How to hold a model when painting?

[SimonC]

Hi, bit of a silly question, but how do you hold a model when painting it?

New to the hobby, I have just starting my 3rd project and am working on a Cellar Model Bust, but I am having problems holding it whilst painting. On my previous bust I held the head whilst painting the body and held the body whilst painting the head. But this way is awkward plus I get the grease from my fingers onto the model?

On this model I have tried attaching the bust on a old bottle cork, holding it in place using blue tac but it keeps falling off. I would love advice from the experienced modelers using this forum, what do you use/do to hold an item whilst painting?

Kind regards

 

[Peter Day]

HI Simon - I glue mine to a temporary stand, or the pedestal if the bust comes with one. If you need to, you can then prise it off when finished.

 

[Tecumsea]

Hi Simon, I hold my smaller figures 54/75mm and busts in a pin vice.Invariably there are pins inserted into the feet of my figures to hold them on the base. A rod is inserted into the base of busts ready for the base so the pins and rod become the holding anchor.

Keith

 

[Banjer]

Hi Simon,
I do 90 mm figures and busts and use this a lot


About a tenner on Amazon.
For small items I use round wooden sticks with a piece of brass rod inserted which fits in a hole I drill in the piece to be worked on.
Cheers

Bill

 

[DaddyO]

For full figures up to 75's I've got an old broom which I've cut into section about 4" long and radiused the edges. Drill holes in the top to match the pins you put in the legs and add a tiny drop of superglue if needed (easily broken joint when you need to remove the figure to base up)
I use the same for the few busts I paint with bigger holes to match the brass tubing I mount the busts on (Drill and epoxy the brass tube into the bottom of the bust, drilling a slightly oversize hole gives you a bit of adjustment if you don't manage to drill it quite square)
Hope that helps
Paul

 

[callmehobbes]

I usually drill a hole in the base or somewhere hidden and glue in a rod.

 

[SimonC]

thank you for all of your replies. Some great advice and I will be trying some of these techniques.

Many thanks

 

[Nap]

Hi Simon

Lots of great answers already

I only paint busts bust all have been painted on the final base on a brass rod ......putting clingfilm and then white paper tape to protect the base which provides a great ( for me at least !! ) handhold avoiding touching the piece

Look forward to seeing whichever holder you choose

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[Graham]

I use various things to hold stuff. I have a couple of Rathcore, https://rathcore.com/ holders which are nice but not necessary, I just like them. As you can see I also use pin vices for smaller bits. These hold a bit of wire to attach the part to, the masking tape is just to keep the pin vice clean while airbrush or rattle can priming. Sometimes I use a wine bottle cork to hold small pieces to.

The main thing I like is to sort out something to hold the holder when I put them down. The Rathcore holders have their own ‘egg cup’ type stands to pop them in. I also have a piece of wood with holes in to drop the corks into.

 

[theBaron]

For smaller figures, such as 1/48 scale or smaller, I drill a small hole and insert a straight pin with the head cut off, and then stick it in a wine cork, as Graham shows in his second photo. I use the caps from rattle cans to hold the cork on when I'm not working on the piece.

For larger figures, I pin those, too, but use a piece of styrofoam to hold them. Others that I paint have bases cast integrally and I hold those by the base, but I want to get myself a holder like Bill shows, or make myself one. I have a piece of a decorative pin, like a ship's belaying pin, that I can use as a handle, odds and ends of dowel stock or wooden blocks, and a couple of wing nuts. Just haven't gotten around to doing it.

Prost!
Brad