I often grow weary of painting a gun or shovel in one color and then touching it where it's wet and screwing up the paint job. I have put my self on a quest to seek a cheap way to secure these items while I paint, I have found those that you must clamp down to the table but not one that can be picked up and moved whenever to where ever
Any ideas of where to find one? Help would be appreciated my fingers have more paint on them than the weapons

Micro Mark (www.micromark.com) makes a third hand set up that is basically a heavy weight with a few jointed arms with alligator clip "hands". Clamp the part in the clip and paint away, no need to find a spot to set it down when done. Also there are plenty of hand held devices such as the cross-clamp tweezers (also found at Micro Mark) and a small screw-holding/grasping device found in the hardware or computer repair aisles. This little tool has 3 wire "hands" that open when the end is pushed and clasp when released. They are designed to grab small screws when you are assembling a computer together or reach in and pick up a screw if you happen to drop one. Similar in concept to a mechanic's magnetic retriever, but magnets are a no-no around computer components.

Alpha
A couple of ways to do this. Radio Shack carries the "helping hands" for $15 - $20. Or get some alligator clips, attach them to dowels or pieces of sprue to use as a handle. You may want to file the teeth on the clips. Put the pieces to be painted into the clips and proceed with painting. When you are done, put the handles into a block of styrofoam, and let dry. (you do save the blocks of styrofoam that comes as packing in electronics boxes, don't you?)
HTH

YIKES!!!!!! Put that file down immediately.

Using vinyl electricians tape to wrap your grabby critters (gator clips) will avoid an uneccessary trip to the dentists!

P.S. There sure is a lot of TIG, wonder if I'll ever get back to where I started out.

Jack be nimble

Alpha,

I sometimes use a toothpick with a small dab of Blutack at the end to pick up small parts. I also have several small glueing clamps that I can use for that too. They are plastic and will not do much damage to the parts as the gator clips will.

Alpha,
The alligator clips mentioned also come in non-teethed? variety. You can pick up a pack of a couple gazillion for a few bucks. Dowels or even bamboo scewers (shish-ka-bob type) will work as handles. Only have to paint a small portion on your part where the clip was attached once the paint dries from the initial painting. HTH "Q"

Thank you all for the helpful ideas, ( and ma'ma said that i didn't need to worry about 'dem aligators up's here in the nordth) so those little clips the dentist uses to hold that bip on are gator clips right? well then those and maybe check out that web site Rob posted and my hands will finally be clean enugh to eat off of. Thanks again it realy is great to be able to get haelp this easily

I use various methods:

1. I hold them with a tweezer (I use dental pliers) or a locking tweezer and I spray away.
2. I use clothespins or bonders to hold them in place while I paint
3. If I'm painting a lot of them, I line put them on masking tape, tape the ends on the table and I spray away.

I also use gloves (the cheap, plastic kind used to prepare sandwiches) when I paint. Better than those latex gloves.

I have one of those "third hand" things from Micro-Mark and I'll tell you, it's worth its weight in gold. Just go to the site and look under the "jigs and fixtures" section

Gator clips were also known by some of my generations as roach clips but weren't used to catch or restrain nasty insects.

A cheap box of flat tooth picks, a tiny micro drop of CA and accelerator.......box of 500 cost maybe a buck.

It's cheap and effective

Best wishes
Steve