RhinoActual
Well-Known Member
No the thermoptic pistol isn’t listed in the auction. There is a Glock with a black finish listed. No clear parts on the listed gun either.
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Limited Run 'Major's Thermoptic Pistol' (2017) Ghost in the Shell
- Thread starter RebelCityProps
- Start date
No the thermoptic pistol isn’t listed in the auction. There is a Glock with a black finish listed. No clear parts on the listed gun either.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RhinoActual
Well-Known Member
What's up Jay? Looking for that update that was teased for last weekend.
Last edited:
Before we start i just want to reiterate just how amazingly understanding and supportive everyone has been while I've been dealing with my Anxiety issues and other things besides, I just want to issue a big thank you to you all, for your kind words, and to those who reached out to help. You are an amazing group of people.
Right then, to work. One thing that i realised during the painting process was that i needed a better way to place the items down to allow them to dry after airbrushing, something that would actually become a very important factor once it came time to do the clear coating. To that end, i broke out the wood and got to work making a 'pistol-paint-rack-thing™'
In the wood i drilled out evenly spaced holes to insert dowels, these are all tension fit so if in the future i needed it for some other purpose i could easily insert longer dowels, plus it means i can take out the dowels I'm using to help store this thing away when its not being used. The holes are space out in such a way that if for whatever reason one of the guns swung around, it will not clash into its neighbor and damage the paintwork.
All of the dowels slot nicely into the drilled out barrels of the gun meaning the dowels wont damage or impede any of my other processes moving forward.
Now at this stage i would say i was about half way through the painting stages of the guns and the finish of the paint was bugging me. In some spots the paint (in a way i can best describe) was "dusting" when it hit the surface, I think this is due to a combination of the paint being too cold or the flow rate of the airbrush itself. Aside from the dusting, the paint was coming out a bit too matte to the point where i was worried that any sort of grime from handling these would stain the grips and would not wipe off. So i bit the bullet and accepted that this was not acceptable and had to come at this from a different angle to improve the final finish.
The airbrush I had been using up to this point was my Iwata Revolution CR, which is a very capable airbrush but with the amount of surface i had to cover and the issues i'd had with the final finish, i knew it was time to break out the big guns... literally.
I picked up a much larger gun to fit to my main shop compressor as opposed to my Iwata airbrush that was attached to one of Iwatas own smaller portable compressor units. This airbrush will allow me to not only cover far more surface area far faster, but since it is attached to a larger compressor is can fire out the paint at a much greater pressure and eliminate most of the issues i'd been having.
So with that i re-masked the guns that id already painted, sanded the surfaces down and got ready to take another swing at this. Now, a tip i picked up to help improve the flow rate of a matte finish paint was to submerge the paint container into hot water for about 10 mins before loading it into the gun and spraying. I'm not sure where i picked this tip up, i think it might have been from Frank Ippolito, Bill Doran, Harrison Krix or even maybe one of your videos on Tested if you are reading this Mr Savage. Anyways, wherever i picked this up from it worked a treat. The heat in the paint (for some reason) really made this paint effect exactly what it needed to be. The final look is akin to a satin/matte, the dullness is there so it absorbs light in the right way, but leaves a very smooth surface finish that's great to hold and looks like a cast style of plastic in appearance. So to whomever i picked this tip up from in the past, thank you, it really did wonders for this project.
With this painting stage all done it was time to peel off all that masking tape and start the next stage...
- - - Updated - - -
Once I peeled all of the masking tape off you can start to get a really good sense of what these guns will look like upon completion. This was both a blessing and a curse because i knew i was getting close to the end but also knew that this next stage, if done wrong, would ruin everything that had come before it... i was about to hit the point of no return and this honestly terrified me. I've worked on many difficult projects, i pick thing like this on purpose because the challenge me and push me forward and help me to grow as a maker. But at the same time, i'd never been in a position where one of the last major stages could ruin no 1 but 11 pieces of work in one shot to a point where id be left no choice to start again... So you can see how my anxiety went through the roof at this point. But i digress...
