Pinning?

Is there any particular pin vise that works better than others?

Where would one go to acquire the brass rods?
-Z

Paper clips are great. They are easily obtainable, easy to cut and will bend without shearing (hardened brass doesn't have much flex).

Wait, so you guys don't use screwdrivers?
That's how I was taught!

I use paperclips, too.

Since the O.P. is new to the concept of pinning, I'll mention a couple of the Basics. To make sure the parts align properly, apply a tiny dot of paint to one of the surfaces to be glued, then carefully line up the pieces and press them together to transfer the dot onto the other surface. Now drill into each dot (ideally about a quarter of an inch, unless the part is too thin to allow it). Superglue a pin into one of the holes, and clip it off so that the length protruding is a tiny bit less than the depth of the other hole. Do a 'dry fit' to make sure it goes together correctly, then fill the remaining hole with superglue, coat the rest of the contact surface, and press together. Viola, a very strong joint.

OK, like others have said you can buy kits that allow you to drill holes in either side of what you are looking to glue together.  You can then cut a length of brass rod, steel rod, paper clip, whatever that goes in both holes when the two items are glued together.  For wargamers like us paperclips will do just fine, either small cheap ones or larger, beefier ones.  Like others have said, cheap uncoated ones are better.  Just steal a handful from work or a family members desk, a couple will last a long time.

I did not buy a pin vise.  I have been converting miniatures for a long time.  My "pin vise" is an old battery powered Dremel that the battery has died on with a variable chuck that Dremel offers.  Dremel also has a 7-bit drill bit set that is pretty handy for most anything that we would want to do.  It is over-priced, but if you live in an area that does not have a local Grainger, MSC, or the like (and you don't like hanging around dirty industrial types) it will do you just fine.  Not to be a schill for Dremel, but I have come to really like what I have been able to do with my cheap battery powered Dremels over the years.


Not to be a snob, just laying down my credentials here: I have "brass rodded" 30 Iron Fang Pikemen (32 if you count the officers) and 20 Bane Knights.  I'm going to lay down some detailed directions on how to do it.  Don't get discouraged - if you have metal IFP you will be super happy you went through the time and trouble of converting them because you will have ZERO concerns about these guys ever breaking or bending on you over the years.  I am also going to give you directions that will increase the likelihood that the final result will be good and you will not shred your fingers on the pike ends.

The basic plan is that you are going to cut of the base and head of the pike, drill out the shaft of the pike, replace the shaft with brass tube (yes, tube), and then pin the base and head of the pike onto the brass tube.  I did this technique with the Bane Knights and they look f-ucking fantastic.  (I wish I had done it this way with the IFP instead of the conventional way - they would have looked better, been easier to do, and not torn up my fingers.)

What you need:
Pin vise or small Dremel - either need to have a variable size drill chuck.
A selection of small drill bits, including at least a 1/32", 3/64", 1/16", and something slightly larger that 1/16"
A small wire cutter or snipper (to cut the pikes and paper clips)
A small file (sometimes called a needle file)
A needle or thumb tack for making an indentation
1-3 super small, thin paper clips
A package of 1/16" brass tube from K&S Engineering (K&S Precision Metals) or similar
A small tube cutter

1) Measure the shaft of the blasting pikes from the top of the base to the bottom of the head.  You don't have to measure and instead can use the arm bits as something to compare against.
2) Cut the brass tubes with the tube cutter to the same length of the shafts.  You don't need to be exact, but the closer you are the better.  Take your time and make slow cuts - you don't want to crimp the tube or have the end obstructed in any way.  Once you have all of the shafts cut set them aside.

For the following you want to do these steps to just *1* of each pose.  The idea is that you want to glue each one together and compare it to another like one so that they look the same or at least somewhat similar, depending on how much variation you want within the squad.  While some variation might be desirable, you don't want to have any troopers go off into Wackyland.

3) Snip the base of the pike off of the shaft leaving just a little bit of shaft.
4) Take your file and file down the shaft until just a little length of the shaft is visible - you are going to use this as a guide on where to drill a small hole in the center of where the shaft was.
5) Take the thumb tack and press the point down into the center of the circle made by filing the shaft of the pike down and make an indentation.
6) Take your 1/32" drill bit and start to drill, using the indentation as the locator for where you start to drill.  Stop as the hole starts to form.  Is it centered and looking good?  If it looks off-centered then file the shaft down a little and go back a step.
7) If the hole that you are drilling looks good and centered then drill about 1/8" down.  File your pike shaft down the remaining amount until you file it down to the pike base.
8) See if your paper clip will fit down into the hole.  If it does, then good.  If not, then get the 3/64" drill bit and drill out the hole you just drilled to the same depth.  Your paper clip should fit in the hole now.  If not, find a smaller paper clip.
9) If you need to drill out your hole to 3/64" you will need to drill the inner diameter of your brass tube also.  Yes, it can be done, just be careful and take your time.  Drill it out about 1/8"
10) Snip the head of the pike off of the shaft leaving just a little bit of shaft.

