Customization questions

[Ilowarith]

Hey saber fam! I hope you all are doing well during this COVID stuff going on.

I am attempting a somewhat custom-ish paint on my Aeon v4. I've never undertaken any kind of detail oriented modeling, and was going to spray using rustoleum universal black onto the choke points and rings of the hilt. I haven't ever really used paint in any way, except for when my wife and I have painted in our house, and was looking for some words of wisdom from those who have also made thier hilts more thier own.

1) As far as protection of the switch, LED & speakers are concerned, is masking tape sufficient by itself, or would anyone recommend plastic, such as a ziplock, and masking the bag shut?

2) Should I remove the tape when it is wet or dry? Would removing it dry flake the paint and ruin a potentially crisp line?

3) Can I use the spray paint I bought, spray it on some old newspaper, and use a thin brush to get inside the grooves? Or is this better using modeling paint?

4)Any other unsolicited words of wisdom are appreciated .

Thanks! I plan on posting pics, maybe not of the process, but of the product.

[TheDutchman]

First off: great saber hilt you're working on!  And while I can't speak for much of the logistics of such customizations I can definitely point you in the right direction here:

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=42946.msg734950#msg734950

Not only is Karmack incredibly adept at Aeon customizations but he's a great friend and I'm sure would be more than happy to share his experiences as well as answering any questions that you might have 

You might want to check out his other customized sabers as well; they look spectacular!

Good luck 

[Karmack]

Hey saber fam! I hope you all are doing well during this COVID stuff going on.

I am attempting a somewhat custom-ish paint on my Aeon v4. I've never undertaken any kind of detail oriented modeling, and was going to spray using rustoleum universal black onto the choke points and rings of the hilt. I haven't ever really used paint in any way, except for when my wife and I have painted in our house, and was looking for some words of wisdom from those who have also made thier hilts more thier own.

1) As far as protection of the switch, LED & speakers are concerned, is masking tape sufficient by itself, or would anyone recommend plastic, such as a ziplock, and masking the bag shut?

2) Should I remove the tape when it is wet or dry? Would removing it dry flake the paint and ruin a potentially crisp line?

3) Can I use the spray paint I bought, spray it on some old newspaper, and use a thin brush to get inside the grooves? Or is this better using modeling paint?

4)Any other unsolicited words of wisdom are appreciated .

Thanks! I plan on posting pics, maybe not of the process, but of the product.

Hey Ilowarith! 

From my own experience, the hardest thing to do is to get a good seal line at the bottom edge of the choke point areas.  I always seem to have issues with that.  The pictures in the thread Dutchman linked will show that if you look closely.  I don't have a real solution, just be very patient and detail-oriented when you mask.  Go slow and get the edge as tight as you can.  :-)

For my part: I use the same paint (Rustoleum Universal) and I've had good success with it.  It will eventually wear in high-use areas of the hilt but usually the weathered look adds to the effect.  And if it chips you can always add more.

For the deeper, narrow grooves I have always used model paint brushed in instead of spraying it.  ON the Aeon V4 referenced I actually sprayed the entire grip area with the burnt bronze color I chose for the dark part of the grip and then laid the gold paint in with a brush.   The gold is Testors model paint.

the forward gold rings were also painted by hand.

I let the hilt dry for 24 hours before removing the tape myself (using normal every-day masking tape) but if you can handle the hilt while the paint is wet and get the tape off that might leave a tighter edge.  Come to think on it, that might have helped that deep edge at the front of the forward choke point...   :-)

Good luck!   Do make sure to mask the entire hilt area you're not painting.  I always get more overspray than I expect.

[Ilowarith]

First off: great saber hilt you're working on!  And while I can't speak for much of the logistics of such customizations I can definitely point you in the right direction here:

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=42946.msg734950#msg734950

This exact thread has been my inspiration. Thanks for the insight!

Hey Ilowarith! 

From my own experience, the hardest thing to do is to get a good seal line at the bottom edge of the choke point areas.  I always seem to have issues with that.  The pictures in the thread Dutchman linked will show that if you look closely.  I don't have a real solution, just be very patient and detail-oriented when you mask.  Go slow and get the edge as tight as you can.  :-)

For my part: I use the same paint (Rustoleum Universal) and I've had good success with it.  It will eventually wear in high-use areas of the hilt but usually the weathered look adds to the effect.  And if it chips you can always add more.

For the deeper, narrow grooves I have always used model paint brushed in instead of spraying it.  ON the Aeon V4 referenced I actually sprayed the entire grip area with the burnt bronze color I chose for the dark part of the grip and then laid the gold paint in with a brush.   The gold is Testors model paint.

the forward gold rings were also painted by hand.

I let the hilt dry for 24 hours before removing the tape myself (using normal every-day masking tape) but if you can handle the hilt while the paint is wet and get the tape off that might leave a tighter edge.  Come to think on it, that might have helped that deep edge at the front of the forward choke point...   :-)

Good luck!   Do make sure to mask the entire hilt area you're not painting.  I always get more overspray than I expect.

Thanks Karmack! Your Aeon that is next to the Guardian at the bottom of that thread is almost the look I'm going for. I chose a different type of black, and also I'm keeping my catalyst pommel. I definitely like that silver hilt with black accents, and there aren't many in the basic US lineup that feature that. The black stood out to me as different, and I liked that.

Another question, did you have any issues as you were spraying getting near any electronics? Was it just a matter of thorough masking overlapping?

[mrg149]

welcome to the customizing club!

1) whatever you spray, I suggest roughing it up a bit with sandpaper so the paint has a better surface to grab on to. I'd consider primer as well (though I ddidn't se it on either hilts below)

2) Mdel paints work nice  too for finer detail areas and weathering.

3) Don't orget a nice clear coat to seal it in

4) Don't be impatient like me and go playing before it dries ;-)

[Karmack]

Thanks Karmack! Your Aeon that is next to the Guardian at the bottom of that thread is almost the look I'm going for. I chose a different type of black, and also I'm keeping my catalyst pommel. I definitely like that silver hilt with black accents, and there aren't many in the basic US lineup that feature that. The black stood out to me as different, and I liked that.

Another question, did you have any issues as you were spraying getting near any electronics? Was it just a matter of thorough masking overlapping?

No problems at all.   I did put a blade plug in the emitter to make sure the LED was covered, but that was really more paranoia.   I really just masked the whole thing with tape, only exposing the areas I wanted to paint.

[Locke Lo]

I just painted mine. I used a couple of different spray paints. I have an oiled bronze, flat black and a clear flat for the last coat.

I left everything in the hilt and just slowly did my tapping. I only used blue painters tape. Then started doing light coats of paint. I had some acetone for wiping and dabbing to help. The paint dries quickly so have everything ready.

Once you have it the way you want it, I hit with the clear to seal it.

I did it over a couple of days and would weather the paint then spray again, definitely liked how it turned out. After a good day or two of drying just pull off the painters tape. Shouldn’t have any issues!