Question About Recreating A Gun Metal Finish

Usagi Pilgrim

Usagi Pilgrim

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I'm about to begin one of Rob's great BR blaster kits, & I'm wanting to do a weathered gunmetal finish on the upper receiver & other areas. I've seen some great results using a flat black, dusting with graphite powder, then drybrushing a silver in the weathered areas,& finally a matte sealer.

My question is about the order of steps after the flat black. Should i do the graphite before or after the weathering, or should the drybrushing be done after the sealer?

Any informed opinions would be welcome.
 
I too will be watching this with interest; I want to take another swing at a watergun myself. Metallic finishes are tricksy things.
 
Don't dust with graphite powder! I rub the graphite into the painted surface with the tip of a cotton pad that I had dipped in the jar.
You also don't want to get graphite powder everywhere... ;)

If you are unsure of how a paint process will turn out, by all means do paint a test on some spare material before-hand.
The result can be very telling. For instance, I learned just recently that different brands of clear-coats can affect metallic paints differently.
 
Last edited:
It's not quite as shiny/metallic as a traditional gunmetal, but I was quite pleasantly surprised with a simple technique that I gleaned from the PKD water pistol modification thread:
1. Lay down a base of matte light-gray primer. Allow to dry
2. Cover the entire piece with a healthy coating of lamp-black oil paint
3. Before it has a chance to dry at all, quickly use a rag or scrap of fabric to wipe off as much of the black oil paint as possible.
4. Continue to lightly buff the portions where you've wiped off the oil paint.
5. OPTIONAL: rub a bit of graphite into the surface if you want a more metallic shine.

Somehow, the matte gray primer absorbs a bit of the oil paint's sheen and pigment, resulting in a somewhat satiny finish that distinctly looks like worn, unpolished metal. Plus it has the added benefit of retaining black paint in crevices and details, adding to the weathered look.
 
There is a rattle can possibility to seal graphite, its Mohawk Flat oil Finish:
https://www.mohawk-finishing.com/products/wood-touch-up-repair/aerosols/flat-oil-finish/


Ive been using it for many years but as with any new material, test it first. Various paints have various results when applied over one another, same with finish/sealer materials. This was a cheap black plastic airsoft rifle I repainted and coated with the flat oil finish over a combo of flat black, some metallic paints and graphite powder for the metal parts, the wood grain is a combo of various Mohawk colors over a latex/prosaide mix. The camera filter was for color tests.

Forgot to add, only use light dust coats at least 24 inches away from the surface when using flat oil finish. Its a quick learning curve.

AirsoftRifleRepaint (2).JPG

AirsoftRifleRepaint (3).JPG
 
Last edited:
A method that I've found that works very well is to lay a base coat of silver after primering. Once the silver is dry I cover it with a coat of semi-gloss black. Once that's dry I then go over it with some 0000 steel wool. This knocks down the sheen to a very convincing blued appearance and for and to make parts look weathered you just sand/rub more until the silver shows. This makes it look like that the finish has rubbed after years of use and it's very easy to control how much silver you want to expose so you can make it look like the finish is just starting to wear off or where it has totally rubbed off.
 
Whenever I use graphite I scrape a pile off the sticks I keep just for weathering. Then put some on my finger and rub it in. I find this puts it the crannies more than a rag or q-tip and the natural oils from your hand lends it an extra layer.
 
This thread is more than 5 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.

Similar threads

C
Help on metal finish Peacemaker gun
Replies
0
Views
503
catiuso
C
Boba Flint
Aliens smart gun batter question
Replies
0
Views
80
Boba Flint
Boba Flint
Harlock
Metal DL-44 Parts?
Replies
3
Views
123
Captain Dunsel
Captain Dunsel
Buissonland
My Matrix Lightning Gun
Replies
6
Views
506
Buissonland
Buissonland
S
Question about Flux Capacitor from Back To The Future
Replies
4
Views
903
rjenkinsgb
rjenkinsgb
Back
Top