/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

It doesn't take an entire day to dry; you can do multiple coats in a day. Even if you're working, you can still do three: one before you leave for work, one when you get home, and one just before you go to bed. But if you want something different, there's literally dozens of ways to do armor. Paper mache, sculpting clay, carboard or papercraft and resin, wonderflex, worbla...maybe craft foam just isn't the thing for you.

>>6549798
... Are you seriously not realizing you'd be working on multiple pieces all at the same time? It's not like you have to go from start to finish on ONE piece before you can start the other piece...

>>6549803
Not OP, but do you think someone could list off pros and cons of different armour making materials?

>>6549803
most tutorials say to wait a day between coats. I couldn't understand why either since the glue/water mix dried really quick (especially in australian summer heat) but everywhere i turn 'wait a full day between coats' seemed to be the mantra. like I guess I want to know what drying time is between coats, surely no more than an hour or two for a solid finish is good? but I can't find an answer.

>>6549812
I wanted to finish off 1 piece fully to see if it gives the look I want as a test run before ruining everything.

>>6549825
most places also 'recommend' the wait in between so would i get lesser results by not waiting a full day? none of them say doing 1 or more coat a day is advisable

>>6549827
not to mention a gesso/priming layer which adds another freaking week and takes even longer to paint, but this seems optional depending on what tutorial I look at.

Slightly off topic, but would attaching fabric to craft foam for armor work? Or will I look like an idiot for trying?

I need to match the color on my cosplay to the armor, so I figured maybe I can use the same material.

>>6549825
I think they mean that if you're making a full costume you must have other pieces like clothes or shoes or wigs to work on too. Unless you're planning on making a full suit of armor with no prior experience.

Any experienced cosplayers will tell you there's always tons of things you could be making at any given moment.

>>6549833
I think can do it but you'd have to be very carefull that the fabric goes on without any creases or air bubbles. you can strengthen the foam by glueing fabric to the back so you'd just glue it to both sides right?

>>6549841
I was thinking of handstiching the fabric to the craft foam then glueing it if needed?

>>6549839
I'm waiting on some stuff to ship, checking out how best to get access to a belt sander and i suppose I could start on the main bodice part but i need duck tape first, although it's a good idea. So general opinion is suck it up and wai? Dx

>>6549845
Hand stitching to craft foam, after working with the material, sounds like a nightmare. especially sinc e a glue would bond it better anyways.

bump

I've had good results with using a hair dryer set on cool and low drying layers of paint. Just make sure to anchor the pieces down or they'll blow away, I felt like a moron the first time I did that.

Wow, so nostalgic seeing a picture from that tutorial... How far we've come.

Like someone else said, there's far more available materials around nowadays.
However, with craft foam the recipe is like you said. I sometimes do up to 5 layers of sealant depending on the density of the foam (usually 2-3 for craft foam). The reason some tutorials tell you to leave it so long is so that it's not just dry on the surface, but also fully absorbed inside.

Again, work on several pieces at once. I make all my armour pieces and then just have a week of sealing/priming/painting. Working only in evenings gives me a day between each layer so it's always dry by the time I get to the next bit (also echoing hairdryer tip).

As for it being engaging? There's gruelling gritty bits in any creative process. Cutting corners and steps is rarely a good option sadly! Wait until you're sanding layers of gesso until they reach neach perfection...

>>6549854
Okay, crossing off hand stitching. What type of glue should I use for it?

>>6549873
Thank you, i'll try this!

>>6549884
Is there a more recent tutorial? This is just the one that is refrenced most often. Thank you for clarifying the 'dry on the inside' for some reason his never occured to me despite knowing how absorbent foam happens to be. Maybe 5 hours between coats would be better and I can work on the other pieces? As said, I'm just bitter because I wanted to see a 'finished product' first before doing EVERYTHING. Would smaller pieces still take the hours to dry? I've got just some shoulder 'links' which are finger length so it'd be weird if it took as long as a full torso piece...to me anyways xD

I do/still find it engaging just...a lot of time lapses to see no difference is annoying and demotivates me. I like to see things 'getting done' and 7 days with no progress, bar a thin, transparent layer feels more like i've stopped doing anything. I suppose not sealing at all it out? I need it to last until April so idk if sealing helps that....

>>6549900
Are you trolling? Serious projects take time and commitment and if you don't have time, then don't try.
You shouldn't be demotivated by something that will take you about 2 days to see the final product of, that's just silly.
Just google more tutorials yourself and experiment! what's the fun in life if you don't try things for yourself? I mean, asking for help is fine, but you're not really asking anything besides "wah I'm impatient how do I save time"

bump

>>6549938
2 days? a day between coats + painting coats would be 2 weeks which was what i was asking about.If it was 2 days you're right, i would be stupid getting into this. read the first post fully before replying, it's in the 1st sentence that I thought it would take 2 weeks. and I man that for a single piece of armour, not toal cosplay making time.

