Anyone have the Citadel Painting Handle?

[Condottiere]

If(sic) features a spring-loaded clamp mechanism, which locks tightly onto 25mm, 32mm and 40mm round bases, as well as fitting 60x35mm oval bases.

Paint Grippers Review And Are They Worth It ?? Citadel Painting Handel/RedBeam Paint Gripper

Was going to dismiss the Citadel Painting Handle as just another overpriced GW tool, but according to the video above, it could also handle square and rectangular bases. I remove tabs and pin figures to cork for painting and eventual transfer to a 40mm x 40mm+ group base, but have been looking for something sturdy and ergonomic for holding individual slotted based ones. I know there are ones with grip systems of metal, plastic or wood, but this one is $8 + sales tax.

For those who picked up one or two, how durable is the spring loaded clamp? Will it break with repeated use?     

[bandit86]

I kind of like painting handles.  I bought the fancy wood ones on Kickstarter last year
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2066522358/miniature-holders-and-grips-for-painting-and-sculp
They are nice looking  but the cork holder slip out to easily.
There is a new one out now that I am getting Like the screw on cap aspect.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gameenvy/the-hobby-holder-a-better-way-to-paint-miniatures

I just saw the Citadel grip tonight and it looked like it can hold different shaped bases. so I might be interested in seeing that one too

[Connectamabob]

What I'm using currently is a little glass spice jar* with a cork stopper sawn in half. For unbased minis I put the tab or foot pegs between the cork halves, and it grips nicely when the cork is wedged into the jar. For bases I do the blue tack thing. Haven't had any issues with it, and I find it has very good grip and balance ergonomics, though I would like a Rathcore style vertical tool/finger rest. I'm betting I could make something even better out of PVC or wood dowel if I ever care to.

The Citadel one looks fine, and I'm glad they're making it dirt cheap. I just don't really need one when cheap DIY options work just as well if not better. My main concern about it is it looks specialized towards holding standard plastic bases (and alternatives which emulate the dimensions and thickness of such bases), which I don't use, so I don't think it would work for me. Also I already have a hobby hand vise which is sorta like a wood and metal version of the Citadel holder, and I don't actually care for the ergonomics.

*One of the wee jars Trader Joe's saffron comes in. Not worth buying just for the jar, as saffron is expensive, but if you use saffron, it's worth earmarking the jar to be saved.

[AndrewBeasley]

For single 28mm figures I’ve gone back to using an empty film canister and blue-tac...

If anything these are a little small for my hand (going by the cramp after awhile) so I’m interested in how it fits in the hand over time.

[SotF]

I'm thinking about getting one, after a video review and comparison with others.

They're adjustable for most of the sizes used in the GW games...

[Condottiere]

[Condottiere]

What I'm using currently is a little glass spice jar* with a cork stopper sawn in half. For unbased minis I put the tab or foot pegs between the cork halves, and it grips nicely when the cork is wedged into the jar. For bases I do the blue tack thing. Haven't had any issues with it, and I find it has very good grip and balance ergonomics, though I would like a Rathcore style vertical tool/finger rest. I'm betting I could make something even better out of PVC or wood dowel if I ever care to.

The Citadel one looks fine, and I'm glad they're making it dirt cheap. I just don't really need one when cheap DIY options work just as well if not better. My main concern about it is it looks specialized towards holding standard plastic bases (and alternatives which emulate the dimensions and thickness of such bases), which I don't use, so I don't think it would work for me. Also I already have a hobby hand vise which is sorta like a wood and metal version of the Citadel holder, and I don't actually care for the ergonomics.

*One of the wee jars Trader Joe's saffron comes in. Not worth buying just for the jar, as saffron is expensive, but if you use saffron, it's worth earmarking the jar to be saved.

How about the red pepper flake jars?

I've got one cleaned up, though can't recall where I stashed it...

[Connectamabob]

It could work fine. Way too tall for my personal taste, and you'd have to source the stopper seperately. The saffron jars are basically a bit larger than a Citadel paint pot, and made of thick glass so they balance nicely relative to the mini, AND they come with their own cork.

If I were to start from scratch, I'd buy a stopper and scrounge a bit of PVC pipe for the handle. The pipe could be easily tooled, thermoformed, and puttied to whatever shape and weight I could want. Or actually, these days the easiest thing to do would be to just print one or have one printed.

RE: the finger bar-
I wouldn't use it as part of my normal way of gripping, just as something I could shift to ocassionally for certian bits. My little bottle handle works great for the most part, but sometimes when working on certian details in certian areas my hand will want to shift to hold the mini so it's more enclosed/ pinioned for better stability, which would normally be impossible without putting fingers on it's head or shoulders. And sometimes the bar isn't for fingers, but rather for steadying your tool or brush against while doing something particularly small and fussy. That's where the bar would come in very handy for me. I definately want a handle with one.

BUUUUUTTTT...

I really don't like the holders in the Kickstarter linked, as they seem designed to force you to use the finger bar at all times (the grip knob under the figure keeps getteing less and less substantial with each iteration). I would hate that too; not for cramping reasons, but because it takes more than it gives in terms of grip options. When I'm moving around a mini painting or sculpting, I'm going to be shifting my grip constantly, so I want something that gives me the added options of the fingerbar without taking away the options of the jar or whatever in the process.

IMO the latest version looks like something that belongs on on Thingiverse rather than KS. 10 minutes in a modeling app, and I could make a handle like that tailored to my own exact preferences, and finding someone to print it would be easy these days. The accessibility of 3D printing means simple plastic stuff like this is less viable as a marketed product IMO: the fancy carved wood ones were better KS material.

[Hammers]

I use the Hammers Industries CorkMeister 2000 System:



It works a treat.

[dampfpanzerwagon]

Here is an image of my own holder.



More details on my Blog.

And.



See here;

http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/miniature-holders-kickstarter-and.html

and/or
http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/miniature-holder-latest-update.html

Tony

[Treebeard]

I have purchase two of these Citadel Painting Handles and I must admit they are cleverly design and great to use.

[AndrewBeasley]

Splashed out on one - a little squat for my lump of a hand but better than the film canisters so I’m a happy bunny!

[AWu]

Its sold out locally in every shop it had it

I guess that happens when GW had best priced product on the market

[Sardoo]

Bought one last week and really like it! I use corks to hold figures with no bases - figs with tab removed and one leg drilled to take metal post - and it won’t replace these. However, it is the proverbial bees knees for figures I want to put on a base or which come with a base as part of the moulding.  And it’s cheap!

[Hammers]

If the production quality is good in the handle I suppose it is a handy tool when you paint single miniatures, like hero, command or display type miniatures. As I (and I suppose a lot of other painters) paint miniatures in batches there are several issues this tool does not solve.

Hot-glueing based miniatures to plastic wine corks and which you stick on a hedgehog board has worked for me a long time.

Has anyone tried that thing on something other than GW plastic bases? How's the grip?