Post by Wookie on Nov 14, 2005 22:37:00 GMT -5
Digital Camouflage Howto (rewritten 1-29-06)
1.) More time than money (Ghetto)
2.) Middle of the road.
2.) More money than time. (Pimped)
Shopping List
Ghetto Materials
$20 Good paint from hardware store.
$13 /10 sheets Frisket low tack adhesive
$4 Xacto blade
Subtotal ~$37
Middle of the road
$20 Good paint from hardware store.
$20 Digital Stencil from my site
$4 Xacto Blade.
Subtotal ~$50
Pimped Materials.
Purchase a paint kit from Lauer Custom Weaponry.
$98 Desert MirageFlage Stencil plus 4 bottles of paint
$30 Add in a level II airbrush kit
$15 Shipping
Subtotal: ~$145
Other Materials required.
$5 Denatured Alcohol
$5 M.E.K paint stripper/cleaner or Jasco Paintstripper (thanks to Malevolanet_frog for the jasco tip)
$5 3m Blue Paint Masking tape. This masking tape is low tack so it won’t peel the paint underneath when you remove it.
$3 Wet/Dry fine sanding sponge
Subtotal: ~$18
Optional Materials:
Painting jig to hold the weapon. I simply dropped a chain from the ceiling with a hook on the end to hold the weapon
Sandpaper for metal (for anodized parts)
Understanding Wife (soon to be painting widow)
Lint free towels for cleaning
Ghetto: Creating a Stencil.
Go to my site and generate a stencil.
Some sample settings.
Color Type: Stencil B&W
Paper Size: 8.5x11
Pixel Size: 13 (this will yield ~1/8" squares when printed)
Quantity: 75
Drift: 1
Choose Digi for the pattern.
Click submit.
If you don’t like what you see hit F5 to reload the page.
Experiment with the values; you are doing a custom paint job after all.
Try to generate as much random patterns on page that you can. You will be cutting out each one separately.
Here is an example:
Next print the stencil to a laser printer.
I put my low tack stencil plastic in the manual bypass tray.
Make sure it prints the image on the plastic side, not the paper side.
Please be careful, some printers will not like this and I don’t want to get you in trouble with your IT department. Below are my settings on an old HP5000 LaserJet. I set it for manual feed tray and set the paper to “transparency”.
Start cutting out the stencils. I try to keep the blade touching at all times so that I don’t have small hanging chads.
FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, take your time.
Sloppy work here is just plain inexcusable.
You want a crisp sharp edge, nice 90’ angles and such.
Sloppy cuts will yield a crappy finish.
Patience young padowan. Remember, you have more TIME than money ghetto dawg!
(Make sure to not touch the tacky side of the stencils with your fingers, use your xacto blade to lift and set the stencil. The oils from your fingers will inhibit the stencil from sticking which will make your paint bleed under when you hit it with a blast from your spray can.)
TIP: When doing other camo style you actually want that feathered look. In those cases make all the edges less sticky by touching them with your fingers.
1.) More time than money (Ghetto)
2.) Middle of the road.
2.) More money than time. (Pimped)
Shopping List
Ghetto Materials
$20 Good paint from hardware store.
$13 /10 sheets Frisket low tack adhesive
$4 Xacto blade
Subtotal ~$37
Middle of the road
$20 Good paint from hardware store.
$20 Digital Stencil from my site
$4 Xacto Blade.
Subtotal ~$50
Pimped Materials.
Purchase a paint kit from Lauer Custom Weaponry.
$98 Desert MirageFlage Stencil plus 4 bottles of paint
$30 Add in a level II airbrush kit
$15 Shipping
Subtotal: ~$145
Other Materials required.
$5 Denatured Alcohol
$5 M.E.K paint stripper/cleaner or Jasco Paintstripper (thanks to Malevolanet_frog for the jasco tip)
$5 3m Blue Paint Masking tape. This masking tape is low tack so it won’t peel the paint underneath when you remove it.
$3 Wet/Dry fine sanding sponge
Subtotal: ~$18
Optional Materials:
Painting jig to hold the weapon. I simply dropped a chain from the ceiling with a hook on the end to hold the weapon
Sandpaper for metal (for anodized parts)
Understanding Wife (soon to be painting widow)
Lint free towels for cleaning
Ghetto: Creating a Stencil.
Go to my site and generate a stencil.
Some sample settings.
Color Type: Stencil B&W
Paper Size: 8.5x11
Pixel Size: 13 (this will yield ~1/8" squares when printed)
Quantity: 75
Drift: 1
Choose Digi for the pattern.
Click submit.
If you don’t like what you see hit F5 to reload the page.
Experiment with the values; you are doing a custom paint job after all.
Try to generate as much random patterns on page that you can. You will be cutting out each one separately.
Here is an example:
Next print the stencil to a laser printer.
I put my low tack stencil plastic in the manual bypass tray.
Make sure it prints the image on the plastic side, not the paper side.
Please be careful, some printers will not like this and I don’t want to get you in trouble with your IT department. Below are my settings on an old HP5000 LaserJet. I set it for manual feed tray and set the paper to “transparency”.
Start cutting out the stencils. I try to keep the blade touching at all times so that I don’t have small hanging chads.
FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, take your time.
Sloppy work here is just plain inexcusable.
You want a crisp sharp edge, nice 90’ angles and such.
Sloppy cuts will yield a crappy finish.
Patience young padowan. Remember, you have more TIME than money ghetto dawg!
(Make sure to not touch the tacky side of the stencils with your fingers, use your xacto blade to lift and set the stencil. The oils from your fingers will inhibit the stencil from sticking which will make your paint bleed under when you hit it with a blast from your spray can.)
TIP: When doing other camo style you actually want that feathered look. In those cases make all the edges less sticky by touching them with your fingers.
