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I have a metal model which I am trying to join together. It has a weapon to be attached to his outstretched arm – unfortunately I am just not able to get it to join. The contact area is small (neither superglue nor epoxy appears to be strong enough), and it occurs on an angle (I have tried to pin it and just can’t do it – the drill bit keeps on sliding/going through his arm etc).

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions?

If the angle is stopping you from pinning, can you just drill squarely in to it then bend the pin at an angle? You can also try drilling a small amount in square, like half a millimetre, that will give you a spot where you can then angle the drill and start drilling at an angle.

Epoxy can be tricky on those sorts of joins as well because it has to be held in place for a long time. Epoxy is strongest if you apply it before it starts curing and just let it sit until it's fully cured. I normally take the easy way out and let the epoxy partially cure before applying it so it has more tack, but that's not the best for a strong joint. If you can rig up the joint so it's held in place with clamps and apply the glue as soon as it's mixed (and make sure it's properly mixed) and then leave it for a few hours, you'll get the strongest joint.

Nah, I don't think that it is pinnable - I have tried that and it didn't work.

I was thinking about soldering it (but can't find my iron and am worried about destroying the model) or alternatively replacing the arm with a weapon (which sucks - the one it comes with looks pretty cool).

Pictures would help a lot when it comes to getting suggestions.

I've pinned models hand to wrist with as small as 1mm contact areas (there was an old mordheim pirate vampire wench with a cutlass).


A good temperature controlled iron (where you can adjust it as needed) can sometimes work (but, you also need to know the sublimation temp of the alloy you are playing with, as just a little bit too high and you'll have a puddle. I don't recommend this unless you have all the info.

If you can drill the hole square, then drill through the arm to match the angle, you can cover the small hole with greenstuff/epoxy. To bend the pin into place, just heat it up slightly (on a hot radiator or the side of a metal teapot for a second or two) and it should be easier to manipulate.

See if you can gently create a divot with another tool in order to drill into the piece, once the divot is deep enough to catch the bit you should be golden.

hasdrubalsbrother wrote:
Nah, I don't think that it is pinnable - I have tried that and it didn't work..

Yeah I'd like to see a pic, I haven't met too many things I consider unpinnable, and it's only when the size of the part is the same size or smaller than the drill I need to use for pinning. I've had some parts where it ended up almost entirely "hole" where I drilled for the pin, and parts on a weird angle sometimes the pin ends up a bit exposed and you need to greenstuff over it, but completely unpinnable is rare.

Have you tried a thicker, gel superglue? Thin liquid ones can be really finicky on tiny joins, but a thicker one might do the trick

hasdrubalsbrother wrote:
Nah, I don't think that it is pinnable - I have tried that and it didn't work.

I was thinking about soldering it (but can't find my iron and am worried about destroying the model) or alternatively replacing the arm with a weapon (which sucks - the one it comes with looks pretty cool).

One suggestion with models that the pin would not line up properly is to use a copper pin that can be bent, I have done that several times for models that looked like pinning was a lost cause. Use epoxy for the glue for the most strength.

If you are convinced that pinning cannot be done (even with a copper pin) then setting up a brace ahead of time and use epoxy (5 minute) to secure you parts.

Hope that helps,

CB

What do you guys normally use to pin things that can't be bent? I usually just use loose sewing pins or paper clips which can be bent fine.

paperclips usually

Paperclips and sometimes thin brass rod.

Never had any issues pinning stuff (paperclips come in two thicknesses around here, too - the large ones are thicker than the smaller regular sized ones).

Mix some green stuff with some superglue and stick it on there with an oversized glob. Use some sticky tack if needed to help it stay in place. Let it harden for a couple of days, then trim off all the greenstuff. This is the only way I can get a lot of old metal models with thin parts to stay together.

You can always sculpt something to the mini to look it cooler on that arm, so the glue or even the greenstuff itself it has more surface to glue everything on.