Adding texture to props?

LennoxI2I

New Member
Hi there.
Sorry if a thread already exists for this but I was wondering how Id' go about adding a texture to a prop.
I've found that most, if not all of tech from the 1990's has a fine matte texture to it. I'm planning on making a replica of the waist-computer-thing the hacker has in the cowboy bebop movie (2001)
Anything helps, thanks :p
 

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There should be several kinds of textured spray paint for car bumpers and other automotive details, and I think most of those are black or dark grey.
I have only used a black crinkle paint which needed to be applied very lightly and evenly to get only small wrinkles. I had to rig an old turntable to rotate the object for me at a steady speed to get a (reasonably) good result.

Other ideas:
- Wrap it in textured vinyl. The shape must be simple enough though.
- Make from sheet plastic that has a texture from the beginning. Best when vacuuforming, which is out of reach for many though.
- Get it 3D-printed in a sintering process that has a porous surface to begin with. Very fine result though...
- Sandblasting. (I have seen it used to get a texture back on shiny worn computer keyboard keys)
- Dab thick paint with a coarse brush. I have done this a few times. Very coarse result and it takes time.
- Cast a rubber stamp from a reference surface and stamp the texture into a clay-like material before it hardens. I have done this with latex stamps on epoxy putty to get crosshatching on gun replicas. I have also seen people use it when restoring cracks in vintage computer enclosures. Works best when the area to texture is very small.
 
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The mat texture found on plastics or the knock-down looking texture on metal parts? I'm thinking you mean the IBM computer texture on plastics n such. An easy way to do this is with a satin or semi-gloss rattle can. Lay down a base coat then once it is drying but still tack dust over the piece with the same can... like DUST over it HEAVY by shaking and spraying from further away than normal. That allows the mist to partially dry in the air and settle down on the tack coat. It works really well. The resulting texture is certainly believable even if not perfect.

Beck
 
THIS^^^

Years ago I decided to restore an old glass top table with metal legs. After sanding the legs back to bare metal, priming and painting, my final finish was textured mat, not gloss. As it turned out, my painting technique, not the product. Apparently, I was supposed to clean off the parts between coats with a spirit to remove the 'dust' from the base coat.
 
The technique I mentioned above is how I added texture to this 4 foot long Pregnancy test.
Production wanted a practical effect for a negative pregnancy test montage. The toughest part of scaling something like that is scaling the sheen or texture.I wrestled with it for a bit then realized the solution was to macro size a "mat finish" through texture. I worked great... but the entire scene ended up on the cutting floor.

...we even made practical test strips that went blue negative stripe with the addition of ammonia via tubing and syringe.


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The technique I mentioned above is how I added texture to this 4 foot long Pregnancy test.
Production wanted a practical effect for a negative pregnancy test montage. The toughest part of scaling something like that is scaling the sheen or texture.I wrestled with it for a bit then realized the solution was to macro size a "mat finish" through texture. I worked great... but the entire scene ended up on the cutting floor.

...we even made practical test strips that went blue negative stripe with the addition of ammonia via tubing and syringe.


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What a cool prop! On a side note why are you not selling these to women to scare the hell out of expectant Fathers?! Would be an AWESOE gag gift! :) LOL
 
Thanks, haha, we actually found out my wife and I were expected # 3 just before starting this one. I wanted to use it to announce that but the misses wouldn't go for it. I need to find the final pic with graphics. The picture angle here makes the proportions look a bit off.

What a cool prop! On a side note why are you not selling these to women to scare the hell out of expectant Fathers?! Would be an AWESOE gag gift! :) LOL
 
An easy way to do this is with a satin or semi-gloss rattle can. Lay down a base coat then once it is drying but still tack dust over the piece with the same can... like DUST over it HEAVY by shaking and spraying from further away than normal. That allows the mist to partially dry in the air and settle down on the tack coat. It works really well. The resulting texture is certainly believable even if not perfect.
Which paint brand and type did you use? I expect the type of paint to make a very big difference. Not only are there different compositions but different types of spray paint can also have different can pressure and nozzles that affect how it goes on.

For instance, the keyboard that I type on right, it was painted beige to look vintage like '80s computing equipment. But the only spray can with a good beige I could find was Dupli-Color primer and that goes on very evenly. I doubt that I could use the dusting technique with it (but I'll do a test anyway...)
Montana Gold, on the other hand, has low pressure and often goes on a bit uneven and maybe I could get even more dust by fitting a wide nozzle — but among the 100+ hues, there is no good beige Montana Gold, they are either too saturated or too white.
 
That's a good question... I can not answer it. I probably have well over a hundred rattle cans of just about every color / brand out there. I've not had a brand not work, just have to adjust distance and dry times.

It also works just as well through am HVLP with lacquers, conversion varnishes and automotive urethanes - so you could always visit your local auto paint shop or industrial finishes store and get a color match.

Beck
 
Which paint brand and type did you use? I expect the type of paint to make a very big difference. Not only are there different compositions but different types of spray paint can also have different can pressure and nozzles that affect how it goes on.

For instance, the keyboard that I type on right, it was painted beige to look vintage like '80s computing equipment. But the only spray can with a good beige I could find was Dupli-Color primer and that goes on very evenly. I doubt that I could use the dusting technique with it (but I'll do a test anyway...)
Montana Gold, on the other hand, has low pressure and often goes on a bit uneven and maybe I could get even more dust by fitting a wide nozzle — but among the 100+ hues, there is no good beige Montana Gold, they are either too saturated or too white.

You could try actually dusting your prop before or right after painting, and by dusting I mean literally dusting. I don't know if it's still done this way but in the past the texture seen on military helmets was done by dusting the helmet with sawdust while the paint was still wet and maybe another coat once it was dry to seal it. So maybe paint, add some sort of dust (sawdust, talcum powder, baking soda, etc.), let dry, paint again and sand if the texture is too coarse, then paint again if needed.
 
I achieve this texture on industrial product models using cellulose paint through a spray gun (nozzle 1.4mm) with the spray fan set on medium and little air. Don't add too much thinners otherwise you end up with a runny mess.
With practise you can achieve a variety of droplet sizes.
Don’t try to achieve the finish in one pass of the gun otherwise the droplets tend to merge and the paint self levels. Ideally spray one coat and let it dry for a short time before adding more.
 
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