eldritch2k4
New Member
Credit goes to Hozy over at forums.xbox-scene.com. You can find his original tut over there. I don't think Hozy is a native English speaker, so I've cleaned up his tutorial a bit. Bear in mind that this was written with painting casemodded Xboxs in mind, but the principal still applies. I've edited the tutorial to better apply to armor creation. This tutorial also assumes that you've properly glassed, bondo'd and otherwise prepped your pieces for painting.
Supplies needed:
Sandpaper (800, 1500 and 2000 grit varieties)
Sanding block
Liquid Dish Soap
Sandable Primer
Quality Spray Paint
Quality Spray Clear-coat (Optional)
Liquid Wax & Cutter (Optional)
Cheesecloth (Optional)
Note:
When painting, it must be even. Spray in sweeping motions and do NOT start or stop spraying while on the piece. Doing so will cause piling of the paint which just looks awful. Seriously, this is the difference between looking like an amateur hack-job and the work of a professional.
Note two:
I recommend Krylon Fusion brand paints. They are designed to adhere to plastics and other synthetic materials. Your milage may vary and you should use what you are comfortable with.
Step one:
Wash all your pieces that will be painted in warm water. This ensures that you have a nice, clean surface to paint. Let each piece dry naturally, do not towel dry it; fibers from the towel will collect on the surface defeating the purpose of cleaning it.
Sidenote:
Make sure that you wetsand your pieces when you sand. Fill a bucket with warm water and put a small amount of dish soap in. The soapy water will act as a lubricant and help the sandpaper along. After each sand, wash it thoroughly to remove any stray particles. Again, let it air dry, no towels.
Step two:
Wetsand each piece with 800 grit sandpaper. When you're done, check the piece and make sure it is super smooth. There should be no remaining air bubbles in your glass or bondo.
Step three:
Apply a ghost coat of sandable primer; let this dry for about 10 minutes and then do a normal coat of primer. Let your primer dry per the instructions on the can; most cans instruct that you can handle the pieces after about two hours, but make sure you read your instructions.
Step four:
Sand the piece again. It doesn't matter if bits of glass and bondo show through.
Step five:
Assuming you have a good primer going on now, give it a ghost coat of your first layer of paint. This is likely to be some sort of chrome colored paint for your metalic underlayer, but more about that in a bit. Allow it to dry for about 30 minutes, then give it a normal coat of that color. Let that coat dry, as per the instructions on the can. Now, give it another layer of paint and let it dry.
Step six:
Using 1500 grit sandpaper, sand the piece you're working on. Be sure to work in one direction. Do NOT go in circles or go left-right, then up-down. You will create a cross-texture in the paint and start to make a mess of things. Then wash the piece and let it air dry.
Step seven:
Repeat Steps Five and Six for each layer of paint you need. If you are using the chrome underlayer and masking technique, you need to repeat Five and Six at least once masking the chrome with petrolium jelly or mustard or toothpaste or whatever on the parts where you want chrome to show through. I, personally, don't recommend this method as the paint has a tendancy to look blotchy around the edges instead of scraped. I recommend the "dry brush" technique, where you spray a dry paint brush with chrome paint and then, lightly, brush the edges of your armor to make it look like the paint has worn off. But, this tutorial is just a guide so modify it as you see fit to make it work with your preferred method of aging.
Step eight:
On your last layer of paint, after sanding with 1500 grit paper, apply one final coat of paint. Let it cure as per the instructions on the can. Usually 24 hours.
Now, if you're looking for a used look, you're basically done. Just add blackwash and you're done. There's a video tutorial showing how to do this on the forums, but my search-fu is lacking today.
IF, on the otherhand, you want a suit of armor that looks like it just came off the manufacturing floor, you need to add a proper clear coat. Here's how:
Clearcoat Step One:
Apply a ghost layer of clearcoat. Let this dry for about 30 - 45 minutes. Now add a normal layer of clearcoat. Allow to dry per instructions on the can.
Clearcoat Step Two:
Use the 2000 grit sandpaper and lightly sand your clearcoat VERY evenly. Wash the piece and let it air dry.
Clearcoat Step Three:
Apply one last EVEN layer of clearcoat. DO NOT TOUCH the piece until it has dried, at least, overnight. Fingerprints in clearcoat show up very clearly.
That High Mirror Shine:
Step One:
After letting it cure completely (3 - 4 days, even) without handling it, get out your cutter and liquid wax. Turtlewax makes an excellent product that can be had in any Autozone store around the U.S.
Step Two:
Apply a VERY, VERY SMALL amount of cutter on a hand pad and use it as directed on the piece. Don't work to hard or long on it or you will eat into the color layers.
Step Three:
Use a cheesecloth to buff it up. Wait 15 minutes.
