Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

How do you pin models, what pins do you use, and where do you get them? Short and sweet.

You need a 1mm bit in a pin vice, some blu-tack or similar and a pair of wire clippers. Do not use your best sprue cutters for trimming pins, it will knacker them quick smart.
Drill one part, wet the hole with spit and put a blob of blu tack on it. Press parts together. The blue tack should stick to the other part with a nub where the hole on the fitting part is.
Drill on that nub. Holes will now be aligned.
Strip the plastic coating off a paper clip and superglue into one of the holes. Dry fit and trim the pin to length before super gluing the parts together. Easy peasy.

winterdyne wrote:
The blue tack should stick to the other part with a nub where the hole on the fitting part is.

What do you mean here? There's a hole in one part, but no holes in the other. You put a small amount of blue tack over the hole in the first part, then press them both together. When you take them apart, will there be a little circle or something depressed into the blue tack? Is that what you mean?

Also, I didn't know there was plastic on paperclips.

What Winterdyne means is that you use the blue tack to identify where the opposing hole needs to go (great idea by the way). I also like using a sharp probe to make a small dimple where I need to drill, otherwise the bit can skip around a bit. A small paper clip is all I use to make pins.

In short:
- Use scribe to make a pilot hole and then a 1mm bit to make a hole 1-2mm into the first half of the joined part.
- Use a bit of blue tack to identify where the opposing hole needs to go.
- Make the second hole
- Clip a 3-4mm piece of paper clip and then test fit the two pieces with the pin. The pieces should fit flush. If not, trim/file the pin.
- Superglue.

I have plastic coated paper clips, but you can get them without.
I generally pin to a depth of at least 3mm either side of the join.

Instead of using paperclips, I use cheap dressmaker's pins. They're about the same width as a paperclip, but a bit stronger and you don't have to straighten them.

I guess what I'm getting at with the blue tack questions is... how does the blue tack show you where the hole should go? Do you put a very thin layer of blue tack on the piece that you have NOT drilled, and then when you press them together, the hole in the other piece will leave an indentation in the blue tack?

I use a spot of paint instead of blue tac, works like a charm. Also I use an old pair of toenail clippers to cut the pin. They don't dull and apply a great amount of pressure without hurting your hand.

 Tangent wrote:
I guess what I'm getting at with the blue tack questions is... how does the blue tack show you where the hole should go? Do you put a very thin layer of blue tack on the piece that you have NOT drilled, and then when you press them together, the hole in the other piece will leave an indentation in the blue tack?

A raised nub, not an indention - but yes. The saliva is important (although you could easily substitute another lubricant, here) it acts as a release, ensuring that the poster tack sticks to the undrilled part only, leaving you a nice, clean bump in the proper position. Easier than using paint, in my opinion.

I'm gonna go ahead and recommend a multitool with needle nose pliers instead of a sprue cutter for this. The needle noses typically come with a. Wire cutter at the base and are ideal for trimming pins. Using your sprue cutters is asking to damage them

winterdyne wrote:
You need a 1mm bit in a pin vice, some blu-tack or similar and a pair of wire clippers. Do not use your best sprue cutters for trimming pins, it will knacker them quick smart.
Drill one part, wet the hole with spit and put a blob of blu tack on it. Press parts together. The blue tack should stick to the other part with a nub where the hole on the fitting part is.
Drill on that nub. Holes will now be aligned.
Strip the plastic coating off a paper clip and superglue into one of the holes. Dry fit and trim the pin to length before super gluing the parts together. Easy peasy.

Thanks for that. I was going to ask about pinning a deff dread together and this answered my question perfectly.

 oadie wrote:

 Tangent wrote:
I guess what I'm getting at with the blue tack questions is... how does the blue tack show you where the hole should go? Do you put a very thin layer of blue tack on the piece that you have NOT drilled, and then when you press them together, the hole in the other piece will leave an indentation in the blue tack?

A raised nub, not an indention - but yes. The saliva is important (although you could easily substitute another lubricant, here) it acts as a release, ensuring that the poster tack sticks to the undrilled part only, leaving you a nice, clean bump in the proper position. Easier than using paint, in my opinion.

Ohhhh... I get it. So, when you stick the blue tack to the side with the hole, you press it into the hole a little bit. Then, the saliva lets the blue tack release that piece and there will be a little bump where you pressed it in. I get it.