Pinning

Pinning is a technique used to create strong joints when assembling metal miniatures. To pin a mini we will drill two small holes in the miniature, one hole on each of the two pieces we are attaching together. Then we insert and glue a small rod of metal so each end of the rod is inserted into one of the holes. The rod bridges the two pieces, reinforcing the joint and giving it much greater strength.

Pinning is only strictly necessary when the pieces are relatively large and heavy. For small pieces, just using super glue may be good enough. That being said, I frequently use pinning on smaller pieces as well. I've never had a pinned miniature fall apart on me, and I like the peace of mind that comes with knowing that my minis are rock solid when friends & family are handling them.

Today, we'll be pinning Alabam, the mini which will be my son's D&D Illusionist!

Metal Mystic Theurge

When we look at the Reaper Bones version of the miniature, the spell book and wands are already attached to the character's side. But in the metal version, it is provided as a separate piece and we need to attach it ourselves.

Bones Mystic Theurge

To start, I looked at the back side of the spell book and identified a central area where I wanted the pin inserted.  Then I drilled a hole using a pen vice with a small drill bit.

Drill a small hole in the back of the spell book

The back of the spell book with a pin hole

The hole just needs to be deep enough to insert a small length of metal and have it stay put.

Next I needed to drill a matching hole into the side of the miniature. To get the proper location for the other hole, I used our old friend epoxy putty (Green Stuff). I mixed up a small ball of putty and stuck it on the side of the miniature where the spell book should be attached.

Then I positioned the spell book in the proper location and pressed it into the putty.

Next I carefully peeled the spell book off of the mini, while leaving the Green Stuff in place. There was a nice protrusion of putty marking the location of the hole in the spell book.

That's the spot to drill! Drilling right through the putty works just fine.

After removing the putty there is a hole on the miniature body which matches the hole on the spell book.

Now we need a small rod of metal to insert as a pin. Hobby stores sell small copper rods for this purpose and they are very nice. Another frequently used option is to snip off a small length of metal from a paper clip. Paper clips work fine as a pin, but you need to use caution when cutting them, as the small piece which is cut off tends to fly off in unpredictable directions at potentially dangerous speeds. The copper rods are soft enough to avoid this problem.  If you choose to use a paper clip, be sure to use caution as well as protective safety glasses.

Once we have our pin, we can insert it into one of the holes, 

Then dry fit it into the hole on the body, just to make sure everything lines up correctly.

With that verified, use super glue on both ends of the rod and a little extra glue on the book and the body of the miniature. Let it dry and you have a super strong joint that will stand the test of time! As an extra bonus, you can use the Green Stuff to fill any gaps in the miniatures base.