Sand before priming. And make sure you use filler primer! Will help a LOT. You will probably go through 3-4 cycles of sanding, filler, sanding, bondo, sanding then paint lol.
Comment on Almost ready for Halloween
USSEthernet@startrek.website 1 year agoI was debating on giving it a worn/rough look. I still haven’t really decided. I think I’m going to shoot for a red/black theme with red being primary. Probably a darker red and I was thinking of using a matte black. I just am not sure about how I’m going to utilize the black.
ChamrsDeluxe@lemmy.world 1 year ago
USSEthernet@startrek.website 1 year ago
I didn’t even know that was a thing, looks like I’m returning the primer I got. Thanks.
ChamrsDeluxe@lemmy.world 1 year ago
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Don’t want to push too much, it’s your project!
That said, some very light weathering will take it from “I just rolled off the clone trooper assembly plant” or “I’m a politician and I’m just wearing this armor because it’s expected,” to “space-badass”
It doesn’t have to be much at all, but a bit of a shiny wear spot would tell people “this is metal” without actually being metal.
Sealing is only really necessary if it’s going to be handled a lot- it coming off can be minimized by not using much to begin with and buffing it out sufficiently (I may cheat a bit and use a dremel buffing wheel,)- I’ve had good luck with minwax polycrylic clear coat and allclad through an airbrush.
Another way of adding some weathering effects is thinner down oil paint, brush in some black into cracks and remove with a cloth- like around muzzles on blasters, or maybe some machinist dye thinned out enough to give a bit of tempering-blue to things that might get hot.
You wouldn’t expect a madalorians EDC blaster or armor to be completely free of wear- even if they’re the most OCD about cleaning and maintenance. (And yeah, they’re probably pretty OCD…)
USSEthernet@startrek.website 1 year ago
I appreciate all the tips, I’m not very artistic at all, and it probably would have looked a lot worse before everyone here commented lol. I want to do it right, so I probably won’t get it completely done before I take my kids trick or treating. So my current goal is to at least get it primed, sanded, and the base coat of paint on. I still have to cut the face shield I got, tint it and mount it inside. I saw some pics that gave me some ideas. Would you recommend velcro tape for the interior for foam pads and the face shield, so it’s all removable? Or do you have a better method?
FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 1 year ago
So, when I made my helmet, I used barges cement for anything that still needed to be flexible.
Unless you’re going to be constantly removing the padding, it can be removed by heating with a heat gun or hair dryer.
It’s also great for EVA foam since it’s flexible, and the way it’s applied is by painting a thin layer on both pieces and the pressing them together after it’s dried for a few minutes (there’s a window where it’s dry but adheres to itself.) this means you can make a much neater join than CA (though CA is stronger if you need a rigid join… and can cure in seconds if you sprinkle baking soda or use accelerator.