Hi. I was planning on making a set of armor out of wood. Does anyone know how to make the wood come out looking like metal when painted? I don't want to leave the grain there, just a flat finish that resembles painted metal. The first thing that came to mind was to coat it with something like Bondo. I'm not entirely sure if this will work as I've never used the stuff before. If it is the right thing to use, I don't know what type. Any ideas on what to do?
Need help with getting metal finish on wood
- Thread starter Johnlep
- Start date
franz bolo
Sr Member
What type of metal??
Rusty, chrome, galvanized, aluminum?? There are many finished to choose from.
Having some of the paint chip on the corners and have some of the metal surface show underneath is probably the easiest way.
FB
Rusty, chrome, galvanized, aluminum?? There are many finished to choose from.
Having some of the paint chip on the corners and have some of the metal surface show underneath is probably the easiest way.
FB
Not really a metallic finish. Just a somewhat shiny finish like when you spray paint metal. I believe I used both gloss and flat paint on matte objects and metal ones. The look is different.
Mostly though, I don't want the grain of the wood to show once I've painted. I just want it to look like I painted on a metal surface.
Mostly though, I don't want the grain of the wood to show once I've painted. I just want it to look like I painted on a metal surface.
I would go ahead and use the Bondo Auto-body filler to fill the cracks, etc. and just sand it down. You said you never used it before so I will start with the basics.
Auto body filler is a two part substance, a grey putty type material and a red hardening agent. You mix it together until its all one color; pink. You then apply quickly over the wood. With a trowel, etc (you will see one of those plastic spreading tools near the bondo), you press hard and apply a little bit at a time, just to fill the cracks and grain. One thing to note is that it dries SUPER quickly. IT IS NASTY STUFF. Remember to apply a VERY light coat. After it becomes hard to the touch, you use some sandpaper to smooth it down. Use a stronger grit first, and then finish off with a very fine grit to smooth it. If done properly, you'll end up with a piece that will have no discernable wood pattern. You then paint over it with metalic paint.
Next, you can always use a primer to fill the cracks. I would advise against this because laying it on too think has a tendency to dry "gummy." But a light hit with a primer, followed by more smooth sanding can't hurt after the bondo application.
Lastly, you might want to try this on a test piece first, but I once painted some wood metalic and took a little bit of that finer sandpaper and lightly brushed it (I mean LIGHTLY). It discolored the paint ever so slightly and caused it to streak a bit. Its hard to explain but the effect was an increase in realism.
Auto body filler is a two part substance, a grey putty type material and a red hardening agent. You mix it together until its all one color; pink. You then apply quickly over the wood. With a trowel, etc (you will see one of those plastic spreading tools near the bondo), you press hard and apply a little bit at a time, just to fill the cracks and grain. One thing to note is that it dries SUPER quickly. IT IS NASTY STUFF. Remember to apply a VERY light coat. After it becomes hard to the touch, you use some sandpaper to smooth it down. Use a stronger grit first, and then finish off with a very fine grit to smooth it. If done properly, you'll end up with a piece that will have no discernable wood pattern. You then paint over it with metalic paint.
Next, you can always use a primer to fill the cracks. I would advise against this because laying it on too think has a tendency to dry "gummy." But a light hit with a primer, followed by more smooth sanding can't hurt after the bondo application.
Lastly, you might want to try this on a test piece first, but I once painted some wood metalic and took a little bit of that finer sandpaper and lightly brushed it (I mean LIGHTLY). It discolored the paint ever so slightly and caused it to streak a bit. Its hard to explain but the effect was an increase in realism.
Last edited:
darthgordon
Sr Member
Is Bondo really necessary? Wouldn't a couple of coats of scratch fill primer get the desired smooth effect as well as prime your wood for the paint?
exoray
Master Member
To seal out the wood grain simply use Shellac, lay down a few heavy primary coats give it an hour between these first heavy coats and sand, with say 100 grit paper, lay down another thinner coat and sand with 150 grit, and then lay down another thin coat and sand with 200+ grit it should be as smooth as glass at that point...
Shellac only takes a few minutes to dry between coats (15-30 minutes) so this is all doable in a few hours time... Giving the first two heavy coats an hours just assures that they are dry, the thinner top coats will dry faster...
Use a white bristle brush, and clean it with common household Ammonia followed by soapy water, make sure to rinse and dry the brush between coats as the ammonia will actually destroy the existing shellac on the project if it comes in contact with it... The better quality of the brush the less sanding you will have to do so spend a few bucks on a decent brush...
Shellac has been being used for over 2000 years as a sealer, that alone should tell you how good of a product it really is as it's still a very common sealer in the fine woodworking industry still today...
Shellac only takes a few minutes to dry between coats (15-30 minutes) so this is all doable in a few hours time... Giving the first two heavy coats an hours just assures that they are dry, the thinner top coats will dry faster...
Use a white bristle brush, and clean it with common household Ammonia followed by soapy water, make sure to rinse and dry the brush between coats as the ammonia will actually destroy the existing shellac on the project if it comes in contact with it... The better quality of the brush the less sanding you will have to do so spend a few bucks on a decent brush...
Shellac has been being used for over 2000 years as a sealer, that alone should tell you how good of a product it really is as it's still a very common sealer in the fine woodworking industry still today...
Maybe I am the wrong person to chime in, but everytime I have used Primer to fill cracks, and not just for minimal sanding or paint sticking purposes, I end up with a gummy mess when it comes time to sanding. I may lay it on too thick or don't wait long enough, but its been my experience. It may work, but I would be sure to use many light coats and be sure not to glom it on like I tend to. Bondo might be best used for the deepest cracks.
exoray
Master Member
Yep, Bondo is great for deeper cracks and seams, but overkill for just wood grain, IMO... Not to say it doesn't work it actually works fine to help cover wood grain, but it's tricky stuff to work with sometimes especially if you are not familiar with it... Shellac is much more user friendly IMO and even though Shellac smells real bad it's just denatured grain alcohol evaporating that you are smelling so toxicity is limited, but being denatured don't be stupid and think it's completely non toxic do it with ventalation... In fact dried Shellac is FDA approved (if desolved in pure food grade ethanol) as a food coating and is used on many candies...
Bondo for any thing deep! a coat of primer to see what is left to fill......red spot putty for the small stuff and a lot of filler primer until you get the desired look! sanding in between of course here are a couple projects I am in the middle of......pix are before and after the above process.
Very Interesting facts.........I will give it a try on my next project!! :love
exoray
Master Member
You will be pleasantly surprised at the hard candy finish and how well it seals out wood grain...
vaderdarth
Master Member
Here's another tip when working with wood. Try to do these layers of primer and paint with multiple light coats. The thing about wood is that if you apply too heavy a coat, it will dissolve down into the wood and raise the grain, no matter how much you keep sanding etc.........that grain is an issue. But doing very light coats begins to create a nice seal barrier that the primer and paint won't penetrate. The wood sealer first is an excellent idea, but don't underestimate what primer and paint can do!!!
Dave
Dave
Miketribal
Active Member
never even thought of some of those opions... sweet
