Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Wider Wargaming => Painting & Modelling => Topic started by: far4ngn on 02 September 2025, 06:24:58 AM

Title: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: far4ngn on 02 September 2025, 06:24:58 AM
Just wondering if people are just cutting the flag off the pole or removing the pole and drilling/fixing a new flag pole in its place.  Any ideas are most welcome :)
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: sultanbev on 02 September 2025, 06:47:13 AM
What scale figures?
Are you cutting off pre-moulded metal flags to replace with paper printed ones?

Or to make extra spearmen/pikemen out of surplus command figures? If the latter it's cheaper and costs less blood to just buy the extra spearmen/pikemen.
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 02 September 2025, 07:10:23 AM
If the flag is away from the bearer,
Dremel cutting blade below the flag to remove the flag then scalpel the pole away above and below the hand
Burr the hand (2mm Dremel one) to make a pilot hole, stops drill bit wandering and snapping.
Drill hand (using Techno's suggestion I hold figure down with black tack, photography blutack but 950000x stronger).
Thread new pole through.

If the flag is moulded to the heater like 10mm GNW, replace figure with pikeman and add paper flag
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: Orcs on 02 September 2025, 09:26:59 AM
Here is a tip I got off a very long standing and esteemed member of this forum renowned worldwide for his designing of figures of all scales.

Plug the Dremel (other mini drills are avaliable) into a plug in dimmer switch like the one below. by turning the "Dimmer" up and down you get much more control of the drill speed, within the speed band you have set.
I hasten to point out that this is not what the "dimmer" is designed for, and may have unintended issues, and It is your responsibility to make sure you do not burn your house down or cause your street to loose electrical power. :o

However it does work very well. :D

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000LAU04K?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: Techno 3 on 03 September 2025, 02:55:16 PM
Do NOT take any advice from the bloke Orcs is referring to.

THAT person is, without doubt, the most accident prone member of the forum.
(Though I haven't he hasn't cut himself with a scalpel for AGES. ;)
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: Orcs on 03 September 2025, 04:55:51 PM
Quote from: Techno 3 on 03 September 2025, 02:55:16 PM(Though I haven't he hasn't cut himself with a scalpel for AGES. ;)

Admit it , - By "Ages" you mean since breakfastLunch.
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: Techno 3 on 04 September 2025, 11:40:47 AM
:P

I don't feel any need to mutilate myself nowadays. ;)

One of the rescue dogs does that for me.
She's a Collie cross Jack Russell cross rat.
Very affectionate and bouncy, with a tendency to try and grab my hands with her paws.
Unfortunately her claws appear to be made of Tungsten Carbide and are sharper that a cat's.
That's where all the plasters go at the moment.  X_X
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 04 September 2025, 11:43:22 AM
Affectionate dogs do things like that....
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: Gwydion on 04 September 2025, 12:59:28 PM
Collie/Jack Russell cross?
Hmm- was a stepladder involved?
Title: Re: Any tips and tricks when cutting off moulded flags?
Post by: Techno 3 on 04 September 2025, 08:33:56 PM
Where there's a will, there's a way.  ;)
Some friends of ours over here, have a dog that's the result of a female Rottweiler and male Jack Russell 'having fun'.

To me, the result looks more like a Rottweiler and a Dachshund enjoyed each other's company :o