Newbie looking for advice and perspective on first prop

[DukeNukem117]

I like to think my brash, impulsive, and sometimes downright reckless nature gives me a "bad-boy" appeal to the ladies.

But right now I just feel like a gigantic *******.

In a moment of "I wonder what will happen..." I decided to try to use a brush to apply a thick coat of primer over the exposed MDF. It did not go well...

Now I'm not sure if I should try to sand everything flat again, or just 60 grit everything, take it to the spray booth, and use the gun to start all over.

I'm going to start sanding as soon as it dries to see what happens, but yeesh, what was I thinking?


Update:

Ok, I think I can do this. I'll wait until it dries overnight, then starts wet sanding 400grit with a foam block. It'll probably flatten out most of the surfaces, but It'll probably wear out the edges since I'm short on time and I can't be too precise.

I'll use a paint pen to cover up the edges as wear and tear, then clear it. The clear I have on hand is a 2 part automobile clear that takes a day to dry. I've heard that certain clears can dry within an hour. Where would I get the paint pen? And is there a faster drying off the shelf clear I can do at home?

Update 2:

Ok, I've sanded alot off the top and middle part. The bottom is kind of messy, so I'm going to strip all the primer off with low grit sandpaper, then mask all the parts I am satisfied with, flip the gun upside down on a spray stand, and spray gun the bottom again for even coverage.

 

[robstyle]

Why are you even attempting that work with clear coating? Unless your surface is completely smooth and every edge, corner and line is flush and sealed, its only going to enhance and expose any and every flaw on a super enhanced level.

Get ride of those primer brush strokes, paint it with rattle cans, smooth the surface, then rattle can clear coat it. You can use some of the built up with primer areas as weathering if need be. Maybe its an item that was found in a wreck or battle field now as opposed to in a shop or ready to use.

You can get paint pens at Michaels or crafts related stores but if your going the fancy time consuming clear coat it probaly wont work anyways. The clear coat probly wont react well to the paint pen.

 

[DukeNukem117]

Ya, I met with my teacher today and he's not requiring us to go all out 2 part expensive clear coating anymore. Given most people's progress, he just wants something painted in the end. Its been rather confusing trying to meet the course requirements while doing this, which is probably why I've been doing things so excessively complicated.

I sanded off the blotches and re-primed it. I'm going to sand and paint tomorrow, weather wednesday, and rattle can clear coat it. Is there a particular brand you would recommend for this?

 

[robstyle]

as far as brands in rattle cans, keep them all the same. If your using Krylon stay with it. What you want is a fine spray and not rain drop clumps for the clear coat if your insistent on using a clear coat. Most rattle can spray paints dont need a clear coat. Keep in mind again any weathering you do will be affected by the clear coat. It will be visually off setting to clear coat over weathering and weathering over it may end up looking like a cheap toy.

Since I seem to think you want a gloss finish, off set it with some satin finish areas. Id suggest if your going with the color scheme shown earlier, gloss white with satin black, gray and orange. It will add depth and character while keeping it from looking like a toy. In the end a prop only need follow the five foot rule. If it looks good from five feet away, its done its job.

What I personally would use, all Krylon: gloss white, satin gray, satin or OSHA orange, satin black. Satin can also be "semi flat". No clear coat. Use a hair dryer to help speed up the paint sure. Let it cool then do some simple water based acrylic wash's with raw umber, plum purple, graphite gray and some color of antique white or parchment.

Keep in mind about demasking your tape and using green/blue painters tape. Demask it by pulling lengths off the roll and applying it to your shirt or pants. This will remove some of the aggressive stickiness so there is less chance of the tape biting into your painted surface and pulling it up. Pretty much any aggressive tape on that acrylic surface will pull up paint and primer. Dont yank the tape off, pull it at an angle slowly when removing.
also,
if your masking a simple line, only allow a bare minimum of tape to touch the surface with the rest being paper or plastic. In other words if your tape is 1" wide, allow no more than 1/4" of it to touch the surface. This way if the paint/primer does pull up, its not on a grand scale and will be easier to repair. That thick primer may come back to peel greatly if forced so be careful.

 

[DukeNukem117]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately this is where my curriculum differs. My teacher grades from 5 inches away. I will also be submitting this as part of my portfolio next year to get into upper division, and the panel of judges all grade from 5 inches away.

I also asked around about the clear coat issue, and it seems like I will have to use the fancy stuff with a flattening agent. It offers better protection for the finish, as this thing will probably be handled alot between now and portfolio. But I've decided to hold off on clear coating until winter break. I just need something presentable by thursday, so whatever weathering techniques I use will only need to be durable enough for me to handle for about a day.

And really, thanks for all your help throughout this whole thing.

 

[robstyle]

I strongly suggest water based acrylics for the weathering. Being your first time, its an easy do over. Attempting to weather with paint is a one shot deal.

Post some pics when your done.

 

[DukeNukem117]

Sure thing.

 

[DukeNukem117]

It was a long long night, and I havn't had time to mirror it for the other side yet. I'm going to redesign the stock, so that isnt included either. The trigger is completely dead now too. Though overall, the weathering turned out pretty well. My friend brought his warhammer enamel, and I bought a cheap set of acrylics. The edges were done with a sharpie fine point paint and a bit of dry brushing. The greeblies were a mishmash of lego pieces, plumbing parts, and earbuds. I still have alot of work left to do on the other side, and I need to re-design and fabricate the stock. I'm taking a CNC class next semester, so that'll be my first project. We havn't painted the stripes yet either. But overall, I'm pretty happy how it turned out, and I'm brainstorming about my next project already. Thanks for your help.

 

[robstyle]

dont be afraid to use orange tape for the stripes. The top section needs something to pull it apart from the rest of the gun. Maybe grab a sheet of window screen and use it as a masking shield and lightly dust the gray color over that area. Try it on a sheet of cardboard by just laying the screen flat and from about two feet away lightly spray the color. Its simple and quick.