discussion What do you use to hold parts / figures etc while painting ?

[Guest]

Title says it all really.
I've been using small sections of foam board with the figure stuck to it, those reverse tweezers, blue tack , woodern golf tees and toothpicks for wheels.

 

[Allen Dewire]

Evening Buddy,

Cocktail sticks for road wheels and things with holes in them. Trim down the pointy tips to fit what you're painting. Small alligator clips mounted on cocktail sticks are great for holding small parts or even sub assemblies while painting. With the sticks in place, you can turn the part all around to get in the nooks and crannies. Have blutack, but never tried it for any painting things….

For Figures, I drill a small hole in one shoe/boot sole and glue a piece of sharpened sprue stock in it. With resin figures, use CA. You can then turn the figure 360° to work on it. I have a big block of styrofoam to stick the cocktail sticks or sprue stocks into to let the parts dry. HTHs!!!

Dude 1

 

[Si Benson]

Hi Mr R,

I’m with Allen on the cocktail sticks and I also use the thicker BBQ skewers. if you can drill an inconspicuous hole in whatever it is you painting you can jam a stick in it :nerd:

Coffee stirrers and Blu-tac are both my regular favourites too.

 

[Peter Gillson]

Like everyone, I use cocktail sticks. Also for smaller parts like 1/35 figures I use paperclip wire hole drilled in the feet. I have a number of blocks of wood with holes which the cocktail stick/paperclip wire can fit into to hold the parts

 

[Guest]

Thank you Dude 1,Mr Benson, and Peter..
Yes I remembered the "drill a hool in the foot " trick, have used it, but drilling in feet is always a bit of a dangerous thing with my depth of field , as you can drill your finger as well ! Or come half way across his calf :crying:.
Just interested in what you guys use. Think Jim has one of those hand held tool holders .


Always nice to know for ref

 

[PaulTRose]

on figures i also do the 'drill a hole in the foot' trick, but i use a stainless steel sewing pin superglued in....cos when its all done a twist and it comes out

i have a trick for tanks..........i have some threaded rod, about 8mm diameter, 150mm long, and a large supply of suitable nuts.......i make a hole in the centre of the hull and bond in a nut with 'no nails' type adhesive.....build up the rest of the hull.......put a nut/washer on the rod, screw the rod into the nut through the hull.......wind up the nut/washers to make it all tight and presto the hull now has a handle.....i have a block of wood with a hole in to take the rod so it all stands up.....when you finished just wind out the rod, all it leaves is a hole in the hull you cant see....wish i could remember where i learnt the tip but it was a long time ago

 

[Mr Bowcat]

For figures I also drill a hole in the foot, but I glue a pin in with the head nipped off. The pointy end goes into a cork (champagne/prosecco sort) which I find to be a nice hand grip.

 

[Guest]

on figures i also do the 'drill a hole in the foot' trick, but i use a stainless steel sewing pin superglued in....cos when its all done a twist and it comes out

i have a trick for tanks..........i have some threaded rod, about 8mm diameter, 150mm long, and a large supply of suitable nuts.......i make a hole in the centre of the hull and bond in a nut with 'no nails' type adhesive.....build up the rest of the hull.......put a nut/washer on the rod, screw the rod into the nut through the hull.......wind up the nut/washers to make it all tight and presto the hull now has a handle.....i have a block of wood with a hole in to take the rod so it all stands up.....when you finished just wind out the rod, all it leaves is a hole in the hull you cant see....wish i could remember where i learnt the tip but it was a long time ago

Thanks Paul, nice method for tanks, most impressed .:thumb2:

For figures I also drill a hole in the foot, but I glue a pin in with the head nipped off. The pointy end goes into a cork (champagne/prosecco sort) which I find to be a nice hand grip. :smiling3:

Hi Bob, another good idea.

With 5 of you replying we have various methods, some I have tried, others not.
Wonder how many others will share their methods .
Thanks
John .

 

[SimonT]

Hi John

paperclip in the foot for me then hold the clip either:

• in my hand and then put in a crocodile on a stick to dry
• in one of those vice things you picture, but with handle removed
• one of these from Johns shop - vice . Would like a few of these but they are a bit pricey for that

for none figure stuff I try and hold with these croc clips, again from Johns shop Clips
Also cocktail sticks or straight sections of sprue to push into holes in wheels etc or CA the sprue to stuff

 

[Gern]

Most of the above - not drilled a hole in a tank yet.

I also use double sided tape fixed to a coffee stirrer or masking tape (usually 6mm wide) to hold parts both when painting and when trying to fit canopies. I cut a piece about 2cm longer than the width of the piece I'm trying to hold. I fix each end as close to the edge of the piece as I can then squash the middle together to make a sort of handle. Beats trying to hold those smooth curvy bits - I save them for other times and places!

 

[bilbo]

Nothing new to add, I've used most of the above. I have thought about using the rare earth magnets as they would allow you to attach a tank hull to a stick without drilling the hole in it. But getting the magnets the right way round is probably more trouble than its worth

 

[Guest]

I also use croc clips a lot. I bought a few packs of dirt cheap ones from SMS and attached them to BBQ skewers I already had.

I was using foam to hold them but bought one of these and found it much easier. However, once I realised how it was made I just cut up some thick corrugated cardboard into strips and made a few of my own.

The crocs either clip directly to the part, or I leave a bit of sprue attached if it's really tiny. Or I'll wrap them in blu tack or double sided tape, or they can even hold cocktail sticks or wire that have been glued or drilled to the part.

For doing sets of wheels I have a long piece of 4x1 timber and use strips of double sided tape for sticking them to.

 

[rtfoe]

I use all the above thathave benn said John including me fingers and that gets a lot of cleaning up to do. :smiling6:

Cheers,
Richard

 

[PaulTRose]

and for when i use cocktail sticks to hold something i have a block of wood with rows of holes......bit like a cribbage board....to stand them up in

 

[Guest]

Think Jim has one of those hand held tool holders .

I bought one of those fifteen, twenty years ago, but didn’t find it useful — it got in my way more than it helped me hold figures and things.

Mostly, I just hold parts and figures with my fingers, though for awkward ones I use locking tweezers these days.

 

[Bortig the Viking]

I use these as well as cocktail sticks and croc clips.View attachment 361817

 

[Steve Jones]

We on the darkside just use the force. LOL

 

[Bortig the Viking]

Us Vikings pray to Odin.

 

[Jason Crausby]

I'm another foot driller myself... I use a paper clip that I bend into a stand with one prong going straight up into the foot and the rest of the clip secured onto an old tamiya paint bottle with lost of blutak.... once the base for the figure is complete I drill a hole in that snip the paperclip in the foot and use it the fit directly onto a base!
I also acquired a really useful miniature vice from somewhere!

Jason

 

[Jim R]

Hi John
I use many of the ideas above

Think Jim has one of those hand held tool holders .

The one I have is THIS. Very expensive for what it is but beautifully made and I find it really useful. Lovely heavy base.
Jim