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How do, Dakkadakka. Another quick question.

I'm thinking of picking up a box of Custodes, mostly to run as bolter+power armour acolytes for my inquisition/use in potential future games of inq28/necromunda. Whilst I ADORE the classic guardian spear, there's also a pretty big anti-armor hole in my inquisition force, that I'd like to be able to kinda plug (well aware that as an index only army, I very much shan't be winning tourneys with this, but I'd like a little counterpunch, even in casual games) that gap.

Thankfully, forgeworld have my back, even if it is at the expense of my wallet. I love the Pyrithite spears almost as much as the guardian spears.

Now. I've never magnetised anything before. But I've watched a lot of leakycheese, so I'm not super ignorant.
1) has it been done before? Did you do it? Will you pass your arcane knowledge on to me?
2) how should I go about doing it?
3) is this an awful idea, and am I an even worse person for wanting to try?

Cheers for looking, folks! Keep watching this space! Hopefully I'll be back in the modelling saddle soon!

I don’t have *loads* of experience doing magnetizing (so far I have only magnetized all weapon options for 2 Onagers and 2 Kastelans), but I can share what I’ve learned/done.

1. I’m not sure what the diameter of the wrist would be, but I’m thinking maybe 1/8 mm diameter magnets? I use primarily 1/4mm for big stuff and 1/8mm for smaller stuff.

2. Get a drill bit that matches your diameter exactly. I bought a pin-vice at a hobby store and the bits it came with were garbage. I went into my garage and grabbed some of my spare bits for wood working. They have a MUCH sharper and harder edge and can chew through plastic and resin much more effectively. If the diameter matches your magnets you won’t have a problem gluing them in. Usually the fit is so snug you won’t need glue.

3. If you screw up the poles removing the magnets really blows. I match them together and mark one side with a sharpie. If the black side is still face up I know I did it right. Face down and I screwed up.

4. Get plastic tweezers. Super frustrating when your magnet rips off of half-dried super glue because it stuck to your metal tweezers. Also wooden tooth picks work great for small adjustments.

5. I haven’t actually tried this yet, but it’s on my list after reading about it. Magnets get expensive, so replacing one side with a chunk of metal saves you a pair of magnets. I’ve read of guys using bits of paper clip. Instead of doing hand and wrist, just do the hand, and glue the metal bit to the wrist. Now you can ignore the issues with polarity and also save a pair of (somewhat expensive) magnets.

Practice this on something first, even bits of sprue. Magnets are typically quite strong pulling away from one another if you neodymium magnets from a place like K&J. They do not, however, have much attraction from shearing (sliding) motion.

For that reason I would not sink the magnets into each side of the joint. If you’re using a 1mm thick magnet I’d drill a 2mm hole into the torso, glue in one magnet, then glue the opposite polarity on the face of the arm. This way the arm’s magnet acts like a peg so that the arm won’t slide off as easily.

I sunk magnets into both sides of my Rifleman dreads’ autocannons and now they slide off rather easily. Live and learn.

Glue in one torso magnet, then glue on one arm, then do ALL of the rest of your arms. Then go back and do all the rest of your torsos. You’ll only switch polarity once and there’s less risk of messing up polarity.

Keep a pair of metal cutters under you while gluing magnets, when (not if) you drop a magnet it will usually latch onto the clippers before rolling off into the Warp never to be seen again.

When spraying and painting using blue tack over your magnets will keep their surfaces clean.

I apply magnets with a toothpick with a tiny dot of blue tack on it, push it into the glue, then twist it off after about 10 seconds.

Hope that helps.