>>6549833
What kind of armour is this OP? The only fabric I would recommend using over craft foam ever really is vinyl/leatherette, since you can glue it and paint it if you use leatherette.

But it might not work for what you have in mind.

Related question since I'm making an armor set using the tutorial in OP's post: Once you've finished all the armor pieces, how do you rig them to stay on your cosplay? The set of armor I'm working with doesn't really show any straps, apparently it's just magic.

>>6549995
For an over-the-shoulder armor piece, like goes around my head kinda like a donut. I made a harder armor piece for it but I couldn't move in it, so I wanted to try something softer

>>6550384
Get some big snaps or Velcri. Sew the costume side in instead of gluing if you want to wear it again without the armor some day. Some people even use snaps to create a joint in armor pieces.

>>6549813
Wonderflex/Worbla

Pros:
>Fairly easy to use
>When cooled, hard like plastic
>Worbla, specifically, can use leftover scraps like clay
>Holds its shape better than something like craft foam,
Cons:
>Does not create a smooth surface. Must gesso/sand a LOT
>Very expensive
>Might have issues with warping if you live in a hot area


Craft Foam

Pros:
>Extremely cheap
>Versatile. Can be hardened or stay bendable
>Easy to use
>Doesn't require many tools to use (like a heat gun, belt sander, dremel, etc.), but with thicker EVA foam these things do become necesarry.
>Smooth surface, no sanding needed.
Cons:
>Doesn't age well. Will become brittle/cracked after 6-12 months.
>Requires a lot of sealing
>Can look cheap unless a LOT of love is put into the costume.


Paper Mache

Pros:
>Cheap
>Easy (a child can easily do paper mache)
Cons:
>Usually looks like shit
>You can't just paper mache nothing. You have to have a base of some sorts, so it's more complicated than the other options in that sense.


The Fiberglass method (pepakura)

Pros:
>This will yield the best result.
>With pepakura, you don't even have try. It WILL look like the 3d model (as long as you're not fucking retarded and can cut/glue on the lines)
>As OP requested, this will be extremely engaging
>Regardless of all the cons, it's really not difficult to do. As long as you have patience, it will look nice. You don't have to be particularly artistically inclined to do this.
Cons:
>Expensive. Seriously.
>Takes a shit ton of time.
>Takes a shit ton of patience.
>Sanding. Oh god.
OP, I would say your best best is EVA foam mats. It's easy to learn, requires minimal tools, you can use pepakura still, and will yield very nice results. There are also a LOT of online resources to help you. My favorite foam build thus far is Halo's Kat: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/35790-KAT-ARMOR-BUILD-with-custom-undersuit-*WIP*

Serously, read the whole thing. It's really impressive and informative.

>>6553070
I'd like to add to the paper-mache method as it can be amazing if you put the time into it.

>It will take some light sanding
>Much less work than fiberglass, but can be almost as strong.
>If sealed well, can last a very long time.
>Not effected by heat.
>Does require some skill to look good.

Posting my favorite guide for OP, but be warned, no matter the method you choose it will take time.

The amount of time put into a cosplay usually equals how good it looks.

>>6553070

Can you give us any pros or cons on Bondo?

Tried using the stuff on a helmet/headpiece and sanding it down was an absolute WHORE due to it's nature to dry unevenly and create small indents and canyons.

Bear in mind, we first applied it using a butter knife and sanded it using fine sandpaper (TOTAL CROCK OF SHITE) then switched to applying it with our fingers to smooth it out more then sanding it with coarse sandpaper (STILL AN ABSOLUTE CRYCK).

Basically what I'm asking is, why they fuck do people like Volpin have absolutely no problems applying and smoothing it out, whilst we plebs try the same and end up with props looking like the Himilayas.

>>6554093
Volpin thins the Bondo as he works it. I believe it's either with de-natured alcohol or mineral spirits. Either way though, the only redeeming feature of Bondo is that it's cheap. There are so many better things to replace it now.

>>6554093
>sanding with fine paper first
Start with coarse, and then work your way to finer grit of sandpaper. 60-80 grit (probably 80), and then 100-200+ for super fine surface.

>>6554093

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyBkYrYsjA0

Granted I wouldn't sand the way he does but basically the way I learned how to use bondo I learned from this.

I found his bit about shaving off bondo as it cures to be quite helpful before sanding.

>>6554153
That video is great, thank you for posting the link. His little tips/tricks are unbelievable time savers.

>mfw I've done it the hard way in the past and now hate bondo.

>>6554213

No problem! I'd say though take his advice on the glazing putty with a grain of salt because I find it difficult to spread that stuff around with your finger and make it look nice.

