which you can do with a careful tap with
a hammer or score with a file. Don’t
go crazy or your woodwork will end up
looking like a chainsaw victim.
To make these marks stand out, use
darker stain on them and then sand the
surrounding area before using lighter
stain on the entire surface.
As with paint effects staining is a
personal thing, if you like it go with it.
Once you are happy with the overall look
a good rub over with beeswax will seal
the deal.
ABS fake wood
layer to get exactly the desired effect,
just have a go. When you’re happy with
your work it is a good idea to seal the
paint with a light spray of matt lacquer.
Real wood
Certain gun models have wood grips,
stocks and foregrips, such as the M1A1
‘Thompson’, the M14 and almost the
entire AK range.
To age wood it is usually easier to
begin by sanding them back to remove
any varnish or wax coating. This will
give you a base starting point to begin
distressing.
With wood you are trying to give the
appearance of wear through staining the
areas where sweat and oils from the skin
will have built up. Gross, but factual.
To achieve this, slowly apply wood
stains, dark at first then gradually lighter.
Between each depth of stain lightly sand
back areas of body
contact. These should
remain lightly coloured
and be surrounded
by a graduated darker
wood effect.
Wood also takes the
odd knock or scrape,
This is the effect that people find the
hardest to attempt, and I can understand
why. Creating a realistic aged wood effect
is not easy, but we’ll try to make it less
difficult.
The trick with this is how to apply the
acrylic paint.
The first layer should be a dark brown.
Allow this to dry thoroughly before the
lighter shade is applied.
Now take your lighter shade and coat
the surface. While the paint is wet run a
stiff bristled brush, such as a toothbrush
or even a hairbrush, across the surface in
the direction that the grain of the wood
should be. This should (and you may
need to practise this a few times before
working on your gun) bring out the darker
brown beneath as a wood grain effect.
The more you practice this the better
the outcome, as you begin to add branch
whorls and knot holes. Finish up with a
light coating of satin or gloss lacquer.