The masking process for this stage is basically inverted, so now all the grips and front sections have to be covered and the clear sections left exposed. As always, it starts with one but there are many more to do...
A lot (and i mean a lot) of masking tape a two scalpel blades later the inverted masking is complete. I had to go a bit slower with this than i would have liked but i was worried about slipping while cutting and accidentally cutting into the painted areas, so slow and stead was the order of operations for this one, but everything came out great.
With the masking complete it was time for surface prep for the clear coat. i wanted to make sure the 2K clear had something to bite into to improve the grip of the final finish and prevent anything like de-lamination from occurring. I couldn't go too rough with this since it a clear prop with a clear finish so wet with varying degrees of fine grade sand papers to give me the surface i needed and prevent scratching or etching the surface in any way.
As you can imagine, this process spread out over the 11 guns was very laborious, and because fine grade sand papers "gunk" up very quickly, i went through a lot of sandpaper, but it was all worth it, the guns have a frosted look to them, but once its all said and done... fingers crossed they will look like glass. Right, here it comes... my nemesis...
It's clear coat time. Now in the run up to this (aside from the stress and deep feeling of impending failure) i spent a long time looking into the best ways to get the best finish with the tools i had available, with the added restriction that i live in Ireland and there are just some things that are either fair more expensive to attain than they would be in for instance America, or for what ever reason they just wont ship to Ireland full stop.
To that end, i was advised by a good number of my maker peeps to look into 'Spray Max 2k Clear'. Its a spray can version of a 2K system, essentially a can within a can (more on that in a moment). Of all the pitfalls i was worried about this system offered me the most reward and (hopefully) the least amount of risk. Because its a can, its not going to be as high a pressure as say something like an airbrush, giving me a bit more vital control when i needed it. I don't have to manually mix it and worry about not mixing it correctly and it turning into gel on the surface or just de-laminating entirely. Lastly it apparently has very good self leveling properties which would work very much in my favour since i want a very smooth glass like finish.
Right, lets get down to it.
To activate these cant, you need to turn the can upside down (1) to reveal the pin for the can inside the can. There is a red cap provided on the lid, (2) you place this on the pin and push down, this send the catalyst into the can and sets the ball rolling. Shake the can (3) for a good 2 mins in order to mixed everything together instead properly. when this is done, the can it self has anywhere from 16-24 hours work time, but once sprayed it will set far faster than that.
View attachment 15.jpg
(Important Note: Make sure you are using the correct type of filters for your respirator when using this stuff, it is not to be taken lightly. This or any 2K clear can be extremely hazardous to your health so take all the precautions, read the data sheets and make sure to do this in a well ventilated area)
So, the time had come, i had no choice but to hope that all my research, preparations a precautions had not been in vain and spray this pistols. The best way to use this stuff (as recommended to me) was to give each surface a light dusting first. The best way i can describe this is to imagine you are trying to give the pistols a frosted glass look. This initial layer will help bite into the prepped surface so when you come to the subsequent layers the grip has already been established and gives you the best chance of stopping any complications down the road.
Finally, layer it on thicker, taking precautions as to not layer it on too thick, just enough to get the clear look you are going for and let the self leveling properties take care of the rest. When all of these were sprayed and i could see how clear they looked, i was so happy, but reserved myself until they had been unmasked.
Now, with guns sprayed i had a very immediate fear, "would the masking tape set so hard that when i come to peel it off will it take the paint underneath with it, would it peel off some of the clear sections with it"... honestly i could go on for hours in this vain at me worries of something going wrong. I decided that once the 2k had entered the Gel stage, i would (very VERY carefully) peel of the masking tape and then leave the guns to set for a few days to allow them plenty of time to harden. Because of how much I've handled these guns up to this point, i was confident i could do this without accidentally touching the surface, I'm very glad i did this, because for the first time i got to see the guns in (almost) their final form.
