April 7, 2013

Holding Miniatures While Painting


Seems like everyone has a different way to hold miniatures while painting. My favorite is attaching a model to a wine bottle cork. I find that holding the miniature is comfortable and that my hands are not fatigued after a painting session.

I start by trimming the ends of the cork square (as best as I can) with a razor saw. A few passes with sandpaper knocks off the loose bits. From here, I can insert a pinned model directly into the cork. For larger models, I glue a piece of balsa between the model and the cork. I like balsa because it's soft enough that you can press a model into the wood and it will take the shape of the model. For adhesive, I found that a hot glue gun like you find at an art store will work great. Use only a small amount of glue so that you can easily remove the model later when your painting is complete.

Hope that helps!