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So my LGS has these starter sets for magnetizing and it includes a heap of large magnets and a heap of small magnets and the required drill bits

I am going to magnetize my TH/SS termies and need help



Do i drill the magnets in with a hand drill?

Do i glue the magnets in with Super Glue?

Do the magnets lose their magnetic ability if I paint over it?



Help!!!

To answer your questions:

1) You drill the holes for the magnet with a pin vise or a low speed dremel.

2) You do glue them in with superglue.

3) They are just as strong with paint over top of them. It's a matter of making sure they don't get too deep into the model that they can't grab hold of the item they're keeping attached.

For a joint/hidden magnet there is no real reason to paint over them. Let them show as that's an area of the model that'll see wear/tear due to the pieces touching/rubbing. If you're doing it where you're actually removing a part from the model (like the banner off a Deathwing terminator or a cyclone missile launcher) then I would suggest greenstuffing over it to make the armor plate its under smooth then several layers of varnish, including a gloss coat underneath the dull coats.

But the basics are:

1) Find what you want to magnetize.
2) Drill out appropriate sized holes in the attaching pieces.
3) Glue in the magnets, always double check polarity (or hilarity ensues)
4) Voila, magnetized. Primer, greenstuff, and paint to taste.

It really, really is easy.

ok now it is just a matter of painting it and not drilling the hole too deep or the wrong size i am really worried about that happening

Get yourself some greenstuff as well then (NOT the liquid stuff).

If you drill too deep, put a small ball of mixed GS at the bottom and it will help seat the magnet and help to ensure it is sitting flat.

You have the right idea, I actually didn't glue my CSM termies magnets... Mostly because I couldn't get them back out when testing the hole depth. The GK paladins on the other hand needed glue badly.

I also second the GS for deep drilling mishaps.

but green stuff is so expensive im up for about $125+

for Termies, Paint, Greenstuff, Magnets+Drillbits


And i am a student so i have to save a large percentage of my pay

Mr Eldar Man,

http://www.thecombatcompany.com/rare-earth-magnets/modifx-magnets-mini-starter-3-00mm-x-50pcs-drill/

Really good starter set and great for limbs. I used them for my termies to switch TH/SS and they were perfect. You dont have to use to green stuff, just drill carefully, put the magnet in to make sure its fully in and drill more if needed!

Hope it helps!

jaygonx wrote:
Mr Eldar Man,

http://www.thecombatcompany.com/rare-earth-magnets/modifx-magnets-mini-starter-3-00mm-x-50pcs-drill/

Really good starter set and great for limbs. I used them for my termies to switch TH/SS and they were perfect. You dont have to use to green stuff, just drill carefully, put the magnet in to make sure its fully in and drill more if needed!

Hope it helps!

Ok Cool is that enough magnets though looks good though

Oh dear god, make sure you keep triple check your polarity before you glue them. I've spent hours digging magnets out of space marine arms, 7-8th guy in the squad been going really smoothly, little git decides to flip when I'm all complacent and what-not.. Glue sets, and I've gotta dig out a channel around the thing in three places before I can pry it out. AKA hilarity

Don't plug your over-deep holes with green stuff for god's sake! Just get some fun-tak, poster tak, or what have you. Its awesome for testing out poses on minis anyway. Just pack it into the hole until the magnet sits flush on top of it.

That link above is for 50 magnets which is 25 joins. How many terminators are you trying to magnetize? Arm-shoulder will be 2 joins per model, but then you have to consider banners and anything extra you want to work with. You could get silly and join the torsos/heads/wrists too for maximum pose-ability

(also, you'd want smaller magnets for wrists generally)

The last thing I would offer, is try to establish a convention for your polarity and stick with it. That way, you can freely swap arms between models, for kicks and such.

 GrimDork wrote:
Oh dear god, make sure you keep triple check your polarity before you glue them. I've spent hours digging magnets out of space marine arms, 7-8th guy in the squad been going really smoothly, little git decides to flip when I'm all complacent and what-not.. Glue sets, and I've gotta dig out a channel around the thing in three places before I can pry it out. AKA hilarity

Don't plug your over-deep holes with green stuff for god's sake! Just get some fun-tak, poster tak, or what have you. Its awesome for testing out poses on minis anyway. Just pack it into the hole until the magnet sits flush on top of it.

That link above is for 50 magnets which is 25 joins. How many terminators are you trying to magnetize? Arm-shoulder will be 2 joins per model, but then you have to consider banners and anything extra you want to work with. You could get silly and join the torsos/heads/wrists too for maximum pose-ability

(also, you'd want smaller magnets for wrists generally)

The last thing I would offer, is try to establish a convention for your polarity and stick with it. That way, you can freely swap arms between models, for kicks and such.

For kicks? but all i want to do is swap between LC and TH/SS

 GrimDork wrote:
Oh dear god, make sure you keep triple check your polarity before you glue them. I've spent hours digging magnets out of space marine arms, 7-8th guy in the squad been going really smoothly, little git decides to flip when I'm all complacent and what-not.. Glue sets, and I've gotta dig out a channel around the thing in three places before I can pry it out. AKA hilarity

Don't plug your over-deep holes with green stuff for god's sake! Just get some fun-tak, poster tak, or what have you. Its awesome for testing out poses on minis anyway. Just pack it into the hole until the magnet sits flush on top of it.

That link above is for 50 magnets which is 25 joins. How many terminators are you trying to magnetize? Arm-shoulder will be 2 joins per model, but then you have to consider banners and anything extra you want to work with. You could get silly and join the torsos/heads/wrists too for maximum pose-ability

(also, you'd want smaller magnets for wrists generally)

The last thing I would offer, is try to establish a convention for your polarity and stick with it. That way, you can freely swap arms between models, for kicks and such.

