Pinning and Glues

[fluid]

Hi all,

I've been doing a lot of research looking at past threads concerning the assembly of figures. Have a few questions and I think the best way to present them would be in list form:

1 - I understand the need for pinning on metal figures due to the weight of the metal. But, is pinning need for larger resin figures (75mm, 90mm and 120mm) ?

2 - Is pinning needed for just attaching the figure to the base or even for assembling the figure (arms, shields, etc) ? Is glue not strong enough to hold a figure together?

3 - What glue is preferred for resin - cyano or epoxy ?

4 - What glue is preferred for white metal - cyano or epoxy ?

Thanks

 

[megroot]

First I pin as much as i can.
Arms, head, torso, legs. Seen alot of figures broken on the contest tables just trough the transport. I use pieces of paperclip for pinning.
I use Cyano glue for pinning, and epoxy for the large areas around the pin.
If you have a clean contact you can use always Cyano. But i prefer to use them both as explained above.
I pin the figure into the base as well. Had once that the pin wasn't far enough into the base, and my figure came off.
Now i pin my figure 2 - 3 cm into the base.
marc

 

[Tommi]

Always pin your figures no matter what scale they are or whether they are metal or resin. If it is a 90mm white metal figure make sure you use 2 or 3 cm pins in the legs if your base can accommodate this depth. I normally drill the holes in the base slightly wider than the pin and always use 2 part epoxy, this allows the epoxy to flow round the pin in the cavity and make a good seal. I also lightly serrate the pin before gluing with a pair of side cutters, this acts like a barb on a fishing hook and once the epoxy forms and sets round this it will never come out.



I also pin the arms and head of larger scale figures, things have a tendency to work loose if they are transported to shows or shipped out to collectors so the last thing you want is a piece coming away and rolling around damaging everything else.


It’s always worth spending the extra time doing this during your figure prep work, it does not take a long time and a few boxes of different gauge of paperclips are cheap and go a long way.


Cheers
Tommi

 

[Paul Kernan]

An additional suggestion for drilling....drill the hole on surface A almost the exact diameter of the pin. However, drill the hole on surface B just a bit wider. This will give you a little 'wiggle' room to help ensure the two pieces still line up.

 

[housecarl]

I drill one side, then I put a piece of Blu Tack on the other. Dust the drilled side with talc, press them together. You'll be left with a "nipple" that will tell you where to drill the corresponding hole.
Sounds complicated but it isn't,
Carl.

 

[megroot]

I drill one side, then I put a piece of Blu Tack on the other. Dust the drilled side with talc, press them together. You'll be left with a "nipple" that will tell you where to drill the corresponding hole.
Carl.

That works for me to....just finding the direction for the drill is very difficult. That's why i paint that hole 1 mm larger.

marc

 

[Mike Stevens]

I pin everything that I can. I have had the unfortunate experience of the exploded figure when traveling.

I use various thicknesses of wires depending on the size, weight or material and piece that I'm pining. I primarily will use paper clips for the feet. and use 28MM, 20MM and 16MM gauge copper wire for other parts.

For the feet I will drill about 2/3 of the way up the leg thru the feet. I always have a steady base to work from. Drill depth for other parts is dependent on the figure.

I pretty much use Super Glue for all my bonding needs.

Hope this helps

 

[fluid]

Thanks all, it does help a lot. I'm learning more and more as I read along and look at others' work. I had no clue about pinning until I came across it in another thread.

Thanks

 

[Paul Kernan]

I drill one side, then I put a piece of Blu Tack on the other. Dust the drilled side with talc, press them together. You'll be left with a "nipple" that will tell you where to drill the corresponding hole.
Sounds complicated but it isn't,
Carl.

Clever bu**er. Much more accurate