The clear on these guns came out better than i could have imagined, they look amazing, the pictures really don't do them justice. I've been happy at projects in the past, but I've never finished a stage in a build and cried not just out of shear relief but at just how well everything had gone to give me what I'm sat in front of. Its moment like this is why i'm glad i pick projects that aren't just fun, but will challenge me and push me to learn, adapt and grow and a maker.
Honestly I'm beyond words at how happy this has turned out. I know there's still more to do as this process draws closer to its conclusion but i'll leave you with this little teaser of what the bullets look like inside the grip with this finished surface. I cant wait to see these things finished so i can photograph them in their final state, they are going to look incredible.
Thank you all. <3
Right then, to work. One thing that i realised during the painting process was that i needed a better way to place the items down to allow them to dry after airbrushing, something that would actually become a very important factor once it came time to do the clear coating. To that end, i broke out the wood and got to work making a 'pistol-paint-rack-thing™'
In the wood i drilled out evenly spaced holes to insert dowels, these are all tension fit so if in the future i needed it for some other purpose i could easily insert longer dowels, plus it means i can take out the dowels I'm using to help store this thing away when its not being used. The holes are space out in such a way that if for whatever reason one of the guns swung around, it will not clash into its neighbor and damage the paintwork.
All of the dowels slot nicely into the drilled out barrels of the gun meaning the dowels wont damage or impede any of my other processes moving forward.
Now at this stage i would say i was about half way through the painting stages of the guns and the finish of the paint was bugging me. In some spots the paint (in a way i can best describe) was "dusting" when it hit the surface, I think this is due to a combination of the paint being too cold or the flow rate of the airbrush itself. Aside from the dusting, the paint was coming out a bit too matte to the point where i was worried that any sort of grime from handling these would stain the grips and would not wipe off. So i bit the bullet and accepted that this was not acceptable and had to come at this from a different angle to improve the final finish.
The airbrush I had been using up to this point was my Iwata Revolution CR, which is a very capable airbrush but with the amount of surface i had to cover and the issues i'd had with the final finish, i knew it was time to break out the big guns... literally.
I picked up a much larger gun to fit to my main shop compressor as opposed to my Iwata airbrush that was attached to one of Iwatas own smaller portable compressor units. This airbrush will allow me to not only cover far more surface area far faster, but since it is attached to a larger compressor is can fire out the paint at a much greater pressure and eliminate most of the issues i'd been having.
So with that i re-masked the guns that id already painted, sanded the surfaces down and got ready to take another swing at this. Now, a tip i picked up to help improve the flow rate of a matte finish paint was to submerge the paint container into hot water for about 10 mins before loading it into the gun and spraying. I'm not sure where i picked this tip up, i think it might have been from Frank Ippolito, Bill Doran, Harrison Krix or even maybe one of your videos on Tested if you are reading this Mr Savage. Anyways, wherever i picked this up from it worked a treat. The heat in the paint (for some reason) really made this paint effect exactly what it needed to be. The final look is akin to a satin/matte, the dullness is there so it absorbs light in the right way, but leaves a very smooth surface finish that's great to hold and looks like a cast style of plastic in appearance. So to whomever i picked this tip up from in the past, thank you, it really did wonders for this project.
With this painting stage all done it was time to peel off all that masking tape and start the next stage...
- - - Updated - - -
Once I peeled all of the masking tape off you can start to get a really good sense of what these guns will look like upon completion. This was both a blessing and a curse because i knew i was getting close to the end but also knew that this next stage, if done wrong, would ruin everything that had come before it... i was about to hit the point of no return and this honestly terrified me. I've worked on many difficult projects, i pick thing like this on purpose because the challenge me and push me forward and help me to grow as a maker. But at the same time, i'd never been in a position where one of the last major stages could ruin no 1 but 11 pieces of work in one shot to a point where id be left no choice to start again... So you can see how my anxiety went through the roof at this point. But i digress...
