Help with finding DOOM Guy armor pepakura.

[Marluxia]

Hot Glue is the my choice of adhesives regardless....

Edit (to the above edit): And knowing is half the battle!

 

[moose]

Aye. Was just clarifying versus contact cement (not saying cement doesn't work, I've never tried) and since you asked

 

[Marluxia]

Yeah, but I decided against foam for this project... Need to the save the money.

 

[moose]

Yup, I know how that goes. Ended up spending way more than I intended on my last build. In any case, keep us updated, I haven't seen this one yet so I'm looking forward to it!

 

[Marluxia]

The helmet is finished!

I used Rust-oleum spray gloss protective enamel for the paint. Moving onto the chest armor.

 

[greylocke]

The exercise mats don't specify what they're made out of, but if they are EVA, they should be fine. (EVA is a denser foam, and forms and sands nicely) at any rate they are probably too thick.

You will need to seal the foam before painting, most builders are using "plasti-dip" spray to seal it, but a watered down solution of elmer's glue can work also. After you seal it, you can use just about any spray paint.

As with any project, it's always best to test the glue, sealant & paint on scrap material, just to make sure the materials you have slelected will work together.

What is this watered down Elmers trick you speak of sir? I've read about the Plasti-dip, but I've been looking for a less expensive way of sealing the foam for painting.

 

[iceman]

What is this watered down Elmers trick you speak of sir? I've read about the Plasti-dip, but I've been looking for a less expensive way of sealing the foam for painting.

Elmers glue is a form of Polyvinyl acetate, and I have used it in small applications to seal EVA foam. I have not used it on larger projects but it should work fine.
As to the glue/water ratio you'll probably need to experiment a litlle, but I start with 50/50 mix and adjust from there.

 

[Roadkiller]

I use a two part process to seal EVA foam prior to painting.

First, run your heat gun over the area until it changes colour/texture. You'll know it when you see it, no need to burn it :lol This cuts down on the foam's ability to absorb paint deeply into it.

Then 'paint' the piece with a mixture of acrylic latex caulk mixed with water. You'll need to experiment with the mixture a bit to get a ratio you are happy with. Acrylic latex caulk is flexible, paintable, and inexpensively available at your local hardware store. I've found 300ml tubes of "Alex" brand here in Canada for $2, which goes a long way in this application.

This provides a smooth flexible surface. Base coat, paint and weather as normal after that.

Note: The acrylic caulk, used uncut with water but spread thinly so that it can cure all the way through, is also great to fill seams and cracks in EVA foam work.

 

[Darth Pinhead]

Stealth did a great tutorial on sealing and painting foam, which I highly recommend:
TUTORIAL - Painting Foam Costumes - Part 4 of "Using PEPAKURA for FOAM Costume Building" - YouTube

I, too, have used the AlexPlus water clean-up caulk found at Home Depot to seal foam and gaps. The problem that I had was that over time it cracked. I used the white version so it it sticks out now. Point being, you may be able to mix in black acrylic paint to tint it so that even if it does crack, it simply looks like battle damage (Especially if you use black foam, which I highly recommend for the same reason).

As far as adhesives are concerned, WeldWood Contact cement, found at Home Depot, is great, especially for two non-like materials. Personally, I hate hot glue; I always seem to burn myself. A few things I've learned, though:
1. Do it outside or well-ventilated room and wear a respirator.
2. Once you have applied it to both parts that are being joined, hit the areas with a hair dryer to speed-cure them to tackiness.
3. Make SURE you line the pieces up perfectly, because once you've joined them, they are NOT coming apart, lol.