WWWIP Week 10 Malinda
Malinda here with my last WWWIP entry! In this final crunch week, my priorities were to finish the Sheikah Slate and leather.
I masked off the gold pieces of the slate body before spraying it with both black and brown enamel paints. While waiting for that to dry, I started weathering the other pieces with black acrylic. I usually start in the crevices and rub with my fingers. Dry brushing or stippling works great too.
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Once the enamels dried, I peeled away the masking tape and started weathering the slate body with the same black acrylic. When the enamels have had enough time to fully cure, it’s ready for a clear coat.
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Once dry, I started to remove the liquid mask that has been covering the light-up areas for a while now. I tried two methods. One involved using an X-Acto knife to cut along the edges first before peeling away the mask since otherwise, the paint could have over peeled due to the paint's strength and flexibility. I ended up touching up the edges with more black acrylic afterwards.
The second method I tried before adding the second color and clear coat on the main body. The reason I did this beforehand was that I wasn’t planning to light up these lines so I didn’t mind getting clear coat on them. I peeled the mask and cleaned up with the knife after. This seemed to be easier and had a better-looking result, though I’m not sure how it would look if I chose to light up those lines.
After assembling everything together, it was looking pretty great even without the LEDs! Crystina also made me a belt clip to hang the slate since it’s going to be rather heavy. I’m bringing my LEDs and soldering kit to Katsucon to figure out on Thursday since I’m getting there early. But if I can’t get those to work out, the Sheikah Slate still looks pretty sweet for the show, and I can always revisit it later.
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I didn’t take a whole lot of photos while assembling the belts since it wasn’t all that interesting. I started with belt blanks from Amazon, and there was a lot of hole punching, snaps, and contact cement for the details and to keep everything together.
I got a bunch of dyes to try, but they all dried way too quickly. I even tried diluting them, but it would change the color too much. I ended up borrowing some water stain in medium brown and dark brown, and they were perfect after diluting in water. When applying, I did small sections at a time and rubbed them with a sponge while they were still wet to minimize stroke marks. I did 2-3 coats per piece, and it was easier to blend as the leather got wetter with dye. I’d like to burnish some edges and weatherproof everything, but for now, they’re wearable for Katsucon.
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Final touches included punching holes into the baldric that allow me to attach my sword, and painting the details on the bracer with Angelus paints.
I did a test wear, and it all fits! The circle cape is rather heavy and has a harder time draping over the sword. I might make the accurate cape later, but for Katsu I have the option of cape or sword. Makar the Korok will be my stand-in prop when I’m not using my sword and shield!
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Thanks for following along on my journey, and I hope to see you at Katsucon!