I too lament the loss of SCP, although I suspect we shall see production rights to ranges being bought up and them coming back into production. Although this could be anything from a few months to years down the line.
I get my steel bases from Precision Wargames Supplies
http://www.freewebs.com/They are happy to cut to size in 5mm increments. They are galvanised, primed and blacked. They are about 0.8mm thick. I still thin the base tab of the minis down to get a better low profile feel to them.
'Mikey Mud' is what a friend named my basing concoction. Inspired by base text which is inconsistent and too corse for 6mm. Essentially made up from home baked and coarsly served builders sharp sand, pigment/paint, PVA, and water. Baking it burns off the organic matter so your pot does not grow unwanted bits. You can alter proportions to what works well for you. There was a tutorial on the old Baccus site - looks like another post for the blog!
Painting for 35 years and being fairly short sighted help, f I take my glasses off I have a good focal length for freehand painting.
