How to incorporate small chains from a hobby store onto your models?

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**Netsurfer733**

I want to wrap some very small, fine chains I bought at an online hobby store around some of my models. I think they're metallic - but they would fit inside the hand of a guardsman.

They really are terrific, but I'm still an amateur painter etc. So does anyone know how to go about this?

Imagine wrapping tiny chains around the arm of a model. It seems to me that it would be exceedingly hard to paint after it's attached, so that seems a no-no.

So tell me if you think this process is wrong:

1) Assemble and paint my model completely

2) Cut the appropriate portion of chain I want

3) Prime (somehow?) and paint the chains

4) Just super glue the damned stuff straight to my finished-model's arm

I just worry that this could result in some less than ideal results to do it so straightforward like this.

Are there any pro tips I should be considering? Because again, i am an amateur - and the insanely small amount of time I have to paint makes this a somewhat important thing to figure out!

**Excommunicatus**

No, do it before painting. I would glue them totally in place, too. Swinging/shifting chains leads to paint rubbing off.

I also find it's easier to put the chain in place and then trim it to size.

**Geifer**

One more vote for gluing the chains on beforehand.

I've recently used thin chain on a couple of models and the way it moves at the slightest touch, I honestly have no idea how you could paint it to any kind of standard unless it's fixed in place. You also need to consider that however you would paint the chain, it wouldn't be in the same shape as on the finished model, so wherever the paint holds the individual links in there place after painting, those places are going to crack open an reveal the bare chain when you wrap them around an arm.

In my experience even tiny chains aren't hard to paint or suffer loss of detail if you attach them right. I use thin super glue and apply it with the tip of a needle to not accidentally spill too much green stuff on it. It also helps to glue one end of the chain in place,let the glue dry properly, wrap it around a little, glue some way further along the chain, let it dry, and repeat until the chain is in place. Then you'll see which bits are still able to move around and you can apply a little glue to them, too. I agree with Excommunicatus here, it's for the best to glue chains into position along their whole length. It won't just prevent damage to their paint job and that of the rest of the model, it also helps with painting them in the first place if they're not swinging around.

As for painting and loss of detail, I've added a picture of my latest model below. The chain was attached as described above. Glued along its entire length, careful to avoid glue buildup, with a layer of spray primer, a basecoat that wasn't watered down and a couple of layers of paint. If you don't drown the chain in super glue, it will provide significant raised detail and will be perfect to be given depth and definition with a wash. It should not be hard, much less exceedingly so, to paint the army underneath the chain, then give the chain a basecoat, then a wash, and then pick out the highlights. You should work with a suitably small brush to match the small size of the chain, of course. But chains are very plain and easy to paint as a rule of thumb. I don't think you have to worry about the attached chain proving to add an undue amount of time to your painting.

**Not Online!!!**

if you want swinging chains, etc. you should consider thin wiring them into the propper form. ( as in you use a thin wire or two to keep the chain in place.)

**Excommunicatus**

FWIW, I also wouldn't buy chains from hobby stores in future.

Jewelry from dollar-stores works just as well and is much, much cheaper.

Pics are probably NSFW

Spoiler:

All of the chain on Herself cost less than $2 (CAD), from Dollarama.

I'm pretty lazy so the chains got primed black and drybrushed with an AP version of Boltgun Metal. Because I am lazy, I don't actually glue the chains along their entire length; I spot-glue them so that they don't shift around/swing too badly, then I rely on the spray-prime to 'glue' the rest into place. I don't use chains the same way as Geifer, though, I almost always use them to make one-column ties, rather than collars.

**Fajita Fan**

I’ve always glued chains down and primed the model before painting.

**Netsurfer733**

Geifer wrote:One more vote for gluing the chains on beforehand.

I've recently used thin chain on a couple of models and the way it moves at the slightest touch, I honestly have no idea how you could paint it to any kind of standard unless it's fixed in place. You also need to consider that however you would paint the chain, it wouldn't be in the same shape as on the finished model, so wherever the paint holds the individual links in there place after painting, those places are going to crack open an reveal the bare chain when you wrap them around an arm.

In my experience even tiny chains aren't hard to paint or suffer loss of detail if you attach them right. I use thin super glue and apply it with the tip of a needle to not accidentally spill too much green stuff on it. It also helps to glue one end of the chain in place,let the glue dry properly, wrap it around a little, glue some way further along the chain, let it dry, and repeat until the chain is in place. Then you'll see which bits are still able to move around and you can apply a little glue to them, too. I agree with Excommunicatus here, it's for the best to glue chains into position along their whole length. It won't just prevent damage to their paint job and that of the rest of the model, it also helps with painting them in the first place if they're not swinging around.

As for painting and loss of detail, I've added a picture of my latest model below. The chain was attached as described above. Glued along its entire length, careful to avoid glue buildup, with a layer of spray primer, a basecoat that wasn't watered down and a couple of layers of paint. If you don't drown the chain in super glue, it will provide significant raised detail and will be perfect to be given depth and definition with a wash. It should not be hard, much less exceedingly so, to paint the army underneath the chain, then give the chain a basecoat, then a wash, and then pick out the highlights. You should work with a suitably small brush to match the small size of the chain, of course. But chains are very plain and easy to paint as a rule of thumb. I don't think you have to worry about the attached chain proving to add an undue amount of time to your painting.

