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As the title suggests, I am looking to get a meterial to use for Pinning of a Large Model (Stormwall) and I was wondering where you get your Pinning materials from, I have plenty of drill bits.

What woudl also be useful would be to know what you actually use to pin.

I'm in Republic of Ireland but I'm just looking for more info really.

I clip different thickness paperclips to size

I use paper clips, just the normal size ones. Once you cut them down to size, they are very hard to bend. And they are slightly smaller than the GW pin vice so it gives you alittle wiggle room to place the pieces together. I got a package for 1 dollar and still have then 4 years later. Hope this helps!

I generally use paperclips, suitably chunky or thin depending on the weight of the object to pin...1mm is generally fine for regular size plastics, but use 2 pins for anything you want to avoid rotation on during glueing. 2mm will hold pretty much anything.

Thanks guys, thats what I assumed, time to go raid the Office Stationary cupboard.

Hah - I thought I was being lazy using paperclips instead of a proper pinning wire!
Yeah I use paperclips too.


I should think that a craft store would have thin metal wire used for other purposes, I think that flower arrangements use wire to hold things together, so you might look in that section of the store.z

This also might be something to get at a hardware store.

I actually use 2mm copper rods that my hobby store sells as spears for their historical range, it's a touch expensive to use them for pinning, but for heavy models it's the right decision

Otherwise paperclips are a dandy

I use metal wires of different thicknesses, some sold as actual pinning wire on bits sites, generally around 0.8mm up to 1mm, or 0.5mm metal wire from a model shop. All depending on what model I'm working, it's hard to pin a 1mm thick swordblade to a 28mm scale hand using paperclips...

For bigger jobs I just make several connections with the 0.8-1mm wire.

paper clips, florist's wire (quite soft), brass wire (quite hard), brass & steel panel pins (hard),
piano wire (very very hard).
Depends on what stress I think the join will come under & also what I have at hand.

You can find spools of wire at varying thickness in art stores that sell jewelry, beading stuff.

Paper Clips here - occasionally brass rod

paper clips and...erm.....paper clips.


If you cut them with clippers, be careful not to impale your own thumb on the now-sharp end of the wire.

It hurts.

A lot.

Paperclips, preferably the larger ones with the little notches that run the length of the wire.

If I need some super-heavy duty pinning, i go with some 12 gauge galvanized steel wire I got from the hardware store...

I know, overkill...

Floral wire might provide a little shear resistance, but it's too malleable to resist much torque, which is really the point. If it's a very thin, high-stress joint, I might grab some music wire or brass rod, but paperclips are more than up to the majority of tasks and are much cheaper. If the mating surfaces are large enough to accommodate it, a second paperclip pin will increase the strength more than upgrading the material of a single one would, anyway. I tend to favor paperclips over my 16g galvy (steel bailing wire), too, as the equivalent stiffness, if not overall strength, in a paperclip means a smaller diameter and, consequently, easier placement.

I bought some pinning brass wire before, then on my way to get some copies of something made i saw a box of paper clips...more material, about the same strength, for around 1/10 the cost....

Needless to say, I now use paper clips of two different thicknesses.

I bought some pinning "refills" of different sizes that came with a couple drill bits and lengths of wire to match... I bought them for the bits but the wire is a really tight fit if you get your holes matched up well it works great.

Aside from that, I use random coils of steel wire that I picked up who knows where. I've used paper clips too, to great effect.

Paper clips. Take them from work.

 martin74 wrote:
Paper clips. Take them from work.

I'm shocked! Are you really advocating theft?!?!

I use 22 & 18 gauge copper wire. I "take it from work", too!

I've always found paperclips a bit weaksauce; they're ok for lighter models that don't see the tabletop often, but if it's chunky, metal, or gets used to game with I go with 0.8-1.5mm brass rod.

 Yodhrin wrote:
I've always found paperclips a bit weaksauce; they're ok for lighter models that don't see the tabletop often, but if it's chunky, metal, or gets used to game with I go with 0.8-1.5mm brass rod.

I use a range of different paperclip sizes, from the very small paperclips to the huge ones that are 2 inches long. The clip I use depends on the weight/handling I expect it to need to withstand. So far I've not had any issues with using them.

Paper clips, if it seems too big a job for it try to fit in more. In a triangle shape or something.

I've personally bought a 50m wire from a garden tools and stuff store and its super awesome and never-ending, and i've bought it for something like 1.5 euros xD

I guess the added advantage of having a coil of wire is if you also sculpt stuff and need some structural support.

Note that for cutting wire I use these (crimping tool) rather than my side cutters:




They can cut steel & brass with no problems

I like copper wire, I just get it at the craft store, they usually have something in the jewellery section.

An added benefit of copper wire is that it's a soft metal so if you stick it in there hard it will actually shape itself and mold itself in there. It doesn't have to be strong metal to work, the whole point is to have something for the superglue to stick to.