Holding Miniatures During Painting

[Mitch K]

I use hot melt glue to attach them to bolts or felting tacks, then stand them in a rack made from perforated plastic sheets

[FramFramson]

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....

I've pinned figures to corks before, and it was fine. It was just more work to set up - cutting off bases, then drilling and pinning, etcetera. And the fewer disincentives to my actually painting, the better!

Of course now with pulp minis, I base them first, so in theory I could just tack the penny/nickel base to something, but I've found that if the glue is strong enough to hold the figure to a cork or other such base, then it's a bloody mess to get off afterwards and if it's weak enough to come off easily later, then it's also weak enough that it snaps off while I'm painting.

So I've stuck with my hamfisted method for all but the most delicate figures (with the very occasional messily glued base having to be cleaned up later). To compensate, I usually I hold off on painting hats or hair until late in the game, because I know I'll just wind up rubbing some primer off (even if I'm not holding it by the head, I may wind up touching it by mistake).

Paint from my hands onto my figures hasn't been a problem. Rubbing existing paint off has (not too often though). Skin oil makes paint bond weaker, but my figures are for games where they'll get knocked about and heavily handled, so I varnish them anyway.

[dampfpanzerwagon]

Bluetack on a strip of scrap wood.

But as I base my minis prior to painting on 2p coins I may be a little unusual.

Tony

Or very unusual depending on who you ask!

[Dr DeAth]

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.

That's exactly what I do too.

[Brandlin]

I'm thinking of 'pinning' the feet of models with bits of wire and setting them into some large corks -

That's exactly what I do, it works fine.
I use ordinary paper clips for pinning. They're 0.8mm diameter easy to cut and practically free.

[Eric the Shed]

I use one of these



All my bases are steel washers and this is magnetic

For the source of this wonder

http://shedwars.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/a-painting-useful-tool.html

[Ragnar]

I mostly use 25mm dowel cut to maybe 60mm length.  A drop of superglue can often be useful to hold the figures although I usually use blu-tac.

[Blue in vt]

I am amazed at how many people actually hold the mini or base...that way lies madness IMO.  I have hugely more control and places to brace my hand when my minis are mounted to something.  I bought a closet hanger rid and cut it into sections about 3 inches long and blue tac to the top....as seen here



Cheers,

Blue

[FramFramson]

Maybe the blu-tac works better if you're using plastic bases as you folks are? It's woeful for me, but I'm using coins.

Also, if you're using older coins, the dirt will sometimes make it harder for any weaker adhesives to stick. I use strong epoxy to actually glue the figure to the coin, but I also clean the surface first by taking a my wire-brush dremel to it. I suppose I would have to do that to both sides if I was going to try tac-stuff again.

[has.been]

If doing lots at a time (units/regiments etc) especially the smaller scales, I glue everything to its final base, texture it & give it a coating of burnt umber. Anything I cannot get at when painting the detail I leave as shadow. En-mass this works fine, things like generals i.e.does not have large clumps of figures, gets a more detailed treatment.
The glueing to washers & using magnets sounds very nice, I just have to use up my stock of cut MDF etc bases, at current rate of production it should be sometime arround August (2019)

[Ragnar]

Maybe the blu-tac works better if you're using plastic bases as you folks are?

I tend to knead the blu-tac and warm it with my lips (cue Hotlips jokes) and press the figure hard into making as much contact as possible then when it cools it will (hopefully) hold well enough.

[Schogun]

My hand cramps up if I hold the fig by the base or on a cap. I use large mini-alligator clips. I can spin them around better, too. Then I have a piece of wood with drilled out holes and dowels (or simply toothpicks) that I can fit each clip over.

Sometimes I have to cut out some the base to get the clips on, but it's covered by basing material later. 

[Too Bo Coo]

It's funny, in some ways the question is no different than, 'How do you paint?' It's a great question in that there are just so many different answers. Even say among those who use a bottle/cork/wood holder, how people actually do it is quite varied.  It's fun to read everyone's techniques.

[AndrewBeasley]

For 15mm I used to stick the figures onto wide lolly pop sticks (tongue depressors) using UHU glue and then spray the whole lot with undercoat and paint from there.

I found the stick stopped my hand cramping and let me rest the lot on a cup without the risk of falling over.

For 28mm I used to mount each figure on to a 35mm film container with blue-tac.

[snitcythedog]

I pin both feet. Then use one of these. 

I tend to be a tool prostitute so I have three of them.  I also store minis in between sessions by stabbing the pinned feet into a foam block to hold them upright.  If you can find these hand vises cheap pick up a couple because they can be used to work on small parts too. 
Snitchy sends.