Swords of Middle-Earth: Attack them with Horseshoes!
- Thread starter Jamanticus
- Start date
Jamanticus
Well-Known Member
Re: Swords of Middle-Earth: Attack them with Horseshoes! (Herugrim and Morgul Blade u
Whew, it's been a long time since I posted in this thread!
Unfortunately, it's because I haven't done that much weathering lately.
Except for this, of course...
Yep, finally finished the Witch-king's sword.
Whew! And as a cool bonus, the blade almost changes colors in different lighting, from standard sword-bladey to rusty-looking to black and everything in between.
First off, a huge, HUGE thank you to exoray- if it weren't for his advice, I would not have been able to do anything nifty with the sword, let alone make it look all wretched.
Okay, steps to weather this one...
1. Stripped off the blasted clear coat. This time, didn't need to use sandpaper or a pen nib- got myself a new dremel, so just used the wire brush attachment and everything went great
2. Did the standard dents and scratches
3. Wore away parts of the leather grip with steel wool, sandpaper, and a dremel buffing attachment. After that, ground dirt into the damaged areas.
4. Stuck the blade in sulfuric acid-laced soil overnight
...I think there were some ants in that soil that ended up very cross when I poured the acid on :lol
5. Cleaned the blade with a wire brush to get the oxide off
6. Went over the blade with a black wash and then dark brown wash
7. Scored the hilt parts with lots of little holes, then left them overnight in bleach-laced dirt to pit them.
7. Cleaned everything again
8. Did another paint wash on the hilt
9. Cut lots of wicked notches into the edges of the blade. When I was looking at reference stills for the notches, I was amazed at how absolutely huge they were- it was very fun to do this part of the weathering :lol
Now, all I need to do is dull the middle metal handle section a bit more and this accursed thing is finally done!
Hope you all enjoyed, hope that this is at least somewhat helpful for people who want to attack their Witch-King swords, and if you have any suggestions, please post them!
Whew, it's been a long time since I posted in this thread!
Unfortunately, it's because I haven't done that much weathering lately.
Except for this, of course...
Yep, finally finished the Witch-king's sword.
Whew! And as a cool bonus, the blade almost changes colors in different lighting, from standard sword-bladey to rusty-looking to black and everything in between.
First off, a huge, HUGE thank you to exoray- if it weren't for his advice, I would not have been able to do anything nifty with the sword, let alone make it look all wretched.
Okay, steps to weather this one...
1. Stripped off the blasted clear coat. This time, didn't need to use sandpaper or a pen nib- got myself a new dremel, so just used the wire brush attachment and everything went great
2. Did the standard dents and scratches
3. Wore away parts of the leather grip with steel wool, sandpaper, and a dremel buffing attachment. After that, ground dirt into the damaged areas.
4. Stuck the blade in sulfuric acid-laced soil overnight
...I think there were some ants in that soil that ended up very cross when I poured the acid on :lol
5. Cleaned the blade with a wire brush to get the oxide off
6. Went over the blade with a black wash and then dark brown wash
7. Scored the hilt parts with lots of little holes, then left them overnight in bleach-laced dirt to pit them.
7. Cleaned everything again
8. Did another paint wash on the hilt
9. Cut lots of wicked notches into the edges of the blade. When I was looking at reference stills for the notches, I was amazed at how absolutely huge they were- it was very fun to do this part of the weathering :lol
Now, all I need to do is dull the middle metal handle section a bit more and this accursed thing is finally done!
Hope you all enjoyed, hope that this is at least somewhat helpful for people who want to attack their Witch-King swords, and if you have any suggestions, please post them!
SaberFreak
Sr Member
Grat job on the weathering! I never have much patience for things like this, therefore all my props are still pristine (except those that I bought pre-weathered)...
I wonder if I could achieve a decent weathering effect by tying my swords to a rope and drag them behind my car on a gravel field for a while... :confused
I wonder if I could achieve a decent weathering effect by tying my swords to a rope and drag them behind my car on a gravel field for a while... :confused
jollyskeleton
Well-Known Member
I like what you did with your swords! Looks nicely aged and ancient looking!
lockefollower
New Member
Great idea!
EmynMuil
New Member
That is just so amazing how you are wheatering those actually cheap looking mass production swords!!! I would definitely buy one of those, if I was about to start my LOTR collection. The only thing that makes me bit concerned about weathering is, that the actual beauty of the swords gets lost (especially with high quality swords). :cry
So for me the real challenge is to get the weathering to a stage, where the former glory is maintained. See examples of Glamdring by WetaNZ attached:
So for me the real challenge is to get the weathering to a stage, where the former glory is maintained. See examples of Glamdring by WetaNZ attached:
Jamanticus
Well-Known Member
Excellent point, EmynMuil. Precisely why I decided to ask for the authentic finish on my Weta Glamdring (which doesn't look like it'll be done until August), you put it very well!
The higher-quality materials (solid steel hilt parts as opposed to weird plated zinc alloy, spring steel blades instead of stainless) make weathering more convincing and realistic, and the much finer craftsmanship also makes the aged look positively beautiful.
Peter Lyon's swords are true works of art, and his weathering is as masterful as his swords are (as are his mirror and sating finishes)
The higher-quality materials (solid steel hilt parts as opposed to weird plated zinc alloy, spring steel blades instead of stainless) make weathering more convincing and realistic, and the much finer craftsmanship also makes the aged look positively beautiful.
Peter Lyon's swords are true works of art, and his weathering is as masterful as his swords are (as are his mirror and sating finishes)
PHArchivist
Master Member
Love the Witch King Dagger!
Lord of the rings has some of the coolest and most functional looking swords ever committed to film. These look like they were taken straight from the production, plus with the additional weathering it really gives them a sense of functionality and realism. Great work everyone!
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