The masking process for this stage is basically inverted, so now all the grips and front sections have to be covered and the clear sections left exposed. As always, it starts with one but there are many more to do...
A lot (and i mean a lot) of masking tape a two scalpel blades later the inverted masking is complete. I had to go a bit slower with this than i would have liked but i was worried about slipping while cutting and accidentally cutting into the painted areas, so slow and stead was the order of operations for this one, but everything came out great.
With the masking complete it was time for surface prep for the clear coat. i wanted to make sure the 2K clear had something to bite into to improve the grip of the final finish and prevent anything like de-lamination from occurring. I couldn't go too rough with this since it a clear prop with a clear finish so wet with varying degrees of fine grade sand papers to give me the surface i needed and prevent scratching or etching the surface in any way.
As you can imagine, this process spread out over the 11 guns was very laborious, and because fine grade sand papers "gunk" up very quickly, i went through a lot of sandpaper, but it was all worth it, the guns have a frosted look to them, but once its all said and done... fingers crossed they will look like glass. Right, here it comes... my nemesis...
It's clear coat time. Now in the run up to this (aside from the stress and deep feeling of impending failure) i spent a long time looking into the best ways to get the best finish with the tools i had available, with the added restriction that i live in Ireland and there are just some things that are either fair more expensive to attain than they would be in for instance America, or for what ever reason they just wont ship to Ireland full stop.
To that end, i was advised by a good number of my maker peeps to look into 'Spray Max 2k Clear'. Its a spray can version of a 2K system, essentially a can within a can (more on that in a moment). Of all the pitfalls i was worried about this system offered me the most reward and (hopefully) the least amount of risk. Because its a can, its not going to be as high a pressure as say something like an airbrush, giving me a bit more vital control when i needed it. I don't have to manually mix it and worry about not mixing it correctly and it turning into gel on the surface or just de-laminating entirely. Lastly it apparently has very good self leveling properties which would work very much in my favour since i want a very smooth glass like finish.
Right, lets get down to it.
To activate these cant, you need to turn the can upside down (1) to reveal the pin for the can inside the can. There is a red cap provided on the lid, (2) you place this on the pin and push down, this send the catalyst into the can and sets the ball rolling. Shake the can (3) for a good 2 mins in order to mixed everything together instead properly. when this is done, the can it self has anywhere from 16-24 hours work time, but once sprayed it will set far faster than that.
View attachment 15.jpg
(Important Note: Make sure you are using the correct type of filters for your respirator when using this stuff, it is not to be taken lightly. This or any 2K clear can be extremely hazardous to your health so take all the precautions, read the data sheets and make sure to do this in a well ventilated area)
So, the time had come, i had no choice but to hope that all my research, preparations a precautions had not been in vain and spray this pistols. The best way to use this stuff (as recommended to me) was to give each surface a light dusting first. The best way i can describe this is to imagine you are trying to give the pistols a frosted glass look. This initial layer will help bite into the prepped surface so when you come to the subsequent layers the grip has already been established and gives you the best chance of stopping any complications down the road.
Finally, layer it on thicker, taking precautions as to not layer it on too thick, just enough to get the clear look you are going for and let the self leveling properties take care of the rest. When all of these were sprayed and i could see how clear they looked, i was so happy, but reserved myself until they had been unmasked.
Now, with guns sprayed i had a very immediate fear, "would the masking tape set so hard that when i come to peel it off will it take the paint underneath with it, would it peel off some of the clear sections with it"... honestly i could go on for hours in this vain at me worries of something going wrong. I decided that once the 2k had entered the Gel stage, i would (very VERY carefully) peel of the masking tape and then leave the guns to set for a few days to allow them plenty of time to harden. Because of how much I've handled these guns up to this point, i was confident i could do this without accidentally touching the surface, I'm very glad i did this, because for the first time i got to see the guns in (almost) their final form.