>>6553070
Thank you very much, I am going with craft foam and have since been more patient, leaving 3 hours between coats of sealant until it was touchably dry. It meant i was doing roughly 3-4 coats a day and had first 'prototype' at least painted gold by the end of the 3rd day. I'll be sealing it with a varnish tomorrow (hopefully) putting my armour production at roughly 4 days instead for a small (but detailed) brace. Thusfar no cracking or warping has occured and I'm liking the results.

new question: will it last until April?

>>6556640
>new question: will it last until April?

Store it away from heat and sunlight and if it has a strong curve or shaping to any part, gently support that area with tissue paper and you should be ok. Double check it a week before your event.

This seems like the best thread to ask this in, since methods other than craft foam have been discussed.

Last summer I began my first (and currently only) pepakura-project; a flak armor-set based on the Imperial Guard of Warhammer 40K. Due to lots and lots of first-time trial and error I'm on the fence on whether I'd try and make the best of what I have so far or just scrap everything and start from scratch.

My biggest issue is making the armor pieces safe to wear, since my application of fiberglass mats (should've gone for weave...) was shoddy at best; tiny tiiiny bits of hardened fiberglass break off at the lightest bump and would turn me into a porcupine in seconds. I've considered just spraying a layer of expanding foam over all insides to seal the stuff in and then carve as necessary to make the pieces fit me.

Has anyone tried instamorph stuff? It's moldable plastic pellets in hot water, seems pretty neat and easy to use.

http://www.instamorph.com/

Also, how about plaster bandages? I used it recently on a non-cosplay project, and it's pretty tough stuff, easy to use, fairly priced, and just a bit messy.

>>6561622
Plaster based stuff usually will get too heavy and needs a lot of layers of other stuff to make hte surface smooth.

I'm considering starting a project with fiberglass. It would be my first time working on something like this. I have a doubt about sanding:

Do people usually use sanding paper and spend hours and hours smoothing the surface? I have a sanding machine (actually, my father has) and I used it on projects with wood, but I'm not sure if fiberglass would be too "delicate" to use the machine on it?

>>6561279
You can dremel the fiberglass on the inside (while wearing a mask) to a smooth finish. (use this kind of head: http://web4.hobbylinc.com/gr/dre/dre511e.jpg).). It takes a lot of time (as does everything else using this method), but if done with care the inside should be a smooth glass texture.

There's a lot of good info on plate-style armour here, but what's the best method for more form-fitting armour (like you see on Evangelions and other lightweight humanoid robots)?

>>6561665
You use autobody filler to smooth the skin of the piece. Use Bondo or Evercoat.

Seriously, if you can get your hands on it, use evercoat.
Use it.

I'm getting wonderflex for my breast plate I'm making.

Is wonderflex itself sandable? besides Bondo what else is out there that I can use to seal and then paint?

Would using wonderflex + bondo work? I feel like after I did all those gesso layers it still never fully lost the texture under close inspection (even though photos of it looked good)

>>6562107
No....you have to cover it with something (like gesso) and then sand.

>>6562124
This would only work if said piece was completely inflexible.

>>6561784
Pretty much all of these methods can be applied to form-fitting armor.

>>6562178
What you mean by completely inflexible? Like after you've molded the wonderflex into the shape you want and aren't going to mess around with it anymore, would be alright to put bondo on? I appreciate your reply, thank you

>>6562178
sorry I'm such a noob so it would be wonderflex then Bondo, then gesso, then paint?

I've only played with craftfoam

If anyone is interested in bondo, fiberglass, styrene, pepakura, armor or props in general really, you should check out http://www.therpf.com/

So much information there, and everyone is really friendly, polite and helpful. Just type in your question on google with "therpf" included and you will usually find a thread discussing what you're looking for.

>>6562211
I'm saying I don't think wonderflex is stiff enough for Bondo. You only put Bondo on things that are completely stiff, like a fiberglassed pepakura piece. If there's any movement at all in the wonderflex piece, the Bondo will crack. Maybe you could try fiberglassing the back of the finished wonderflex piece?

>>6562211
>>6563183
Another method that has not been mentioned yet is epoxy resin, but it does take skill to work with it.
As long as you have a semi-stiff base, you can apply it and it will not crack or crumble like bondo does. It can get heavy really fast though, so you can't do *huge* things, but I have made good sized armoured pieces with it in the past. It's my favorite material for when you want a really smooth finish that will hold sculpted detail well. Not as strong as fiber glass but a helluva lot less work and sanding, and you can do it indoors/no fumes etc.

>>6549798
>2 weeks
>one piece of armor
I don't know where you're getting such ridiculous pieces of info.
2 weeks is enough to make an entire suit of craft foam armor.
>7 days sealing
No, no, gods no!

The sealing method is really simple, and fast drying. You can take watered down modge podge, or fabric glue mixed with elmers glue (and also watered down). You paint across the surface, and let it completely dry (depending on the size, might take around an hour to dry) and then paint again.
5 coats.


Seriously you can do this in a single day per piece.

>another day
No. You won't have to wait longer than about an hour to have it dry completely.