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I've created a Space Wolf Army, and I have some Rune Priests that lack runes. My first Idea was to Carve them into the armor, but lack a tool small enough to do so. So I come to you dakka and ask for your wisdom as to how to get some nice small runes put onto my Rune Priests. I don't mind the method, I just want them to look nice.

It would help a little if you were more specific in what you wanted but, a couple of ideas are to try sculpting some using greenstuff or just try freehanding them on. I realy wouldn't like carveing them out seeing as they're metal if I remember correctly.

Freehanding is the easiest way to do it, GS would be the next way to go about it unless you wanted them engraved then carve into a model with a dentists tool.

I was going to make one out of the Wolf Pack box that pretty much everything comes out of. Really all I want is some rune designs, kind of like what the runic armor has in the codex. In my head the easiest way to do it was to carve them in, and then wash it.

I'd go with what you feel more comfortable doing. I personaly wouldn't attempt carveing a metal miniature but that's me, as for designing them, try drawing them on first and just follow the drawing when you come to carve?

The mini's not metal, it's a plastic box. I don't like the actual rune priest model that GW has because it seems to lack a lot of character, and If I had 3 of those running around I'd want to hang myself. The carving was just a thought, I was looking for other input as to how people would do it as well. Not sure I'm good enough with GS to use that. Freehanding them on with paint wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Go to Secret Weapon Miniatures and look in their brass etched items. They have 2mm tall runes that you can cut out with a pair of clippers and just super glue to your rune priest and then prime and paint.

Heres the link
http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12&products_id=18

Try just 'carving' runes using a sharp pointed object, then smoothing down the surrounding plastic with synthetic steel wool (which i use for smoothing/'sanding' most of my plastic models). Seems reasonable for the runes to represent hand-carved cuts by the marines, so won't matter if they look a bit irregular. I'd definitely practise on some spare plastics first though...

For carving you could try scribing the plastic using a pin in a pin vice if you have one.

The best way to scribe plastic is very gently with lots of passes rather than trying to gouge in one go.
However in my experience the smaller the line to be scribed, the harder it is to be neat. It could be done with a bit of practice though.
If possible it mght be an idea to use some masking tape to line up the top and bottom of the runes as guidelines si they are the same size.

If I were doing this I would be seriously tempted to get a set of those photo etch sets.

Alternatively look at the Scibor Monstrous Miniatures SF 28mm range, specifically their Celtic SF Warriors one of them might be "character" enough for a Rune Priest.

Painting them on freehand is pretty common, and can look quite good. Giving the illusion of depth, however, takes a bit more care and skill. If you're up to it, this would be the "simplest" method.

Barring that, since the runes are comprised entirely of straight lines, scribing them into plastic really shouldn't be all that difficult, either. Just sketch them on, then follow the lines. Like Chibi said, multiple passes with light pressure will give you a cleaner line. You can use a sewing needle, dental picks, the back of a craft knife... even a thumbtack or a safety pin should work. Just know that scribing like this won't be removing stock, merely pushing it around, so you'll end up with furrows that will need to be filed/sanded down.

The best way, in my opinion, is to actually engrave them, but most folks aren't likely to have any gravers/burins lying around (and honestly, for most it wouldn't even be worth picking one up for modeling use). Personally, though, I have found a medium sized square (an onglette or diamond would work well for runes and incised decoration, but it's not as well suited to truing up the inside corners of right angles) burin to be rather handy for sharpening up miscast lines and incising detail into both plastic and metal models. Should you choose to go that route, I'd suggest grinding a slightly larger than usual foot, to help control your cuts more easily in the soft materials.