Well, it's been a little while since my last picture-filled post so I've had time to finish up another prop I've been wanting to get to. Here's how it went down...
I started with a circle of 3/16" plywood to give the form a rigid backing and to make trimming it easier (stop when you hit the edges
).
Then I determined the centre point, marked it, and flipped it over. I went to town with a low-expansion spray-foam and let it cure. This stuff remains somewhat flexible when it's cured, making it less than ideal for the purpose. However, I was doing this on a budget and with a deadline in mind.
I roughed it into shape with a sureform rasp, utility knife and a sander.
Then I slapped a lot of drywall filler on top to start refining the shape. Cheap and plentiful, even if you have to be a little gentle when sanding it smooth. Give it plenty of time to dry.
After that was done it was time to start firming up the surface. I chose to brush a couple layers of fiberglass resin on, knowing it would bond well with the foam and give it a hard shell. Then it was on to the spot putty phase to fill any low spots I wasn't seeing. After a little sanding and cleaning I also gave it a few coats of paste wax. It helps smooth the surface while doubling as a release agent/moisture barrier. Also, it's quite cheap and easy to obtain. :lol
I didn't take many pics during the molding, but I do have one of the finished mold. I used hydrostone reinforced with chicken wire. It was a little thin in places, but I've already pulled a few blanks out of it with no problems yet.
The next thing to consider was attaching the straps. I found a few rectangular wire rings and decided to use plumbers straping to hold them on. The holes in the strapping let the resin soak through it creaating a really solid bond if you layer it in well. There's no way those straps are pulling out of the shield body!
The next shot is the first few layers with the strap points set in.
I made sure to extend the fibreglass farther than the finished diameter of the shield so the edges would be uniformly thick after I trim the blank to size. You can see the wax worked quite well as a release agent in this case.
The next stage was adding some bondo to the front to make sure everything was nice and smooth, then start laying out the design. I opted for a very evenly proportioned star on this one, instead of the huge star version some folks prefer. I wanted it to be very classic Cap.
I started with a couple layers of black primer to help make the white coat opaque. It's also easier to tell where you've already painted with this technique.
To Be Continued...
I started with a circle of 3/16" plywood to give the form a rigid backing and to make trimming it easier (stop when you hit the edges
).
Then I determined the centre point, marked it, and flipped it over. I went to town with a low-expansion spray-foam and let it cure. This stuff remains somewhat flexible when it's cured, making it less than ideal for the purpose. However, I was doing this on a budget and with a deadline in mind.
I roughed it into shape with a sureform rasp, utility knife and a sander.
Then I slapped a lot of drywall filler on top to start refining the shape. Cheap and plentiful, even if you have to be a little gentle when sanding it smooth. Give it plenty of time to dry.
After that was done it was time to start firming up the surface. I chose to brush a couple layers of fiberglass resin on, knowing it would bond well with the foam and give it a hard shell. Then it was on to the spot putty phase to fill any low spots I wasn't seeing. After a little sanding and cleaning I also gave it a few coats of paste wax. It helps smooth the surface while doubling as a release agent/moisture barrier. Also, it's quite cheap and easy to obtain. :lol
I didn't take many pics during the molding, but I do have one of the finished mold. I used hydrostone reinforced with chicken wire. It was a little thin in places, but I've already pulled a few blanks out of it with no problems yet.
The next thing to consider was attaching the straps. I found a few rectangular wire rings and decided to use plumbers straping to hold them on. The holes in the strapping let the resin soak through it creaating a really solid bond if you layer it in well. There's no way those straps are pulling out of the shield body!
The next shot is the first few layers with the strap points set in.
I made sure to extend the fibreglass farther than the finished diameter of the shield so the edges would be uniformly thick after I trim the blank to size. You can see the wax worked quite well as a release agent in this case.
The next stage was adding some bondo to the front to make sure everything was nice and smooth, then start laying out the design. I opted for a very evenly proportioned star on this one, instead of the huge star version some folks prefer. I wanted it to be very classic Cap.
I started with a couple layers of black primer to help make the white coat opaque. It's also easier to tell where you've already painted with this technique.
To Be Continued...
