Attaching heads

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

Possibly a dumb question.
What is the best way of attaching separate heads on metal (Curtey's Miniatures)  figures?
Curtey's knights have quitea deep but also wide depression in the body to receive the neck/head.
The neck is thinner than the width of the depression it sits in.
Is it just a matter of gluing (the contact area is quite small) or should I use Green Stuff or a combination of the two?

[Ragnar]

Without seeing the actual parts, I'd suggest a two part epoxy, specifically JB Weld as it will also gap fill.

[eilif]

For metal parts where you need some gap filling, I've had pretty good luck with standard gel super glue.

If you're worried about strength, a rubberized glue like Gorilla or ic2000 works be my next choice.  I only break out epoxy adhesive for bigger stuff, but greenstuff might be necessary for aesthetic gap filling if glue isn't doing it.

[carlos marighela]

Zap-a-Gap. Bonds and fills and it's super strong.  Probably best to go the standard green version not the superquick. The standard dries quick enough as it is. Just make sure you are happy with the fit as it's a bugger to unglue.*

My standard go to for all non plastic to plastic bonding. Stronger and less brittle than standard superglue and less faffing about than two part epoxies.





* There is a debonding agent if you need to.

[Major_Gilbear]

A pin made from thin brass rod, and superglue. Not only is it an incredibly strong bond, but it also gives you a bit of time to position/angle the head before the glue sets, without danger of it moving as the glue dries. The pin doesn't need to be massively long, but I'd suggest 5mm into the head and 10mm+ into the torso for best results. Oh, and knurl the pin by rolling it on your cutting mat with a file before gluing it in - this helps the glue grip even better.

[FifteensAway]

If you can get hold of it, Aileen's super glue gel is, by a large measure, the best super glue I've used in several decades of using super glue.  Not sure that it would fill any gaps, though. 

[batu]

A pin made from thin brass rod, and superglue. Not only is it an incredibly strong bond, but it also gives you a bit of time to position/angle the head before the glue sets, without danger of it moving as the glue dries. The pin doesn't need to be massively long, but I'd suggest 5mm into the head and 10mm+ into the torso for best results. Oh, and knurl the pin by rolling it on your cutting mat with a file before gluing it in - this helps the glue grip even better.

That is the way!

[Daeothar]

That is the way!

Seconded (or is that thirded?)

[Plynkes]

I almost always drill and pin. With that method crappy old superglue is up to the task.

[DS615]

For small contact areas like that, I would also drill and pin it.  But I use either wire or a paper clip, not brass rod, simply due to availability.

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

Thanks for  all the help.  I may be too impatient to drill heads.
To my surprise I can get Zap a Gap in NZ and I have found Aleene's Ultimate Adhesive at a horrendous price.

[Cubs]

When gluing metal riders to horses, I use a little sausage of greenstuff around the crotch (!) to help it bed in securely and not leave unsightly gaps. After the glue has set I go in with a sculpting tool or cocktail stick to push any bulging gs into place or remove excess. I would assume a little pad of gs would do the same job for sticking heads on.

[eilif]

If there's a depression in the neck (even an overly wide one) you proably don't need to bother with pinning.  Any gel superglue (though I highly recommend a rubberized glue) will fill.  I didn't mention earlier that you may want to try using just a touch of superglue (so it doesn't take too long to dry) to get the head in place first and then once it's in position you can add more to fill in the depression and make contact with more of the head.

[Ultravanillasmurf]

If there is a gap, then greenstuff is a good option.

You can also drill to fit on the neck or the depression and a larger hole on the other part -use the greenstuff to fill the larger hole and then use a pin to hold it together.

Smooth the gap before the greenstuff sets.