DAVIDYR1'S 2012 Halloween Costume Contest Entry - Gene Simmons Costume - Test Fitting

Cool Packs!

You really dont want to put latex over plastidip because it will peel off, where as when latex is brushed over foam, it bleeds into the pours and wont come apart. You can plastidip it all black at the end, before you dry brush the silver but I would strongly suggest only dong that at the end. I guess simply put, you really cant cheat the process ...but the process is rather straight forward. With your build experience already, I'm sure you could do this suit on your own in a heartbeat.

No, latex does not come in a spray can, that's why I have to use a spray gun with it. It's liqud rubber...comes in jars or pales only.

David

DAVIDYR1 said:

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Cool Packs!

You really dont want to put latex over plastidip because it will peel off, where as when latex is brushed over foam, it bleeds into the pours and wont come apart. You can plastidip it all black at the end, before you dry brush the silver but I would strongly suggest only dong that at the end. I guess simply put, you really cant cheat the process ...but the process is rather straight forward. With your build experience already, I'm sure you could do this suit on your own in a heartbeat.

No, latex does not come in a spray can, that's why I have to use a spray gun with it. It's liqud rubber...comes in jars or pales only.

David

I wonder if I could spray down the cotton with that 3m adhesive. Once dried, I could brush on the latex?
Thoughts?

I have footage somewhere at home showing his costume lady doing repairs on a boot.
I seem to remember the material being super soft/flexible like this latex method you're doing. She lifted it up and squirted some glue under the flap and pushed it back down.

I'd originally seen it on one of my Kissvision bootlegs...there was one I had that was a bunch of 1979 era interviews and documentaries.
Something tells me that same footage wound up in the Kissology DVD set..

Bassgod76 said:

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I wonder if I could spray down the cotton with that 3m adhesive. Once dried, I could brush on the latex?
Thoughts?

Yes it will work, but it wont give you the Lava details you're trying to achieve...at least it didn't work for me when I tired it.

No, to get the results I'm now getting, you need to dip the cotton chunks into the latex and smear, tear and pull them around your armor sections. The cotton needs to be imbedded into the latex for this to work.
Of course you're welcome to try other ways, but this is what has been working now for me...but do experiment with it until you find what works for you. We all have different comfort zones when working so by all means...give it a try!

David

decaturvader said:

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I have footage somewhere at home showing his costume lady doing repairs on a boot.
I seem to remember the material being super soft/flexible like this latex method you're doing. She lifted it up and squirted some glue under the flap and pushed it back down.

I'd originally seen it on one of my Kissvision bootlegs...there was one I had that was a bunch of 1979 era interviews and documentaries.
Something tells me that same footage wound up in the Kissology DVD set..

That's some pretty cool insider information. Thanks for posting that bud.
I do believe the cotton latex approach to be what they did originally...but of course I can't confirm that I'm doing it like they did exactly. I'm sure there was more to it when they did it, but I am seeing cool results just the same.
The cotton and latex has been confirmed to me by several people in the know, including people associated to the original maker of this suit...but thanks for basically reconfirming this.



David

DAVIDYR1 said:

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Yes it will work, but it wont give you the Lava details you're trying to achieve...at least it didn't work for me when I tired it.

No, to get the results I'm now getting, you need to dip the cotton chunks into the latex and smear, tear and pull them around your armor sections. The cotton needs to be imbedded into the latex for this to work.
Of course you're welcome to try other ways, but this is what has been working now for me...but do experiment with it until you find what works for you. We all have different comfort zones when working so by all means...give it a try!

David

So I should dip the cotton, stretch it, etc. Stick it to the foam, dry it with hot air drier? From there I could brush more latex on when the cotton is dried and in place?

Bassgod76 said:

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So I should dip the cotton, stretch it, etc. Stick it to the foam, dry it with hot air drier? From there I could brush more latex on when the cotton is dried and in place?

Yup! That's exactly what I've been doing.

David

DAVIDYR1 said:

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Yup! That's exactly what I've been doing.

David

So spraying the latex isn't mandatory?

Started the boot leggings...Working on a flat surface and once I'm done with the latex lava-like detailing I'll remove it from the base, wrap it on my mannequin leg and trim it accordingly.



This part is taking a lot of latex but it's going to work fine.

David

Awesome, thanks bud. I just watched it and that's pretty much how I pictured them when not worn.. This really does help and make me feel even better about my chosen way of making my replicas.

I just peeled my latex sheet off of the base and wrapped it around my platform boot....and the results are pretty darn cool. I'm feeling extremely encouraged by these first results and can already picture them finished....and that's a good thing because now I'll be starting my wife's version of this suit too.

David

DAVIDYR1 said:

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Awesome, thanks bud. I just watched it and that's pretty much how I pictured them when not worn.. This really does help and make me feel even better about my chosen way of making my replicas.

I just peeled my latex sheet off of the base and wrapped it around my platform boot....and the results are pretty darn cool. I'm feeling extremely encouraged by these first results and can already picture them finished....and that's a good thing because now I'll be starting my wife's version of this suit too.

