Need Some Help with Woodgrain....

Hoping some of the Hot Rod guys have some experience here...

I ordered a sheet of woodgrain decals from Detail Master, to do one of these wagons...

http://www.tigersdenhobbies.com/gallery/roberts%201995%20Buick%20Roadmaster%20Estate/robert_roadmaster_wip_both.jpg

So the wagon is now painted white, and I painted the trim that surrounds the woodgrain area with a beige, as in real life...

I applied the decals... I would've taken pics for this thread but the decal was so poor that it crumbled to pieces as I applied it... I could probably try it again after maybe using some clearcoat on the sheet first to thicken it.... But that's beside the point, because the decal was damn-near translucent! So everything underneath showed through, and the decal was so weak that I couldn't trim it to fit inside the beige surround. Just a mess altogether... :banghead:

So I guess my question is, does anyone have either a) another source of woodgrain decals or b) a method of creating a woodgrain look with a brush? It needs to look like this, and now I'm up the creek without a solution:

http://www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/1996/Buick/303/001350-396x249.jpg

Stuff the hotrods- someone in Motorsports not long ago posted a terrific method for simulating the wood grain finish on the underside plank on F1 cars with paint. Don't know who or when, but it would be more than worth looking for.

I made only one time an attempt of simulating wood... But not for a scale model car purpose.

in a few words, here is how I did:

- I sanded rough (400 mg²)

- I applied a coat of "white" glue (like paper glue ?) mixed in water

- paint the applied texture in brown

- then applied "deco wood stain" "Light oak" paint above (this is a french paint made by Lefranc & Bourgeois use for decoration)

Result was acceptable but not terrific.
I think that for an scale model car a coat of clear for finishing would be better.
Even if I don't particularely know many thing of woodies i think that wood is smooth and glossy... :screwy:


That's all I can bring to the subject. :frown:


I have the idea of using wood effect for the dashboard of my mini roadster (to change from CF), except if I have better idea till that moment, I will go on with this process.


Phil

hmm... His underbody plank definitely looks great, but it's not quite the style I need... his looks more like slats, like you'd see on hardwood flooring, and the technique he described is for "drawing" the lines to separate the slats... I'm looking more for a way to simulate the wood GRAIN itself...

Hmm thanks for the suggestions rallymaster, I may try the glue technique... the thing is, on the real car it IS simulated wood, so the texture is actually smooth and glossy anyway...

I'm as concerned about getting the colour right as anything else, I think... That's why I was hoping to maybe find another decal...

1. Check w/Modelhaus, they may have decals for these particular models. They're starting to offer woodgrain decals for some of their wagons. It can't hurt to email or call them to find out.

2. Microscale decal film; apply liberally w/a soft wide brush over decals that crack/break up. This could save your Detail Master decals. If they're translucent use that to your advantage, paint an undercolor that works w/the translucent decals.

3. Layer colors to make woodgrain. Start w/the beige, mask it, then go over the beige w/a brush technique to make your own woodgrain using translucent tints of brown. It takes a bit of practice, you have to be "loose", but it can be done. I've seen demos on it on a couple other boards, and Scale Auto has had articles on it as well. It's best to use different types of paints as you layer, say a base coat of enamel or lacquer beige, followed by acrylic paints for the woodgrain effect. Or acrylic beige w/enamel woodgrain colors.

4. Do a Google search "how to paint wood grain" and learn from the various techiques there. It shouldn't be hard to figure out scale versions of the same basic techniques.

Maybe by sanding fine and not rough, with sandiong & clear coat after paint, it will works.

The glue was only used to simulate natural wood effect, but for a polished and treated wood maybe you don't need to apply it...

anyway I think it has to be tested to know the righter way to process to obtain what you expect to.


Did you ever thought to what is used in train modelling ? there is a lot of stuff available to simulate wood, stone, walls etc etc.
maybe this could be an issue for you if it's also available in self adhesive sheet and not only decorated plastic sheet. :)


Phil

There is a tutorial on BMC that would help you. You should find sheets of simulated woodgrain in the scrap book section of craft stores, you basically apply it like a BMF technique. I'll be using the same technique for my Tamiya 600SEL.

There is a tutorial on BMC that would help you. You should find sheets of simulated woodgrain in the scrap book section of craft stores, you basically apply it like a BMF technique. I'll be using the same technique for my Tamiya 600SEL.

Woah, that sounds wicked.

How about sawdust and apply it like flocking? :D

How about sawdust and apply it like flocking? :D

Hehe, well that would work, but it would achieve more of a particleboard texture, not wood panelling :p

I seriously doubt that using wood craft book laminates would work on the Caprice's sides. That stuff is too thick and unweildy; it works perfectly as shown on BMC for making a flat PU bed surface, but not a contoured surface. It's not very flexible and it's got a lot more thickness than a decal. Way out of scale for this purpose. If used on the model it would probably look like an amateur hack job.

Decals or paint are the only good method for doing woodgrain on a wagon body like this. The real car uses vinyl decals...

Hi John,

you could try this (or a similar homepage) to get wood images...scale them and
print decals.

http://www.textures.boom.ru/texture/wood.htm

I don't know wether this helps, but it's worth looking if you need textures...

Cheers
Sebastian

Ya, I read the BMC tutorial as well, not really gonna work... I think I may just give these decals one more try, paint the surface underneath a beige first...