Title pretty much says it all. Just wondering what everyone likes to use to hold miniatures. I've just been using my fingers, but it's always irritating when I have to paint the lower half of the mini. Looking for some good ideas.
Posted Feb 4, 2015, 1:48 AM UTC
I've got some chunks of 1x2 wood, cut into 2" long sections that I've had around for years. Those, plus some cardboard scraps. I use that "blue tack" stuff to stick the minis to the cardboard / wood. Works great, as long as you have a nice smooth surface on the wood - I wrap it in a layer of packing tape.
35 mm Film Canister with Blu-tack or 2 way tape.
Lately I've been hot gluing them to a wine cork. I keep my brushes in an old pop bottle and when my hands get tired I put the cork in the bottle to create a nice elevated painting stand.
Wine cork glued to a hunk of wood for better gripping.
Blue tack on a wine cork. You can buy wine corks at the craft store.
You can also drink plenty of wine... which is the fun option. Though don't do it right before painting.
the base.
The cap of a whiskey bottle and a touch of hot glue.
I base my minis on poker chips using hot glue before I prime or paint them. I usually paint the base green or black or whatever first and then paint the mini and then go over the base again if it needs it and flock/terrain it with whatever I'm using for that.
I used to use superglue and that has worked all right, but I think hot glue works better.
The cap of a coke bottle or the cork off a wine bottle with some poster tack.
Taped to a small spray can top
Blu-tack on an old prescription bottle. If I'm painting multiple figures at a time, I'll use the bottle lid as one holder and the bottom of the bottle as another.
When I was painting a zombie hoard a couple of weeks ago, I used some blu-tack on the bottoms of a few extra plastic cups I had. They weren't the best holders, but better than nothing.
I hot glue mine onto the bottom of old Chessex dice containers I've got lying around. The square sides are nice to brace against the table for extra stability sometimes. It also means I have a good stable stand for when I want to airbrush on primer or lighting effects.
Sticky tack and a pill bottle.
Usually sticky tack on top of a beer bottle. Great for spray painting, gives you plenty of space to grip, and the weight makes it easy to set it down if needed. If I'm painting on-the-go, tubes from M&Ms minis do the job well too.
I usually base my figures before painting and hold the base, which I paint last. On trickier figures, which tend to need pinning, I attch the pins first and leave them really long and hold onto those, or stick them into something.
I use a little piece of sticky tack and I tape it to an old pill bottle.
I always drill a small hole somewhere through the bottom of the mini. Like through the foot or something and glue a paperclip in there. Then I use the handle for an X-Acto knife or pinvise and put the other end of the paperclip in it. It works really well.
Sounds like I need to remember to buy some blue-tack next time I'm at the store!
cork and poster tack
blue tac on paint containers