How to make wood/mdf look like aged metal or iron

[gablekevin]

I was wondering because im going to have a woodworking friend of mine build a custom case for me out of mdf/wood what paints or techniques should i use in order to make the case look like aged metal i was thinking chrome paint with a layer of like some sort of brown dry brushed onto it. Please help need advice bad thanks everyone

[Zeus]

Just out of curiosity, why are you looking to make wood look like metal? It seems to me that metal would be plenty excellent looking metal and wood would look very nice looking like wood. I am just curious of the motivation. The idea is intrigueing

[crazybillybob]

Check out this thread in the Rookies Nook it's on making a case look worn. He did a nice job on his case and many people posted tips and tricks for weathering.

Rookies nook Worn case Thread (http://thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1082)

Crazybillybob

[gablekevin]

well for one thing wood is cheaper and easier to work with than metal also lighter in most cases and with a good primer job and minor sanding in can look really smooth so i guess thats one motivation. Also my friend works for a cabinet shop so he has access to any tool imaginable to work with wood.

[Zeus]

cool. Please don't take my initial response as a negative. I was just curious what you were going for. Good luck with your mod. Looks like crazybillybob gave you some pretty good info.

[Bum]

One thing to consider with a wooden case is that you don't get the radiant cooling from the metal transfering heat to the outside. Wood is a better insulator than conductor.

As far as making the wood look like metal, I'd go check out model-making sites. They have huge amounts of experience making all sorts of things look like metal. One interesting one I've seen is actually veneering aluminum foil onto a substrate. Very tedious but the effect was great.

[gablekevin]

thanks for the info guys keep it coming anybody know of any specific projects or faux finishes that someone has done (step by step) i saw this really great technique called medieval armor but it was only a picture.

[Uncle Humjaba]

Umm. How are you going to mount a motherboard on wood? O_o As far as I know, the standard atx motherboard spacer things screw into metal, so unless you're going to make your own...

[malinkie]

One other thing to remember is that wood shrinks and expands with heat... You will also have to watch the humidity in the room to an extent.

The clear coat from painting should stop moisture getting into the wood .

just my two cents ;)

[crazybillybob]

As long as your screws holding down the motherboard (or any PCB) aren't overly tight the Temp/humity expansion of the wood shouldn't hurt any thing. If your really worried us nylon standoffs, They will flex with the wood but not hurt the pcb. (If it's so humid that the wood starts expanding enough to hurt anything you should worry more about electric shorts then expansion!)

As for the heat issues, a good cooling setup (fore thought when planning it) will nullify the fact that wood is a poor heat conductor. If you think about it plastic and bondo are also poor heat conductors and we all use them in building PC cases regularly.

Good luck,
Crazybillybob

Post some pics....Everythings better with Pics.

[gablekevin]

Thanks billybob and everyone for the things to look out for. Billybob where would i get nylon standoffs from also. I think my air cooling setup should be fine what do you think
CPU Heatsink-thermaltake big typhoon
VGA Heatsink- zalman v700
120mm 96cfm intake in the front
120mm 96cfm exhaust at back

[Crimson Sky]

you can get Nylon (and aluminum) standoffs at Lowes--they have them in the nut/bolt hardware section in those stacked drawers.

[gablekevin]

thanks crimson

[joseph008]

so how and where on this site do a find the answer to the above question,thanks.

[billygoat333]

holy thread revival! there be zombie threads about! *grabs a shotgun*

what question above are you talking about? the quote button can be very handy in situations like this ;)

[haha49]

-first do several base coats of paint then put layers of what ever colour you want on it.. then sand it down a bit paint more colours sand agian clear coat it when you happy with it..

[nevermind1534]

Hi, I am new here. I viewed all posts.

That would be a pretty amazing feat. How long did it take you to read them all?

[BuzzKillington]

lmao

[nevermind1534]

you have a good sense of humor.

It's almost like they actually read at least one of the posts!


It's funny how the spammers always seem to reply to spam posts or spam related threads.

[landonj56]

sorry for necro-posting but I have a solution to the topic.

To make wood look like metal, you can use low-grade walnut. It will still cost you more than low-grade oak or alder, but most furnature stores make "natural dings" by just bumping it against hammers, other pieces of wood, and even with fists (ouch).

Afterwords, you need to paint it after smoothing it out with a sander and spray some self-etching primer on it. Next, take some matalic paint (test it on a seperate board that went through the same process) and give it about 3 coats.

If you are in the "warfare" type of mood, this is probably the best solution I could give. (Well, you could always take a shotgun to the case, 2 cartriges should be effeciant. Do this BEFORE painting.)