Chain improvements on the cheap!

As a follow on to my first thread, guys, & looking at the great details sets you get now, I thought there must be a way to smarten up the chains supplied in our kits:confused:
here's how I have improved my chains without breaking the bank on photo-etch!

First, spray your chain in a different colour primer to the plastic. In this case, the plastic chain was black so primed in grey!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle0011.jpg

Using a cheap rotary tool (£10 from ald1:cwm27:) & a dental burr which is square ended & small enough to go into the chain links. (I got my dental burrs from a pack supplied from Proop brothers in england!). I very gently burr between the chain links & because of the different colour of the plastic, you can see where you are grinding.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle002.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle005.jpg

It should look a bit like this! A bit ragged & rough, but we will fix that in the next stage:naughty:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle006.jpg

Using Tamiya thin glue or MEK, you brush the chain with it & this will melt the ragged bits.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle0071.jpg

Spray with your primer again & you can see the bits you have ground out.:lol2:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle0072.jpg

Spray again with your favourite metallic (I use tamiya acrylics thinned with tamiya laquer thinners, it works:cwm27: great)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle008.jpg
A coat of thinned black acrylic or your own mix & watch the detail appear:tongue:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle010.jpg
To enhance the detail more, paint in each individual link with matt black paint (here I use Andrea black) & then wipe across the links to clean them.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle011.jpg
Hit with a dry brush of gun metallic.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle012.jpg
then a very dry brush of silver highlight
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle013.jpg
Here's a close up of the detail
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/fazer1006/ChainArticle014.jpg
Please practice with the dental burr first as it is easy to cock it uo (believe me I know!:crying:)
Well guys, my second posting, let me know what you think & I will leave you with a tantallising next posting on making Exhaust springs on the cheap. (check out the second photo on the mounting thread!
Keep the shiney side up guys!

Hey great tip!, looks very real...I would like you to post how to paint exaust pipes and tubes and brake calipers.

What a fantastic tutorial, Plus I bet we all got enough of these lying around to practice on..!:biggrin:

Those are great tips keep them coming mate cant wait for more

Splendid tip Mark! That took the supplied chain to a new level! Your weathering technique is great as well.
/Joel

More to come:iceslolan

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Great tip tks for sharing & steady hands to pull it off.