There is a technique that we use in the dental lab for creating texture on the outer pink surfaces of a denture. This technique is called stippling. I discovered that it works very nicely to simulate a type of texture as seen on some cast armor. It is extremely simple to do. The key to the process is the “stippling bur.” In order to make a stippling bur, you start with an ordinary round steel bur. I’m using a dental bur, Fig. 1, but any small round bur will do. I then put a slight bend in the shank of the bur, Fig. 2. After the bur is bent, I run the bur over a sharpening stone just to dull it a little, Fig. 3.

Using the bur is a snap, Fig.4.  All you need to do is keep it moving.  With a little practice you will be able to adjust the pattern by how fast you run the bur, how much pressure you apply, and the diameter and bend of the bur.  The rear of the low bustle turret on the Dragon PTO kit doesn’t line up particularly well, but after sanding it down and going over the surface with the stippling bur, you can’t even see the seam, Fig. 5.  After filling in the flare port, I redid the texture with a fine stipple effect as compared to Dragon’s heavier texture which I simulated on the filled loaders hatch just visible in the lower left, Fig. 6.  It seems to blend pretty well with the kit version of cast armor.