My Serafino "Gear" - Finished Weathering - Pics and Tutorial

[ssdesigner]

So I started by submersing the piece in white vinegar, 30 seconds at a time, until I got a nice dark grey color going. Next step, I began rolling this around on its side in my driveway to get an overall "roughed up" look to it. I also took a hammer to it to get a number of different dings and dents in the fins. After doing that I liked the degree of roughness I was able to achieve but I thought that the edges of the fins looked to "newly" weathered, they were really sparlky/shiney. Next I took a disposable napkin, put it on a plate, and soaked it a bit in the white vinegar. I then rolled the part on its fins back and forth until I could feel that just the tips of all the fins were wet. Let the part sit for 5 minutes, then repeat until the fin tips are dulled down to your liking!

Then I buried the part in my front yard, poured a bunch of water on the packed down soil around said part, and let it sit down there for two days. Now I have the exact look I was hoping for. Let me know what you think!!









-Ss

 

[ssdesigner]

Ok, one more pic with a few parts loosely put together:



-Ss

 

[franz bolo]

Damn! Your going to have a great looking saber!!

I would have made the fins smoother and rounder to match the worn handled look of the grenade but yours looks great.

Wait for the Serafino emmiter if you want a really accurate one!!

FB

 

[ssdesigner]

Wait for the Serafino emmiter if you want a really accurate one!!

Absolutely! I can't wait for that run to happen, it will be the final piece in my ANH Obi saber puzzle

-Ss

 

[Darth Lars]

I like the variation in the tarnished surface. I will try your method. Thanks for sharing!

There is one thing that I think could be lacking, though. In pics of real "gears" and of the real prop, the edges are jagged as if it was clamped between ribbed teeth. I don't know what tool to use to replicate that effect. I think it needs to be done just right or I am afraid that the gear could be ruined.

 

[damon5973]

great idea...looks like I need to bury mine for a day or so....

 

[ATL Kenobi]

That REALLY looks great!! Can't wait to see it finished!! ATL

 

[turok96]

I can never get tired of looking at obi sabers, but you are doing a nice job on it. Can't wait to see the finished result as well.

 

[ssdesigner]

Thanks you guys! I appreciate all of the kind words!

-Ss

 

[mspaw]

Looking forward to getting my booster and giving it a try. thanks for sharing!

-Michael

 

[firebladejedi]

Great tutorial and a great result, im going to give this a try with my booster too.

 

[mspaw]

Tell me a bit about the grenade in the photo. is that a chen, or something else. it looks great.

-Michael

 

[Ham Solo]

That is what I call dedication!

It looks great! It definitely has the "look".

 

[Lan-Ed-Tul]

out of curiousity, whats one of thos gears run? the one i have come from romanempireproductions. also, any one know the cost of the balance pipe hes making too?

that too i got from REP. theyre both nice parts, and with the sink kknob i got from REP as well, that made mine into a complete metal obi and not a resin and metal saber like i had.

 

[laszlo]

Nice to see you continuing the tradition of the grenade weathering - looks great

 

[clancampbell]

Fantastic! Truly authentic looking!

Rich

 

[ssdesigner]

Thanks guys!

Tell me a bit about the grenade in the photo. is that a chen, or something else. it looks great.

The grenade is a chen, made from steel and brass parts. I cannot take the credit for it's AMAZINGLY beautiful weathering job, that credit goes to Laz here (posted in this thread already ) His idea of leaving the grenade outside etc. is what inspired me to do so with the "gear"

out of curiousity, whats one of thos gears run? the one i have come from romanempireproductions.

I forget what the gear cost, close to $100 I think? Worth EVERY cent because it's made of the same materials as the original.....this makes it MUCH MUCH easier to get an authentic weathered look, much harder to get that look with an aluminum part.

-Ss