finishing a wood surface to make look like metal?

[neosporing]

Hello,

My nephew has come to me the 'prop guy' asking how to make his world of warcraft sword appear more realistic

i recommended a wet sandable primer and some walmart chrome... any thoughts from the modeling experts over here?

If it were me, i'd have a friend draw it in autocad and have it milled but i think the kid is happy with his creation and doesn't want to spend a thousand dollars.

thanks in advance.

dave h

 

[OdiWan72]

First of all, get rid of the square edges on the blade and grip by filing/ sanding it round.

Then get yourself some regular sandable primer (duplicolor f.e.) and prepare the wood by giving it atleast 3-5 coats. Sand between each to minimise the wood grain. Wet sand the final coat and give it a gloss black coat, let dry properly and use the metal color of your choice on the blade/ paint the rest.

Markus

 

[Blaxmyth]

Looks like a fairly open grain - might be worth a coat of sanding sealer before the primer stage. I've found that sanding sealer is the single best thing for preparing MDF (which is essentially pulped pine and glue) and think it will help to minimise any grain which seems to persist otherwise.

Cheers, Phil

 

[exoray]

Shellac is the original sanding sealer and is still often sold under that "name" although there are now synthetic versions as well...

And I HIGHLY recommend plain old shellac to seal out wood, you can recoat every 30 minutes and with a light sand between coats you will be able to remove ALL wood grain in a few hours time...

You can literally get a candy finish out of the shellac, after all it is what was used on (and still is on some high end) candies before the switch to parafin... The original M&Ms didn't melt in your hands because of shellac

The reason I suggest it over other primers is that it dries rock hard in a short time, that can't be said for many other primers that dry slowly and have a rubber paint like finish...

 

[neosporing]

Hey thanks all for the advice.

I had forgotten about the flat black coat before the metal coat.

His warblade has potential.. not bad for a first attempt at his first prop. Hopefully if he surfaces it right, we'll have a future prop replicator. I guess he is trying to make warblade below...

again thanks for the help guys.

dave aka neosporing

 

[BigJoe88]

well i dont know how to help you there, but a suggestion would be to bevel the edges on the blade, make it look sharp at least

 

[SWFreak]

You could always try Run-N-Buff for the metal finish.

 

[dropshipbob]

First of all, you'll need some sort of wood filler...shellac and/or primer alone won''t fill the grain.

Use wood filler, sand till smoothe, then add primer to see which spots still need the grain filled, use the wood filler again.
Then as SWfreak suggested, use the rubb 'n buff silver. It too will help fill in any voids left and give a realistic silver sheen. Most metalic paints won't give you a good metalic effect...but that's my opinion. And after all, you don't want some kind of chrome effect. Most sword and knife blades are not highly reflective. The Rubb 'n buff let's you polish it to the degree you want.

 

[clownluv15]

Wow i'd say he done a good job so far,get some pics of the final piece.Is he planning on painting it just like the ones from the screencaps?If so that would be sweet..

 

[M Bison]

Looks like a Brutality Blade to me. It drops in Molten Core off of Garr.

If you round off teh blade edge and the handle, it could be a very cool peice of work.

/WoW player since day 1.

 

[neosporing]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BigJoe88 @ Jan 14 2007, 03:29 PM) [snapback]1397244[/snapback]</div>

well i dont know how to help you there, but a suggestion would be to bevel the edges on the blade, make it look sharp at least [/b]

Okay all, thanks for the replies, my nephew is lurking on the board, frustrated that he can't register... we've all been there right?

Anyway's i'm relaying messages now. He has gone out and purchased a router

and is wondering what 'bit' too use to create the beveled edge...
again it's not quite the route i would've taken (no pun intended as i don't know much about 'routers') but it's exciting to have another future prop replicator in our midst.

any skilled woodsmyn out there?

 

[franz bolo]

Is his made from plywood? It seems like plywood would chunk off if it was routered.

