How do I work with this metal mini?

[Magnus Brickson]

First off, not sure if this is the right section of the forum to ask, but here we go!

 

I'm trying to work through my unpainted pile before Bones 6 comes in, and I have this happy orc as a one of the free minis from an order I placed last summer. He's in two pieces, the seam is right at the wrists, so it'll make painting the front of the torso and the entire weapon easy if painted before assembly.

 

But now my question. How do I assemble it?  Does regular kragle super glue work on this kind of metal, or do I need to attach it a different way?  I assume I'll need to sand paint/primer of the attachment points so there's a good hold.  I haven't worked with metal minis before, so I just need a bit a guidance.

 

Cheers!

[Inarah]

Any cyanoacrylate glue should work.  Roughing up the metal might not be necessary, but won't hurt.  Check the pieces for fit and trim or file if necessary.  You might need to bend  something slightly to fit.  Reaper metal makes slight crackling sounds, but it's normal and does not mean the metal is going to break.   

 

 

[Magnus Brickson]

Thanks, I'll give it a go and see what happens.

[haldir]

Depending on the join, a pin, might be helpful. A pin is a piece of metal, say piece of a paperclip or jewelry wire that is inserted into a hole on 1 piece & on the joining piece. It sounds a bit daunting but these are the steps that you'd take to do it. Super glue by itself doesn't take to shearing very well, as it actually quite brittle. Ever hear of stories of a  mini getting knocked on the floor & breaking? Probably because it was just glued together or there isn't anything holding the pieces together besides the glue. This isn't a sure fire way of preventing that but it does give the piece a lot more solid bond then just glue alone.

 

Items:

pin vise aka miniature hand drill

drill bit (same size or 1 size bigger then your pin wire)

pin wire, this can be either a piece of paper clip or jewelry wire or for big minis even bigger diameter wire.

super glue (medium gel or liquid will work. I like the liquid as it gets down into the hole)

pointy object (so you can mark the initial holes for the drill bit)

white or some bright color of paint

 

1 - I take a sharp point object like a fresh exacto blade & then I poke a hole in one piece (say the center of the end of the arm on your mini). This gives a nice starter hole for the drill bit to bite into.

 

2 - Drill the hole with the pin vise & drill bit. You don't need to go really deep but you want it deep enough to give the wire some holding power. Afterwards insert the wire & then glue if you are using liquid super glue or glue then wire if you use anything else. It can be epoxy but super glue works fine for this.

 

3 - Clip the wire & give yourself some length for the joining piece. Don't leave so much that there will be a gap when you put the piece on it. Enough to go into the hole you'll be drilling into it.

 

4 - Dip or dab the paint on the end of the wire. This gives you something to mark the other piece with & helps with aligning up the parts.

 

5 - Repeat step 2 with the other part. Note: Try not to drill through the parts, especially thin pieces like hands or similar.

 

6 - Test fit the part to make sure it's lined up correctly & fit like there wasn't a wire inside each piece.

 

7 - Repeat Step 2 in regards to gluing & press the parts together. After a bit you'll have a solid bond.

 

Once you get the hang of this, pinning will become an essential part of the hobby for you. Good luck!