David

How are you attaching the material to the boot?

Bassgod76 said:

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How are you attaching the material to the boot?

I'm not sure yet...once I start and get it attached, I'll post the details.

David

So here's last night's progress.
First boot is done. Now it just needs silver dry brushing but I'll be doing the paint on the whole suit all at once.

Second boot will be done this evening....and let me be perfectly honest here....It feels rather 'powerful' wearing these and walking around!








All this took was to cover the boot 'foot' part in latexed cotton...then once the leg part was dry I peeled it off of the flat surface and wrapped it around the platform boot. Added more cotton and latex to the seam area...blended it all together, added a zipper...painted black and here we are.
Just to clarify, the leg part is only attached to the boots foot part. The leg part of the platform boot is not attached to my longer leg part...otherwise I'd never be able to move!
This way, movement is perfect in every pose...yes, I already tried.

More to come...we're in the home stretch now!

David

DAVIDYR1 said:

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So here's last night's progress.
First boot is done. Now it just needs silver dry brushing but I'll be doing the paint on the whole suit all at once.

Second boot will be done this evening....and let me be perfectly honest here....It feels rather 'powerful' wearing these and walking around!








All this took was to cover the boot 'foot' part in latexed cotton...then once the leg part was dry I peeled it off of the flat surface and wrapped it around the platform boot. Added more cotton and latex to the seam area...blended it all together, added a zipper...painted black and here we are.
Just to clarify, the leg part is only attached to the boots foot part. The leg part of the platform boot is not attached to my longer leg part...otherwise I'd never be able to move!
This way, movement is perfect in every pose...yes, I already tried.

More to come...we're in the home stretch now!

David

Excellent work.
Questions:

1. How did you attach the latexed cotton to the boot, foot part?

2. I think you wrote that you only attached the leg sleeve part you made to the boot, near the ankle area. How did you attach the leg sleeve to the boot?

3. You said you added a zipper to the sleeve. Is the sleeve material strong enough to handle being sewn to a zipper?

Bassgod76 said:

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Excellent work.
Questions:

1. How did you attach the latexed cotton to the boot, foot part?

2. I think you wrote that you only attached the leg sleeve part you made to the boot, near the ankle area. How did you attach the leg sleeve to the boot?

3. You said you added a zipper to the sleeve. Is the sleeve material strong enough to handle being sewn to a zipper?

Thanks bud!!!

1. All I did was dip cotton into the latex and press it onto the foot part of the boot. I wrapped the whole foot part from the toes to the heel, and the platform parts...that's all. That way when I had my leg part ready to wrap around the boot leg part....it would have something to anchor down to, meaning latex to latex.

2. Correct, my leg part is not attached to the black vinyl boot leg part underneath. When I wrapped my latex leg part around the boot, I attached it to the latex foot work I had done previously ONLY. Besides, it fits so tight onto the boot leg base anyhow that it doesn't need to be glued to it. Had it been, then I'd not be able to move my legs well. This way as I walk, the two leg parts shift independently from one another, not pulling against one another or making it difficult for me to walk.

3. Yes the leg part is incredibly strong. In the photos it's just the boot with nothing inside of it...and see how the boots stand up on their own? Trust me, they're strong...very strong...and flexible. Yes, stronger than most off the shelf fabrics now. Consider that the base material alone was thick, strong fleece...that I then coated with latexed cotton batting. The end result is a very strong rubberized fabric so yes, stitching a zipper to it is not an issue.

Glad you dig it dude.

David

DAVIDYR1 said:

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Thanks bud!!!

1. All I did was dip cotton into the latex and press it onto the foot part of the boot. I wrapped the whole foot part from the toes to the heel, and the platform parts...that's all. That way when I had my leg part ready to wrap around the boot leg part....it would have something to anchor down to, meaning latex to latex.

2. Correct, my leg part is not attached to the black vinyl boot leg part underneath. When I wrapped my latex leg part around the boot, I attached it to the latex foot work I had done previously ONLY. Besides, it fits so tight onto the boot leg base anyhow that it doesn't need to be glued to it. Had it been, then I'd not be able to move my legs well. This way as I walk, the two leg parts shift independently from one another, not pulling against one another or making it difficult for me to walk.

3. Yes the leg part is incredibly strong. In the photos it's just the boot with nothing inside of it...and see how the boots stand up on their own? Trust me, they're strong...very strong...and flexible. Yes, stronger than most off the shelf fabrics now. Consider that the base material alone was thick, strong fleece...that I then coated with latexed cotton batting. The end result is a very strong rubberized fabric so yes, stitching a zipper to it is not an issue.

Glad you dig it dude.

David

Wait, what material did you use for the leg sleeve? I thought it was the same foam sheets you used for the base of your armor?

Did you prep the boot's surface in any way to aid in latex adhesion to the boot? I would never think latex would stay bonded to a vinyl boot.

Bassgod76 said:

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Wait, what material did you use for the leg sleeve? I thought it was the same foam sheets you used for the base of your armor?

