Smoothon's Epsilon. New foam coating material

[vincent228]

has anyone confirmed if the epsilon does harden up and become brittle after a few weeks ?

 

[Zeigrin]

Very interested to see how this stuff holds up under som stress testing! I might order a gallon for the ironman suit I'm building for Acen 2013 here in May! I'm still a bit away from painting my foam parts so hopefull you guys can put this product through it's paces by the time I need it. :love

 

[booksandcorsets]

has anyone confirmed if the epsilon does harden up and become brittle after a few weeks ?

I've pulled out the piece I was able to flex earlier and confirmed: it does harden to where there's hardly any flex left in it at all. However it hasn't become brittle. I've been able to sand it in this state, which is really nice. It isn't the flexible coat I was hoping for but I still think it's way above the 65D.

I'm still working on the larger pieces I was testing so I will have something bigger to share soon. (I'm coating the Judoon armor I'm prepping for Katsucon in this stuff, and Katsu is Feb 15.)

 

[vincent228]

Thanks for the replies. You think its stll better than the 65D?

 

[OBI WAN KEN0B1]

Thanks for this guys. I will keep watching this one i was wondering if you use this product would you still need to sand and bondo. or just alittle sanding then paint? Even if it does get super hard i think it would still be good for my foam trooper i am planing on building.

 

[booksandcorsets]

Thanks for the replies. You think its stll better than the 65D?

Yea, definitely. It has a tiny bit of flex still and also bonds directly (glues) to the foam, so it won't crack away in parts like the 65d sometimes does.

When I finish the armor up I'll post a big recap--I've been shooting a bit of video too.

 

[NelBearPig]

Since the Epsilon gets so harder over time do you think there is any chance of it distoring curved pieces?

 

[booksandcorsets]

Since the Epsilon gets so harder over time do you think there is any chance of it distoring curved pieces?

You should be painting it on pieces that are already shaped. I have applied it to several curved sections of the Judoon armor and it helped reinforce and cement that shape into place; it doesn't seem to be changing it after curing.

 

[Shelfside]

Anyone found a UK stockist of this?

 

[Fett 4 Real]

You should be painting it on pieces that are already shaped. I have applied it to several curved sections of the Judoon armor and it helped reinforce and cement that shape into place; it doesn't seem to be changing it after curing.

Yeh im pretty sure this is for styrofoam more then the EVO foam, something that is hard, not so much a flexible piece. Which for me is fine...probably going to order the sample.

 

[booksandcorsets]

Hey everyone, so I finished my large scale tests and shot a quick video to show as well. After working with this material for a bit, I still feel that this the final entrant into the field to seal EVA foam pep builds. I’ve included a video update as well so you can see the material in action (both fully cured, partially sanded, and actually being applied). In brief:

FLEXIBILITY
The flexibility of the foam I was so excited about goes away at roughly the 5-7 days point, and the material becomes more of a hard coating. Unfortunately for us, that means it doesn’t move with the foam as much as I’d previously hoped. However, I’m not sure this is such a bad thing as it still retains a TINY bit of flex (you can push on the top of the coat and it is slightly pliable; applying the same pressure to a 65D coated EVA foam piece would cause the 65D to crack) and the firmness makes it much easier to sand.

SANDING
This material, once it’s fully cured, sands wonderfully. I’ve been using 220 grit and am getting very nice coverage. Next up on my tests: I plan to see how spot-putty works with the armor set. If it bonds to this material (and I’m not sure why it wouldn’t), you’re going to be able to get a marvelously smooth finish to this beast.

SEAMS
It fills all the seams. ALL of them. It’s ideal for hiding edges.

HOW MUCH YOU NEED
I have at this point done two coats (and in some places three coats) to the entire Judoon armor set using the Epsilon “trial” bottle—and it’s still not empty. This is excellent news for everyone as it really stretches and is thus very inexpensive to use.

I hope this helps everyone!

Video can be found HERE.

 

[vincent228]

Hi Alyssa. I have been trying to view the video, but the link seems to be down.
I would love to see it.

 

[LordMephisto777]

Same for me. I've tried a few times too.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TK9120]

It worked for me earlier.

 

[booksandcorsets]

That's really odd that the link messed up. Just try going directly to my facebook page then? Its under the video tab.

 

[vincent228]

Thanks for the video! I was able to watch it when i went right to your Facebook page and watched. Very informative. I look forward to hearing and seeing more.

 

[WickedGamer]

So, here's a question... do you think that this could successfully be applied over top an already pva primed foam costume, with a few coats of spray paint and clear coat? with the glue being water/liquid soluble, and the paint having mixed with it, I would think that as long as the epsilon, a solvent, was able to cover the entire surface of the piece, it was still cure as normal, or close enough to normal that it would still serve its function.

I am thinking of getting some and reinforcing my already completed foam Iron Man costume, after I fix some of the wear and tear from last Halloween.

 

[booksandcorsets]

So, here's a question... do you think that this could successfully be applied over top an already pva primed foam costume, with a few coats of spray paint and clear coat? with the glue being water/liquid soluble, and the paint having mixed with it, I would think that as long as the epsilon, a solvent, was able to cover the entire surface of the piece, it was still cure as normal, or close enough to normal that it would still serve its function.

I am thinking of getting some and reinforcing my already completed foam Iron Man costume, after I fix some of the wear and tear from last Halloween.

I haven't tested it on an already-painted surface... but I don't see why not. It's a glue, after all. I think it would be stronger if it could bond to the foam directly (the paint--especially the clear coat--is serving as a barrier) so it's bonding to the paint rather than the base.

 

[WickedGamer]

you have a point, and I do not know the viscosity of the substance, but I am thinking it all might just kind of blend together... or at least hopefully to the glue. I might have to pick some up and give this a try. I was going to pep a new helmet in resin anyway, so maybe I will try this on my foam helmet.

 

[Risu]

This stuff is looking so good! I've been trying to find a proper hard coat for foam that won't flex, and this stuff pretty much meets all the requirements I'm looking for. Has anybody tried it on proper minicel instead of EVA?