Absoulutely love that box!!! Great work and attention to detail! Now where´s that list of stuff that goes into the box? 
Tiny update:
Thin goatskin leather for the book spines arrived today. Red leather dyes should come tomorrow and then we'll see if I can fake the look of the real book spines with that and gold leaf. If so, it will sure beat custom making (or having made) the books. My books are thinner than Dr. Broom's so I will have one more in my set so as to fill up the space in the box.
BTW, all the coloring of the wood was done with chemicals, not stains. Potassium permanganate for the yellow/brown, apple cider vinegar with dissolved steel wool for the black and chlorine bleach to tone them back where I got too heavy-handed. A final thin coat of amber shellac to keep the chemicals off the contents of the box and also to enhance the yellow and it was done.
Thin goatskin leather for the book spines arrived today. Red leather dyes should come tomorrow and then we'll see if I can fake the look of the real book spines with that and gold leaf. If so, it will sure beat custom making (or having made) the books. My books are thinner than Dr. Broom's so I will have one more in my set so as to fill up the space in the box.
BTW, all the coloring of the wood was done with chemicals, not stains. Potassium permanganate for the yellow/brown, apple cider vinegar with dissolved steel wool for the black and chlorine bleach to tone them back where I got too heavy-handed. A final thin coat of amber shellac to keep the chemicals off the contents of the box and also to enhance the yellow and it was done.
sskunky
Sr Member
I might be able to help you out on the correct monkey skull. I have one here from the screen mould. It won't be for a while as I'm up to my eyes in building for the next next 6 months. But rest assured you will be able to upgrade in the future.
In the mean time if you want there one you have there (is it resin?) to look old just get a paper towel and some wood stain and rub it all over then rub it back with a scotch pad until it looks right. It make resin look like old bone.
In the mean time if you want there one you have there (is it resin?) to look old just get a paper towel and some wood stain and rub it all over then rub it back with a scotch pad until it looks right. It make resin look like old bone.
Great advice, sskunky, and I have used that exact technique on resin. That is an actual monkey skull, though, and so I am going to use acrylic washes and shoe polish. I have the Indonesian ebay vendor looking for a smaller one for me and so I am holding off on aging this one. I am definitely interested in a casting of yours, when the time comes. Thanks!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Interesting. It is clearly not meant to be a monkey skull and it is only the front third of the skull. I have seen skulls cut this way for use as a pendant (lies flat on the chest). Seeing this, I may just cut the back off mine and then wait for your casting.
Yours is definitely this one from the prop maker's web site. But the one on the DVD menu really looks like a monkey skull:
Yours is definitely this one from the prop maker's web site. But the one on the DVD menu really looks like a monkey skull:
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So here is a mini-step by step on weathering the skull:
First, I cut off the back of the skull on the band saw (Yum! Indonesian monkey skull bone dust; no pathogens in that stuff, for sure...) Then, a quick all over wash with dilute Burnt Sienna acrylic paint and then a more focused wash on the sutures, foramina, tooth sockets, orbits; basically all the low points.
Next a wash with this great stuff, again concentrating on the low spots:
:
Here is the result:
I love the Aim Products weathering solutions (and powders) because they are alcohol based and so can be taken back off with alcohol if you overdo it.
Next , a more opaque wash with Delta Dirt,
focusing on the nooks and crannies: orbits, nasal cavity, temporal fossae, etc. Using a swab with alcohol, I rubbed it back off the high spots:
Because these Aim Products weathering solutions have multiple pigments in them, you get a very nice polychromatic effect, mimicking actual age/wear/weather. You can see green, grey and blue tints in these photos but it is really striking in person. You could certainly achieve this with acrylic paints and powdered pastels but it would take much more time.
Next, a quick couple of coats of Dull-cote and then a couple of coats of Johnson's paste wax (or neutral paste shoe polish) to restore a nice, well-handled bony sheen:
Finally, some vigorous rubbing with a nylon abrasive pad to take a little pigment off the high spots:
Done!
First, I cut off the back of the skull on the band saw (Yum! Indonesian monkey skull bone dust; no pathogens in that stuff, for sure...) Then, a quick all over wash with dilute Burnt Sienna acrylic paint and then a more focused wash on the sutures, foramina, tooth sockets, orbits; basically all the low points.
Next a wash with this great stuff, again concentrating on the low spots:
:
Here is the result:
I love the Aim Products weathering solutions (and powders) because they are alcohol based and so can be taken back off with alcohol if you overdo it.
Next , a more opaque wash with Delta Dirt,
focusing on the nooks and crannies: orbits, nasal cavity, temporal fossae, etc. Using a swab with alcohol, I rubbed it back off the high spots:
Because these Aim Products weathering solutions have multiple pigments in them, you get a very nice polychromatic effect, mimicking actual age/wear/weather. You can see green, grey and blue tints in these photos but it is really striking in person. You could certainly achieve this with acrylic paints and powdered pastels but it would take much more time.
Next, a quick couple of coats of Dull-cote and then a couple of coats of Johnson's paste wax (or neutral paste shoe polish) to restore a nice, well-handled bony sheen:
Finally, some vigorous rubbing with a nylon abrasive pad to take a little pigment off the high spots:
Done!
N2darkness
Sr Member
Wow, looks great! Where do you find Aim products?
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N2darkness
Sr Member
Awesome, thanks!
