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Post by brownien on Oct 20, 2014 23:40:40 GMT -5
Has anyone had any experience with artificially weathering their uniforms/ gear? I know that they can get pretty weathered naturally from use, but that use also imparts fatigue into the material, causing it to break down, tear, and crack. My thought was to use pigments, and pastels to artificially weather clothing and gear to look like they've been to hell and back, but without the material fatigue, and also not needing to wear them constantly in field conditions like they actually did back in the day.
I recently did this with my blankfire reenacting uniform. Weathering the M41 jacket and wool trousers with brown pastel for dirt and mud, black for sweat stains and greasy hands, and lighter tans and whites overtop to simulate fading on the upper portions. I personally think it looks like it could be passed off as a movie prop uniform, but up close you can tell a bit that it is artificial. Once I get some use out of it, and can blend it a big better with some actual dirt and grime, it should look great to portray the "Willy & Joe"-esque GI.
My M42 jump uniform on the other hand, is plenty faded from casual everyday use, and hard airsoft combat use for close to 3 years so far. The reinforced knees and elbows are plenty stained and faded from dirtying and washing, to the point where it looks authentic even after just being washed. If anything, I may want to add a touch of brown pastel to it for dried mud here and there, but hardly any at all.
As for gear, I didn't do anything except a bit of brown on my shovel cover and canteen to break up the khaki color, but otherwise, I left the original cartridge belt and suspenders alone.
Anyone else here have any thoughts on this? Advice on different techniques? I basically applied my pastels ground up and smothered gently onto a damp cotton glove I wore to use as a whole hand brush.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Oct 21, 2014 0:59:04 GMT -5
I would think your approach would work. I'm sure costume folks have tricks of the trade which probably can simulate wear, soot, mud and field use while still being fresh enough to put actors in every night for a stage production or weeks of filming. i'm looking at images from FURY and noticing that they did a great job of insuring everyone looked sufficiently grizzly except of course the new recruits and the LT who only showed slight field filth.
I googled costume artificial wear and found numerous threads some more appropriate for our purposes than others. the most interesting came from the use of teas and coffees to simulate soiling and lemon juice to create fading in a less destructive way than bleach. Acrylic paints and dyes slightly darker then the fabrics your aging was also mentioned and could be applied in very dilluted forms and either sponged on or airbrushed. Too thick and it stiffens your fabric however.
for actual distressing they suggest different grits of sandpaper and even wire brushes although in my thinking this will overly fatigue your fatigues. consider that body sweat definitely discolors garments and its easy to figure out where. Cuffs and lower edges of jackets definitely get soiled more then other areas and elbows and knees obviously receive more wear.
i would think creating a distressed look would be a worthwhile endeavor. My loaner costumes are mostly pretty field worn from...being loaned out and worn! It would be nice being able to issue out clean clothes that just have the "look".
for many of my M42s and a couple of my M41s I over sprayed with OD or flat black as this was in fact sometimes done to enhance their camouflage but the paint definitely stiffens the fabric a bit.
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Post by buster126 on Aug 13, 2015 2:10:42 GMT -5
You can get a bag of "fullers earth" and just toss it at the uniform. It's basically just clean fine powdered dirt. They use it in movies a lot.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Oct 2, 2015 17:51:37 GMT -5
In pictures, especially where street fighting has taken place. Soldiers appear coated in fine dust (not unlike 9-11 survivors) though not to that extreme. Perhaps a light dusting of Talc powder might create the effect without health issues or fabric fatigue?
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Post by CPL. Mills 2nd Rangers on Oct 30, 2015 9:28:52 GMT -5
I never get why people want to artificially fade their uniforms. Go out and use them. Want the "look" faster then for a month go out on the weekend to the woods and roll around for 2 days straight.
I like when I get a new piece of gear or uniform that it is new and fresh. Guys liked getting their uniforms cleaned or new issue. You think they went up to the quartermaster and asked for a uniform with the "look"? Wear your clean uniform loudly and proudly. Let time give you the "look" because in my experience, natural "look" always looks better then when it's forced.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Oct 30, 2015 10:54:01 GMT -5
I couldn't agree more. However, I recently finished ten pseudo German tunics and once done they were just too fresh and new looking. (Probably the least of my issues given how hokey they are) It is impractical for me to wear all of them out in the woods and I want them to be camera ready before my event in November. I thought about leaving them out in the elements but I don't want them all mildewy!
I am in the midst of gun projects in the shop so I have been wearing each of them as I sand and apply stains. The saw dust and resin paste dust has really created the results I sought.
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Post by ssgjoe on Oct 30, 2015 12:25:13 GMT -5
It depends on the situation. If just looks weird when a unit at a Stalingrad event have new clean uniforms, but they're a front line unit that has been fighting for weeks. We aren't out living in the mud for weeks on end like the soldiers of the war were, so it'd take much longer than necessary to naturally wear them down. But if you go to an event pretty much each weekend and really like to get dirty during events, then that would work well too.
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Post by aldrich on Oct 30, 2015 13:21:33 GMT -5
Yeah, while I do wear my US stuff around, such as my HBT, it is much harder to do that with the German stuff. I have read that it was common among tropical units to wash the uniforms in saltwater or event to use a certain type of tablet they were issued to fade their gear as it made them look more like a veteran. If anyone is looking for a good way to weather uniforms in a way that is also washable, check out this site here: patin-a-en.blogspot.com/2013/05/costume-distressing-for-tv-mini-series.html
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Oct 30, 2015 18:56:05 GMT -5
Wow! Great resource. Definitely a professional approach. What a difference it makes for authenticity!
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Post by wwiiguy on Jun 2, 2016 17:26:45 GMT -5
Sorry this page is kinda dead.But what I was told by ATF when i asked about the m41 jacket.(this is mainly for anyone trying to pull off a pacific character or in my case d-day) Their recommendation was to soak it in Salt water then wash it until you get the "worn" look. By the way this isnt wear and tear i did it to get the Khaki look seen in movies.
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Post by brownien on Jun 17, 2016 18:35:37 GMT -5
Just an update
The m41 jacket that I artificially weathered originally had now been worn to over two dozen events as well as plenty of casual around town use. The original pastels are still roughly 50% there still but the jacket itself has taken on a good amount of authentic dirt and grime from use. Think of my initial attempts to "unclean" new gear as merely a stopgap until enough hard use has done the job naturally! Boy does it look good by the way!
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jun 18, 2016 21:30:48 GMT -5
Pictures Brownian! Pictures!
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