A needle huh? That makes sense. Not sure I have any good ones handy but I can look for something small. I intend to use GW super glue for it. And thanks for that gluing method - I'll definitely do a little bit as I go/wrap it around like that now! The thing is that I thought I remembered from long ago that super gluing a painted object to another painted object was a lot, lot better than doing such a thing with plastic glue...but I suppose I'll do the gluing first now, heh.

Not Online!!! wrote:if you want swinging chains, etc. you should consider thin wiring them into the propper form. ( as in you use a thin wire or two to keep the chain in place.)

I'm not sure I'm seeing your meaning - do you mean interweave a wire through or around the chain? Wouldn't that ruin the effect?

Excommunicatus wrote:FWIW, I also wouldn't buy chains from hobby stores in future.

Jewelry from dollar-stores works just as well and is much, much cheaper.

All of the chain on Herself cost less than $2 (CAD), from Dollarama.

I'm pretty lazy so the chains got primed black and drybrushed with an AP version of Boltgun Metal. Because I am lazy, I don't actually glue the chains along their entire length; I spot-glue them so that they don't shift around/swing too badly, then I rely on the spray-prime to 'glue' the rest into place. I don't use chains the same way as Geifer, though, I almost always use them to make one-column ties, rather than collars.

See now THAT is the sort of technique I think I'm looking for! So you're saying they're (obviously) not glued along the entire length? I do feel like the paint that gets damaged wouldn't get TOO damaged from what little I'd be doing if I leave it a little loose...I think it might be cool, like what you did lol. But you're saying you use spray primer to glue things in place a bit? How does that have any real effect beyond the glue itself? Since you'd be priming over what you already glued, I imagine

**Not Online!!!**

Geifer wrote:
One more vote for gluing the chains on beforehand.

I've recently used thin chain on a couple of models and the way it moves at the slightest touch, I honestly have no idea how you could paint it to any kind of standard unless it's fixed in place. You also need to consider that however you would paint the chain, it wouldn't be in the same shape as on the finished model, so wherever the paint holds the individual links in there place after painting, those places are going to crack open an reveal the bare chain when you wrap them around an arm.

In my experience even tiny chains aren't hard to paint or suffer loss of detail if you attach them right. I use thin super glue and apply it with the tip of a needle to not accidentally spill too much green stuff on it. It also helps to glue one end of the chain in place,let the glue dry properly, wrap it around a little, glue some way further along the chain, let it dry, and repeat until the chain is in place. Then you'll see which bits are still able to move around and you can apply a little glue to them, too. I agree with Excommunicatus here, it's for the best to glue chains into position along their whole length. It won't just prevent damage to their paint job and that of the rest of the model, it also helps with painting them in the first place if they're not swinging around.

As for painting and loss of detail, I've added a picture of my latest model below. The chain was attached as described above. Glued along its entire length, careful to avoid glue buildup, with a layer of spray primer, a basecoat that wasn't watered down and a couple of layers of paint. If you don't drown the chain in super glue, it will provide significant raised detail and will be perfect to be given depth and definition with a wash. It should not be hard, much less exceedingly so, to paint the army underneath the chain, then give the chain a basecoat, then a wash, and then pick out the highlights. You should work with a suitably small brush to match the small size of the chain, of course. But chains are very plain and easy to paint as a rule of thumb. I don't think you have to worry about the attached chain proving to add an undue amount of time to your painting.

A needle huh? That makes sense. Not sure I have any good ones handy but I can look for something small. I intend to use GW super glue for it. And thanks for that gluing method - I'll definitely do a little bit as I go/wrap it around like that now! The thing is that I thought I remembered from long ago that super gluing a painted object to another painted object was a lot, lot better than doing such a thing with plastic glue...but I suppose I'll do the gluing first now, heh.

Not Online!!! wrote:
if you want swinging chains, etc. you should consider thin wiring them into the propper form. ( as in you use a thin wire or two to keep the chain in place.)

I'm not sure I'm seeing your meaning - do you mean interweave a wire through or around the chain? Wouldn't that ruin the effect?

Yes interwiring.
yes you need small wires

**Excommunicatus**

I generally use what is technically called a lark's head when I put chains around appendages.

That part gets glued entirely into place. I also glue the other end of the chain into place; on Herself I glued them to stones on Her base to achieve a kind-of 'trailing' effect. The links in between aren't glued to anything except themselves and only by the spray-primer. This only works because they're glued at both ends and taut so they don't swing or shift.

The chain around Her torso is more complicated and only glued in one spot on Her back. I'll probably be banned if I attempt to post a graphic showing you how I did that one.

**Netsurfer733**

Definitely a good idea, that! Thank you for the image!

I'm going to consider all of this and get to work. I'll let you guys know if I come up with another question along the way lol. Thanks!

**Fajita Fan**

Wow, that's actually a really good idea...