Did you prep the boot's surface in any way to aid in latex adhesion to the boot? I would never think latex would stay bonded to a vinyl boot.

No...there are no foam sheets on the leg part or boots other than the bone spikes. I carved those out of foam and dipped them in latex.

Go back up and look at the pic of the leg sleeve, you'll see it flat on a board, right? The cotton dipped in latex is perfectly visible there...and the black outline you see it placed on is a sheet of black fleece. The cotton dipped in latex is spread out and bonded to the fleece backing you see there. When it was dry the whole sheet became one big piece...black fleece and all.

No, nothing was done to the boot surface. However the whole foot part is covered so it's never going to pull away or pop off. It's as if it's been dipped in latex and as such is it's own flexible boot shell. Still, the latex grabbed onto it very well...and it's not coming off.

Here's how I'm approaching this build in general...The bottom line is the originals Gene wore were somehow done in a similar fashion. Not exactly this way but along these lines, and I'm sure they faced similar issues and concerns...so I'm trying to not over-think this too much. There's a basic logic here...latex, cotton...stick to base surfaces be it chest, arm and shoulder armor, as well as boots. Latex and Cotton...then more latex and cotton...the more you do, the more this makes sense...and the more you start to see it come to life. Sure, I'm sort of winging it as I go, but some aspects of this build just 'make sense' to me to do them THIS way.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong...and I have no idea exactly how the originals were made, but can only guess that I'm 'sort of' on the right track.

David

I didn't realize I took a pic of the boot as I was assembling it.
If you look closely you can see the seam running across the bridge of the foot that I blended the leg part and top of foot part together. You can follow that seam all across the foot and base of leg part.
At the top you can see the black fleece, which was not as of yet cut straight or shaped with the curved edges.



This is how it looked before the rest of the detailing...pretty boring and ugly, but even at this stage I had a pretty good feeling about it all working as it should.

I hope this helps bud.

David

DAVIDYR1 said:

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No...there are no foam sheets on the leg part or boots other than the bone spikes. I carved those out of foam and dipped them in latex.

Go back up and look at the pic of the leg sleeve, you'll see it flat on a board, right? The cotton dipped in latex is perfectly visible there...and the black outline you see it placed on is a sheet of black fleece. The cotton dipped in latex is spread out and bonded to the fleece backing you see there. When it was dry the whole sheet became one big piece...black fleece and all.

No, nothing was done to the boot surface. However the whole foot part is covered so it's never going to pull away or pop off. It's as if it's been dipped in latex and as such is it's own flexible boot shell. Still, the latex grabbed onto it very well...and it's not coming off.

Here's how I'm approaching this build in general...The bottom line is the originals Gene wore were somehow done in a similar fashion. Not exactly this way but along these lines, and I'm sure they faced similar issues and concerns...so I'm trying to not over-think this too much. There's a basic logic here...latex, cotton...stick to base surfaces be it chest, arm and shoulder armor, as well as boots. Latex and Cotton...then more latex and cotton...the more you do, the more this makes sense...and the more you start to see it come to life. Sure, I'm sort of winging it as I go, but some aspects of this build just 'make sense' to me to do them THIS way.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong...and I have no idea exactly how the originals were made, but can only guess that I'm 'sort of' on the right track.

David

So latex stays bonded to vinyl? Gosh, I thought it would peel right off. In my head, I see it similar to painting plastic wth latex paint (peels).

I'm not ultra familiar with latex. I can see it bonding well with porous materials like the fleece. vinyl boots? Not so much. Maybe I'm overthinking this.


I just saw what you meant about making the sleeves out of fleece. A great idea.

So incredibly cool man. Loving the build!

When you're done I'd love to see this in person!

Orange_Blend said:

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So incredibly cool man. Loving the build!

When you're done I'd love to see this in person!

Glad you dig it dude! Hey, what are you doing this Saturday night? I'm sponsoring the Silver Snail Halloween Party in Downtown Toronto. If you don't already have plans, why not suit up and come hang out...

....over $1,000.00 in UD Replicas prizes to be given away!
- ok, end self promotion.



So last night I started painting the armor...and it's not as easy as it looks.

It's going to take layers and washes of silver, black and chrome repeated over and over to get it right.



The other boot is almost done, and all spikes are carved and ready to be installed. If all goes well this evening I 'may' be done with the paint and assembly of the armor making it ready to wear...we'll see how it goes.

David

DAVIDYR1 said:

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Glad you dig it dude! Hey, what are you doing this Saturday night? I'm sponsoring the Silver Snail Halloween Party in Downtown Toronto. If you don't already have plans, why not suit up and come hang out...

....over $1,000.00 in UD Replicas prizes to be given away!
- ok, end self promotion.

Man I wish I could! I'm throwing a Halloween party the same night.

You should give away some UD stuff at the Christmas party this year...

Sure David, the one year I'm not wearing anything new or special to the party!

You are a badass to make this outfit in one month. Kudos!