11) Take your file and file down the shaft until just a little length of the shaft is visible - you are going to use this as a guide on where to drill a small hole in the center of where the shaft was.

12) Take the thumb tack and press the point down into the center of the circle made by filing the shaft of the pike down and make an indentation.

13) Take your 1/32" drill bit and start to drill, using the indentation as the locator for where you start to drill. Stop as the hole starts to form. Is it centered and looking good? If it looks off-centered then file the shaft down a little and go back a step.

14) If the hole that you are drilling looks good and centered then drill about 1/8" down. File your pike shaft down the remaining amount until you file it down to the pike head.

15) See if your paper clip will fit down into the hole. If it does, then good. If not, then get the 3/64" drill bit and drill out the hole you just drilled to the same depth. Your paper clip should fit in the hole now. If not, find a smaller paper clip.

16) If you need to drill out your hole to 3/64" you will need to drill the inner diameter of the other end of your brass tube also. Yes, it can be done, just be careful and take your time. Drill it out about 1/8"
17) Snip the remaining parts of the pike shaft, leaving just a little bit of shaft above and below the hand.

18) Take your file and file down the shaft until just a little length of the shaft is visible - you want to make sure that the ends where you file are perpendicular to the remaining length of the shaft running through the hand.

19) Take the thumb tack and press the point down into the center of the circle made by filing the shaft of the pike down and make an indentation on both ends.

20) Take your 1/32" drill bit and start to drill, using the indentation as the locator for where you start to drill. Stop as the hole starts to form. Is it centered and looking good? If it looks off-centered then file the shaft down a little and go back a step.

21) If the hole that you are drilling looks good and centered then drill about 1/8" down. Make sure you are drilling down the length of the center of the pike shaft and not drifting off to any side.
22) Flip the arm over and do step 20 and 21 on the other side.

23) Keep drilling both sides until you eventually connect both holes.  Once you connect both holes run the drill bit through to give you a straighter, cleaner through hole.
24) Switch from the 1/32" drill bit to the 3/64" drill bit and drill out the through hole that you just made to a bigger hole.  This should go pretty quick and easy, but take your time and be careful, the walls of your hole are getting thinner and you don't want them to break.
25) Switch from the 3/64" drill bit to the 1/16" drill bit and drill out the through hole that you just made to a bigger hole. This should go pretty quick and easy, but you must take your time and be super careful, the walls of your hole are getting thinner.  Yes, you are going to cut into the fingers of the pikeman at this time.  If you were careful in steps 19-22 and centered the holes you were drilling i the center of the pike shaft the amount that you take off of the fingers will not be noticed.  If you were not careful, you could experience a catastrophic failure at this time.
26) So, you just drilled a 1/16" hole and you have a 1/16" brass tube to put into it, so everything is ready to go, right?  Nope.  You need "something slightly larger than 1/16" to create clearance - a little bit of a gap between the walls of your hole and your brass tube so that your brass tube can actually slide into the hole going through the hand.  If you order a #50 drill bit or a 1.75mm drill bit (both are common sizes for drilling and tapping holes) that *should* take care of you.  I wouldn't use a 5/64" drill bit, while it would give you a hole with clearance, it will be too big and will lead to a catastrophic failure.  Another option is to run the 1/16" drill bit through a couple of times (carefully!!!) with a Dremel - the likelihood that the drill is in the bit just slightly off-center and your inability to be perfectly straight will lead to the hole getting opened up.
27) Slide one of the brass tubes into the hole you just drilled in the hand and glue it into place.  Use one of the other similar arms as a guide as to where the tube should be when it is glued in place.
28) Cut a short length of paperclip to act as a pin to go between the base of the pike and the tube.  Make sure everything fits together without glue, trim the paperclip -or- deepen the holes as necessary.  Place a drop of glue into the hole in the pike base, insert the piece of paperclip, place a drop of glue in the end of the brass tube, and place everything together.  Hold until dry.
29) Cut a short length of paperclip to act as a pin to go between the head of the pike and the tube. Make sure everything fits together without glue, trim the paperclip -or- deepen the holes as necessary. Place a drop of glue into the hole in the pike head, insert the piece of paperclip, place a drop of glue in the end of the brass tube, and place everything together. Hold until dry.
30) Repeat steps 3-29 for each arm bit.  Remember, you don't want to cut all of the arms up at once because you want to compare the arm that you are working on against an untouched or completed arm to make sure you are getting it right.

I hope that this helps and that it is what you were looking for.