Magnetic Miniatures Painting Handle

thingiverse

Update: I quickly got tired of hacking off chunks of bolts, and found 3 or 5 screws for the mounts to be excessive. I designed and added mount_mk2 the uses a single #6x3/4in pan head screw and a 3/8in washer. it prints much faster, only needs one screw and no bolt cutoff. It will work for both the handle and all of the mini bases. Inspired by the painting handle from Red Rooster Games, I designed this 3D Printable one. It is relatively quick to print and requires little support. I've found it easy enough to remove mini's one handed, but since the handle has more magnets that the mini bases, you can set it on a mount (or any metal surface) and swap the mini without the handle moving. The mk2 base is more generic, the mk3 and mk4 are shaped to fit nicely into the bottom of Star Wars Legion bases, but will work great for any mini. The mk3 and mk4 also give more clearance to paint the base. The mk3 have flat tops, the mk4 have triangular depressions to help poster tac stick better. I just used little squares of double sided tape. The mounts can be screwed to your work area or a board to provide a secure place to place mini's and the handle in between sessions or whatever. The screw holes on the mounts line up with the magnets on the bases and handles, I countersunk the screws to sit flush in the mounts. It uses 8x2mm magnets, the shafts are cut-offs from 5/16in bolts. I had the hardware laying around, but you should be able to get it for a few bucks at the hardware store. For example, Fleet Farm(like target for hicks) sells hardware by weight. Standard grade 2 is like 2 bucks a pound. I used one 3/8in washer and one 5/16x6in bolt to make this, in addition to a handful of #6 screws. Make sure the washers are ferrous(magnetic), for example stainless steel ones won't hold well, if at all. The magnets snap in pretty tight, but I gave all the holes a pass with a deburring tool to add a slight bevel, and put them in with a drop of super glue for added security. All of the 3/8in washers are held in place with super glue. Parts needed by component: Handle(magHandle.stl) - 5 8x2mm magnets - 1 35mm shaft - 1 3/8in washer Mini Bases(magHandle_miniBase_mk2/3/4.stl) - 3 8x2mm magnets Handle Mount(magHandle_handleMount.stl) - 1 15mm shaft - 5 #6x1/2in screws Mini Mounts(magHandle_miniMount.stl) - 1 15mm shaft - 3 #6x1/2in screws MK2(mount_mk2.stl, works for handle and mini bases) - 1 #6x3/4in pan head screw - 1 3/8in washer