He should remake it with a better solid piece of wood. There wouldn't be as much prep work either.

FB

 

[clownluv15]

I can ask my woodworking teacher at school tomorrow,if somebody doesent chime in before then.

 

[exoray]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(neosporing @ Jan 16 2007, 05:19 PM) [snapback]1398697[/snapback]</div>

and is wondering what 'bit' too use to create the beveled edge...[/b]

The one with the profile that he likes A carbide one with a ball bearing guide is my suggestion...

Honestly if he has never played with a router he is in for a surprise they are not the easiest tools to handle and get good first results until you know what you are doing... They are also pretty dangerous tools when using them correctly even more so when you are doing it incorrect or with lack of experience...

May I suggest he does a BUNCH of reading on how to use the tool and then do a BUNCH of practice on scrap wood...

First of all, you'll need some sort of wood filler...shellac and/or primer alone won''t fill the grain.[/b]

I beg to differ I have glass surfaced many open grain woods (even the but ends) with nothing more then multiple coats of shellac... The pine/fur he appears to have made this from should be no problem with a little attention to detail...

 

[ATL Kenobi]

To exoray listen well you must:

The one with the profile that he likes smile.gif A carbide one with a ball bearing guide is my suggestion...

Honestly if he has never played with a router he is in for a surprise they are not the easiest tools to handle and get good first results until you know what you are doing... They are also pretty dangerous tools when using them correctly even more so when you are doing it incorrect or with lack of experience...

May I suggest he does a BUNCH of reading on how to use the tool and then do a BUNCH of practice on scrap wood...[/b]

To give a nice long bevel, you'll need a router bit such as "tool number" 49416 shown here:
Amana chamfered router bits
Amana refers to this as a 60 degree bit, however, it seems other bit makers refer to it as 30 degree. If you read the fine print at the bottom of the page, it says that this bit CANNOT be used with a handheld router, which simply means that the router has to be mounted in a router table for safe operation. You would have to do this regardless, because once you bevel one side, there's no material for the bearing to ride against, so a router table is required. As FB mentioned plywood is not a good option (it would disintegrate).

Practice on a scrap piece of wood that's the same thickness as your sword blank. On the edge of this scrap, mark a centerline (what will be the sword edge). Set the table fence so that you'll remove at most about an 1/8" of wood (not much) and run the scrap through it, always moving the wood to left or into the bit. Repeat this for several passes, only removing about an 1/8" or less each time until you get to the pencil mark. Then turn the wood over, and make several passes on the other side to achieve the double beveled edge. Practice on a couple of pieces of scrap before attempting to work with the real deal.

Truthfully, this is not a beginner's project. It would be wise to buy some basic router bits and a beginners book and do a few simple projects before attempting this sword bevel.

ATL

 

[BlindSquirrel]

Might I suggest the Sophisticated Finishes brand of metal paints (available at Home Depot)? It has real metal in an acrylic paint for a REAL metal look. If he wants to age the weapon, the patina solution will give you real rust or tarnish. Cool stuff.

 

[motman241]

I'd say to just prime, sand, prime, sand, paint, sand, paint, etc. until you can't see the grain anymore. I agree that the edges need to be bevelled. How about a good old file? Or a Dremel? You'll need a longer angle on the blade than a router can give, I think.

For painting, the real trick is in the weathering. Gray, silver, browns and black. If this "weapon" has been in many battles, there's no way it'll be a solid silver color.

 

[ricksprops]

catalyzed polyester primer, best for everything porous. You can pick it up at any autoparts store. Make sure it's the MEK catalyst primer. Spray through a gun and sand until you reach mirror finish, then paint black and apply Mirror coat. It's the closest thing to plating that's still paint.

rick

 

[franz bolo]

I saw these on eBay. I guess you have to have your shirt off to use this type of weapon. :lol

The bevel on the axe is pretty nice. I'm not digging the leather guard though.

FB

 

[clownluv15]

that looks pretty cool