Filandrius
Sr Member
Why thank you guys! The compliments are appreciated. 
My Russrep/Roman Props Obi-Wan ANH Lightsaber
- Thread starter Filandrius
- Start date
Your Obi saber looks great, nice weathering especially on the balance pipe.
Filandrius
Sr Member
Thanks! The best thing is, since I've used chemical and "natural" methods to weather it, the weathering continues to this day. It's subtle (as in it wouldn't show up in pictures) but in the last few months the finish on the pipe got substantially uneven, the brass got darker and duller, etc... I love this prop.
Filandrius
Sr Member
Small update! I ended up switching out the anodized aluminum booster for a steel one. So I blued the new booster, banged, dented and rusted it all to hell, and redid the whole weathering process on the lightsaber while I was at it (it wasn't quite aged enough for my taste) I also drilled the handwheel and added the D-ring. So here's my updated Obi ANH, which I now consider to be done and complete.
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Jedi Reali
Sr Member
Great job, and thanks for sharing the update! I will most definitely be referencing this thread whenever I get around to weathering my own Russrep parts!
matty matt
Sr Member
Beautiful saber!
Filandrius
Sr Member
Thanks a lot for the nice words everybody, it's really appreciated.
Peacefrog35
Sr Member
It's pretty doggone awesome. I've looked at these pics several times!
Peacefrog35
Sr Member
As matter of fact, I stuck my steel balance pipe in the oven today. I didn't darken it as much as yours, but did get it noticeably darker and I think it's where I want it now. Thanks for the tips on how you weathered your saber!Thanks a lot for the nice words everybody, it's really appreciated.
Filandrius
Sr Member
Well that's nice to hear. Always happy to share some tips, especially if it helps.
Filandrius
Sr Member
I share because I care! Seriously, weathering metal is fun, even if it's kind of a tedious process, with a lot of trial and error. The end result is usually really impressive, and is automatically more realistic than any "fake" weathering done with paints or washes or such (unless done by a REALLY talented artist) I used a TON of different methods, most of them not really effective, but along the way I stumbled upon techniques which I'll use without fail in the future. The key is to find what will chemically react effectively with the metal being weathered; with a prop like this it's vital to make the parts look like they've been exposed to the elements for decades, which can't be convincingly done by simply damaging the part with steel wool or something. It has to look natural!
The most efficient methods I've found are:
For steel, a bath of water saturated with salt, with periods exposed to air to let the part dry and the rust to really settle in. To darken steel, there's Rt-S25 blueing solution, which will give the steel part a nice, even, blued finish, which may look too perfect for some. The aforementioned "oven on broil" will darken the steel in a more random pattern.
For brass, Brass Darkening Solution will do miracles to, well, darken the brass. Aluminum Black will also darken brass slightly and randomly, and more importantly a lot less evenly than Brass Darkening Solution. Just apply with a brush or a Q-Tip.
For copper, Brass Darkening Solution will also darken the metal evenly. For a more random finish, use liver of sulfur, or if you're into gardening, lime sulfur will do just as well. Just apply with a brush and rinse.
For aluminum, Easy Off oven cleaner will darken and dull an aluminum surface, fast. It'll also do nicely in lieu of paint stripper in a pinch, and supposedly removes anodizing, but I never tried this. Obviously, Aluminum Black will blacken aluminum really fast, and it's perfect to repair scratches and such.
For all metals and machined parts, an ammo tumbler will deburr the brand-new parts and give the piece a finished and slightly worn look that can't be replicated otherwise. I don't know what I would do without mine. It can also be used to strip or clean a metal part that has be weathered too much for some reason, or to wear out a part that is too gloss, etc... The possibilities are endless.
Of course there's always the good old methods, i.e. damage the parts by rolling them around in gravel, or denting the edges by dragging a hammer head across it, etc... Some metals are made softer with heat, which is how I made that nice dent in the wind vane seen above. By accident, might I add.
