Creating a Pitted Finish...

[Jamanticus]

Alright- I'm continuing to weather LotR swords, and still some of them lack proper pitting.
*cough*

*cough*

See what I mean?

I've done a good amount of research and it looks like I have two options to pit these props:

-Sandblasting with a not-gentle blasting medium

-Corrosive chemicals

I'm good with the sandblasting option- not too hard to get info on that.

Now, for the acid thing... I'm thinking it might create a better effect than sandblasting, but then I've no knowledge of what acid solution to use for pitting a stainless steel blade or zinc-ful hilt. And then I've not worked with acids before and would be a bit worse for wear if I accidentally melted a hole in the floor or myself due to not storing the acid in the right container or the like.

Any advice on acid etching with the intent to produce pitting? I'd like to know what sorts of acids to use, how to go about applying them to the props in a safe manner :wacko

I probably should have asked all this a few months ago when I first joined, but I was hoping I'd be able to find out on my own- I need your help, RPF! :lol

 

[BlindSquirrel]

Looks like the blade is missing some nicks on the edge too...funny I never noticed that.

I don't know what to suggest for the pitting. My expertise ends with the Sophisticated Finishes weathering chemical.

I can't wait to see what you do on this one!

 

[exoray]

Acids are tricky to work with unless you know your metal composition... They are off course dangerous as well and should be used with full safety gear appropriate for you type of acid... That generally means full rubber suits, gloves, eye and face protection as well as respirators and ventilation unless it's a very mild acid...

I just distilled some fuming nitric acid for a project, stupid dangerous stuff as it eats many plastics and just about anything else in it's path, but ironically it won't damage good stainless... For stainless you can use muriatic acid, you can find it at any hardware store it's a 'safer' acid but don't underestimate it's ability to hurt you... You can also use sulfuric acid (aka battery acid) this is a little more dangerous, but an option... Again sulfuric acid can be found at most hardware stores, look in the 'basement watchdog' sump pump area as it's sold it boxes to fill the empty batteries used for those systems, or NAPA and other car parts stores carry it...

As for the zinc details you have to be VERY careful with those, most zinc alloys will dissolve like ice in hot water when you hit them with acid... You have been warned you can literally vaporize zinc with acid right before your eyes...

To apply I would get some dollar store spray bottles (they will most likely die in short time) and spritz the sword... Don't be stupid though, spraying acid is dangerous wear full body coverage and all safety stuff and be mindful of wind... You can also try a synthetic sponge and blot the acid...

Most of it is going to be trial and error...

And to close BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU VENTURE DOWN THE ACID ROUTE, DON'T SKIP SAFETY...

 

[Jamanticus]

Thanks for the info and advice, exoray!

When all this blasted snow lets up, I shall begin practically exploring my pitting options, and now I at least know that acid is an option, albeit a risky one.

 

[Jamanticus]

Oh, and does it change anything that the blades in need of more pitting are made out of 420 J2 stainless? Sorry for the double post.

Here's the composition:

Ingredients Min. Max.
Carbon 0.15 0.36
Manganese - 1.00
Silicon - 1.00
* Nickel - 1.00
Phosphorus - 0.04
Sulphur - 0.03
Chromium 12.00 14.00

 

[Zcoberly]

where did you get this AWSOME picture????

 

[ob1al]

www.alleycatscratch.com

Jamanticus, have you considered spreading some bodyfiller thinly on select sections of the blade, then using paint to build up the pitted layers? That might work nicely.

 

[Zcoberly]

really??? haha i used to go to that site DAILY!!! i thought i had looked at every costume page on alleycatscratch....i guess i was never interested in looking at the ringwraiths!! very cool pic though! haha thanks!

oh and the body filler might work...cause then you could break of some of the edges as well...

 

[Jamanticus]

www.alleycatscratch.com

Jamanticus, have you considered spreading some bodyfiller thinly on select sections of the blade, then using paint to build up the pitted layers? That might work nicely.

Ooo, that's a very good idea- thanks for mentioning it! I think it'd work especially well on the hilt area.

As of right now, it looks like I'll be applying sulfuric acid to the blade with a sponge while wearing one of these

and this

...Outdoors, when the weather's warm again :lol

While I'm doing that, I also plan on using a little eyedropper to apply tiny, tiny drops of the stuff to a few of the 'Good Guy' weapons to just make them look a bit older.

But all that's not going to happen for several months :angel

But putting some body filler and painting it up could definitely help make the piece stand up to even closer scrutiny, plus it'd give a much greater measure of control.