R u s t    a n d   o t h e r    S m a l l    D e t a i l s

In my opinion, I feel that the rust and weathering seen on the original prop is part of what makes it so unique. I had experimented with a rust

technique on my Risk Ross PKD but in the case of this blaster I knew the solution I used before would not be convincing - partly because

the new weapon is not finished as dark as my old PKD but mainly because the real metal surface called for a different solution.

Once I had reassembled the weapon, I studied the original photographs to see what qualities were needed to emulate the rusted surface.

I quickly realised that I needed to employ a very delicate touch or the surface would quickly become overworked and contrived. So, using an

old toothbrush, I dabbed the bent bristles into some flat black paint and then proceeded to gently stab the surface of the blaster in the areas

I felt the rust was most noticeable. The bristles of the brush are perfectly designed to create a random stipple pattern without the

end result looking like paint splatter. I was also very careful to keep the spots small because too big a spot is not convincing.

Picture 01: The items used to emulate the rust on the surface: an old toothbrush, a fine paintbrush and flat black paint and shaved graphite and pastel pencil

Working in smallish areas, I first laid down the paint stipple and allowed it to become tacky. I then shaved the top of a Sanguine hued Conti pastel pencil.

Using the tip of my finger, I gently dabbed the pastel pencil particles into the drying droplets of paint. This was done using varying degrees of pressure

so that the result was a random thickness - some rich rust red and others a very dark black-red spot. To vary the finish, I also rubbed in a small amount

of shaved graphite particles and this gave some of the spots an older, less red sheen..

Pictures 03 and 04: The surface of the blaster after the application of the stippled black paint. NB, this process was repeated over and over again until the desired effect was achieved

Besides the fact that the pastel pencil gave me the color I wanted, I also noticed that under certain lighting conditions, the 'rust' showed up very

clearly while in other conditions, the rust looked more subdued and dull. I had seen this effect while studying Karl's original set of WorldCon

prop pictures and this is what led me to experimenting with this technique.

Remember, its important to keep the treatment light and less obvious or the blaster ends up looking totally contrived.

Pictures 05 & 06: Subtle rusting on the surface of the blaster. Extra rust was added to recesses and places where logically water would gather.

The Grub Screws: The main screw comes supplied with a small post of metal that sticks out from the side. After I had polished the screw,

I set about remolding the post of metal. Using a heavy set of pliers, I gripped the post in the teeth of the pliers and firmly squashed and rubbed

the little post until it resembled the blob of what looks like solder stuck to the side of the screw. I then filed and polished it again and then painted

 the base ring a dull gold before dirtying both of the grub screws using a mixture of black paint and graphite shavings - the dark crud stays in the

recesses. I also left a little polish residue between the two screws (on the magazine cover) because it was something I noticed on the original prop.

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The Wiring: This is the only major departure I made from the original. I have always had a big problem with the idea that there were cut

wires on the side of the prop but I was even more disgusted with the shoddy repair work done on the prop wiring just prior to it being auctioned.

In an attempt to find a compromise, I used some old yellowed wires and ran a complete connection through to the magazine.

I purposefully kept the wires neat and tidy and specifically didn't cut them off in any way.

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The Binding Post Knob: As mentioned on an earlier page, I applied black paint straight onto the post (without first priming). I then gently

rubbed off an appropriate amount of paint and after working out the correct orientation, I cut the distinctive shallow groove into the side

of the post using a fine metal saw. I had noticed that the groove on the original seemed to be brass (while the ridged head looked silver

steel) so I painted the groove a dull antique gold to emulate the finish on the original weapon.

Picture 07: Detail of the grub screws showing the weathering and the 'solder' spot / Picture 08: I used an old wire but opted not to have them cut / Picture 09: Subtle weathering on the binding post

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