Hey, guys. Just sharing a quick tip!
Here's a fast and efficient way to put a nice weathered finish on aluminum.
While there's more exotic methods out there, if you really want to pull the sheen off of aluminum and give it a good scarring while you're at it, I've found that regular old oven cleaner will do the job just fine. I suggest spraying the stuff on and rinsing it off every 60 seconds or so until you get dialed in on the desired finish.
NOTE: You may also want to Google, Cupric Nitrate and Ammonium Chloride for putting a nice green chemical patina on brass. While the chemicals are cheap, it can be very nasty stuff. Safety first!
The science company also has a some nice recipes. http://www.sciencecompany.com/patinas/patinaformulas.htm
Anyway, here's a couple shots of how I weathered down my reveal. I bagged the piston potion of the saber after 1 treatment since I wanted it to look slightly less abused and I plan to do some dry brush work in there. I shot the rear aluminum portion w/ oven cleaner twice and let set for roughly 90 seconds. I really like the random pattern and dull scarring I got. The finish is very similar to the known Elstree reveal.
Rear w/ oven cleaner sitting up:
After a good rinsing:
More later:
Here's a fast and efficient way to put a nice weathered finish on aluminum.
While there's more exotic methods out there, if you really want to pull the sheen off of aluminum and give it a good scarring while you're at it, I've found that regular old oven cleaner will do the job just fine. I suggest spraying the stuff on and rinsing it off every 60 seconds or so until you get dialed in on the desired finish.
NOTE: You may also want to Google, Cupric Nitrate and Ammonium Chloride for putting a nice green chemical patina on brass. While the chemicals are cheap, it can be very nasty stuff. Safety first!
The science company also has a some nice recipes. http://www.sciencecompany.com/patinas/patinaformulas.htm
Anyway, here's a couple shots of how I weathered down my reveal. I bagged the piston potion of the saber after 1 treatment since I wanted it to look slightly less abused and I plan to do some dry brush work in there. I shot the rear aluminum portion w/ oven cleaner twice and let set for roughly 90 seconds. I really like the random pattern and dull scarring I got. The finish is very similar to the known Elstree reveal.
Rear w/ oven cleaner sitting up:
After a good rinsing:
More later:
Oh how I weep for those Sabers! 
