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I have always glued my minis to the base and then held the base to paint them, but I've started basing my minis too, and want to paint and base separately, then stick the two together when it's all done. What do you guys do to hold onto a mini for painting if it's not attached to the base? Thanks!

Depending on the basing, if it's complex with debris, then I paint separately and pin the model on afterwards. I simply hold the model parts that I'm not painting, a lot of people pin their model on a cork to be cleaner, I simply don't as I care not for the mess.

a pin glued into the foot, and then stuck into an Exacto handle or a pin vice is my technique...
it keeps me from rubbing any paint off of the mini while i'm painting it...



cheers
jah

On the rare occasions where I paint separately from the base, I generally just stick the model on a different base with a couple of dots of superglue, which can be easily popped off when it's done..

Use blue tack and stick it on a small pill bottle or citadel pot.

 insaniak wrote:
On the rare occasions where I paint separately from the base, I generally just stick the model on a different base with a couple of dots of superglue, which can be easily popped off when it's done..

I personally drill a hole in a foot and one in a paint pot. Fill the pot with something heavy or water and glue it shut. simply put the mini on top. always paint as much as you can in sep parts.

Paint a fair few FoW models before they get based, have found a glue like bostick to hold them to a wood stick/coffee stick works nicely - for metal models will hold them but can easily be cut off, for plastic its not much harder as the glue seems to always stay just slightly gel like, job done.

have done the occasional marine arm individually, small hole drilled into where it will be joined, as if going to pin it, pin with a dab of superglue that can be cracked by rotating the pin later.

I glued an ice cream stick to a another piece of coffee stirrer so it will not topple over and stick my miniatures with blue tackle to them. Just don't put miniatures close too each other so you can comfortably paint the sides where they are close to each other.

Pin through one leg, and stick the wire into a cork.



things like corks and bottles are good as you can easily rotate to get the optimum angle with the brush.

So for those of you who drill/pin, just to make sure I'm clear, do you use a pin vise to drill the hole (I've never used one)? What do you use for the pin to hold the mini, just some brass rod or something? Thanks!

Yes. Drill with a pin vice. I use brass rod, or brass wire sold for making jewellery (bit cheaper, but curved).

i just use regular old paper clips for my pins...

drill a hole, snip an inch of paper clip off, super glue it in the hole, and then drop it in the exacto handle and screw it tight...
good to go...

when it comes time to do the base (usually a solid resin one), i just drill a hole all the way through it, paint it up, and then snip the pin in the body so it wont stick out the bottom of the base when i glue the mini to it...
when the base is plastic, with a hollow bottom, i put a big drop of super glue on the pin sticking through the bottom...
it adds that little extra bit of reinforcement...

good luck...

cheers
jah

I use a piece of cork with magnets in it and two small magnets on the base:

Edit: Never mind I'm an idiot and didn't read the thread title properly! XD Still, this method works great if it is on a base already.

Yup I'm a fan of the pin and cork method, though if I have minis that are already glued to a base then I just sticky tack it to a cork.

That being said I painted an army recently and didn't bother with any of that and just held onto the bases.

My biggest problem with any sort of painting has always been dropping a mini while painting. I tend to get all comfy and some times I have a big grey lap warmer. I have learned that it is better for everyone involved, the cat, me, the mini, if I just hold my hands braced on the desk. If I drop the mini, cork or no cork it only falls a few inches. No cat hair, no highlights on the cat and less painful for me!

You can use paperclips, but brass is better than steel because it springs back less when bent.

I use the pin method as well, although I've only done it with cavalry so I can paint the horse and rider separate. I'd usually not too concerned if some of the colour I'm using for the base gets onto the model's boots.

 Lord Corellia wrote:
I use the pin method as well, although I've only done it with cavalry so I can paint the horse and rider separate. I'd usually not too concerned if some of the colour I'm using for the base gets onto the model's boots.

It's not just about getting boot paint on the base. For edge highlighting it's really important to get the brush at the right angle. The base can get in the way.

 ColonelFazackerley wrote:
It's not just about getting boot paint on the base. For edge highlighting it's really important to get the brush at the right angle. The base can get in the way.

Yeah, I'm a pretty lazy painter. I don't do highlights on rank-and-file stuff, for the most part.

Thank you all, this is exactly what I needed to know!