Pinning

[Quillum]

I've heard people mentioning the use of pinning at the GW store near me, what exactly do they mean by this? I know its used for converting models, but beyond that I'm not sure I remember what it entails.

 

[asrodrig]

Since metal models are a lot harder to glue together, what a lot of people will do is drill a hole in each of the surfaces to be glued and insert a small piece of wire. This makes the joints a lot stronger than just gluing them.

 

[strewart]

And it is definitely recommended for the vast majority of metal parts, not only because they are harder to glue but the bond tends to break a lot easier.

You can get very small drill bits (~1mm) and a pin vice from hobby or hardware stores, or you can try an electric drill though be very careful since it is easy to slip and cause damage. I usually use small pieces of paper clips when I pin models. Drill one piece, then glue the rod in there (it is much easier to glue it in then clip it down to size rather than trying to glue a tiny piece of metal in place) then after it has dried you can hold the two pieces together to see where the second hole should go, if they are out of alignment then the pieces won't fit.

 

[Quillum]

And it is definitely recommended for the vast majority of metal parts, not only because they are harder to glue but the bond tends to break a lot easier.

You can get very small drill bits (~1mm) and a pin vice from hobby or hardware stores, or you can try an electric drill though be very careful since it is easy to slip and cause damage. I usually use small pieces of paper clips when I pin models. Drill one piece, then glue the rod in there (it is much easier to glue it in then clip it down to size rather than trying to glue a tiny piece of metal in place) then after it has dried you can hold the two pieces together to see where the second hole should go, if they are out of alignment then the pieces won't fit.

Oh! It seems I have a small hand drill (You turn the bit with your hand with the help of a loose metal disk at the base of the drill bit) I must have bought it years ago with the intent of doing that. I'm not sure why I didn't realise that's what those people meant.

Alright, so I suppose the next question is, the best way of going about pinning the metal models for Lizardmen would be to do what you said, drill, insert, glue the paperclip in place on the body, then cut it down to size? I know it will depend on what model I'm working on, but right now I really only foresee me perhaps buying Chakax, or perhaps converting a Gor-Rok model since I already own most of the other models, with the exception of Razordons possibly.

 

[strewart]

Yep the hand drill you describe sounds exactly like a pin vice and exactly like what I have. They work well.

The technique is pretty much as I described. Probably the trickiest part is getting the hole going and making sure the drill bit doesn't just slide around the surface, then make sure the hole is fairly straight and perpendicular to the surface. Just to make sure the two pieces go together really well.

I have heard Chakax is a pain in the arse to stick together, haven't tried yet. I assembled an old blood on foot without pinning, and Kroq-Gar. I pinned every piece of his carnosaur though, and it made it very easy to stick it together.

 

[Quillum]

Yep the hand drill you describe sounds exactly like a pin vice and exactly like what I have. They work well.

The technique is pretty much as I described. Probably the trickiest part is getting the hole going and making sure the drill bit doesn't just slide around the surface, then make sure the hole is fairly straight and perpendicular to the surface. Just to make sure the two pieces go together really well.

I have heard Chakax is a pain in the arse to stick together, haven't tried yet. I assembled an old blood on foot without pinning, and Kroq-Gar. I pinned every piece of his carnosaur though, and it made it very easy to stick it together.

I took a look at my metal models, also remembered what I did, I don't think I pinned a single model. Instead, it looks like I used that "Green Stuff" they sell. The blue and yellow...something that you mix together. I do recall now that I was told to put some of that in addition to the glue in the joints to create the bond.

The Terradons were the biggest PITA for me with their large wings. Looking at them now, I'd likely try pinning two to each side.

 

[Krox-Power]

I wouldn't recommend pinning the terradons. They are very thing, and therefore it's easy to make a mistake and have to trash the model (Not exactly cheap) and it also seems to fit weird with the terraqdon's wings, because of the odd joints. What I did is use greenstuff and once I had the wings on, set tho 'don o the table with the wings supported by a pair of marauders. You could use a saurus or maybe even a skink to prop the wings though.

 

[Quillum]

I wouldn't recommend pinning the terradons. They are very thing, and therefore it's easy to make a mistake and have to trash the model (Not exactly cheap) and it also seems to fit weird with the terraqdon's wings, because of the odd joints. What I did is use greenstuff and once I had the wings on, set tho 'don o the table with the wings supported by a pair of marauders. You could use a saurus or maybe even a skink to prop the wings though.

I think that's what I did when I put my models together. Well, I know for a fact I used green stuff on the joints first, then supported the wing bases.

That's yet another question I have...I haven't tested it in years, but with super glue, will blowing warm air over the glue help it to set faster? I seem to recall there being something to help it set more quickly.

 

[Dumbledore]

A tiny bit of water makes it set extremely fast though not with its full strength, so only use a tiny bit of water. This holds most bits in place long enough for the slower drying (and far stronger) undrying bits of superglue to set.

 

[Quillum]

Hmm, how much would be considered a "tiny bit of water" for the arm joint of a Saurus Scar-Vet? Are we talking about dipping a toothpick in water, letting the water drip off, then smearing a little in the socket?

 

[Dumbledore]

I just let the metal surface be damp, like a droplet spread over the surface of a standard arm joint.

 

[strewart]

A spray bottle with an extremely fine mist maybe. Be aware it makes it dry thicker though, sometimes obscuring detail. To get an idea of how little water is really needed, notice how crazily fast super glue sticks to your fingers compared to the models? This is because your skin is slightly moist.

I believe terradons already have a peg-type joint for the wings don't they? They are pretty dodgy and don't go together well, I think the peg is probably sufficient. Pinning is for flatter areas or ones where the peg probably isn't sufficient, make a case by case judgement.

I also put greenstuff in basically all my joints, even plastic. The thing you need to remember about that is it doesn't make it stronger, it meely makes it easier because the GS helps hold the two pieces together while the glue dries and strengthens. You must make sure you only use a small amount because you need contact between the two model surfaces, not just metal-GS or plastic-GS bonds or it will be quite weak. With metal models I like to make a thin sausage-like strip of it and run it around the outside of the joint, then I know the glue is bonding all through the middle or bulk of the join and as I press the two pieces together the GS squeezes out from the bond a bit so it works as an immediate and easily applied gap filler.

 

[johnh]

There is something else that helps super glue dry faster, I am not sure what it is called, but is available at hobby stores, and comes in a little spray bottle. The specific use is as a "quick-drying agent" for super glue, basically, while holding the two pieces close together, you spray just a bit of it on, and the glue sets faster.

 

[strewart]

I have some of that. It is called zip kicker, and is very very toxic. The warning on the label specifically says it may cause birth defects and cancer. Nasty stuff, definitely use it outside only and wash your hands very thoroughly after using it if you do. Be aware that again it makes the glue quite thick, almost makes it look like PVA glue, and the bond is a touch weaker, but it does literally dry the superglue instantly. Quite handy on some models, but I don't use it very often now.