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Saturday 14 October 2017

Broken Swords and Bayonets

A common problem with old figures is that often they will lose a bayonet and cavalrymen and officers often have blunted or broken swords. When restoring old figures it is possible to carry out simple repairs.

To do this I use the following:
  • An empty drinks can, or better still the lid off a bean tin or similar.
  • A good pair of kitchen scissors.
  • Sharp modelling knife.
  • Super glue
  • Pliers.
Here is my first subject, an old Minifigs cavalryman, with broken sword:

Cut out a section of the drinks can ( the bean tin lid is more sturdy, looks better, but is a little more difficult to cut and shape):
Then using scissors, cut a very narrow sliver of metal - this may curl, but can be easily straightened:
Cut the new sword to size with scissors and shape the end:
Now the tricky bit. Using the knife cut a slot in the figures hand:
Fix the new sword in place with super glue and gently squeeze the hand back together using the pliers:
Job done.

Using the same method it is possible to repair bayonets. It is a bit more fiddly, but with practice it can be done. Here is my subject:
I make the bayonet in the same way as the sword, but include a tiny lug at the blunt end:


I cut a tiny slot in the end of the musket - tricky this:
Attach the bayonet in the slot with super glue and close the slot with pliers:









11 comments:

  1. Simple and effective and it uses recycled material. I will try this out on some of my Garrison Napoleonic figures.

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  2. Excellent tip thanks. I have a load of old Minifigs Middle Earth figures that need mending.

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  3. Despite having a hammer and miniature anvil I have never been able to make satisfactory swords from pins so this method is a welcome alternative method

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  4. I´ve replaced broken off swords using staples...drill a hole in the Hand, insert staple (flattened out and cut to lenth) and add a wee drop of cyonate glue. I´ve never though of using tin..I may try it for halberd heads.

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  5. This is genius, and also explains the rather curious and very thin bendy bayonets attached to some old Hinton Hunt Bavarians I picked up last year. I wondered how that had been done!

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  6. Reminds me of the old Britain's tin swords.

    Looks like a better end result than my attempts at flattening wire.

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  7. This looks a heap better than methods I have used in the past. I've thought of using tin, but never brought myself actually to try it.

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  8. Great tip. May try this to replace some musket straps.

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    Replies
    1. The aluminium drinks cans should work OK for that purpose.

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