Did you like this post? Then why not support Tale of Painters by using our links for your next hobby purchases: Wayland Games, Element Games, Firestorm Games, ebay, and Amazon. No extra costs for you and up to 20% discount on Warhammer products! Or become a patron on Patreon for exclusive tutorials, guides, and behind-the-scenes content. We are hobbyists like you and do all of this in our spare time. Your support will help us cover our monthly costs and fund future projects so we can bring you more and better content. Thank you very much!
This website uses affiliate links.
Have you been on the the receiving end of online hobbyists who’s only comment on your excellent paint job is “Drill your barrels out”. Have you ever experienced the fear of drilling a muzzle hole on your 40K weapons? It’s that potential catastrophe of it not being dead centre. Is it really that important? No, of course it isn’t important. It’s your hobby and you don’t have to drill them out. However, if you’d like a ToP Tip on an easier and more accurate way to drill your muzzles then read on!
Firstly, you don’t need a cordless drill for this. That was me having a bit of fun in the first image. You will need a sewing pin and a pin vise tool (sometimes called a pin vice or hobby drill) and some tiny drill bits (these tend to come with the tool).
The trick to accurately drill tiny holes in the end of your models’ weapons is to mark the centre with the sewing pin. Gently make a light pin prick and then check it. If you’re not happy with it use a craft knife to scrape away the mark and have another go until you’re happy with the centre. Once happy, push the pin in a bit harder to make a bigger indentation.
With your pilot hole marked it’s time to commit with the pin vise. Locate the Tip of the bit into the mark you made and slowly give it a couple of turns then check to see that it’s still centred. If all is good keep going to a depth you’re happy with. For bolters I like to I drill past the side holes on the barrel (muzzle suppressor?) and then drill those side holes out as well.
That’s it, that’s all it takes. I hope this helps and makes you want to give it a try.
2 Comments
Leave a Reply
Tale of Painters is an unofficial Warhammer hobby magazine run by hobbyists like you. Support our work by using the affiliate links from our 🇬🇧 / 🇪🇺 partner stores for your next hobby purchases so we can continue to bring you fantastic FREE content every day:
Or become a patron:
Thanks a lot, we appreciate any help to continue and grow Tale of Painters 🙂
If you’re drooling something bigger than a bolter I find it’s often better to start with a tiny bit and work your way bigger. Trying to remove too much at once can sometimes cause the bit to dig in and pull sideways. Also, if you find your bit digging in, you can often sort it by turning the bit backwards a few times
I found that if you drill the barrel and it’s off-centre, you can make it look better by carving a slight chamfer on the edge of the bore, to make the drilling look more concentric.