Best material to vacuform over

[sp1derman]

hi guys so i have my next project in mind alot of armour (no not iron man) i dont want to reveal just yet who it is. however im trying to decide what material to make the base of each piece from i.e the master wich i can vacuform abs over.

however im not sure what to use i was thinking sbout pep but i intend to do a run of my armour once i finish which i cant do if i use someone elses files (+ i have heard you have to make the pep pieces so strong to ensure they can withstand the vacuforming).

i have been thinking of wood however some parts will be increibly hard to do in wood (the main reason im thinking of wood is to have long lasting masters incase my own armour brakes or anyone wants a copy).

would clay be a viable option?

what sort of would could withstand the vacufom? some parts would be great to make of balsa (as its so soft to work with however not sure if it would stand plastic being shapped over it over and over again?

any tips would be great?

Thanks

 

[Captain April]

If you want a long lasting vacuum form buck, carve the master from wood or high density foam then make a mold of it and cast it in plaster or stone.

 

[division 6]

Ultracal 30, Hardwood, Acrylic.
For just a couple pulls HD foam should work if the shape isn't to complex.

You can sculpt it in WED clay then let it set up to get stiff (like leather) then vac over it.
Fill that pull with Ultracal 30 then point up any rough spots for your master.

For sharp edges you can even incorporate acrylic into it.
You can even use PVC tubes and couplers.

Plaster falls apart fast and won't hold an edge.

 

[sp1derman]

thanks guys the armour is all very simple just small shaps with slight angles on it so i can make most of it from wood with no issue just wasnt sure if there was a better way. has anyone done tutorials at all starting from making the buck to cleaning it and vac forming it?
is there a reason more people dont use it for things like iron man costumes?

 

[Psicorp7]

Wood + Bondo + A Lot of Sanding works best! I build my bucks up in 1/2" to 1/4" layers and then fill with bondo to smooth. This saves a lot of sanding and will get your shape pretty close without trying to carve from thick pieces. You can see some of my process in my Doom build in the Marvel section.

As to why most people don't VacForm Iron Man, It is just too complex without very many repeated pieces. You would have to make bucks for the both the right and left of both arms and legs. With that much work and the loss of detail in forming, it is just better to make negative molds and cast with higher detail. VacForms like smooth simple curves without undercuts and lots of sharp edges.

Good Luck! What type of former are you using?

 

[sp1derman]

Wood + Bondo + A Lot of Sanding works best! I build my bucks up in 1/2" to 1/4" layers and then fill with bondo to smooth. This saves a lot of sanding and will get your shape pretty close without trying to carve from thick pieces. You can see some of my process in my Doom build in the Marvel section.

As to why most people don't VacForm Iron Man, It is just too complex without very many repeated pieces. You would have to make bucks for the both the right and left of both arms and legs. With that much work and the loss of detail in forming, it is just better to make negative molds and cast with higher detail. VacForms like smooth simple curves without undercuts and lots of sharp edges.

Good Luck! What type of former are you using?

I'm building my own former using xrobots method. All I need to make is a chest and Abbs and shoulders which isn't to much really.
For detail lines how deep to I need to carve into the wood for the vacuform to pick it up?
Thabkyou for all the advice this is the biggest project I have ever done so it's very daunting but exciting

 

[Psicorp7]

If the details are inset you probably want to go about an 1/8" to 1/4" deeper depending on how deep the lines are going to be in the final product. You might also need to drill suction holes in the inset areas to pull the material into the grooves to valleys. Small holes in the corners work best but sometimes you have to play it by ear. If you need more holes you can add them or fill back in as needed. The smaller the hole the less likely it is to show up in the pull.