Plastic to wood

Kevleerey wrote:

Hello, all! I was wondering how you would paint plastic to look like wood. Mainly for gun stocks and some crates that are molded in green plastic. I have been using acrylic paint and they don't look Too bad but they are very monotone, as in this picture: Also, a while back someone asked about scale foodstuffs that you can make. Here are some bread and cheese that I made a while ago. They are really easy to make with clay. I have also made carrots, potatoes, etc. Sausages and bologna are also pretty easy they're all pretty much made the same way. You can make many kinds of cheeses just by using different colors of rinds, etc.(just stay away from the casu marzu pecorino)  There are also some tarps I made with the "wet tissue and string" method. Any help would be great, thanks! -------------------------Kevin----------------------------------------

Kevin, I think you had the oven on too high when you baked the bread!

On a more serious note, I like to use real wood to simulate wood.

I'm not sure, maybe that's right. I think oils and enamels are different, but I don't know. I think enamels usually have a harder surface when dry than oils, and they dry pretty fast. Maybe enamel is a mixture of oils and varnish or something? I think I have seen where people using oils said they take hours or sometimes days to dry completely, but as I've said, I'm not sure either, almost all I use is acrylics and spray can.

sorry I am in no way a pro with paints, but I think enamels would be oil based right?  since there not water based.  So they are oil paints i think.

Thanks everybody. Where do you get oil paints? The only hobby store I can find around here is a Hobby Lobby and they just have acrylics and enamels in the model section. There was a Hobby Town USA but they closed down and I still just have acrylics. Would they be cheaper online, and what brands are good? I see a lot of people use Vallejo, but I don't know how much they cost or where to get them. Thanks for the help!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------Kevin

the doog wrote:

I've been lately painting "wood" with tan acrylics, then putting a coat of thickish oil raw umber or burnt siena over it; it gives a nice, subtle "grain" to it when you brush it on with the right touch.

I agree. Drybrushing may only shade it, whereas a 'streak' effect done with oils would give you a better representation of actual grain.

Kevleerey wrote:

Hey, thanks for the help. Walnut was what I was going for on the stocks. I put on a black wash and now they look somewhat better. Would crates be maple or fir maybe? I would think they would probably use something cheap and light. Thanks again --------------------------------------------------------Kevin------------------------------

Crates and pallets were / are made from the cheapest, rough-cut fir lumber.  And they ard not finished with any stain or sealer.  They are just raw wood smooth on 2 sides ( the edges ). 

As a bit of historical information--When we had military bases in the Philipines, the Americans who were stationed there on " accompanied " tours, would have their household goods crated for shipment back to the States.  What's important about that is, MAHOGANY was the wood used.  That wood is as plentiful in the Philipines as Pine is in the US.  You KNOW what the crates were used for later. 

 

I've been lately painting "wood" with tan acrylics, then putting a coat of thickish oil raw umber or burnt siena over it; it gives a nice, subtle "grain" to it when you brush it on with the right touch.

Hey, thanks for the help. Walnut was what I was going for on the stocks. I put on a black wash and now they look somewhat better. Would crates be maple or fir maybe? I would think they would probably use something cheap and light. Thanks again
--------------------------------------------------------Kevin------------------------------

Every M-1 and M-14 that I was ever issued had dark stocks and forestocks.  Those pieces were made from straight-grained walnut and stained dark with tung-oil.  They were made even darker by years of skin oil and gun oil.  If you ever see either of these weapons with light stocks, they're either fakes or rebuilt with newer wood.  That goes for the Browning BAR's and the Thompson's.  To have the "right" look, the scale weapons should be dark; at "scale" distance, the grain cannot be seen. 

I agree, drybrushing lighter is the way to go.  Also, some people think wood is just lighter and darker browns, but it looks great when it has almost a yellowishor slightly orange tint.  Thick washes can do the trick as well.

To add some depth and grain to your gunstocks and crates, try drybrusing with either a lighter or darker wood color.  You can also paint some thin lines in lighter wood tones onto the wood and then drybrush over them to blend it all together.

 

The foodstuff looks good too.  Good job.