Parts holder

[iTrucker]

I've tried looking around to see if I could find the answer but haven't had much luck. I've seen several folks using foam blocks with pieces attached to parts for painting, a: what are you using as parts holders and b: what are you using to attach the parts to the stick/rods?

[Miatatom]

I bought a 100 pack of bamboo skewers and use double sided tape to stick the parts to them.

[slusher]

I have been putting down strips of masking tape on card board and spraying every thing i can and then fliping them over to get the other side...

[Swamp Dog]

I have been putting down strips of masking tape on card board and spraying every thing i can and then fliping them over to get the other side...

i been doing the same thing for years also..its cheap..

[oldnslow]

I like to use the small stir sticks (1" wide, about 14" long) from the paint stores, wrap a piece of masking tape reversed to the end and stick your part on it in an unseen spot. You have a handle and can get all around the piece to paint.

[southpier]

chopsticks from Chinese take-out (always ask for extras) with alligator clamps epoxied to the tapered end.

pillaged from here: http://tyler.provick.ca/blog/part-holders-painting/

Edited March 9, 2015 by southpier

[Ramfins59]

I'll use wooden skewers or popsicle sticks attached to the part with a tiny drop of CA glue to paint them. I also use small alligator clips to hold the parts. Sometimes if the part has a hole in it somewhere, I stick a wooden toothpick in the hole and then stick the toothpick in a piece of styrofoam to hold it for painting. I've also put masking tape folded over on itself on a paper plate and stuck the parts on the sticky tape to paint them. Different methods work better for different parts.

[espo]

What seems to work best for me is the alligator clips mounted on the end of about 3" to 4" lengths of wire cut from an old hanger. Then get an old wood scrape and drill the proper sized holes for the hangers. I use a 8" long piece of 1" by 4" .

[iTrucker]

Thanks! I don't know why I didn't think of some of these ideas, all of them are really resourceful. Now I won't have to try and hold the parts!

[southpier]

i've watched YouTube videos where the guys just slip on a disposable glove and go to it with the airbrush or rattle can.

[blackandwhite]

I got a big pack of alligator clips and bamboo skewers off amazon. Crimped the end of the clips onto the skewers and haven't looked back since

[Tom Geiger]

Aside from the styrofoam blocks that I use like everyone else does, (either stick toothpicks into the styro or stick parts into a tape strip), I extensively use these small bathroom cups in the model room. I never spray paint into a can cap, I use these small cups. Once they are used as paint cups, I let them dry and turn them over as paint stands. I spray nearly everything so I'm used to mounting small parts. I never paint parts still on the sprue since it's impossible to clean them up properly, sand the mold line etc.

I like to use toothpicks for mounting in most applications. Since I drill and pin a lot of my parts, I will drill a quick hole somewhere either where I will use it later for mounting on the model, or where it won't be seen on the finished model. Then I impale it on the tooth pick. There are times that I'll wrap some tape around the end of the tooth pick, and then just stick that into a parts cavity (see the white washer bottle in above photo). Also look at the cup in the front, you'll see a door handle that has a straight pin sticking out of it. That was drilled and the pin permanently mounted to mount the door handle to the model body. I'll leave the entire pin on it for handling purposes until I'm ready to use the part. With the pin on it, tiny parts don't roll off the bench and get lost. And as you see, I just tape the pins to the cups.

Here's interior door handles being painted on top of a cup. I just poke out the holes I needed and go for it.

My cups do a lot of paint duty before they get tossed. They are easy to use since you can move them in and out of your paint area quickly. I'll often leave the parts on the cup until I'm ready to use them. I haven't painted in a week and all these parts are sitting on the bench like this waiting assembly.

The cups are perfect for modeling since they are cheap and disposable. I used to retrieve them from the bathroom trash where my daughters just took a sip of water and tossed the cup. Then I realized that a box of them was just a few dollars, so I bought a box for the model room. I still have cups after 2 years so it's a cheap investment. When buying, make sure the cup you are selecting doesn't have any wax coating on it, and important to note, you want a flat bottom. Some of them have a raised edge. Those are useless.

Happy painting!

Edited March 11, 2015 by Tom Geiger

[Greg Myers]

Body holder / parts holder. Made from, coat hanger / welding rod, put into appropriate sized holes drilled into 2X4 close pins sanded down to pointy shapes are good too.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Greg Myers

[Lunajammer]

Toothpicks, bamboo skewers (100-pack $1 at the dollar store), coffee stir sticks, super glue and styrofoam mounting base.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Lunajammer

[Greg Myers]

yep, nothing like tape and a stick, Really, just about anything works.

[Belugawrx]

Hollow, plastic shaft, Q-Tips (cotton buds)....

When they get too dirty to use anymore, I cut them into 1/2" lengths and glue them to parts without holes....

Stick a toothpick in there,... Voila!

After paint, just snap 'em off and re-use.

Or you can collect quite a few 2 1/2" lengths of 1/8" hollow tubing.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Belugawrx