Firefly fans rejoice

[Talisen]

Ok, this is the last thing I have on the go, you won't see anything from me for a while (really.)

This has been on the bench a while, half done, as I sat on the fence about the grips.Well I finally went ahead and tried it, didn't like it, tried again and somehow, the mixing of the 2 attempts yielded something that I liked (don't ask, I doubt I could recreate, nevermind explain .

I modded the safety (cut it off to clear the resin that was webbed between it and the main body) and did the same with the knurled caps. I also bored out the barrel a bit. Primed, black bbq paint, polished, 3 flavours of Rub n buff, satin clear, whatever I did to the grips, then reapplied some of the RnB.

So - here it is (finally)

 

[TimDrakeRobin]

Beautiful. It came out great. I never get tired of seeing these.

 

[wuher da brewer]

Nice work.

 

[Darth Brass]

That's absolutely amazing. Those grips are beautiful. I should post the one I had done one of these days...

 

[phase pistol]

Shiny. B)

Love the grips. I was gonna ask until you said don't bother 'cause you cant' explain it.

- k

 

[Nexus6]

That's the best one I've seen yet. Even the ones that were being done here professionally don't compare, imo. I found them to be too brassy (which would be fine for the Serenity pistol, but not for the Firefly model).

Yours literally couldn't have turned out nicer. :thumbsup :thumbsup

 

[Sulla]

Sweet pistol Talisen. Freakin' awesome.

<div class='quotetop'>(Nexus6 @ Jun 7 2006, 08:46 AM) [snapback]1257693[/snapback]</div>

That's the best one I've seen yet. Even the ones that were being done here professionally don't compare, imo. I found them to be too brassy (which would be fine for the Serenity pistol, but not for the Firefly model).

Yours literally couldn't have turned out nicer. :thumbsup :thumbsup
[/b]

Not to hijack but... Is there anyway we could see a comparison of the Firefly Mal pistol side by side with the Serenity Mal pistol? I'd love to see the color comparisons, details, etc. I hope to be working on a Mal pistol in the near future but am undecided what version to make.

I'll split this into another thread if needed.

Again Talisen, your pistol inspires me. Freakin' awesome....

Thanks.

 

[superjedi]

That looks excellent. Nice work.

 

[stormtrooperguy]

i just picked up some rub n buff to re-do my mal gun. i did the same mods as you, but my paint job is lacking.

 

[Nexus6]

Talisen, PM sent.

 

[DrMcoy]

VERY NICE. I agree -- one of the best paint jobs I've seen.

Where does one get RUb N Buff? Can it be applied to a pistol that is already painted??? I used the Tin Bitz on mine with some black and brass highlights.

ted

 

[Talisen]

Thanks again all. I got my RnB at Curry's art store. Most art and some craft stores stock it. And you should be able to apply it over most surfaces. Just need to apply with a finger or cloth (maybe a brush, never tried) then after a few seconds, use a soft cloth to buff it up.

I've had a few requests for a more detailed description. I've also tried to describe my Grips adventure...


I started with Black Primer, then Black BBQ paint. Next it was polished using 000 Steel wool over the entire gun (mask the grips at this point) Then I started with Autumn Gold RnB, Applied with a finger, lightly over the entire gun (brassy areas - not silver parts), I went heavier over the corners and areas of wear. This gave it the dark brass appearance. Next was the Antique Gold RnB on the highlight/wear areas, again with a finger. Basically I rub a little on my finger, then I try to dab the corner, then drag in the direction of wear, when the finger is almost dry, I work it in harder to get the feathered edge. You don't want to get EVER edge and corner. Imagine it in a holster, where the edges would hit. then, think of the hand holding it and where it might rub.

Next I applied the Silver Leaf RnB - this worked well, I tried not to rub it too deeply in the grooves to allow some of the black to show through.

Then I sprayed a coat of matte clear (grips are still masked) - this will kill some of the brilliance of the RnB - we fix that at the end.

What I tried for the grips - I airbrushed Burnt umber over the entire grip. then using loose masks I tried following the wood pattern (on Phils cast, one side is a straight grain, the otherside loops back down) with Raw umber in the airbrush as well I darkened down the edges (again, think of where the hand would hold it). Next I tried a wash of almost black to get into those tiny grain marks. I then sanded/polished that with the steel wool to lighten it a bit (my wash definitely darkened the thing). Next was a coat of satin Clear, followed by another wash, and I rubbed in some graphite powder. And that was finished with another scrubbing of the steel wool (removes some of the wash and graphite from the surface, but leaves it in the grooves)

Finally, i reapplied some of the Antique gold and silver on the surface to get back some of the luster (which works nicely against the matte)

 

[Mr_Creepy]

Just incredible :eek

 

[hollywoodhardware]

beautiful paintjob, one of the best I've seen

Thomas

 

[KAVEEKS]

wow that looks great. I love that show, and I love that gun.

 

[Howard]

Beautiful work.

Howard.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Awesome job, wouldn't mind seeing more pictures of this. :thumbsup

 

[QuasiOdo]

Wow. Nice job.
Question: Why gold instead of more of a brass buff?

 

[dropshipbob]

If there were a museum for gun finishes, this would be in it.
Just lovely.

 

[Talisen]

Thanks again all, I'm quite surprised how well this has been received.

QuasiOdo, I don't believe there is a brass Rub n buff, which is why I used the Autumn gold over the black (for a coppery look). Then the antique gold for the highlights (if you look at a brass object, it does look very gold, but tarnishes fast). Well that's my excuse.