Seriously, weathering metal is fun, even if it's kind of a tedious process, with a lot of trial and error. The end result is usually really impressive, and is automatically more realistic than any "fake" weathering done with paints or washes or such (unless done by a REALLY talented artist) I used a TON of different methods, most of them not really effective, but along the way I stumbled upon techniques which I'll use without fail in the future. The key is to find what will chemically react effectively with the metal being weathered; with a prop like this it's vital to make the parts look like they've been exposed to the elements for decades, which can't be convincingly done by simply damaging the part with steel wool or something. It has to look natural!The most efficient methods I've found are:
For steel, a bath of water saturated with salt, with periods exposed to air to let the part dry and the rust to really settle in. To darken steel, there's Rt-S25 blueing solution, which will give the steel part a nice, even, blued finish, which may look too perfect for some. The aforementioned "oven on broil" will darken the steel in a more random pattern.
For brass, Brass Darkening Solution will do miracles to, well, darken the brass.
Aluminum Black will also darken brass slightly and randomly, and more importantly a lot less evenly than Brass Darkening Solution. Just apply with a brush or a Q-Tip.For copper, Brass Darkening Solution will also darken the metal evenly. For a more random finish, use liver of sulfur, or if you're into gardening, lime sulfur will do just as well.
Just apply with a brush and rinse.For aluminum, Easy Off oven cleaner will darken and dull an aluminum surface, fast. It'll also do nicely in lieu of paint stripper in a pinch, and supposedly removes anodizing, but I never tried this. Obviously, Aluminum Black will blacken aluminum really fast, and it's perfect to repair scratches and such.
For all metals and machined parts, an ammo tumbler will deburr the brand-new parts and give the piece a finished and slightly worn look that can't be replicated otherwise. I don't know what I would do without mine. It can also be used to strip or clean a metal part that has be weathered too much for some reason, or to wear out a part that is too gloss, etc... The possibilities are endless.
Of course there's always the good old methods, i.e. damage the parts by rolling them around in gravel, or denting the edges by dragging a hammer head across it, etc... Some metals are made softer with heat, which is how I made that nice dent in the wind vane seen above. By accident, might I add.
Filandrius
Sr Member
Minor update: after reading the latest thread about the Tunisia saber (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=246428) and some really interesting build OWK ANH weathering threads (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=240598) my own OWK really started to bug me (mainly the fact that the brass neck was left exposed and that the blueing of the grenade was too light after all the weathering) So, I took a page out of James Kenobi's book and just re-darkened everything with Aluminum Black. Turns out that yes, it works really well and really fast, and darkens steel AND brass more efficiently than eveything I've mentionned in this thread. I'm really satisfied with the results, so thanks for the inspiration and the tips.
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matty matt
Sr Member
Looks great! Aluminum black is great stuff.
Minor update: after reading the latest thread about the Tunisia saber (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=246428) and some really interesting build OWK ANH weathering threads (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=240598) my own OWK really started to bug me (mainly the fact that the brass neck was left exposed and that the blueing of the grenade was too light after all the weathering) So, I took a page out of James Kenobi's book and just re-darkened everything with Aluminum Black. Turns out that yes, it works really well and really fast, and darkens steel AND brass more efficiently than eveything I've mentionned in this thread. I'm really satisfied with the results, so thanks for the inspiration and the tips.
beautiful job! i am in the same boat as you, i want to weather my romans alittle more. i would LOVE to be able to pull off exactly what you did with your grenade! thats exactly what im looking for! great job!
Filandrius
Sr Member
Thanks! Like I said, I'm really satisfied with the results... I still worked a little more on it after those pics, because weathering those things can be addictive (come on guys, admit it!) and some stuff was still bugging me. Since I had weathered the clamp extensively, the copper was exposed a little much to my taste so I darkened it using Aluminum Black and Lime Sulfur. Then I tried Kylash's method for rust: I wrapped the whole thing in wet paper towels and left it like that overnight. DAMN. Now I know what to use to rust/tarnish metal quickly. Seriously, that really completed the look I was looking for IMHO. So here's some updated (and better) pics with the latest changes.
Seriously, that really completed the look I was looking for IMHO. So here's some updated (and better) pics with the latest changes.
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