The clear on these guns came out better than i could have imagined, they look amazing, the pictures really don't do them justice. I've been happy at projects in the past, but I've never finished a stage in a build and cried not just out of shear relief but at just how well everything had gone to give me what I'm sat in front of. Its moment like this is why i'm glad i pick projects that aren't just fun, but will challenge me and push me to learn, adapt and grow and a maker.
Honestly I'm beyond words at how happy this has turned out. I know there's still more to do as this process draws closer to its conclusion but i'll leave you with this little teaser of what the bullets look like inside the grip with this finished surface. I cant wait to see these things finished so i can photograph them in their final state, they are going to look incredible.
Thank you all. <3
Last edited by a moderator:
RhinoActual
Well-Known Member
Looking amazing Jay!
thumbsup
Blown away on that craftsmanship. We’ve all said it and I’ll say it again, amazing work :thumbsup
Ditto!!!!! Can’t believe I missed this!!!!! If there’s another run I’m in!!
Sent from my Starfleet-issue communicator
RhinoActual
Well-Known Member
How about an update Jay?
With time drawing near there's only a few more things to sort out on this project but of course, I hit a small hiccup along the way that needed to be corrected. So lets get into it.
Firstly these small sections on the front of the gun (pictured below) needed to be painted to a gun metal finish.
At this point everything had to be done with a super steady hand because i didn't want to mess up the base finish. There are 2 of these sections per gun, 11 guns, 22 potential mistakes... no pressure jay....
Next up on the front face of the pistol is the recessed area below what is supposed to be the slide rail (pictured below). A much more awkward shape than the side sections so it was time to break out the finest small brushes I have.
The final finish on these is the same gun metal paint as with the side details. With these all complete i also took the time the paint the inside of the barrels in a hard black. I love how these look, even without the front barrel piece attached... speaking of which...
Now, recently we had a massive snow storm here in Ireland, a rare occurrence but it happens, but as it turns out the 'MOLOTOW LIQUID CHROME' that i used on these pieces do not like extreme cold conditions. I'm guessing after the cold, they came back up to room temperature and the condensation must have built up under the surface and bubbled the paint finish. This stuff can hand hot temperatures very well, but cold is what ruined it...great.
1) So, i had to strip all of these back down, sand everything back to a smooth finish and start all over again. Also, note, Molotow can 'gunk' up when sanding it back, so i ended up using files to get the first layer off, certain parted had to be scraped back with a scalpel and then repeat the sanding with a finer file and buff out with some wet sanding.
2) With all this done i could finally lay down a layer of primer. I would normally use automotive primer, but i didn't want to risk any of the propellant in those cans maybe drying under the surface and somehow cause that bubbling again. Just playing it safe! So I instead used my airbrush primer and laid everything down nice and thin so it could stick and dry properly.
3) With this done i could safely lay on the MOLOTOW LIQUID CHROME layer, as always the finish comes out so fantastic. This stuff is a god send for small parts like this, but a always with chrome, protecting the finish is the biggest trick, but thankfully there's actually something that works.
Now sealing chrome paints will almost always end in ruining the surface by basically dulling the surface. but recently Adam Savage and his team at Tested.com actually put out a video that actually solved this problem! (See Video Below)
Now in the video Adam mentions that Alclad make a clear coat gloss that will seal the surface of this chrome paint without ruining the finish, but there is no actual close up of the bottle or note on what the stuff actually is but after some research i found it.
The sealer he used was 'ALC-310 : Alclad II Klear Kote Gloss' the bottle will differ depending on if you live in the US or UK/EU but it is the same stuff. ( I thought i'd make that clear because after seeing the different labels I wanted to be sure myself that this stuff is that same as the american equivalent.)
I tested out a few things before I applied the clear to the finished parts as i didn't want to have to repeat the sanding again. In the image below you can see some of my tests:
1) The system that worked best, applying the clear coat in 3 thin layers 10 mins apart and left to dry over night.
2) Was the same system as 1 but dried with a hair dryer but i heated it too close and too fast so it clouded up the surface, so if you are going to dry using a hairdryer, go for a cooler temperature and don't hold it too close.
