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Is it feasible to use a small nail or needle held over a flame to melt the holes?

Fro drilling out gun barrels? I would say no, too difficult to control, too much of a chance to melt everything

Doesn't sound like a good idea

I wouldn't have thought so :/ if you try it be sure to let us know!
I would expect a pinvice and a few different sized drillbits for it will do you better - I think a boltgun barrel was a 1.5mm drillbit last time I did any.

I could try using a full sized drill, would that work better?

That would be even worse, the speed would melt the gun and youd probably miss the barrel.

The best option is buy a pin vice drill or dont drill the barrels

Go for it on a piece of sprue..... then you'll know I guess....

And tell us what happened!

I suppose you could kind of 'dent' the barrels a bit with a hot nail of the right size. You wouldn't be able to get in very far without ruining the bolter tho.

I use a needle heated with a lighter for the holes in my gun barrels then clean it upwith a knife when cool, works well enough for me. (Hold the needle with pliers, not fingers!!)

Had a look & not really got a good closeup pic of the results, this is probably the best one I have, I used this technique on the boltpistol. Hope it helps

Use a small drillbit and a hand held drill thingy (the one you tturn in your hand)

Daedricbob wrote:I use a needle heated with a lighter for the holes in my gun barrels then clean it upwith a knife when cool, works well enough for me. (Hold the needle with pliers, not fingers!!)

Had a look & not really got a good closeup pic of the results, this is probably the best one I have, I used this technique on the boltpistol. Hope it helps

Oh wow, looks like some really promising results. Will try it tonight...

Daedricbob wrote:I use a needle heated with a lighter for the holes in my gun barrels then clean it upwith a knife when cool, works well enough for me. (Hold the needle with pliers, not fingers!!)

Had a look & not really got a good closeup pic of the results, this is probably the best one I have, I used this technique on the boltpistol. Hope it helps

Nice job! Im pleased to be proved wrong in this case

Hand drills tend to be the best, GW plastic is soft enough that you can just spin the drill bit with your fingers also.

You should own a pin vice or hobby drill for pinning to begin with, so barrels shouldn't be a problem. Hobby 101.

Here they are, I did it on a not yet cleaned model (sorry they're a little blurry, my shutter speed was low and I didn't notice):

Old enough to know what shutter speeds are, old enough to know that you should own a pin vice.

o.0

Do you own a pin vice company or something?

I own a sarcastic tone company. The internet is like 99% of our sales.

BUY A PIN VICE DAMMIT!

Lol, yes I'm new to this since August 2011, but the first things I picked up at the store before I even got most of my models in was a hobby drill and filer set, a pair of sprue clippers, a small trigger-style vise (pin? whatev), and a magnifying visor.

They do work wonders, though I broke my clippers on an Autarch flag the other day, had to replace them and lucky I didn't put my eye out -- wear safety glasses!

I use a Tamiya Handi-Drill instead of a pin vice these days. It's run on AA batteries and is fast enough to drill metal models but slow enough to not melt or tear through plastic. It is a wonderful tool and well worth the $22.

Aerethan wrote:Old enough to know what shutter speeds are, old enough to know that you should own a pin vice.

Love that! It made me laugh.

The pic's of the hot pin work.. look a hell of a lot better than I imagined, so well done there.
But Aerethan is right
We should all own a pin vice! But you did say you got into the hobby recently, with the decline in metal figures, pinning will be needed much less often!

XmarvX40k wrote:We should all own a pin vice! But you did say you got into the hobby recently, with the decline in metal figures, pinning will be needed much less often!

Agree with first part...every miniature wargamer should own a pin vise and bit set. Between pinning, magnetizing, and drilling out gun barrels, it's a must, and a decent one will only run you about $10-20 USD

I disagree partially with the second part, though. Even though metal minis are on the out, resin minis are on the rise, and they typically need pinning for the less-sturdy parts/joints.

They look pretty good, just need filing flush on the front. Certainly looks better than not doing anything to them.

WallaceGrover wrote:I could try using a full sized drill, would that work better?

If you use a variable speed drill you'll be fine. I have used one since I started playing 40k thirteen years ago. Don't use a Dremel tool.

I use Dremel tool step up bits.(6 pack for about 7 bucks US) Starting with athe smallest one the going up to the size I want. That way it won't split the barrels or anything else I am drilling out.

1. Mark your hole center with a Excto blade first. This will help your drill bit stay in line.
2. Line up your drill bit and make sure that it is line with your barrel.
3. Start the drill slowly and work up a little speed. Don't push too hard on the bit. Remember if you go too fast, things will start melting from friction heat. A good speed is when you have shavings coming off that look spiral and can get long.


Hope this helps.

Or, don't buy a pin vice and do like I did:

-> Buy tiny drill bit
-> Put lots of masking tape on end of drillbit
-> Remove xacto blade from the handle
-> Put the drill bit where the blade was

Same thing, one tool.

Aerethan wrote:I use a Tamiya Handi-Drill instead of a pin vice these days. It's run on AA batteries and is fast enough to drill metal models but slow enough to not melt or tear through plastic. It is a wonderful tool and well worth the $22.

+1 to that. It's really the perfect tool for both metal and plastic minis. Anything you would use a pin vise for, this will work just as well, much faster, without hurting your hands.

Though it should be pointed out, since depending on the site you buy it from this might not be clear...it's a kit that you need to put together, not a tool to use right out of the box. A very easy and fun kit, but a kit. Also, while it comes with one bit, that bit is too large to drill barrels with, so you'll still need to buy some small drill bits.

A pin vice is a very cheap tool that will last for years.

Electric tools have their uses but for drilling out gun barrels on 40K models you only need the pin vice and a 1mm drill bit.

You don't need to go deep. 1-2mm is usually enough to look convincing when painted black.