Improving my mini handling - magnets the easy way

So for a long time now I have been hearing the advantages of using magnets to store and hold your minis.

I have a huge mini painting project I am about to start, and decided to give it a try in a way that is just a small step, and I thought I would share.

Rather than going all in and getting magnets embedded in dowel or custom magnetised holders, I am doing the following.

First I have some 12mmx1mm strong magnets. They were about 10c each on eBay.

I paint using disposable shot glasses as my holders, and I really like them, so I wanted to keep that.

Magnets are of course polarised, so I have a single old figure which I have used as a template and then put it on a shot glass and dropped another magnet it. Then I put a second shot glass into the first which means the magnet can't flip, so this is a solid magnetic figure base I can disassemble that cost me about 15c.

Now for putting the magnets on the figures. When I was using putty to attach figures to the shot glasses I would need to use a lot of it, and it wouldn't hold very well. As you can see in the photos below, I am using a very small amount of putty to attach the magnets.

All in all, I am getting enough putty to attach 10-15 magnets from the putty I used to use on a single figure from my last project, because I am reusing the putty.

One this is done, I can just attach or remove the figure from the holder at a whim. I can also attach the figures to a cheap baking tray for transport, out to my airbrush station outside, or remove them for putting into a metal based storage container if I am not going to be getting to them for a while (not pictured as I haven't constructed this yet).

So then we have the picture I opened this with.

Of course at this stage as long as I don't remove the figure I could remove the bottom shot glass as the magnet on the figure is holding the magnet into the single shot glass.

It used to be that all I could have on my table and in my "In Progress" rack was about 20 figures because the size of the shot glasses was the limiting factor. Now I can store the 60 I am working on easily because I am storing them off the bases and only putting them onto the bases when I need to work.

There will be some logistics to sort out such as how I will do my priming and everything, but I think this will be a good step forward.

I do plan on making it more professional, maybe. But I thought I would share this shortcut that allowed me to move towards magnetisation without massive overhead or outlay.