3) This is the result of trying to just do 1 thick pass with the clear coat to do it in 1 shot, as you can see, it will ruin the finish, so taking it slow and doing it in layers is the way to go.
The final results are just fantastic, much more durable that before, it retains its shine, you can actually buff this lightly without risk of tarnishing the chrome.
With this done, the front sections of the guns are now complete, next up is the magnet catches for the clips and the chrome details on the grips. More soon.
Firstly these small sections on the front of the gun (pictured below) needed to be painted to a gun metal finish.
At this point everything had to be done with a super steady hand because i didn't want to mess up the base finish. There are 2 of these sections per gun, 11 guns, 22 potential mistakes... no pressure jay....
Next up on the front face of the pistol is the recessed area below what is supposed to be the slide rail (pictured below). A much more awkward shape than the side sections so it was time to break out the finest small brushes I have.
The final finish on these is the same gun metal paint as with the side details. With these all complete i also took the time the paint the inside of the barrels in a hard black. I love how these look, even without the front barrel piece attached... speaking of which...
Now, recently we had a massive snow storm here in Ireland, a rare occurrence but it happens, but as it turns out the 'MOLOTOW LIQUID CHROME' that i used on these pieces do not like extreme cold conditions. I'm guessing after the cold, they came back up to room temperature and the condensation must have built up under the surface and bubbled the paint finish. This stuff can hand hot temperatures very well, but cold is what ruined it...great.
1) So, i had to strip all of these back down, sand everything back to a smooth finish and start all over again. Also, note, Molotow can 'gunk' up when sanding it back, so i ended up using files to get the first layer off, certain parted had to be scraped back with a scalpel and then repeat the sanding with a finer file and buff out with some wet sanding.
2) With all this done i could finally lay down a layer of primer. I would normally use automotive primer, but i didn't want to risk any of the propellant in those cans maybe drying under the surface and somehow cause that bubbling again. Just playing it safe! So I instead used my airbrush primer and laid everything down nice and thin so it could stick and dry properly.
3) With this done i could safely lay on the MOLOTOW LIQUID CHROME layer, as always the finish comes out so fantastic. This stuff is a god send for small parts like this, but a always with chrome, protecting the finish is the biggest trick, but thankfully there's actually something that works.
Now sealing chrome paints will almost always end in ruining the surface by basically dulling the surface. but recently Adam Savage and his team at Tested.com actually put out a video that actually solved this problem! (See Video Below)
Now in the video Adam mentions that Alclad make a clear coat gloss that will seal the surface of this chrome paint without ruining the finish, but there is no actual close up of the bottle or note on what the stuff actually is but after some research i found it.
The sealer he used was 'ALC-310 : Alclad II Klear Kote Gloss' the bottle will differ depending on if you live in the US or UK/EU but it is the same stuff. ( I thought i'd make that clear because after seeing the different labels I wanted to be sure myself that this stuff is that same as the american equivalent.)
I tested out a few things before I applied the clear to the finished parts as i didn't want to have to repeat the sanding again. In the image below you can see some of my tests:
1) The system that worked best, applying the clear coat in 3 thin layers 10 mins apart and left to dry over night.
2) Was the same system as 1 but dried with a hair dryer but i heated it too close and too fast so it clouded up the surface, so if you are going to dry using a hairdryer, go for a cooler temperature and don't hold it too close.
3) This is the result of trying to just do 1 thick pass with the clear coat to do it in 1 shot, as you can see, it will ruin the finish, so taking it slow and doing it in layers is the way to go.
The final results are just fantastic, much more durable that before, it retains its shine, you can actually buff this lightly without risk of tarnishing the chrome.
With this done, the front sections of the guns are now complete, next up is the magnet catches for the clips and the chrome details on the grips. More soon.
Last edited by a moderator:
RhinoActual
Well-Known Member
Blown away with the quality of these.
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