DerezzedDave
New Member
Hello everyone, I wanted to share the first replica I've made! I'm sure nearly all of you could make something like this in your sleep, but I wanted to share all of my steps for anyone else who would like one and also for my future reference.
After bingeing on Adam Savage youtube videos from Tested, I was eager to try making something with a "dirty metallic" look. I also wanted to test out techniques to finish prints from my 3d printer, so I chose a model of Sting from Thingiverse (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:304157).
I printed it with the yellow PLA that I had loaded already with some support material so that I got a good finish on both sides. I oriented it on the print bed to make it as big as possible which turned out to be 7.5 inches (ironically, letter opener size). First step was to break off the support material which just took some time with needle nose pliers. Next, I used some 80 grit sandpaper to smooth down the surface, getting rid of bumps and steps between layers. I didn't go all the way to perfectly smooth and it actually gave a really cool effect in the end.
So once I had the form acceptable, I used aluminum tape on both sides of the blade to create the metallic effect. I just used the flat of my fingernail to work it down, and kept the seams on the edge since sting doesn't have such a sharp central ridge. It took some time to cut the edges precisely enough to hide them, but it was worth it. Next I worked through similar steps on the cross guard, hiding the tape edges again on the edges of the part. I brushed all of these surfaces with some 000 steel wool. I think I could've gone with some slightly coarser grit, but still turned out fine.
After the blade and cross guard, the next step was the handle. I wanted to have the same twisted silver and brown look as the real prop, but wasn't sure what the best technique would be for it. I first tried using my acrylics to paint a sample of unbrushed and brushed aluminum tape. That didn't work so well. After drying the paint was still very easily removable. So I tried painting a spare raw PLA printed piece I had and while it took some time to dry, when it did it worked! 2-3 coats would cover the yellow PLA and give a reasonably durable surface.
I painted the handle with 2-3 coats of a mixture of burnt umber and a dab of burnt sienna for a warm brown look, using a gentle hair dryer to help between coats. Afterwards I cut a very narrow strip of aluminum tape and wrapped it around the handle, which took some time getting it even close to right. Fortunately I was able to get the 7 turns like the movie prop, but the silver leaves were just too small on this scale for me to attempt.
Finally I wrapped the pommel with aluminum foil, and cut it to a shape that helped it better mimic the actual prop.
Now for the weathering I found that a light coat of straight acrylic followed by a few seconds of drying then a good buffing worked best. The paint was having a difficult enough time sticking well to the aluminum so watering it down any hurt more. I used a couple cycles of brown, then quite a few cycles of black until I got the effect I was going for. It was amazing seeing this piece come to life! I've never had something suddenly get a life of its own, it was amazing.
I did this wash on the blade, cross guard, and pommel. On the cross guard, there wasn't a lot of texture like there was on the blade, so I used the dull side of an x-acto knife to make some marks on the face to replicate the surface of the movie prop. After this, it was done!
Now, just to be clear, I know this isn't a "true-to-screen" replica. It's more of my interpretation of a dirty, battle-hardened Sting. I think the blade is a bit too wide, and the cross guard curves up too much. Also the etched details and ridges on the cross guard as well as blade are missing. Maybe later on I'll CAD up a Sting with all of the details and do this project again.
Let me know what you think! I look forward to learning a lot from this community
After bingeing on Adam Savage youtube videos from Tested, I was eager to try making something with a "dirty metallic" look. I also wanted to test out techniques to finish prints from my 3d printer, so I chose a model of Sting from Thingiverse (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:304157).
I printed it with the yellow PLA that I had loaded already with some support material so that I got a good finish on both sides. I oriented it on the print bed to make it as big as possible which turned out to be 7.5 inches (ironically, letter opener size). First step was to break off the support material which just took some time with needle nose pliers. Next, I used some 80 grit sandpaper to smooth down the surface, getting rid of bumps and steps between layers. I didn't go all the way to perfectly smooth and it actually gave a really cool effect in the end.
So once I had the form acceptable, I used aluminum tape on both sides of the blade to create the metallic effect. I just used the flat of my fingernail to work it down, and kept the seams on the edge since sting doesn't have such a sharp central ridge. It took some time to cut the edges precisely enough to hide them, but it was worth it. Next I worked through similar steps on the cross guard, hiding the tape edges again on the edges of the part. I brushed all of these surfaces with some 000 steel wool. I think I could've gone with some slightly coarser grit, but still turned out fine.
After the blade and cross guard, the next step was the handle. I wanted to have the same twisted silver and brown look as the real prop, but wasn't sure what the best technique would be for it. I first tried using my acrylics to paint a sample of unbrushed and brushed aluminum tape. That didn't work so well. After drying the paint was still very easily removable. So I tried painting a spare raw PLA printed piece I had and while it took some time to dry, when it did it worked! 2-3 coats would cover the yellow PLA and give a reasonably durable surface.
I painted the handle with 2-3 coats of a mixture of burnt umber and a dab of burnt sienna for a warm brown look, using a gentle hair dryer to help between coats. Afterwards I cut a very narrow strip of aluminum tape and wrapped it around the handle, which took some time getting it even close to right. Fortunately I was able to get the 7 turns like the movie prop, but the silver leaves were just too small on this scale for me to attempt.
Finally I wrapped the pommel with aluminum foil, and cut it to a shape that helped it better mimic the actual prop.
Now for the weathering I found that a light coat of straight acrylic followed by a few seconds of drying then a good buffing worked best. The paint was having a difficult enough time sticking well to the aluminum so watering it down any hurt more. I used a couple cycles of brown, then quite a few cycles of black until I got the effect I was going for. It was amazing seeing this piece come to life! I've never had something suddenly get a life of its own, it was amazing.
I did this wash on the blade, cross guard, and pommel. On the cross guard, there wasn't a lot of texture like there was on the blade, so I used the dull side of an x-acto knife to make some marks on the face to replicate the surface of the movie prop. After this, it was done!
Now, just to be clear, I know this isn't a "true-to-screen" replica. It's more of my interpretation of a dirty, battle-hardened Sting. I think the blade is a bit too wide, and the cross guard curves up too much. Also the etched details and ridges on the cross guard as well as blade are missing. Maybe later on I'll CAD up a Sting with all of the details and do this project again.
Let me know what you think! I look forward to learning a lot from this community
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