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I have heard of people using a certain type of pen to do fine details on models. What kind of pens are these? Thanks!

Sharpies? you can get ultra fine ones. I know i have seen videos of 40k people using sharpies instead of brush for certain things like trim.

https://www.warehousestationery.co.nz/product/W2143299.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjw_MnmBRAoEiwAPRRWW3rvKrbOxM25_89ObGC4IreHYb2kPZOl2XiVGndHGHHkGQnZHys8ExoCp1oQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds NZ shop, but im sure America has them.

I use Micron.

Or rather, I have purchased a Pigma Micron 05 pen and intend to use it to draw stars on my Cadian minis' pauldrons.

Yup. Microns. Black is the most common but I have seen dark blue and dark brown which could be used for some cool effects.

I got mine from Michael's, which I'm pretty sure exists in the U.S., too.

They had basically any colour you could think of in several different thicknesses.

You can easily get them from Amazon as well.
Smallest size (005) i think works best.

I use Copic Multiliners. They are water and alcohol proof ink.

They also do not wipe off almost as soon as you put it on. The micron and others need time before they set and can still be "worn" off.

The Copics are there for good.

I've tried a lot of brands before I settled on the Copics. They were the last ones I tried due to price but they worked the best and were the most indelible of the inks. I've got a variety of sizes down to .001

They need to be treated nicely and the very fine ones can scratch at your paint if you push hard. They don't require any kind of pressure. The ink will transfer with touch. If they are not transferring then you need to clean the tip.

Like a good brush, you gotta care for them.

Or you can just use sharpies and have them rub off the instant you touch them.

Any ultra-fine felt tipped pen or marker would work, I've used ultra-fine point sharpies in the past but usually use the Pigma Micron pens that have been suggested, the .005 (note the decimal in that .005), you can get them online for a couple dollars. You can also use the Copic pens, which are more of an art supply store thing or the Gundam Markers from Bandai. Some people use refillable Technical Pens which are for old-school drafting and are nice because you can use any ink you want. India Ink is the classic, I recommend Daler & Rowney acrylic inks and can be used in pens or with a brush like regular paint.

No matter what you use, make sure the paint is not only dry but fully cured before using the marker or it'll gunk up very quickly and become unusable. So once you paint the model just wait a couple days before using the marker

I used some ultra fine felt tipped permanent marker. The teqnique worked 100%. But the tesult loked really really bad. I was making some metal oxadiced Khemri blood bowl models. I had to paint over and use white stickers. White stickers worked much better. Make shure your colour functions with a black colour.

I've got a Uni Pin Fine Line pen. It has a 0.05mm nib which is the right size for the scroll plates you get on Imperial Tanks and the Knight chest piece. Cost me $5 from my local office supplier.

meatybtz: Is there any way to fix or speed the drying (or an amount of time I should wait)? I have some microns I tried to use for text on a couple models, but as soon as I dropped some army painter wash on 'em to make the pages look "aged", they just kinda...washed and blurred, even after a few hours (or possibly a day or so?) of drying.

I use a pigma Micron .005 for all my squiggle needs.

Vejut wrote:
meatybtz: Is there any way to fix or speed the drying (or an amount of time I should wait)? I have some microns I tried to use for text on a couple models, but as soon as I dropped some army painter wash on 'em to make the pages look "aged", they just kinda...washed and blurred, even after a few hours (or possibly a day or so?) of drying.

Nope. Well, yes, varnish over the ink. I must have tested 10 brands before I found the copic multiliner as the only fast ink. Even then it needs a solid fifteen min wait to fix. But once it is it resists even alcohols.

If you go copic get one of the metal barrel ones. You can replace the tip when it wears and the ink as well. The plastic ones are one shot deals and use over paint is hard on them for some reason, no matter how careful you are.

Note that only the alcohol and copic resistant interested work. I am sure there are different microns as well. So proper ink send the key here