MOD NOTE: There were some broken photo links that had to be repaired, so apologies if there is any inconvenience or confusion. I THINK they're all set right now.
Eiyame's wonderful Tutorial starts below.=/\= Moderator Manroon
This is how to make a stand for a single lightsaber stand, similar to the ForceFX stands.
You will need....2 - 1/4" x3 1/2" Tool Hooks with Protective Vinyl Coating
1 - 6" x 14" Pine Innkeeper Signboard
1 - 2 FL OZ Ceramcoat Black Acrylic Paint
1 - 11 OZ Krylon Crystal Clear Finish
1 - Size 10 or bigger Paint Brush
1 - Pack of Felt Pads
Optional Supplies1 - 2 FL OZ Ceramcoat Purple Acrylic Paint (Sub out for whatever color you want)
1 - Size 4 Paint Brush
1 - Size 0 Paint Brush
Other stuffNewspaper
Water
Plate to pour your paint on
Pencil
Ruler
Duck Tape
Fine Grit SandpaperWhere to get Supplies (USA)Remember these are just rough numbers check your local store for pricing.
-Home Depot-Tool Hooks- $1 each
Krylon Crystal Clear Finish - $6
-Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store-Innkeeper Signboard - $8
Ceramcoat Paint - $1.50
Paint Brushes - $6-$8 for set or you can buy them in singles
Felt Pads - $3-$5
Since I do a lot of crafting, I had the paint and brushes even the Krylon already. Your cost might be different depending on your local store and what you already have. I know most of us have a paint brush or two lying around.
My Total Cost:$15
Tutorial:Now that you have all your supplies, get some news paper to cover your work area. Just because this is water based acrylic doesn’t mean you can't make a big mess with it.
Make sure you gather all your stuff up BEFORE starting that way you know where it is.
You can sand down your Sign if you want, I didn't but you can.
1. Lay on your base coat of black paint and let dry. Repeat if needed for better coverage. Watch that it doesn't stick to the newspaper.
2. Once TOTALLY DRY, flip over and do the same thing to the bottom.
3. Let dry really well before moving on to step 4
4. Add detail if you wish. I added purple detailing.
5. Again LET DRY OVER NIGHT (I will explain why in a bit)
6. Figure out where you want to place your tool hooks. Mark with pencil and ruler to make sure they are square(ish) to each other. I placed mine center about 2 inches from the ends.
7. You can pre drill holes if you want, but you can also just muscle them into place like a real force user. I just screwed them in without pre drilling the holes; it wasn't hard.
8. Once you got your tool hook holes in take them out, and touch up your paint job if need and let it dry really good. I put mine outside in the sun for about 30mins.
9. Take your stand outside, don't be stupid and do it in your house. Its spray paint, it smells and can be messy. Cover anything you don't want to get spray paint on.
10. Spray both sides of your stand. CAREFULLY! Hold can about 12" away form your stand. Meaning do what it says on the back of the can.
*If you don’t' let the stand dry overnight and/or hold the can about 12" away you might end up with a odd rainbow effect or even make the acrylic run and spot. MEANING BECAREFUL
If you want to add another coat do so after letting the first one dry for about 10-20 minutes.
11. Let the stand dry 1 HOUR, OR 30mins in 75-80 degree weather.
12. After an hour you can go ahead and replace the tool hooks, and wrap the exposed metal with duck tape (I used purple) to finish the look and cover the sharp edges of the screw.
13. Now go ahead and put the pads on the bottom.
Alright there you are down now.
You can sub out the black for any color you want. But I like black because it goes where everything.
NOTE ON THE TOOL HOOKS: One will need to be a bit higher than the other if you want your saber to sit level with its blade on.
~Helpful Tips~-Paint Brushes-Buying a good set of paint brushes is a good idea. A really nice set can run you $20+ BUT they will last for years if you take care of them.
Never wash your paint bushes in warm or hot water. Use cold. This will make sure you will not melt the glue they use to help hold the bristles of the brush in.
Wash your paint brushes right after use. This will make sure you will get 98%-100% of the paint out. The longer it sits the harder it will be to get out.
Using a cup of water, to soak your brushes is fine, but don't let them sit too long. You can permanent bend your brushes that way, and loosen the glue.
When washing your brushes never scrub the bush. Gently run the bush over your hand like your painting and then gently squeeze the brush in-between two fingers to get the paint out of it.
Dry your brushes flat or wrong end down in a cup. Don't put them in bush end first. This will bend your brush.
If you brush gets ratty ends, you can take a pair of very sharp shares and trim the ends.
Pay attention to what size of brush you are using and use the right tool for the job. Don't try and use a large brush like a number 10 when trying to do fine detail painting
-Paint-Acrylic is very forgiving, and gives rich colors. Also its water based meaning if you end up dumping the whole bottle on yourself it will come out with a washing or two (just don't dry it).
Sometimes it will take more than one coat to cover and give rich coloring. Because wood really likes to soak up paint.
Sometimes the cheaper paint isn't the better. If you have a question about what paint to get talk to a employee that works in that part of the store and tell them about your project they can help point you in the right direction.
Take it slow if you are painting with Acrylic for the first time, go slowly and learn how the paint likes to go on whatever it is your painting. That way when you get to the details you know better what size of bush to use and how the paint will go on.
Oil paints are great but if your just starting out with painting not a great idea. They do give sweet coloring BUT they take forever to dry and don't come out of clothing, or sofas.
-Other Stuff-Painters tape is nice. But not a fix all. You will have to go back and clean up your lines, even with using blue painters tape.
Take your time on projects. They will come out better in the end for it.
UPDATE: PB pics removed.
