paxtoprime94
Active Member
Hi all, I’m brainstorming ideas and I'm really thinking about creating a fabric Iron Man suit after creating a similar armored Superman build. Was just wondering, what's the best way to attach fabric (specifically polyester) to foam?
Seen a few YouTube videos about wrapping foam with fabric, most use contact cement. Just wondering if anyone else has additional suggestions or ideas about what would work best, potential issues, etc.
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Attached are pics from an unfinished armored Superman build I did a few years back. It’s made with metallic polyester fabric from Hobby Lobby, and thin craft foam inserts (not the thick kind that is usually used for Iron Man suits, but not the weak paper-thin stuff either).
I drew templates myself on poster paper, based on an awesome artwork I found online. Then I traced the template shapes 3 times: 2 copies on the fabric (plus seam allowance), and one copy on the foam. After cutting it all out, I’d sew together the 2 fabric pieces, flip them inside out, and insert the foam piece like a letter into an envelope. Finally, I’d finish it off by topstitching around the edges. The pieces all held their shape very well, looked and felt just like armor. But with great flexibility and comfort. Heat wasn’t an issue either, because the armor wasn’t tight and had air gaps between some pieces.
I’m proposing a similar method for Iron Man, using foam Pepakura templates for design accuracy. But all the tracing, cutting, and flipping inside out took forever on the Superman suit. Plus, the sewing became very finicky at times. And the armor did show a lot of wrinkles. So I’m looking to slightly improve this method.
Sewing could still be used, just maybe not as much. I just can’t find a lot of info out there on the “gluing” method with contact cement or other adhesives. Am I talking nonsense? I feel like somebody, somewhere had to have already done something similar many times for other builds (characters that immediately come to mind include IF/NWH Iron Spider, Loki, armored anime characters, fantasy armor from WoW, Elder Scrolls, etc)
Anyone have any input/suggestions?
Seen a few YouTube videos about wrapping foam with fabric, most use contact cement. Just wondering if anyone else has additional suggestions or ideas about what would work best, potential issues, etc.
.
.
.
.
Attached are pics from an unfinished armored Superman build I did a few years back. It’s made with metallic polyester fabric from Hobby Lobby, and thin craft foam inserts (not the thick kind that is usually used for Iron Man suits, but not the weak paper-thin stuff either).
I drew templates myself on poster paper, based on an awesome artwork I found online. Then I traced the template shapes 3 times: 2 copies on the fabric (plus seam allowance), and one copy on the foam. After cutting it all out, I’d sew together the 2 fabric pieces, flip them inside out, and insert the foam piece like a letter into an envelope. Finally, I’d finish it off by topstitching around the edges. The pieces all held their shape very well, looked and felt just like armor. But with great flexibility and comfort. Heat wasn’t an issue either, because the armor wasn’t tight and had air gaps between some pieces.
I’m proposing a similar method for Iron Man, using foam Pepakura templates for design accuracy. But all the tracing, cutting, and flipping inside out took forever on the Superman suit. Plus, the sewing became very finicky at times. And the armor did show a lot of wrinkles. So I’m looking to slightly improve this method.
Sewing could still be used, just maybe not as much. I just can’t find a lot of info out there on the “gluing” method with contact cement or other adhesives. Am I talking nonsense? I feel like somebody, somewhere had to have already done something similar many times for other builds (characters that immediately come to mind include IF/NWH Iron Spider, Loki, armored anime characters, fantasy armor from WoW, Elder Scrolls, etc)
Anyone have any input/suggestions?
