Body Holder for Painting

[bill-e-boy]

My latest shot at making a body holder

Materials - 

- 2mm piano wire

- customwood Base - cut to suit - mine was a piece as found

- Silicone tube - found and is about 1/4"od

I have used piano wire as this is easy to get from a model shop and has a lot of spring, and it is quite hard.

Bend up the piano wire - I used a vise and a soft hammer and cut to length. Unbent legs were 130mm and top is 75mm. Return is about 15mm. The ends have been cleaned up to allow ease of changed holes to suit body. The slicone tube is slid over the tube and is cut at 75mm

I set out for drill 2mm holes on a 20 and 40mm wide spacing

 

Body holder as made

 In use holder with a body fitted - in this case a 1/25th 32 coupe. Note 20mm spacing holes are being used

And a very, very old and well used holder ready to be chucked out. Was made from coat hanger wire which is too soft IMO. The point contact did not always hold the body steady when in use

[bill-e-boy]

Oh, I forgot to add - total cost was NZ$3.00 for the piano wire. All else as found in my workshop

[Old Buckaroo]

Perfect - I'm really happy you posted this . Years ago I had seen something similar in a FSM or SAE magazine but didn't pay that much attention to it as I was building aircraft models back then more than cars.  For several years Ive been regretting not paying better attention to that tip.

You've solved my dilemma and I will be making one similar myself.

[bill-e-boy]

Glad to share and happy you have solved your dilemma

 

[NOBLNG]

Nice Bill ! I like the silicone tube idea. I have a couple I made very similar to your original one. I used coat hanger and it seems to have enough spring to it. The holes make it easier to hang on to.

 

Edited January 10 by NOBLNG

[bobss396]

I made one using a smaller block of wood, I like to be able to turn it with one hand. 

Another I want to try will be using a hockey puck, real easy to turn that and it has mass to it.. won't tip over.

[Straightliner59]

I've used one that's very similar, that I put together years ago, however--that silicone tubing is pure genius! Next time I see some...thanks for the tip!

[StevenGuthmiller]

Here's mine.

Been using the same one for probably 20 years.

Time involved to create.....30 seconds.

Cost....$0.00.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

[bill-e-boy]

Steve, I used to use ones like that too, but wire coat hangers are rather rare around our place. Like everything they have turned into plastic BAH!

[StevenGuthmiller]

37 minutes ago, bill-e-boy said:

Steve, I used to use ones like that too, but wire coat hangers are rather rare around our place. Like everything they have turned into plastic BAH!

That’s why I’ve been hanging on to this one! 😁

 

 

 

Steve

[Bills72sj]

I have two of those Tamiya rotating/spring loaded stands. Rarely use them. I take a piece of really thick sprue and sand the end flat. I then CA glue it to the headliner where a dome light would be. I have some alligator clips on a bunch of bamboo skewers. That way I can hold the body and get every surface perfectly coated as I can rotate and tilt it in my hand. Between coats, I just poke it right above the paint booth in the corrugated plastic that I made my booth out of.

[stavanzer]

Mine is a 8" long chunk of raw 2"x4", Coat Hangers and rubber tubing. All Found in my Garage. Cost? 0.00 Cents.

Mine looks almost like the very top one. I find the Coat Hanger has plenty of 'spring' to it.

If you are in America, ask any dry cleaning place about Wire Coat Hangers. They usually have plenty.

[slusher]

I painted Al my models since I was 23 on cardboard, paint built up I thru it out.  I bought a Tamiya paint stand and going to put together tomorrow or Monday. My wife keeps asking about it.  Any advice..

[TheBEAUMONTGURU]

18 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Here's mine.

Been using the same one for probably 20 years.

Time involved to create.....30 seconds.

Cost....$0.00.

Steve

 

 

Ha!  ya im using the same one as you steve,  made up about 4 of them over 30 years ago,  i wonder if that was from a low buck tech tips scale auto magazine article in the 90's?

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, TheBEAUMONTGURU said:

Ha!  ya im using the same one as you steve,  made up about 4 of them over 30 years ago,  i wonder if that was from a low buck tech tips scale auto magazine article in the 90's?

For me it wasn't.

I very rarely read model magazines.

For me it was just something born out of necessity.

I used to just tape bodies to paint cans, but that was never really a preferred solution.

 

By the way, I hate stationary paint stands for a variety of reasons.

I need to be able to hold my work relatively comfortably in my hand to it can be manipulated how I want it to be.

Also the same reason why a paint booth is useless to me.

Maybe I'm weird, but when I paint, it's in a standing position with the airbrush or can in my right hand, and the work subject in my left.

Just feels natural to me.

Any other position would just be a whole bunch of awkwardness.

 

That plus the fact that I don't want the body to be sitting on a surface where there is a good likelihood that there might be dust or debris to get kicked up onto the work as you spray.

And I don't know how people manage to be able to inspect and cover all surfaces as they paint with the model sitting on a table.

But that's just me I suppose.

 

 

 

Steve

[TheBEAUMONTGURU]

Steve,  you and i think alike on this for sure.   i have the same painting technic.  i just stand in the middle of my garage and turn my coathanger stand everywhich way til i have complete coverage.   I even hang my coat hanger and model car upsidedown to prevent dust from falling onto the surface, and to reduce solvent popping.

[Rodent]

5 hours ago, TheBEAUMONTGURU said:

i wonder if that was from a low buck tech tips scale auto magazine article in the 90's?

It may have been, but it also was suggested in some 1970s MPC instruction sheets. I use the same type, and hang the body upside down to dry.

[Straightliner59]

11 hours ago, Rodent said:

It may have been, but it also was suggested in some 1970s MPC instruction sheets. I use the same type, and hang the body upside down to dry.

I think I probably bent my first one up in the mid-'70s, or so. It's been around for longer than I, I suspect.

[scootsmgoots]

These are all great ideas. This will save me from wasting money on a Tamiya one. Thanks!

[eldo60]

On 1/11/2025 at 1:34 PM, bill-e-boy said:

Steve, I used to use ones like that too, but wire coat hangers are rather rare around our place. Like everything they have turned into plastic BAH!

i can't find a wire coat hanger anywhere 

[Old Buckaroo]

17 minutes ago, eldo60 said:

i can't find a wire coat hanger anywhere 

Check your local mechanic/ body shop, as far as I know uniform services have not gone to plastic hangers.

[Bainford]

1 hour ago, eldo60 said:

i can't find a wire coat hanger anywhere 

I found they were getting hard to find, too. Then a few years ago I stopped at a yard sale where a woman had bundles of 20 old wire hangers for $1 each. I bought all three bundles. Incredibly useful around the garage and shop.

[NOBLNG]

More expensive than a coat hanger, but Tig welding filler rods are a good source of stiff wire also. They come in 36” lengths and either 1/16 or 3/32” diameter would be suitable.

Edited Monday at 03:25 PM by NOBLNG