Drills & Bits

A pin vice is a small hand drill used for drilling holes in miniatures for magnetising weapon options, pinning fragile joins, drilling out gun barrels, and attaching scenic elements to bases.

1mm and 1.5mm bits cover most infantry magnetising and pinning. 2mm and 3mm suit larger models and vehicle weapons. A set covering 0.5mm to 3mm in 0.5mm increments handles most hobby applications.

Mark the centre of the barrel with a sharp point, then drill carefully with the appropriate bit size. Start slowly and keep the drill perpendicular to the muzzle face. 1mm is suitable for most infantry weapons.

Pinning involves drilling into both parts of a join, inserting a metal pin (wire or rod), and gluing around it. It dramatically strengthens joints on metal and resin models and large plastic joins prone to breakage.

Power drills are generally too fast and powerful for miniature work and risk cracking plastic. A pin vice hand drill gives far better control at the small scales used in hobby modelling.

Yes — we stock pin vice drills and drill bits in our Barry, South Wales shop and online at loadeddice.uk.