Step Four:
Apply liquid wax as directed and really buff it out with another cheesecloth. After 15 more minutes of not handling the piece, you should have a high mirror shine.
Supplies needed:
Sandpaper (800, 1500 and 2000 grit varieties)
Sanding block
Liquid Dish Soap
Sandable Primer
Quality Spray Paint
Quality Spray Clear-coat (Optional)
Liquid Wax & Cutter (Optional)
Cheesecloth (Optional)
Note:
When painting, it must be even. Spray in sweeping motions and do NOT start or stop spraying while on the piece. Doing so will cause piling of the paint which just looks awful. Seriously, this is the difference between looking like an amateur hack-job and the work of a professional.
Note two:
I recommend Krylon Fusion brand paints. They are designed to adhere to plastics and other synthetic materials. Your milage may vary and you should use what you are comfortable with.
Step one:
Wash all your pieces that will be painted in warm water. This ensures that you have a nice, clean surface to paint. Let each piece dry naturally, do not towel dry it; fibers from the towel will collect on the surface defeating the purpose of cleaning it.
Sidenote:
Make sure that you wetsand your pieces when you sand. Fill a bucket with warm water and put a small amount of dish soap in. The soapy water will act as a lubricant and help the sandpaper along. After each sand, wash it thoroughly to remove any stray particles. Again, let it air dry, no towels.
Step two:
Wetsand each piece with 800 grit sandpaper. When you're done, check the piece and make sure it is super smooth. There should be no remaining air bubbles in your glass or bondo.
Step three:
Apply a ghost coat of sandable primer; let this dry for about 10 minutes and then do a normal coat of primer. Let your primer dry per the instructions on the can; most cans instruct that you can handle the pieces after about two hours, but make sure you read your instructions.
Step four:
Sand the piece again. It doesn't matter if bits of glass and bondo show through.
Step five:
Assuming you have a good primer going on now, give it a ghost coat of your first layer of paint. This is likely to be some sort of chrome colored paint for your metalic underlayer, but more about that in a bit. Allow it to dry for about 30 minutes, then give it a normal coat of that color. Let that coat dry, as per the instructions on the can. Now, give it another layer of paint and let it dry.
Step six:
Using 1500 grit sandpaper, sand the piece you're working on. Be sure to work in one direction. Do NOT go in circles or go left-right, then up-down. You will create a cross-texture in the paint and start to make a mess of things. Then wash the piece and let it air dry.
Step seven:
Repeat Steps Five and Six for each layer of paint you need. If you are using the chrome underlayer and masking technique, you need to repeat Five and Six at least once masking the chrome with petrolium jelly or mustard or toothpaste or whatever on the parts where you want chrome to show through. I, personally, don't recommend this method as the paint has a tendancy to look blotchy around the edges instead of scraped. I recommend the "dry brush" technique, where you spray a dry paint brush with chrome paint and then, lightly, brush the edges of your armor to make it look like the paint has worn off. But, this tutorial is just a guide so modify it as you see fit to make it work with your preferred method of aging.
Step eight:
On your last layer of paint, after sanding with 1500 grit paper, apply one final coat of paint. Let it cure as per the instructions on the can. Usually 24 hours.
Now, if you're looking for a used look, you're basically done. Just add blackwash and you're done. There's a video tutorial showing how to do this on the forums, but my search-fu is lacking today.
IF, on the otherhand, you want a suit of armor that looks like it just came off the manufacturing floor, you need to add a proper clear coat. Here's how:
Clearcoat Step One:
Apply a ghost layer of clearcoat. Let this dry for about 30 - 45 minutes. Now add a normal layer of clearcoat. Allow to dry per instructions on the can.
Clearcoat Step Two:
Use the 2000 grit sandpaper and lightly sand your clearcoat VERY evenly. Wash the piece and let it air dry.
Clearcoat Step Three:
Apply one last EVEN layer of clearcoat. DO NOT TOUCH the piece until it has dried, at least, overnight. Fingerprints in clearcoat show up very clearly.
That High Mirror Shine:
Step One:
After letting it cure completely (3 - 4 days, even) without handling it, get out your cutter and liquid wax. Turtlewax makes an excellent product that can be had in any Autozone store around the U.S.
Step Two:
Apply a VERY, VERY SMALL amount of cutter on a hand pad and use it as directed on the piece. Don't work to hard or long on it or you will eat into the color layers.
Step Three:
Use a cheesecloth to buff it up. Wait 15 minutes.
Step Four:
Apply liquid wax as directed and really buff it out with another cheesecloth. After 15 more minutes of not handling the piece, you should have a high mirror shine.
Btw, just as a side note. I use both the drybrush method, and the toothpaste method. I also very lightly sand the helmet with 150-220 grit sand paper in a few areas to give a more "chipped paint" feel. (But just a tiny bit. lol.)
