Costume armor making without fibreglass?

[hypevince]

i want to make armor that is durable, but i don't want to make it out of metal because of the weight and the slow costing process.
i want it to be wearable more then once, so it doesn't break if you sit on like the crotchpiece.
I thought about fibreglass but i don't have the accesability to it and i'm afraid paper mache isn't strong enough to make it wearable more then once.
so if you could share your armor making methods and/or very strong paper mache mixes share it here!

 

[laxman09]

i see a lot of people using foam lately, seems like a durable material that wont break if you sit on it, wont break if you get hit, etc. im not 100% sure about how well they hold up but that sounds like what you might want to lean towards!

 

[OldSkoolEffects]

Vac-formed plastic or cast resin. You could go with foam, but there's inherent sacrifices in doing so.

 

[clonesix]

As mentioned above, foam makes reasonable armor. More specifically, foam floor mat. It is EVA sheet stock. It can be cut, bent, and glued relatively easy. There are several threads on this subject, if you use the search feature at the top of the page.

I also recommend you tube as a source of inspiration.

 

[MJParker021]

I'd say foam sheets or roles of Eva foam or you should try the thermal plastic that all the girls from "Heroes of cosplay"

 

[clonesix]

Oh yes, Worbla. i have never tried it, but it is a plastic that becomes ductile at low temperature.

 

[hypevince]

isn't worbla like the most expensive thing to build with?

 

[division 6]

Vac form with ABS will be strong and flexible. (down side, soft on detail if using thicker material like 1/8", also needs to be done in a moisture free environment to avoid orange peeling)
Use Styrene for sharper pulls, solid armor (down side, it becomes brittle over time and cracks)
You could also use PETG (really strong)

Studios now like to use urethane (like the Pacific Rim Drive Suits)

 

[hypevince]

how do you vac form and what's abs?

 

[Mockle]

how do you vac form and what's abs?

acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). ABS plastic

 

[OldSkoolEffects]

how do you vac form and what's abs?

A great book on the subject:

http://www.tapplastics.com/product/fiberglass/books_dvds/do_it_yourself_vacuum_forming/20

as well as

http://www.dickblick.com/products/the-prop-builders-molding-and-casting-handbook/

 

[Talaaya]

isn't worbla like the most expensive thing to build with?

Depending on the surface area of the armor, you could use anywhere from one to two or more jumbo rolls of worbla, which run about 80 bucks a pop. If you can swing it I highly recommend worbla. It is a magical material. Think of it this way: you can either spend time or money for the amount of quality - you can work for a really long time making cardboard or foam look phenomenal, or you can spend extra money and start closer to the end (also worbla, being a plastic, would be more durable than cardboard or foam). Whatever your pockets allow, but in my opinion worbla is well worth it.

 

[RowBoatCop]

Depending on the type of armour sintra/foamex could be a good option. It can be heat formed (not compound curves though), sanded, and painted easily. If having a clean finish is important to you I'd look into it before jumping into foam. I recently picked up a 300mm x 400mm x 5mm sheet for less than 20 euro

 

[SmilingOtter]

What sort of armor are you looking to make?

 

[jayroth]

Or, if you have the skills, you can sculpt what you want out of clay, mold it, then cast up your pieces in whatever material you like. There are many flexible foams that might be suitable, and should some damage occur, you can always cast up another one...

 

[obiwan kowalski]

I am a fan of flattened out PVC plumbing pipe. I use the thin walled four inch diameter. After much experimentation and sawing and sanding I found that heating the flattened out sheets of PVC can be cut with a razor knife quickly and precisely. Once your pieces are cut out you can heat and mold them to your liking.

 

[RowBoatCop]

I am a fan of flattened out PVC plumbing pipe. I use the thin walled four inch diameter. After much experimentation and sawing and sanding I found that heating the flattened out sheets of PVC can be cut with a razor knife quickly and precisely. Once your pieces are cut out you can heat and mold them to your liking.

Is pvc plumbing pipe much cheaper than pvc foam board? seem like a lot of extra work to get to the same state that sheets of sintra come in

 

[obiwan kowalski]

I don't know about the cost difference but a 10 foot piece of pipe is like $8.00 at Home Depot or Lowes. I use a heat gun and a box cutter and can have it cut down to five, 2 foot sections and throw them in the oven just enough to soften them and I flatten them out between some sheet metal with weights on top. IMO 8 bucks is dirt cheap for materials unless you have access to free. Plus you get 10 square feet of PVC.

I would think this stuff is probably stronger than PVC foam board too. The only drawback I found is that you are limited to how wide the PVC is when you flatten it out. The 4 inch diameter gives you a tiny bit more than 1 foot. I have been able to glue flatter parts together if I glue tabs in the back of the seams. If you can find bigger pipe with the thin walled tubing then you can surely make larger parts. I could not flatten out the thicker walled stuff at all. If you look up my Colonial Marine armor and my Pulse rifle build, I used it for the shoulders and the shroud/carry handle.

 

[obiwan kowalski]

I forgot to mention that armor made from this probably wouldn't warp if left in a hot car either. Like I said..probably. I never tested that theory.

 

[clonesix]

I really hate the idea of heating PVC pipe, as it produces nasty toxic fumes. Really good ventilation is needed!

I personally like vacu-forming styrene, but as stated above, cost is an issue. You must build a vacu-former, and create molds to form over. this can be complex for the uninitiated.

What type of armor do you want to try, Hypevince? Can you post some pictures? That would point us in direction to help you