The best trick I've found for getting magnets out is to drill a tiny hole on the back side of the model (on a flat area I can fill up later), then tap the offending magnet out with a small jewelers screwdriver and a hammer. It's not always possible, but when it is this is huge time-saver.

 Eldar Man wrote:
but green stuff is so expensive

Green Stuff = GW rebranding of something called Kneadatite, should be considerably cheaper somewhere else.

Ok nice will have to remember that

No problem
I got it on ebay, a 12" strip for less than £10, The magnets I also found on ebay fairly cheap. The drill bits should be easily found at a local store, or ebay again .
A pin vice is nice, but not essential, you can just bulk up the end of the drill bit with some tape or what have you untill you can hold it. Then just spin it between your fingers. I do this for bit that dont fit the vice I have mostly.

actually really looking forward to starting i have to wait until the end of the school term and then i can buy all of this stuff

and get started and paint it all before a massive tourney soon that i need to have them for

Gale Force 9 also makes a GREAT green stuff, and a Grey stuff, same idea, different color. its about $20.00 USD for the kit...but unless you are making a TON of repairs or sculpting a whole model out of the stuff it should last you a LONG time. Keep it out of the sun and keep it out of the heat and it will last for years.

It would be possible to magnetize in such a way that model A has a TH/SS and lightning claws that work for him, but they don't stick to model B because you didn't keep the polarity consistent. All I was saying is its best for simplicity's sake to make all of the magnets face the right direction so you don't have to keep track of which arms go to which terminator. Was probably just bad wording on my part.

Matney-- that sounds like a thing to do. Most of the time I screw one up its in a marine arm, dunno why I didn't think to hammer it out from the back, its not like you can see that part under the shoulder pad. I'll remember that for later

The ordering kneadatite direct tip is also excellent, unless you just need some "emergency" green stuff, its the only way to do it.

When you are walking by a construction site where there are Carpenters putting up wooden forms for concrete, or if you know somebody in the construction field, ask them for a piece of "Pencil Rod".

They will know what it is and for them it is super cheap that they more than likely will just give you a piece about 5 or 6 foot long. It is about the size of a regular pencil and you can cut it into small pieces that you can stick in the torso of the minis.

Then you have no need to worry about polarity and since it is steel you can paint right over it and not worry about losing attraction. I am an Ironworker and am always looking for things like this to get the maximum usage out of minimal models.

I like the idea of just using bluetac to set it and then just checking the correct polarity

i think that sounds easier

You can also buy the strip kind of greenstuff that GW sells - in 3x the quantity (36") packed by the manufacturer (PSInc). My lot cost me under $20 for 36" and not $17 for 12" of it.
It's only expensive if you buy it at GW and pay retail for any of their stuff.

usually what i do is i drill out a hole that will fit the magnet and put it in there via Greenstuff INITIALLY - after the grenstuff dries i rip it out (another magnet/bigger one can pull out ones you cant get your nails on), reglue the greenstuff, and glue the magnet to the greenstuff. Bit extra work but without this i always have issues of the magnet slipping while im gluing it down or sticking to my thumb and GL getting it off once the glue is on the wrong side.

You dont need the greenstuff, it just makes it much easier in my opinion to give it a good flat surface to stick to as well as getting the angle right.

^This.

Given that holes you drill into anything that is thicker than the magnet depth will have a round bottom (concave) whereas the magnet is flat and prone to slide one way or another, ending up anywhere BUT flat.

It's an aid to seating them, not an adhesive.

 chromedog wrote:
^This.

Given that holes you drill into anything that is thicker than the magnet depth will have a round bottom (concave) whereas the magnet is flat and prone to slide one way or another, ending up anywhere BUT flat.

It's an aid to seating them, not an adhesive.

Super glue gel (bold added for obvious emphasis) helps with that, a bit. So does having a tool that's not magnetically responsive -- I use toothpicks.

Another trick is to meticulously mark your magnets before you glue them. I use red craft paint, and I'll dab a bit of it on the end of the magnet that needs to be glued in, then I'll wait for it to dry while I mark up another two or three magnets.

How long should this whole process of Magnetizing take as i will probably have about 5 days to magnetize and paint them all up?

Magnets add to assembly time but it isn't terrible. If you ever had to pin a metal model, its kind of similar to that. As long as you don't get any of them backwards and have to dig them out (or drill/hammer as noted above), it doesn't add a phenomenal amount of time. I find it makes painting a little easier for me as you can paint the torso and torso-sides of the arms much more freely.
If you end up with spare magnets you may mount one to a little stick, end of a dead paintbrush or something, and use it as a post to hold the arms while you paint them. Hobby knife or anything the magnets will stick to will also work in a pinch.

Another tip I don't think has been mentioned: I find you get the best-centered magnets if you use a really sharp hobby knife to make a pilot hole exactly where you want the magnet to go, and then drill. I used to just drill them out and I've got a few slightly-off-center magnets to show for it.

ok cool thanks i think this thread is actually really helpful


Automatically Appended Next Post:
what size magnets do i need for terminator arms

I used *2mmx1mm magnets for my Paladins. Also that took forever, though you will not be doing even a 1/4 of the magnets I installed. Shouldn't be too bad for what you are doing. I magnetized EVERYTHING in both boxes.

Edit: *Sorry 2x1 not 2x2 mm

ok but will 2mmx2mm fit Terminators


are Paladins GK

Yes Paladins are the elite terminators from GK. I also used the same *2mmx1mm to magnetize CSM terminators. I used 3mmx1mm for the banner.

*Sorry it was 2mmx1mm magnets.

Ok cool