Aging pine crevices

[SilverHornet]

Or more specifically, making it look old and well-travelled - specific examples would probably help. This is the sort of effect I'm after [okay I can't link ... thumbnail three]

A few replications of this have come close but fallen over at the finishing stage, eg [still can't link - thumbnail two] - as it all shares the same colouration, highs and lows, the details are lost and it just looks tacky.

Reading elsewhere suggests this sort of effect can be achieved by dying twice - once with darker and wiping it off, then a lighter one later. My concern there is wouldn't the solvents from the second coat, either make the darker colour bleed out, or react in other ways?Any particular types or brands to use (or avoid) for this?

Ideally I think I'd probably want to oil this rather than varnish, otherwise I might just layer varnish on the darker areas... this has been done before but it looks plasticky and uneven [...and thumbnail one]. And no, I definitely do not want to paint it.

Many thanks for your experience and insights.

 

[MattRoberts]

It might not right for this in your eyes, but I find that the coloured briwax products are really good at highlighting variants in the wood - dings, marks and cracks (crevasses) are dark in contrast to the smoother lighter wood

 

[ED65]

One of the problems with doing this in pine specifically is that it's a right pig to stain evenly. Most softwoods don't stain that well but pine is particularly bad so you're getting uneven results right from the get go.

A hardwood would be much preferable if you want to do this using dye, and the staff will be far more durable too.

And no, I definitely do not want to paint it.

I hate to say it but that third image looks like it was done using paint. The technique I'm thinking of is widely used in miniature painting and gives quite a characteristic appearance and that looks just like it. Google "drybrushing" to see how it's done and what it looks like.

The technique ports over perfectly to full-size items, you just use a larger brush.

You can achieve somewhat the same look by getting the wood uniformly dark and then wearing it off the high spots with sandpaper, steel wool or a nylon abrasive pad, but you do have to be much more careful not to wear away detail or soften edges.

 

[thetyreman]

you could use wax to get into the crevices briwax is perfect for it, for example tudor oak, they do loads of coloured waxes.

Pine isn't the best material though!

I agree with others that hardwood is far better, it's more consistent when carving, and more durable, oak or ash is what I'd use.

 

[SilverHornet]

I see, I was planning on using pine for reasons of cost - and that it'll likely be a few attempts before I make one I completely like.

I hate to say it but that third image looks like it was done using paint. The technique I'm thinking of is widely used in miniature painting and gives quite a characteristic appearance and that looks just like it. Google "drybrushing" to see how it's done and what it looks like.

The third one is the in-game model, which is photoshopped textures over a 3D mesh. However, drybrushing sounds very similar to the idea I'd heard of before, eg dying it once then wiping the dye off, then redying the higher areas. I'll just have to test it on gouged scrap I think, and see how it works with what I have to hand.

Wax sounds a good idea, I'll have a look at the offerings in Wickes on my way past later today, and look at the prices of comparable hardwood. [Edit: Wickes seem to have no hardwood. It's pine, spruce or bust by the looks of it.]

Thanks for the responses.

 

[Fairweatherer]

I'd suggest using a dark stain first then sanding it back and using a lighter, tinted wax over the top. I tend to use a solution of van dyke crystals to get into the features, a) because it's cost effective and b) I have a level of control over how dark I want it.