Repair guide
How to repair a snapped resin 3D-printed miniature
A miniature snaps at its thinnest section, so the repair has to add material rather than just glue the break. A pin and two-part epoxy restores more strength than any adhesive alone.
The short answer
Drill a small hole into each side of the break, glue in a short length of steel or brass rod as a pin, and bed the joint in two-part epoxy. The break happened because the section is too thin, and gluing the same thin section back together leaves it just as weak. A 0.5mm pin through an ankle turns a joint that snaps again into one that outlasts the model.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time needed
- 20 minutes work, 24 hours cure
- What you need
- Two-part epoxy, pin vice and 0.5 to 0.7mm drill bits, brass or steel rod, side cutters, fine abrasive paper, tweezers, modelling clay or a holder for support
Cured resin is strong but brittle, and it fails suddenly at stress concentrations: ankles, wrists, weapon hafts and the base of a cape. The fracture surface is usually clean and the two halves fit back together perfectly, which tempts people into a quick cyanoacrylate repair. That works, but it restores the original strength at best, and the original strength is what failed.
Pinning is the standard fix in the miniatures hobby for exactly that reason. A short piece of brass or steel rod bridging the break carries load across the weak section, and the adhesive's job becomes holding the pin and filling the joint rather than being the structure. Epoxy suits that role better than cyanoacrylate: it fills the drilled hole, has no shock sensitivity, and sets slowly enough to let you align a fiddly joint.
Surface preparation still matters. If the print was not washed and cured properly, the fracture surface is fine but the outer surfaces are not, and anything you fill or blend afterwards will sit on uncured resin.
For a hairline break with no load on it, a thin cyanoacrylate wicked into the crack is a reasonable alternative. Pin anything that carries weight.
Step by step
- Dry fit the two halves and work out the line the pin should run along.
- Mark the centre of each fracture face and start the hole with a pin vice and a 0.5mm or 0.7mm bit.
- Drill about 3mm into each side, keeping the bit square to the face. Go slowly, resin chips.
- Cut a length of brass or steel rod to fit both holes with a little clearance, and roughen it with abrasive paper.
- Test fit the pin and both halves together, and adjust until the model sits correctly.
- Mix a small amount of two-part epoxy and put a little in each hole and on both fracture faces.
- Push the pin in, bring the halves together, and hold until the epoxy starts to gel.
- Support the model so it cannot shift and leave it 24 hours before filling any visible line with liquid green stuff or filler.
What to avoid
Do not glue a load-bearing break without pinning it. It will snap again at the same place.
Do not use accelerator on a joint you have not aligned yet. It cures in a second and you get one chance.
Do not drill with a powered tool at speed. Resin chips and shatters, and a hand pin vice gives you the control this needs.
Wear eye protection when drilling and cutting rod, and a mask if you sand cured resin, the dust is an irritant. If the print was never fully post-cured, wash and cure it before working on it: uncured resin on the skin is a sensitiser.
The full bonding guide
Everything about gluing Resin 3D print to Resin 3D print
Last reviewed 13 September 2026.