Coloring Steel? (Legend of Zelda Master Sword)

Jm419

Sr Member
Hello all,

I dunno if anyone here's ever done any searching for a Master Sword replica, but there ain't much out there in available quantities. There's an awfully inaccurate version which, while the hilt is the right color, appears to be made out of plastic and or PVC on the hilt. Alternatively, here's a beautiful replica, but the hilt is the wrong color. See pictures below: (nicked from various sites, none of these are mine)

5000505.jpg


$(KGrHqZ,!lQE4loJp,BWBOTCBo0Lug~~48_3.JPG


$(KGrHqN,!g0E45ylLJYMBOTCBu15ow~~48_3.JPG


So I got a hold of the silver hilted one, and I'd like to get it closer to game-accurate. Here's a grab from ingame:

Master_Sword_(Twilight_Princess).png


So here's my question.

How do I get the one I purchased to match this one? I understand the hilt itself is steel, and I can powdercoat it - or rather, have it powdercoated - but someone quoted me like $200 on it. Not worth it on a sixty dollar sword. I would like to mask it and paint as necessary, as it's on a budget, but I don't know how appropriate that is.

Anyone have any other suggestions about how to get this recolored for less than, say, $45? Paint, I can do, but if there are other suggestions, I'd appreciate any help you folks might have. You know metal better than I, surely.

Thanks in advance. Any suggestions are welcomed. :)
 
I have that same sword as well, it's certainly a very decent replica! Definitely better than the other Master Sword replicas that are available..:rolleyes

There may be a problem with powder coating it because the guards that hang off either side of the hilt are metalized plastic. The factory also glues them on kinda sloppy, but I had no luck getting those things off in one piece to reposition them.

The only thing I could think of to give it a nice finish though is a transparent purple-ish blue paint and maybe a durable clear coat over that. The sword disassembles pretty easy for painting once you get that end pommel off. You can just heat up the pommel a little with a blow torch to soften up the glue underneath and thread it off using a welding glove or something else safe and heat resistant.

Also, some sanding then polishing partly with metal polish and some fine steel wool will get that 'Made in China' off the blade nice and cleanly too.

Hope that helps, and good luck with your new sword! :thumbsup


-Carson
 
That would look awesome anodized, but I don't know what that costs or if it would work on the metallized plastic.
 
I have that same sword as well, it's certainly a very decent replica! Definitely better than the other Master Sword replicas that are available..:rolleyes

There may be a problem with powder coating it because the guards that hang off either side of the hilt are metalized plastic. The factory also glues them on kinda sloppy, but I had no luck getting those things off in one piece to reposition them.

The only thing I could think of to give it a nice finish though is a transparent purple-ish blue paint and maybe a durable clear coat over that. The sword disassembles pretty easy for painting once you get that end pommel off. You can just heat up the pommel a little with a blow torch to soften up the glue underneath and thread it off using a welding glove or something else safe and heat resistant.

Also, some sanding then polishing partly with metal polish and some fine steel wool will get that 'Made in China' off the blade nice and cleanly too.

Hope that helps, and good luck with your new sword! :thumbsup


-Carson

Hey, neat. So the sword is pretty good quality?

I'll have to think about the Made in China thing. Is the other side embossed "Stainless Steel 440" or something like that? If not, I could just hide it, lol.

Why do you say transparent paint, rather than opaque? Just to keep the shine of the hilt? I found a steel painting guide online which says I should put a few coats of primer on it, then just use Krylon paints, if I can find one in the right color. Is that probably the easiest route to go?

Also, are the gold accents plastic inserts that I can pop off, or are they painted on?
 
Hey, neat. So the sword is pretty good quality?

I'll have to think about the Made in China thing. Is the other side embossed "Stainless Steel 440" or something like that? If not, I could just hide it, lol.

Why do you say transparent paint, rather than opaque? Just to keep the shine of the hilt? I found a steel painting guide online which says I should put a few coats of primer on it, then just use Krylon paints, if I can find one in the right color. Is that probably the easiest route to go?

Also, are the gold accents plastic inserts that I can pop off, or are they painted on?

The quality isn't up there with the greatest, but it's definitely an acceptable quality sword. The cast steel hilt and pommel does have seam marks visible in some places, but overall they're not too noticeable especially with a couple layers of paint.

I may be wrong but I think made in china was the only thing on the blade other than the big triforce markings. The blade is probably the nicest part of the sword, after a little straightening it's pretty nice!

The transparent will allow the metal to show through a little like Kevin said, it gives the metal more of an anodized/metallic look. But even if you use regular opaque paint this sword still looks pretty decent. :thumbsup

And unfortunately the gold accents are just yellow paint applied over the cast in details of the hilt. The center red plastic jewel comes off easily though.


-Carson
 
Alright, so masking is in order for the accents. Fair enough.

Thanks for the link on the paint; it looks pretty good to me, and it's easy to source locally. What do I need to do for that? Clean the steel, then...? Do I just paint like a normal rattlecan spraypaint? Do I need to prime it, sand it, or anything like that? Or is it just point and shoot?
 
For the money you want to spend, paint is the best way to go, you want to prime the metal pieces so that the paint will have something to grab on to, if the metal is too smooth the paint will just flake off when dry. Also the key to a good rattlecan paint job is lots of light coats of paint, don't rush it, take your time and it should turn out pretty good.

Terry
 
This thread is more than 11 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top