Post by m1thum on Feb 27, 2011 14:16:59 GMT -5
After pfutzing around with the plastic buttstock and grips of a Cyma Thompson, I got to the point where (IMHO) I was able to truly improve on the already factory finish. I followed White Rook's instructions on darkening the "wood" to more of a WWII GI finish using burnt umber and Dull Cote; I first performed some careful distressing to try to truly give it that wood look.
Obviously, the hammer and screwdriver bludgeon-distressing method used on real wood wouldn't exactly yield similar results on the plastic. As such, I had to resort to something equally invasive, yet much less traumatic. Here's what I did:
1) I heated the tip of a screwdriver over the gas burner, then lightly and quickly poked the stock for a few dings. I then ran the edge of the blade, with minimal pressure, across the plastic for a random scrape (or two), and finally heated the shaft of the screwdriver and pressed it into the edges for some corner dents. You don't want to leave the heated metal on the plastic or use measurable pressure, as doing so will raise the edges of the dings, a telltale sign of melted plastic. Pretend the plastic is the back of your own hand: use slightly more pressure and slightly less quickness than you would in avoiding a burn to your skin. The raising of the edges will happen, but being careful as above will mitigate the efforts necessary in step 2;
2) After I was done with the the dinging, denting and scratching, I took some 400 grit sandpaper and oh-so-lightly took down any raised edges in the dings; You'll want those edges flush, without creating a halo type void in the finish around the distressing.
3) I then applied a burnt umber acrylic to the stock and grips, going right over the dings and scrapes as well, with a brush. Immediately thereafter, I lightly wiped the paint into the plastic with a paper towel. I did this twice to each part and let everything dry. Acrylics dry quickly so you won't have to wait more than, say an hour or two under normal conditions;
4) Once dry, I hit the parts with Dull Cote to seal and protect the work thus far. I let the Dull Cote dry 24 hours;
5) After the parts were dry and sealed, I applied black acrylic paint to the parts, then wiped it off. The black remained only in the distressing;
6) After the black dried, I hit the parts with two more applications of Dull Cote, within 15 minutes of each other, and I was done.
While I think it looks rather like genuine wood, it was a first foray for me; I think I'll be able to improve on it over time. In the future, I'll go for less distressing, in favor of a more subtle look.
M1thum
Obviously, the hammer and screwdriver bludgeon-distressing method used on real wood wouldn't exactly yield similar results on the plastic. As such, I had to resort to something equally invasive, yet much less traumatic. Here's what I did:
1) I heated the tip of a screwdriver over the gas burner, then lightly and quickly poked the stock for a few dings. I then ran the edge of the blade, with minimal pressure, across the plastic for a random scrape (or two), and finally heated the shaft of the screwdriver and pressed it into the edges for some corner dents. You don't want to leave the heated metal on the plastic or use measurable pressure, as doing so will raise the edges of the dings, a telltale sign of melted plastic. Pretend the plastic is the back of your own hand: use slightly more pressure and slightly less quickness than you would in avoiding a burn to your skin. The raising of the edges will happen, but being careful as above will mitigate the efforts necessary in step 2;
2) After I was done with the the dinging, denting and scratching, I took some 400 grit sandpaper and oh-so-lightly took down any raised edges in the dings; You'll want those edges flush, without creating a halo type void in the finish around the distressing.
3) I then applied a burnt umber acrylic to the stock and grips, going right over the dings and scrapes as well, with a brush. Immediately thereafter, I lightly wiped the paint into the plastic with a paper towel. I did this twice to each part and let everything dry. Acrylics dry quickly so you won't have to wait more than, say an hour or two under normal conditions;
4) Once dry, I hit the parts with Dull Cote to seal and protect the work thus far. I let the Dull Cote dry 24 hours;
5) After the parts were dry and sealed, I applied black acrylic paint to the parts, then wiped it off. The black remained only in the distressing;
6) After the black dried, I hit the parts with two more applications of Dull Cote, within 15 minutes of each other, and I was done.
While I think it looks rather like genuine wood, it was a first foray for me; I think I'll be able to improve on it over time. In the future, I'll go for less distressing, in favor of a more subtle look.
M1thum
