"Duh!" Topic

I use a small amount of white PVA glue (Elmer's) to fasten my figures onto strips of cardboard, usually cut from the USPS priority mail boxes they came in. Then after they've been painted I fight with tiny screwdriver and paint knife to get them off the cardboard strips.

Today I used an eye dropper to put a drop of water at the base of each figure. Go away and surf the net for 10 minutes. Slip the screwdriver tip under the base and presto! They come right off with hardly any fuss.

I've been painting figures since JFK was president. If you give me another 50 years I may make another discovery.

I have never bothered to mount figures on anything for painting.

So….. I guess that isn't nail polish then MajorB?

I may start doing that. I currently use the Blu-tak stuff (poster putty) on lolly sticks – but when it is warm, the figures do not always stay anchored.

So….. I guess that isn't nail polish then MajorB?

Um … no!
Soon washes off, though.

I mount my figures on to roofing nails with a hot glue gun and stick the nails into a piece of styrofoam. Detach with a pocket knife or X-acto. When painting hard plastic figures, I put them in the freezer for 4 hours before detaching them.

I read that as "fasten my fingers onto strips of cardboard". Interesting mental image until I went back and re-read it.

I use wood tongue depressors and cheap white glue. Usually I put four infantry or two cavalry per stick. The cheap glue doesn't hold all that well so sometimes they pop off. However it is easy removal after being sprayed with sealers.

I use Cyrus' method for heavier metal figures--lighter, smaller, I'll use blue tack. The figures come off the nail easily enough when I'm done. Plastic is light enough so that blue-tack (even when the ambient gets warmer) is fine.

I currently use blue-tack to attach figures to pieces or strips of cereal box cardboard (depending on size), but used to use PVA glue for the same purpose. When the figures were finished I'd put them in a shallow container with a flat bottom and soak in just enough water to cover the cardboard, which would easily peel off after half an hour or so.

Great idea, vtsaogames. I cut up paint paddles to use as temporary bases when painting figures, mounting them with white glue. Can't wait to give it a try.

I have (and still do) use hot glue gun to attach figures to nail heads, or superglue gel to attack figures to tongue depressors. For 1/3000, 1/6000 ships and micro armour I use cheap double sided sticky mounting pads (cut to size) attached to cardboard, several ships or a platoon at a time. I'm not a fan of basing armour (in any scale)

+2 for Cyrus method.

Hot glue metal figs to small plastic cups
If a plastic fig, first masking tape on the cup, then hot glue plastic fig to the tape

I use plastic water bottle tops. Use cheap superglue to fix the figure. When finished squeeze the bottle top firmly and they pop off.

When I've put metal figures on another base for painting, I've used a drop of white glue and a beer bottle cap. The figures pop right of these and the bottle caps are usually reusable. Or it's an excuse to drink a beer and "replenish the supplies."

I use "poster putty" made by Manco (the duct tape people) and mount the figs on plastic bottle caps. Never have any issues, but dust on the putty is a pain: makes the putty less tacky, so I keep them covered when not in use.
Bob

All I ever use for temporary mounting link

I mostly paint 1/72 and keep mine partly on the sprue, most often just a single snip off the bottom of their base and ready to mount.