by Malcadon » October 30th, 2013, 11:22 am
Here is how I drill into their knuckles. First I choose the right sized drill (in my case, 5/64" or 2mm) which would become the standard for all the shafts and hilts. After chopping the weapons off on both ends, I use the smallest drill I have to start the initial hole. If I cant go too deep (this is do to me using precision screwdrivers instead of a hobby-drill), I use an X-Acto knife to widen the hole a bit, then drill a wider hole with a wider drill (but not as wide as the standard drill). This can happen in steps, with the smaller drills making it easier for the larger (this also helps to better control how the angle to which I drill). Once I have a sizable hole, I use the standard-size drill to drill the hole to size, and then give it a good ream to smooth-out the hole a bit.
With the weapons, I drill a shallow hole into the hilt so I can mount a toothpick the hole. Superglue works just fine -- you don't need to use a lot; a dab will do. Before you even mount the weapon on the toothpick, you need to prep the tooth-pick. First you need to find some good quality toothpicks (or shish kabob skewers). They have to be nicely thick, even all around, and not prone to splintering. Once you find the right type, you have to test the thickness by running one through the hollow knuckle a modified figure. It is bast to cut off the pointy tips beforehand as they would just wedge through the hole. If the toothpick is too thick, you have to file in down to size with a bit of fine-gran sandpaper. You'll have to keep testing it with the figure until the toothpick can freely move though the knuckle without pause -- do not force it through, as that could damage the hole you made on the figure. Once you got it to the right thickness, you can cut them to the needed lengths by rolling the toothpick back and forth like a rolling-pin while pressing down on it with an X-Acto knife -- this will produce a nice even cut. It is best to note how deep the end would go into the hilt and how much length the figure would need to hold it (they look better with an extra length below the hand). If you are going for spears, its bast to use the whole length of the toothpick. With pikes and polearms, you might have to use something longer, like a shish kabob skewer. If the toothpick is white wood, washing it with brown ink would make it look more weathered and would highlight it natural gran, and don't forget to wipe-off the excess.
The little hooks I use for the lantern items are called an "eyepin", and they are used by Jewelers, who make them with round-nose pliers. Mounting an eyepin on a miniature part would require a hobby-drill bit with the thickness of mechanical pencil lead (.5-.7 mm). Jewelery chains are also the right size for normal chains on a miniature. If you need rope, use thick thread. If it appears too white, you can darken it with a brown or chestnut ink wash -- it would soak-up the ink. Years age, I learned by accident (while working on a plastic model sailing ship) that thread also likes to soak-up liquid superglue and become hard and rigged. This application has a lot of potential!
I hope all this is useful to you guys.
