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Hi guys

I've been wondering if you guys know of a way to make the magnets spin less easily. its a bit annoying when the weapons spin on the minis when moving them around. I imagine painting something on to create some more friction.

Have any of you tried this?

You can put a pin on one side of the magnet, or use 2 magnets.

As above, 2 points of support should keep things from turning, and you could use a pin instead of a second magnet.

If you have a single outstretched arm for example, on a knight or something, you might want two pins for strength, and a magnet to keep the pins from sliding out.

Note for some larger parts a good pin and socket might actually be holding most of the support, with the magnet there to just keep the two bits together and firm. A pin should help stop rotation, just ensure that the position won't encourage the pin to turn into a fulcrum - esp if its only a short pin due to space limitations.

Magnets only exert force along the magnetic axis, which defines a point in the connection.
As others have said, a second point, either a pin or another magnet will define an alignment in the joint plane and stop rotation.

Yes, if you take two perfectly smooth surfaces and recess magnets into them perfectly level with the surface, there is absolutly no friction preventing rotation.
But,... we don't have to do things perfect. We can:

recess the magnets slightly into the surface - just push them in a fraction of a millimeter - which presses the model parts against each other and uses that marterial's friction,

just leave some superglue dried around the magnet insert providing a rough, frictionrich surface or

chuck in a tiny amount of blue-tac into the joint.

Have you tried just painting the magnets?

 Stephanius wrote:
Magnets only exert force along the magnetic axis, which defines a point in the connection.
As others have said, a second point, either a pin or another magnet will define an alignment in the joint plane and stop rotation.

Yes, if you take two perfectly smooth surfaces and recess magnets into them perfectly level with the surface, there is absolutly no friction preventing rotation.
But,... we don't have to do things perfect. We can:

recess the magnets slightly into the surface - just push them in a fraction of a millimeter - which presses the model parts against each other and uses that marterial's friction,

just leave some superglue dried around the magnet insert providing a rough, frictionrich surface or

chuck in a tiny amount of blue-tac into the joint.

Great suggestions thank you!

 killerpenguin wrote:

 Stephanius wrote:
Magnets only exert force along the magnetic axis, which defines a point in the connection.
As others have said, a second point, either a pin or another magnet will define an alignment in the joint plane and stop rotation.

Yes, if you take two perfectly smooth surfaces and recess magnets into them perfectly level with the surface, there is absolutly no friction preventing rotation.
But,... we don't have to do things perfect. We can:

recess the magnets slightly into the surface - just push them in a fraction of a millimeter - which presses the model parts against each other and uses that marterial's friction,

just leave some superglue dried around the magnet insert providing a rough, frictionrich surface or

chuck in a tiny amount of blue-tac into the joint.

Great suggestions thank you!

Be careful when recessing magnets, they lose their magnetic strength rather quickly the more you increase distance between them. You may end up with increasing friction, but decreasing magnetic strength, and you end up with the same result, a spinning weapon.

Pinning the magnets works well for larger models.

On my smalls however, Terminators and the such. I notch the joint of the magnetized area. So the weapon arm sits into a groove along the models side.

Just drill the magnets position slightly deeper and mark out a groove for the limb to be set into.
Space Marines are some of the easiest because their shoulders can be used to make their own groove, or can keep the arm of spinning at all.