Guide: Getting The 'Sandbox' Look

[jagillham]

I've had a few comments on my "sandy" look M4 previously, so hopefully this short guide will help anybody looking to achieve the same!

I'll be giving my new 4x ACOG the sand treatment, replacing my old red dot version (for sale ) to match the rest of the weapon. At the end of the guide I'll give some pointers on how to do this to the whole weapon.

So here they are side by side, the RDS one was my first attempt a few months back. On the 4x I'm hoping to achieve a slightly more natural look. The aim is to get a sand residue in the areas it will naturally collect, so anywhere inset, hard to reach or not subject to wear.



First things first, we need to cover up the glass. Although the paint will come off the glass if needs be, this makes it much easier. Best thing to use is electrical tape, but you could use blue tac. I prefer tape as it is thin, so you can can get the sand effect into the shades on either side.



My paint of choice is "Krylon" in "Sand" colour. Krylon is a very dusty paint, has a matt finish, dries within minutes and comes off easily. It does tend to float around somewhat, so this is a job for outside if possible. You'll probably find the surrounding area covered in Krylon dust.... so keep this away from carpets, clothes etc - it will sweep off laminate though.





Here comes the scary bit, you need to cover the whole thing in the thickness you require for the lowest areas. This means it's going to be really covered when you start! Keep the spray around 1ft away at all times, and do a few sweeping coats. Make sure you attack it from all angles, we need paint in all the inset areas. Too little paint, you'll lose the effect. Too much, and you'll have a lot of sanding to do.

In this first picture I've done too much, which I'll simply have to spend more time sanding off.



On the other side it is pretty much the ideal thickness. You can see this side looks more like specks of dust/sand rather than painted.



It's now just a case of getting the wire wool out, and starting to wear it away. You'll find the bulk of it comes off very easily. The areas that are harder to reach will soon show up, and these are the areas the sand would be collecting anyway. If you've gone too thick with the paint, you'll have to get right in the corners to wear that down to a sandier (rather than paint) look. Just keep going until you have the look you desire.





If you are thinking about doing this to your whole weapon there are a few things to bear in mind.

- Unlike most paint jobs, this one is best done with it complete, rather than in pieces.
- Remove the motor, as the wire wool breaks away it will be attracted to the magnets
- Once you have sanded, then disassemble to remove all the dust & wool fragments


Any comments, suggestions or your own attempts... let me know below :D

[bigshep]

Re: Guide: Getting The 'Sandbox' Look

Very nice. I have read on other forums that the same look can be achieved with a dusting of krylon then rubbing back with white spirits rather than completley coating and then using wire wool.