Painting Rigs: Why do I need them?

[Chrispy]

So, I notice more and moe web sites where is shows how to make a painting rig. People clip, blu tac, wire and crunch mini\'s bases to something else for one purpose: to paint minis unglud to their bases. My question is WHY? ???

In my years as a painter, I painted ONE mini off of the base, and that was because the glue released from it too early. It seems a weird thing for me not to glue the base on right away, since I usually do the base semi-first, because I can always go back on a coat of paint/drubrush combo but trying to repaint that one spot on those boots that took me twelve steps of layering and blending will piss me off right quick.

Now, I can see painting things seperate: Calvary riders, space marine backpacks, and even chariot riders, but what use is the rig if you\'re making a diorama with it, and you need to pin it to the rock before you paint it.

I\'m just confused about those things, and I\'m pretty sure I don\'t need one, but then someone might convince me otherwise...

 

[Coyote]

My hand cramps when gripping a 25mm fig\'s base.

I bluetack the base to a M&M mini tube.

But yes, I do glue the mini to the base first.

 

[Shroud]

I glue my mini to the base, add all the sand, grass and rocks, prime the entire thing black, and grip the mini and base all over the place from start of paint job to finish

Shroud

 

[Bent Brush]

I glue mine to craft sticks, prime, paint, and then install on the base. It allows the base to be done seperatly as a mini-diorama.

I did this with the owl bears
http://www.coolminiornot.com/index.php?id=3045

http://www.coolminiornot.com/index.php?id=3044

And I think they turned out cool.

 

[Errex]

Originally posted by Chrispy
...paint minis unglud to their bases. My question is WHY? ??? ...

I can think of at least these three reasons:

a) It helps paint some hard to reach spots.

b) It diminishes the need for touch ups done to your mini due to basing glitches.

c)If you paint your bases separately, it\'s like having two models in one. Yay! lol

 

[keshley]

Pin a rock - can it be done?

OK, has anyone actually pinned a rock/stone and attach it to the miniature for a vignette/diorama? you know, like the one Jen Haley did with her Monique Denoire or you guys just use pure sculpey???

 

[Bent Brush]

Yes and it makes the model VERY heavy.

My Otyugh Conversion http://www.coolminiornot.com/index.php?id=2641 is on a real stone. Of course I repainted it to make it more like my model.

 

[Chrispy]

I have used floral foam (the green stuff arrangments come stuck to) and then givw it a coat of glue so that the primer does not eat it. When it is dry, it becomes very hard, but while it is drying, the outside is mushy. So I pin minis to give them more stability. Once I get new some new paints and do my Archaon, you\'ll see what I mean.

I think the foam is better in some ways, as I can make more angular cuts for realistic stone. If I want a more curved stone, all I have to do is file it a bit. This type of foam can be cuts cold, no need for a hot wire cutter so it\'s less dangerous, too.

Once, I superglued a medium size rock for my Chaos Dragon base, but this was when I was less adept at drilling, so I gave it a lot of glue and even used Green Stuff in some places. I wish I could have just masked off the rock, as it was nice and slightly glossy... Oh, well...

 

[Errex]

Foam

One curious thing about foam:

I had a block of florist foam, the kind used in floral arrangements and such, and while it was quite \"durable\" when new, after a couple of years it seems to have become very brittle and not much use nowadays.

If you are planning on using rocks, maybe you should get a nice, porous one. I do not recall the name in english, but here is known as \"pomez\". It is used sometimes to scrub frying pans, and is a very soft, light and porous kind of rock. It is hard enough to hold a mini, while being at the same time as easy to work with as styrofoam.

 

[No Such Agency]

Errex: \"Pumice\" is the English word for it. Though, it might be much harder to acquire in less... seismically active areas of the world The stuff i\'ve played with seemed pretty soft, you\'d want a _long_ pin to pin a mini to it even semi-securely...

 

[keshley]

Purnice - where can I buy it?

Purnice.. hmm... where can I buy it?

I also like the idea of using foam. What kind of glue did you use to cover the foam?

Sculpting a rock with sculpey can be frustrating especially for me -- well, I\'m not a sculptor duh:

 

[Chrispy]

I use plain ol\' white glue. On newwave, I saw Vallejo sells a 250 ml pack of pumice, but I don\'t wanna take chances. Pumie can also be found in certain volcanic regions. Just do not take it from sacred island or Pelea, goddess of lava, will destroy you!

 

[Coyote]

You do know that you can get pumice stones from pharmacies and skincare stores. They\'re used for rubbing callouses off your feet.

You can buy a big one, fold a towel over it, then wack it with a hammer.

Should give you roughly shaped pieces.