Holding Miniatures During Painting

[Mr.Marx]

Good afternoon LAF,

What do you use to 'hold' your miniatures whist you paint them?

For a long time I've been blue-tacking miniatures to old paint pots and jam jar lids, but this is less than ideal as blue tack is not all that sticky, and as time goes on my ability to hold or grip small objects continues to worsen.

I'm thinking of 'pinning' the feet of models with bits of wire and setting them into some large corks - but I can only see the thing spinning loosely around in the cork, and I don't know where I'd even buy the corks to begin with.

Any hints or ideas?

Cheers,

MM.

[Plynkes]

I simply hold the base. When I get to painting the base (which is the last thing I do) I blu-tack the base to a bigger base and hold that.

Works for me. But I tend to deal in singly-based figures. If you are doing multi-based figures then this isn't going to work so well, as you'll want to paint them individually before you base them, I guess.

[joroas]

I don't know where I'd even buy the corks to begin with.

Friends tell me that they come free with certain bottles of wine......

[Za Zjurman]

I use corks from wine bottles.
Top Tip: let them dry for a few days and put them in the microwave 900 Watt for about 1 to 1 and a half minute. The cork grows considerably. (do not leave the the microwave out of your sight, to long and the cork will catch fire  )

I either pin the miniatures and stick it in the cork or use Blu tack.

Cheers,
Za

[Mr.Marx]

I simply hold the base.

My hands don't work any more. If I try and hold anything so small gravity gets the better of me.

Friends tell me that they come free with certain bottles of wine......

  I meant the big type. The sort you see sculptors using sometimes.

I use corks from wine bottles.
Top Tip: let them dry for a few days and put them in the microwave 900 Watt for about 1 to 1 and a half minute. The cork grows considerably. (do not leave the the microwave out of your sight, to long and the cork will catch fire  )

I either pin the miniatures and stick it in the cork or use Blu tack.

Cheers,
Za

Thanks for the top-tip. I'll give it a go. I should have some corks on hand by tomorrow morning.

MM.

[Orctrader]

Plastic milk bottle top.  Blue Tack.

If the Blue Tack is not, er, tacky, chuck it away and get some more.

I use this method because I don't want to touch the miniature while I'm painting, but if you are having trouble gripping these have a ribbing that would help.

Personally, I could attach to just about anything so long as it was round and only slighty larger that the base of the figure I'm painting.

I know many painters simply hold the figure or the figure base, but I find this more comfortable.

[FramFramson]

I am incredibly guilty of holding mine. I often am also guilty of holding the base and the head between my thumb and index finger, while also bracing my hands against one another because that offers an absolute maximum of steadiness (If I'm shaky, at least all the shakes will be in unison!). 

So kung-fu death grip, basically.

[former user]

I base the figures on washers, and use fridge magnets to hold the miniatures

[Dr. The Viking]

I use only metal bases (magnetic) and have a big neodynium magnet mounted on an old paint pot.

I can easy shift figure and it hold the figure in place very tightly.

On trouble is that sometimes I am careless when placing the miniature on the magnet and it hits so far (due to pull) that the superglue break and the mini falls off.  


I can make a film to explain if you care

[6milPhil]

Typically by the base. Although by the sounds of it you have probs with your grip so why not try a hand vice?

[Too Bo Coo]

I flatten the tops of champagne corks and then make the bases bigger with a glue gun.  The minis are just white glue on.

[Too Bo Coo]

I am incredibly guilty of holding mine. I often am also guilty of holding the base and the head between my thumb and index finger, while also bracing my hands against one another because that offers an absolute maximum of steadiness (If I'm shaky, at least all the shakes will be in unison!). 

So kung-fu death grip, basically.

I did this for literally 8/10ths of my paining career. I NEVER thought I would get used to a cork mount...  But the 'hand vice' method tended not only to get much more oil, but any little paint on my fingers always seems to find their mark....

[Grizzly]

I use roofing nails and glue the miniatures to the large nail head with white (Elmer's) glue. I've drilled holes into a long piece of MDF that holds the nails. I've got one piece of MDF that will hold about 14 15mm or 28mm figs. I've got another one with 2 tiers that I could hold up to 56 15mm figs. This gets used to prime or base coat large amounts of similar figs. I can then do the detail work in smaller batches.

[Mr. Peabody]

I use only metal bases (magnetic) and have a big neodynium magnet mounted on an old paint pot.
I can easy shift figure and it hold the figure in place very tightly.
On trouble is that sometimes I am careless when placing the miniature on the magnet and it hits so far (due to pull) that the superglue break and the mini falls off.

This. Only I suspect I use smaller magnets. Works a treat.

The local pharmacist / chemist gave me two dozen small plastic jars and I poured some cheap plaster into those. Mounted the magnets on top with epoxy. Not overly hefty and the added weight makes for a very steady and stable painting experience. Especially kind on my crampy, carpal-tunnel hands as the weight means the jars 'sit' in my hands and I don't have to grip them nearly as much as I would a smaller, lighter object.
I have bigger jars for 20mm vehicles / subjects and use blue-tack or rubber cement for those pieces.

[Bobble]

I pin both feet if possible and stick them into off cuts of foam board. If only one foot is possible I cut a groove out of the bottom of the foam board and bend the pin round to fit into it so the miniature doesn't spin when painting