Not sure exactly where this post should go, so here it is,

I don't have a pin vise for attaching those troublesome metal parts. The alternative I've used successfully is a combination of super glue and J-B Weld. The Weld stuff is basically an epoxy used by auto mechanics for metal parts. I take put a glob of Weld on the top of the joint and paint around it with super glue, then hold it in place until the super glue sets. The glue holds it while the Weld cures. I haven't tested this in a serious way for strength, but if the part doesn't fall off immediately, it seems to hold quite well. I tugged on a Tomb Spyder's arm a bit to test it. I've had some luck with this on the Deceiver, as well. The technique seems to work best on big joints with plenty of room. It's certainly cheaper than a vise and drill bits.

Weaf

mm well i prefer my pin vice/vise and superglue as i use it for other things as well such as mounting bits and legs remodeling on marines :shifty: but if its good for you and others its a great idea

You know, it's funny... I use Krazy glue, and while my skill with the pin vise is improving to the point where I will probably be pinning metal joints in the future, I should point out I've assembled many metal models without them and done just fine, thank you.

I find pins are often more helpful during the assembly stage itself, as it allows the joint to remain more stable as you make minute adjustments. Almost feels like a third hand holding things in place :yes: It should be noted, too, that it depends on the joints. "Flat" joints (i.e., Space Marine upper arms to shoulders) will respond differently to regular gaming wear and tear than the "ball joints" (i.e., Necron warrior shoulder joints) will, or the "peg and hole joints" (i. e., Grey Knight terminator shoulder joints). Pins are more useful in some of these than others.

But as AAA says, your mileage may vary.

as Carnew, I tend to pin less than I should cos I use it for dryfitting, epox glues such as araldite are probably better than super glue IMHO, but far more fiddley and dangerous, dont see that this is cheaper, in fact woudl assume because of constant spend one 2 glues and the waste generated by mixing epoxies, it would be more expensive

I reccomend pinning everything.... EVERYTHING! I've used jbweld, all sorts of supergle, and nothing beats the stability of a pin. AND you can use it in place of magnets in many cases for swappable parts. You drill a hole, and put a pin in the removable part and viola, you have a swappable part..

Three words: Wood Elf Dragon.

A mean, viscous model that requires more pins than my grandfathers hip......and then you get to do GS work on top of all that pinning.......the joy:cry:

Many of the larger metal models, larger I say. require heavy amounts of pinning, but you can usually get away without it on the smaller character models. But you'd best handle them carefully.

:ninja:

I tend to pin less than I should cos I use it for dryfitting, epox glues such as araldite are probably better than super glue IMHO, but far more fiddley and dangerous, dont see that this is cheaper, in fact woudl assume because of constant spend one 2 glues and the waste generated by mixing epoxies, it would be more expensive.


I say it's less expensive because the jbweld cost me less than ten dollars and will last more or less forever the way I use it. Haven't tried araldite.

And you must have to use superglue on pins, right?

Weaf

I tend to pin less than I should cos I use it for dryfitting, epox glues such as araldite are probably better than super glue IMHO, but far more fiddley and dangerous, dont see that this is cheaper, in fact woudl assume because of constant spend one 2 glues and the waste generated by mixing epoxies, it would be more expensive.


I say it's less expensive because the jbweld cost me less than ten dollars and will last more or less forever the way I use it. Haven't tried araldite.

And you must have to use superglue on pins, right?

Weaf

No, not really, superglue is not a must. I have used GS to "glue" models with pins too.
Any form of bonding agent with a pin would work rather well, I immagine.

I reccomend pinning everything.... EVERYTHING! I've used jbweld, all sorts of supergle, and nothing beats the stability of a pin. AND you can use it in place of magnets in many cases for swappable parts. You drill a hole, and put a pin in the removable part and viola, you have a swappable part.

I agree that pins are better. I don't have one, however, so I've come up with an alternative. As a Necron player, I don't have to worry about magnets because my army has very few alternatives aside from how Lords are modeled, and nothing has really big parts like Termies or Dreads.

I assumed that people always glued the pins in place. Never thought about using pins in place of magnets.

I'll get back to you when my models start falling apart. :cry: I can't wait for my buddies to say, "Hey, the Destroyer Lord's arm fell off, no more Warscythe!" I think I'll claim that he can self-repair. :yes:

Weaf