I've decided to upgrade the guns for my John Hart costume to something a little more space-age, and would like to make this:



A generic 'steampunk' gun, into something a little more like this:



I figured that filling in the grooves and gaps with clay should be alright, (I want to keep the sight on the top), and spray-painting it black or dark grey, but I was most curious about the weathing. How would I go about creating the 'worn metal' look?

I have literally no experience with making or modifying props, so any advice anyone could suggest would be greatly appreciated - Thanks so much!

After painting it matte black you could try 'dry brushing' it with a metallic acrylic paint. As the name suggests, dry brushing is where you add a small amount of paint to a dry brush and then wipe most of it off on a piece of paper towel until the brush appears dry again. You then lightly brush back and forth over the areas that need to look metallic and the remaining paint on the brush will start to build up on the edges and raised detail. You can vary the effect depending on how much pressure you apply and how long you brush at the same area. You can also change the look by using acrylic washes afterwards to tint the metal different colours or to create an oily or rusted look using black or brown washes.

Note - do not use top quality paintbrushes for this as dry brushing is very tough on the bristles and wears them out quickly.

These are all techniques I picked up from painting war game miniatures but they work on small cosplay props too.

yeah drybrushing is your best bet...

sponges are also good for large areas to give a worn and scruffy look... also remember, with plastic, you can use a knife or something prior to painting to scratch in nicks and chips, then when you finished painting, just highlight them with a slightly lighter shade to give the realistic touch

M