Source
r/Warhammer40k•
CaptainRTard

How the heck do YOU pin?

After attempting and failing to glue a model to an already finished base multiable times I've decided to try pinning, I know you need those small hand drills and pinning rods, but I dont actually understand where to start.

What metal should the rods be, what glue should I use for them, and what size should they be generally?

and what hand drill set should I pick up, is the GW one way too overpriced like their brushes and paint?

and well, I know you line up the rods ahead of time and then drill holes in your base, but how do you exactly glue the rods in place?

Thanks for any help

Posted Oct 23, 2017, 2:36 AM UTC

213
Frai23•

Keep in mind you are drilling soft plastic. You won't need the best quality drill.

I bought one of those drills for 10 bucks and it works perfectly. Just type hand drill into Amazon. They often come with a range of drill bits which is great, you can use them for different size of magnets or holes in models in general (funnels of rhinos and barrels of stormbolters need different sizes).

And as u/klaq said, paper clips work like a charm. Superglue will do.

3
klaq•

i use the army painter drill. it's fine but a little overpriced. i use super glue and paper clips. in order to line up the pin, i put a little paint on the end of it, then press it where i want it and drill into the part where the paint left a mark.

2
CaptainRTardOP•

paperclips? those seem sorta small and weaker, have you ever had any problems with them?

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klaq•

yes they have worked fine for smaller miniatures. i have a gargantuan squiggoth i needed to use brass rods for, but for non-forgeworld/huge vehicles paper clips should be fine.

1
ClumsyFleshMannequin•

I also use paper clips that I cut to the size I need. Works fine and gives a bit more stability. Also good to have e to repairs when a sword breaks or somthing.

1
raga7•

To be honest I already have a small power drill so I just use that. It's fine as long as you're careful and take it steady. For pins I'll actually cut nails into small peg-like pieces. Never seen a reason to spend the extra money on a hobby drill and pins if you already have the afore-mentioned tools.

2
flee_market•

The reason to use a hobby (hand) drill instead of a power stylus (Dremel) or, god forbid, a fucking Power Drill (like a Black & Decker) is because motorized drills will obliterate a miniature in half a second. They have way, way, WAY too much power for the job you're doing.

Drilling out a mini for pinning purposes is a slow and steady job. Should only take a minute, but that minute is spent carefully monitoring your angle and depth because it's easy to ruin a Guardsman etc.

Obviously the larger the model the more you can get away with - I used a Dremel stylus to drill the shoulders out on my Swarmlord but I wouldn't recommend doing that on any Guardsman-sized model.

For my Hormagaunts I used a hand drill. I would never dream of taking a motorized drill of any kind to a model that small.

Also a hand drill/hobby drill is like $10, compared to my Dremel Stylus which was $120.

A hobby drill should be considered part of your basic 40k toolkit just like your hobby knife/exacto blade.

2
Pyromike16•

I use my makita cordless drill all the time for drilling minis. You just have to go slow.

1
Queldonus•

Any small hand drill will do. Unless you’re working on a metal model it will be super easy. Pick up a few paper clip sized drill bits. I prefer paper clip or florists wire for my pins, having your material bendable is actually a benefit. You can test fit and bend the pin to get a better fit if needed. I suggest getting a cutter just for your pinning material, that will keep your other cutters sharper for longer.

As far as how to line up the joint, if you need an exact angle or a perfect fit, I usually drill one part, put a bit of paint around the hole, and then press the parts together. If you can do this without the parts sliding, you will have a painted ring to indicate where to drill.

If you have flat surfaces that will be your glue joint, taking your knife and roughing up the surfaces to be bonded can help as well. Just be careful not to damage the model or yourself.

As for adhesive, super glue. It will bond the variety of materials you may be using.

A final note: if you are working with resin (finecast or forge world), the dust can be hazardous. I try and take my resin work outside for any cutting or drilling, if not I have a small trash can I can sit in my lap to catch the dust. Clean your work area afterwards and wash your hands.

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flee_market•

pinning rods

You mean paper clips??????? XD Do people actually buy expensive metal rods for this???

I just use paperclips for all my pinning purposes. I guess you could go with something heavier duty if you're dealing with pewter or heavy resin, but GW plastic is light as fuck and your standard paperclip is more than enough to reinforce that.

GW/Citadel brand anything is overpriced for what you're getting, look for literally any hobby/hand drill at a hobby store/model train store. That said I got the GW one because I didn't feel like shopping. It works well enough.

I know you line up the rods ahead of time and then drill holes in your base, but how do you exactly glue the rods in place?

Look at piece A. Look at piece B. Turn both around from every angle. Decide the rough angle you want the pin/paperclip to rest inside the model. Drill hole in piece A at roughly that angle (doesn't have to be perfect). Stick paperclip into hole to evaluate depth. Drill more. Stick paperclip into hole to evaluate depth and angle. Decide you like it. Drill matching hole in piece B to receive the other half of the paperclip. Drill again because you fucked up the angle the first time (it's fine, nobody can see it once it's all glued together). Dry-fit the paperclip inside both holes and push piece A up against piece B to see if the paperclip holds everything at the right angle and that both pieces are flush against each other. If not, drill until these things are true. If you overdo it and destroy part of the model, don't panic - that's what Green Stuff is for.

When you're finally happy with how the dry fitting is looking, take the paperclip completely out, dab a tiny bit of superglue on one end of it, stick it into piece A, wait for it to dry. Dry-fit it into piece B to check one last time. If it looks good, pull piece B back off and dab a tiny bit of superglue onto that end of the paperclip, then push it back into piece B, and hold it while it dries.

You might need to splash a tiny bit of paint on the join point to hide the fracture but other than that, you're set.

1
Lord_Ikka•

I use brass rods, but I got a bunch for cheap and tend to pin a lot of metal and/or resin models. The rods are stronger than paperclips, but you don't need them if all you are pinning is GW plastic. I like the brass rods specifically because I have two sizes and the large size works very well for bigger models that would be hard to make work with just a single paper clip pin.

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RokuroCarisu•

Instead of metal wire pins, I actually use leftover back spikes from Chaos Terminators to pin plastic models, because plastic glue works on them.

1
ChisswarriorSpace Marines•

I typically use a 1/32 inch drill bit ($10 for Dremel pack of bits) and a spool of flower wire ($2) from a craft store. The flower wire I prefer over paper clips because it's easier to bend to shape and also thinner which allows me to pin wrists and other tiny joints a lot more easily. I haven't pinned anything huge but I have done metal models with it and have had no issues. I would simply put multiple pin holes in something big enough if I needed extra hold. As for the drill, I use a cheap pin vyse from Amazon I got for like $5 if that.

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