[Nova]

I am by no means an experienced modder, but I did this pretty simple weathering pass on a set of new Rothco frame straps and wanted to share it.

Brand new straps do not match the weathering of the Haslab pack, so I wanted to give it a very old heavily used look.



The two videos I took weathering ideas from were the Punished Props video (probably the best one out there) and the recent Adam Savage mod video.



The tools and steps I took in order

• I ran the straps through a washer once then let them air dry.

• I scrapped away at all the fabric with an 8 inch flat file.

• Used a straight shaving razor to scrap up some parts of the straps (adds that fuzzy look) and added a small cut in one of the straps.

• Swiped a a sheet of sand paper a few times over the metal parts (button, latches, and the frame).

• Used a butane torch to put a few small burn holes on the front of the straps.

• Randomly hit it with some black and brown temporary hair color, focused it in some of the burn areas and the plastic buckles and let it sit a few hours to dry. This stuff will rub off very easily on your hands and clothes without a clear coat of something after to help lock it in. Even then it's still a bit dirty and may rub off a little. Some other dirt or paint techniques might work better if wearing this a lot. If this stuff is too much of pain I'll run the straps through the wash again then hit it with some other permanent paint, for now it is just a display piece and the clear coat helps a lot so it is not an issue for me.

• I hit it all with a full matte clear coat of rust-oleum then to try and lock in the temp color and lessen it rubbing off then let it sit overnight. This stuff definitely reduced the color rubbing off a lot and give it all a bit of an old rough feel after drying.

[Face Forward]

Love Punished Props, I don't think I'd have gone forward with my own cosplay if it weren't for their videos!