Help buying right foam.

I

IronNewb

New Member
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I am new to this forum but I count it as a God send because of all the helpful people and all the information. That being said, I am at a complete loss as to what foam I should buy for my first Iron Man build. It would be very much appreciated if someone could point me in the direction of a U.S. retailer that sells the foam that I need to make this build possible. I've read that yoga mats work well, but I just don't know if that's going to work for the helmet and I know the interlocking floor mats will not work because they are too bulky. All help is much appreciated. Thanks!!!
 
For my helmet, I'm just using Foamies, available at Jo-Ann Fabrics and other craft stores. For some areas I've had to double layer if I need a particular area to have a little more rigidity to it, but by and large it's worked out pretty well.

A lot of people have taken to using Platizote (spelling?) that is available in various thicknesses from 2mm to 1/2 inch. There are a few retailers online that sell it for a reasonable amount shipped from the UK- my favorite is Coscraft
 
Thanks for the help, my only problem is that I can't buy in euros. That's what I 'm finding to be a major challenge in buying the right foam.
 
I think this is what your looking for

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It's called EVA foam

I know for sure that the black ones can be bought at Harbor Freight and some lowes store for about 20 bucks for a pack of 6 I think. I've seen the multi colored ones at Walmart and Home Depot.
 
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Thanks for all the help everyone. I bought some of the black floor stuff at Lowes but seems a little thick for a helmet but might try anyways. I also bought some of the blue camping foam mats that you can get at Wal-Mart. It's a closed-cell foam mat but read somewhere that it is hard to glue. I guess I'm going to have to make a few mistakes, but I hope to have the construction of a Iron Man helmet done in a couple of weeks. Look out for an update and anyone who is interested can send me a friend request. Thanks Again
 
The floor stuff is usually a little thick for a helmet. You see veterans like STEALTH warning against using anything thicker than 6mm for the helmet if you want a good result.

Another piece of common advice is don't start on the helmet. Do a few smaller pieces like the forearm and the shoulder bell. Get your cutting and gluing skills ramped up before you tackle the most important piece.

Good luck!
 
XRobots, thanks for commenting on my thread and I do take everything you say as truth. I really admire all your hard work and giving back to the community. I really can't wait to see what you do with that wireless helmet idea, which I might be trying to do as soon as I start casting molds and making far better work. Thanks again.
 
I've been using James' advice religiously for the last 5 months and my builds have gone 100% better as a result. He's absolutely right that 10mm is the largest you can go.

It's thick enough that you get robustness, but thin enough to be malleable.
 
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