but if anyone out there in webland has pictures of the original, please share them here so folks get an idea of what they look like.

If you would like to get your hands on the new version, please let me know. I plan on using baltic birch plywood for the standard box and hardwoods (walnut, cherry, oak, maple) for the premium version.

I am planning on releasing a smaller case as well. If you are familiar with the old Chessex cases, these new products will be very similar to that size (roughly 8 in. x 14 in. x 2-1/2 in.). Should hold a pretty decent number of minis. I have to find a source for foam inserts for this model, but I will be prototyping the actual case sometime next week.

Next on the list will be dice vaults. These will be created using the CNC router and will be pretty "fancy-smancy". I am thinking of several different designs, but for sure there will be a vault for a standard set of dice for D&D. These will be finished to heirloom quality and will be personalized if you want your initials, name or whatever on the piece.

One of the items I have been looking forward to building are the display cabinets. These are going to be very customizable. You will be able to choose from acrylic or glass fronts and sides. I am working on creating special shelves as well. I am considering offering options for glass shelves as well. Let me know if you like that idea! Display cabinets will be built using hardwoods. Personalization options will be available. I am working on some special lighting options as well.

Of course, you can personalize any of the items we build for you. We can laser-engrave or inlay your initials, name or artwork. Just let me know what you want included when you order. I will work with you throughout the build so that you get exactly what you want.

Stay tuned for images over the next couple of weeks!

Thanks,
B.

10/07/2022

Working on a plinth for a customer. He will be entering a very cool bust in a painting competition later this month. I have had some issues with the epoxy I am using for an inlay, and have not been happy with "gold" colored micas so far.

This project is made primarily from walnut, but I wanted to add a little pop to it so I included some African Paduk. This is currently rough sanded. Wait til you see it with the finish on it!

I will include more images and updates soon.

09/06/2022

Hi Everyone!

I am looking for space to move the shop to. Trying to find something between 1K and 2K square feet with a 200 amp panel and room for six 220v circuits for the big tools. A roll-up door would be great, but not a deal breaker.

Please let me know if you know anyone who might be renting a space like this.

I will continue to work until I have to move from my current location, but it may come to pass that production is interrupted at some point. Hopefully that won't happen!

Thanks, take care.

21/03/2022

Hey Everyone!
We are in the final stages of preparing for Adepticon 2022! I am looking forward to seeing everyone again after 2 years! It has been too long!

Some news:
Black Knight Artisans will be a featured topic at this year's show. The shop is now operational and I have begun creating designs for displaying minis, models and collectables. This will be my preliminary focus for the shop.

In addition to displays, we will be taking on custom builds as well. If you have an idea for a project, let us know. I can work with you to define the scope of the project and then give you an idea of what it will cost.

Note that in addition to wood, we will be working with acrylic, glass and soft metals. We can do laser engraving, inlay and specialty lighting as well.

Domestic wood is harvested from Wisconsin. We currently have oak, walnut and maple. We will also be able to work with pine, fir, cherry and other domestic woods as they come available. Since we will begin milling our own lumber this spring, we can get all kinds of cool grain patterns from positioning logs on the mill properly.

We also work with exotic woods. Currently, we have purple heart, paduk and zebra wood. We also have blood wood and Bolivian rose wood.

As we get more established, we will be donating some of the proceeds from the shop to veterans' causes. This is near and dear to my heart and I take supporting our troops and their families very seriously.

A new web site is underway. The link will be "blackknightartisans.com". It will be up and running very soon.

If you would like to get a bid on a project, just contact me. You can do so by emailing [email protected]. We will also have a contact form on the new site.

I will have some plinths at the show, so stop by the booth and take a look.

On the airbrush front, iwata is going to have their new Takumi airbrush available. This is a side feed Eclipse, but engineered from the ground up! Medea will also be releasing a new line of hobby paints. We will have samples at the show. These are formulated and manufactured by Createx. If you are familiar with Createx, you know that it is one of the premier paint manufacturers. Medea is now the main distributor for Createx and they teamed up with them to create these awesome new paints for gamers and modelers.

Anarchy Models has a TON of new organic stencils and templates. These will all be in stock in the booth. Brian Best, owner of Anarchy, is again flying all the way from London to be with us in the booth. He will be doing demonstrations of the Anarchy line and the new paint. If you come by the booth, do have a seat and shoot some paint with Brian. We will have brushes on hand for you to try out.
Like I always tell my students; if a vendor won't put the brush in your hand before you decide to buy it, then you probably don't want to buy from them.

I am proud of what we have to offer you in 2022. I think you will find real value for your dollar. Oh, and by the way, we are covering all of the sales tax at the show!

I have to get back to it, but I wanted to update you on what's going on. Again, I hope to see you at the show. Take care of yourselves and each other.
B.

10/03/2022

Getting ready for Adepticon 2022! We will be hosting Iwata-Medea and Anarchy Models (as usual) and will be releasing some new stuff from Black Knight Artisans!

Stay tuned for more over the next two weeks!

08/01/2022

We are currently getting ready to attend the Madison Fishing Expo in Madison, Wisconsin February 25th through the 27th 2022.

We will be featuring airbrushes and airbrushing equipment from iwata-medea as well as Anarchy Models airbrush templates and masks for painting custom lures.

Black Knight Artisans will be offering some very cool custom fly boxes, fillet boards, fun signs and other cool products with anglers in mind. We hope to see you there, and will keep you informed as we move forward.

Happy New Year everyone!
Bill

09/12/2021

Hey all, please forgive me making this shameless plug, but there has been interest and I thought that I would give everyone a heads-up.

As many of you know, I have been working with wood and plastic for many years. In the past I created several types of carrying case for miniatures using plywood and other materials. I have also created display cabinets for collectables and other game-related and hobby-related projects.

Since June 2021, I have been outfitting a new workshop with professional grade tools and am now happy to report that we are getting ready to open Black Knight Artisans, a new division of Black Knight Enterprises.

We will be showcasing new products at the Madison Fishing Expo in 2022 and at Adepticon 2022. I couldn't be more excited!

I have received inquiries into building custom display cabinets and specialty transport cases so I want to let you all know that these are now in development. Soon I will have some images up on the Black Knight Enterprises Facebook site as well as on my YouTube channel and other social media.

The shop is equipped with a new CNC machine, a laser engraver, production-quality professional woodworking machinery and even a new bandsaw mill for producing our own lumber from logs harvested from all over Southern Wisconsin.

We are a veteran-owned business, and I will be hiring veterans as we need help. A portion of our proceeds will be going to veterans charities starting day 1. My passion is to support those who have given this country their service and unfortunately sometimes the ultimate sacrifice. It is imperative that we support our troops and their families, and I am honored to have the opportunity to do my small part.

I hope that you will consider Black Knight Enterprises when you have a need for displays, signs or any of the other items we will be producing in the years to come. If you are interested in receiving a quote for a project you have in mind, please let us know. We will not be going into production until January 2022, but feel free to contact me before then.

More about Black Knight Artisans soon. Thank you all for your support!
B.