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Im currently 'pinning' together a weapon and I need straight pin so the weapon isnt slanted in different places.
Any tips?

Pin one side. Put the pin in. Then put a bit of bright paint on the pin/paper clip piece poking out. Then put the model together, where the pin touches should leave a little dot of paint. Now drill the other side and it should line up relatively strait. Assuming you drill strait.

Another idea is, before you pin, put a *tiny* dot of paint on the join where you want to pin (hand side, for example) then put the weapon on top. Do *not* wiggle or jiggle!

I like this better, as putting the pin in first can make it hard to see the exact positioning of where you want it to go on the other side.

If you don’t drill straight, you can always glue the pin on one side, bend it to position, then glue the other after a test-fit. Both ways work, this just works better for me.

PS: scrape the dot of paint off before gluing, to get the strongest bond.

If you want something that won't bend, try using a needle.

 Stephanius wrote:
If you want something that won't bend, try using a needle.

Clipping needles are going to be very difficult without damaging the clippers.

Depends where on the model to pin is. EG in some instances you can drill right through - say on a marine's arm - & then cover it with the shoulder pad.
I also use florists wire, which is really soft, so if i do make a mistake with lining up the holes, a little bit of pressure will make the pin bend so the bits line up right.

Being trypanophobic (irrational fear of hypodermic needles) the whole “use a needle” thing made my stomach clench in a dry heave.

Bad Stephanius! No more internet for you!

Paint is fine for position but not direction.

Drill the first hole, put blutac on the other connection point, put some spit on the drilled side - press together flush.

You should now end up with a blutac nipple you can drill through for a perfect position and angle.

I use clipped paperclips and the 'blu-tac' method.

 greatbigtree wrote:
Being trypanophobic (irrational fear of hypodermic needles) the whole “use a needle” thing made my stomach clench in a dry heave.

Bad Stephanius! No more internet for you!

I would have thought sewing needles (or dressmaking pins) would be easier to buy and use.

Probably, but the irrational part of an irrational fear cares not for your reason or logic.

(For example, I can’t stop thinking about holding the mini while placing the pin, and accidentally stabbing myself and somehow injecting something... why wouldn’t a person trim the needle down and remove the syringe? Because IRRATIONAL! )

Gamezdude wrote:
Im currently 'pinning' together a weapon and I need straight pin so the weapon isnt slanted in different places.
Any tips?

Gamezdude,

What exactly are you looking to do: add a pin to stop a weapon drooping that is held in place with a magnet...or to hold it in place in addition to a plastic tab...or to use the pin as the primary holder...or are you using a straight pin to straighten out a barrel?

Pinning is pretty easy and the community has offered up a plethora of suggestions, but what you are asking for help on could be interpreted several ways.

Sincerely,

CB

Captain Brown wrote:

Gamezdude wrote:
Im currently 'pinning' together a weapon and I need straight pin so the weapon isnt slanted in different places.
Any tips?

Gamezdude,

What exactly are you looking to do: add a pin to stop a weapon drooping that is held in place with a magnet...or to hold it in place in addition to a plastic tab...or to use the pin as the primary holder...or are you using a straight pin to straighten out a barrel?

Pinning is pretty easy and the community has offered up a plethora of suggestions, but what you are asking for help on could be interpreted several ways.

Sincerely,

CB

Im looking to Pin a skull to a mace halt (To make a scepter) the problem is I cannot drill straight so the addition is slanted due to the hole being at an angle.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

kb_lock wrote:
Paint is fine for position but not direction.

Drill the first hole, put blutac on the other connection point, put some spit on the drilled side - press together flush.

You should now end up with a blutac nipple you can drill through for a perfect position and angle.

Sorry, I only understood half of that. :( It seems the method im looking for tho.

You can also drill the hole bigger on the receiving part,
allowing some "wiggle room" to line up the parts,

Chris

 NOLA Chris wrote:
You can also drill the hole bigger on the receiving part,
allowing some "wiggle room" to line up the parts,

Chris

Wiggle room + some greenstuff can help if there is enough space.

Another option is to "bone pin" though I appreciate that for making a weapon this might not work, but its a good method to be aware of for some more tricky models.

Bone pinning is where you glue the two parts to be pinned together first. Then once that bond is fully set (at least a day or so - times vary depending on the glue); you drill into the model and through the join. You then push through the rod, make sure it fits, apply some superglue to it and push it all the way in and then clip off the bit that's left out. Filing down and cleaning up the stump that remains.

This, of course, requires a join that has an easy to access region to drill through on the outside of the model and which will be clean to polish up once finished. I've done it to great effect for the main upper wings and body of Warmachine Hordes Angelus models - far easier than trying to line up pin slots on the wings/body.

 Overread wrote:
Another option is to "bone pin" though I appreciate that for making a weapon this might not work, but its a good method to be aware of for some more tricky models.

Bone pinning is where you glue the two parts to be pinned together first. Then once that bond is fully set (at least a day or so - times vary depending on the glue); you drill into the model and through the join. You then push through the rod, make sure it fits, apply some superglue to it and push it all the way in and then clip off the bit that's left out. Filing down and cleaning up the stump that remains.

This, of course, requires a join that has an easy to access region to drill through on the outside of the model and which will be clean to polish up once finished. I've done it to great effect for the main upper wings and body of Warmachine Hordes Angelus models - far easier than trying to line up pin slots on the wings/body.

This.

If you're not confident of getting the end of the pin neat, cutting it short enough that it sits fully recessed into the hole and then filling with a little putty does the trick.

I had to pin my blackreach DCCW, broke off the arm nub flush, just drilled the arm and body to fit a brass square pin from an old motherboard IDE connector