Hi there cosplayers/costume makers.

I'm Mark from CHARKHOL studios and here today I've decided to share my tips and tricks on creating effective and easy metal effects.

This one, is Hammered Iron. a VERY simple and easy way to create ancient and heavy looking armour pieces.

Good luck :)

Step 1: Materials & Tools

For this effect there are only a handful of tools needed.

1. A piece of com-panal, i.e. Di-Bond. Most signage/printing shops should have offcuts lying around that you can pick up pretty cheap. The com-panal consists of a thin layer of aluminium, a layer of resin and then backed by another layer of aluminium.

2. A Ball Pein hammer, or Cobblers hammer. The rounded end will be used to dimple the surface of the com-panal.

3. Jigsaw/stanly knife. if you intend on cutting the pieces to a specific shape.

4. Paints. Black, Chrome, and Clear coat

5. Cloth/Rags.

Step 2: Cutting/Scoring

Com-panal is quite easy to score and snap with a stanley knife, but only in straight lines.

If you are shaping the material, do so before the effect. A jigsaw is much better for cutting smoother shapes but will leave a rough edge, so be sure to sand away any burrs before painting.

Step 3: Stop- Hammer Time.

Start to firmly (but not too hard!) beat small dimples into the GLOSS side of the com-panal, this takes some time so be sure to set aside around 10-15 mins for this section.

Try to slightly overlay the hammer strokes so as to achieve a better finish.

The Dimpling will cause a slight bend in the panal, so every now and then turn it over and gently straighten it.

Step 4: Base Coat

Once you've hammered the surface completely you can wipe it clean with a dry cloth and apply a coat of black paint.

MAKE SURE THE PAINT IS SOLVENT BASED AS WATERBASED WILL NOT STICK.

It should only take a few seconds to dry in the sunshine or in front of a fan. ALWAYS check to see if the paint is dry with the rear of your hand, so as not to leave any finger prints.

Step 5: Tone and Highlights

When the black paint has dried you can begin the toning with the chrome paint.

Use a rolled cotton cloth and form it into a smooth ball, this will spread the paint easier.

Spray a nice pool of Silver onto a piece of cardboard or block of timber and use the cloth to pick it up in a circular wiping motion.

Step 6: Tone and Highlights Application

VERY VERY softly drag the Silver/chrome paint form side to side to highlight the ridges of the dimples and leave the centres dark.

This can take some practice, so you can always keep the black paint on standby should you need to do it over ;)

Step 7: Clear Cloat

This is the easy part.

Simply apply a nice coat of clear to seal the paint and prevent any scratches.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and learnt a few handy tricks for any LARP or CosPlay ideas.

Mark- CHARKHOL studios