Making plastic look like wood/metal.

Metal is easy.  Painted metal looks like any other painted surface, so just prime and paint.  Depending on the scale, painted wood is done the same way.  In ship scales grain does not need to be duplicated.

The hard part is representing unfinished wood, where the grain WILL show.  Most people do it with paint.  Apply a light to medium brown as an undercolor, then drybrush a darker brown over that. It does take the right technique to get the grain appearance right, so practicing on some scrap plastic is a good idea.

Thanks. Need to get practising :)

Aha BKR1888 :

   How would you like to hear this  .Did you know you can stain Plastic ? And you can texture it to look like wood too ? There are , for the want of a better situation  , many methods for this . "Tanker - Builder's Proven Methods " might help you .

      When I am doing , say a CHRIS-CRAFT or other motor yacht from scratch I use a wire brush on the outside surface of the pieces that are supposed to be natural or other color wood . This of course applies to plastic now .

   Then I give them a good coat of Acrylic Interior white or eggshell paint . Yup ! House-paint ! Why ? Well , you'll see . Now when you've let it get good and dry , you do this . You use the wire brush again .In long straight strokes . But Very Gently !

    Got that ? Now get your stain and apply it to the surface heavily .  Wipe it off while it's still wet , but has started to set . Yes ! The stain will soak into the acrylic and remain ! Use India ink to get your grain and quickly wipe it off !

      Then put on a final coat of stain , Wiped off quickly , and let everything dry for at least forty - eight to seventy - two hours .Than clear flat or gloss enamel to coat it .

    As to the metal .You can use a product that is a metallic cream in a tube , It's called " Rub-nBuff " , Like antiquers use .Yes' it will stick to plastic ! Now following the instructions wipe it vigourisly into the surface . let dry for about an hour and come back and Buff it out ! This should help You.    Tanker-Builder

      There is one more step that is important .You must use clean , soft rags for this and clean them right after you do the job .

TB, I like that wire-brush idea, gonna try that on my next wooden prop.  But I have a question:

"Now get your stain and apply it to the surface heavily .  Wipe it off while it's still wet , but has started to set . Yes ! The stain will soak into the acrylic and remain ! Use India ink to get your grain and quickly wipe it  off !"

You're saying the India ink is used on top of the stain?  Doesn't that negate the effects of the stain?  Help a bruther out here!

Gary

Actually :

 It has worked for me in the past .The idea is to get a base coat of stain on so the ink won't soak into the Acrylic , then by re-staining over it you get a nice grain effect without dark spots .The first coat of stain seals the Acrylic !