Comments on: Tutorial: Pinning with Blu Tack

By: Chip

Chip — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:08:27 +0000

Thanks for the step-by-step.. I’ve had a hard time finding a good guide on the web. I’ll try out your method.

BTW, what is the best dremel bit for polishing pewter minis?

By: Stu

Stu — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:17:45 +0000

Yes, that’s why I started using blu tack. It’s quick and dirty and gives you a good pin almost every time.

I like quick and dirty solutions that work…mainly because I’m a lazy devil at heart :)

By: pityak studios

pityak studios — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 21:40:43 +0000

Good tip; the best I’ve found so far involves dry fitting the parts, marking each part then connecting the marks to find the centres of each. Bit laborious, and doesn’t tend to work too well on smaller stuff anyway.

By: Stu

Stu — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 21:41:30 +0000

Ah sounds nice! Dremel branded tools are ludicrously expensive in New Zealand unfortunately. So much so that it would be considerably cheaper for me to order off the web, even with shipping included.

Hmmm, perhaps I should set myself up as a Dremel reseller :)

By: Hyun

Hyun — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:11:13 +0000

Heh, I know what you mean about drilling/sanding body parts :-D. Knock on wood, nothing serious has happened to me yet…

I recently got a Dremel Stylus, which has a grip that is much easier to control and more comfortable to hold than the “traditional” Dremels. The tools for the hobby are a hobby unto themselves!

By: Stu

Stu — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:01:55 +0000

Cobalt, I have tried that but it’s hard to dry fit the parts properly if you’ve already got a couple of mm of pin sticking out of one part, which can lead to the hole being in the wrong place and a bad final fit. With nothing more than a little blu tack in the way you can fit both pieces together very well to create the guide.

Hyun, I’ve got a cheap $20 battery powered Chinese knock off of a Dremel that works very well. For these pieces I drilled a guide with the pin vise and actually dremelled the hole out to 3-4mm. For smaller, flatter pieces I’ll always use the pin vise because you can control the depth a lot better and I’ve almost drilled my hand several times through a thin metal part :).

By: Hyun

Hyun — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:39:29 +0000

That’s a great idea to use Blu-Tack to line-up the holes on both pieces. I’ve had problems in the past lining up the pin vise holes, too.

Do you have a Dremel or other rotary tool? I find it invaluable for drilling small miniature pieces. The battery-operated, cordless ones I use (5,000RPM on battery power seems easier to handle–perhaps not as much torque–than 5,000RPM on corded tool) are great for drilling and sanding small miniatures.

By: CobaltEarthgem

CobaltEarthgem — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:31:32 +0000

What about dryfitting a pin in the smaller part, THEN pushing the parts together (while there is blutac on the larger). Then instead of a nub, you’ll be left with a guidehole?