How to plastic coat foam costume pieces

[Davard74]

So if I did want something more rigid, then the 300 would still be good on the foam? Like on some pink insulation or something like that? Instead of doing the fiberglass resin thing?

Out of curiosity, what happens to it with out PVA as a primer? It just peel off, or does it mess the foam up while cuirng?

 

[McAullay]

Thanks for the great tut. Ill definitely be using this for my Bumblebee build. couple of questions.

How strong would you consider this technique in supporting weight. Im thinking for load supporting pieces such as the feet i should still use fibreglass. My build with all pieces considered and weight of myself on the feet pieces for example with probably total over 150kgs.

Does the sanding down of the final rotocast come up as smooth of a finish as say using bondo. For 'metal looking' mirror finish pieces, am i still better of using bodyfiller?

Did you 'water' down your pva. Ive watched STEALTHs tutorial on using PVA to seal EVA and thinking the 'watered down' layers sound like a good idea to prevent the peeling effect.

 

[XRobots]

Thanks for the great tut. Ill definitely be using this for my Bumblebee build. couple of questions.

How strong would you consider this technique in supporting weight. Im thinking for load supporting pieces such as the feet i should still use fibreglass. My build with all pieces considered and weight of myself on the feet pieces for example with probably total over 150kgs.

Does the sanding down of the final rotocast come up as smooth of a finish as say using bondo. For 'metal looking' mirror finish pieces, am i still better of using bodyfiller?

Did you 'water' down your pva. Ive watched STEALTHs tutorial on using PVA to seal EVA and thinking the 'watered down' layers sound like a good idea to prevent the peeling effect.

I'm not sure what you're planning on standing on, but if it's a bit of foam then it will still crush.

The only tests I've done for this technique are what you see, so I'll guess you'll have to try it - with work you should be able to get the same finish as a piece of plastic

I didn't water my PVA down, it seems to stick fine to the foam I was using.

Out of curiosity, what happens to it with out PVA as a primer? It just peel off, or does it mess the foam up while cuirng?

The only time I tried it it kind of flaked off after the first coat, some was stuck on and the whole thing was a mess.

When it comes to using this method, could you use a pottery wheel to root cast a large piece like a chest plate?

You need to rotate it in all directions ideally so that it doesn't pool anywhere.

 

[huttman]

sorry double post

 

[huttman]

any comment towards using white glue? You were saying something about it needing to be water soluble in your video

 

[McAullay]

Yeah the crushing is what I fear. I was considering using foam as the inner skeleton due to its light weight and easy manipulation but am thinking I may need something more sturdy.
I am just about 100% I'm going to have to use fiberglass to strengthen the entire piece as you can see in this picture the feet are split into thirds with a void directly below the foot (my feet will reside inside the wheel section).
Bumblebee Foot

I suppose I'm going to have to find out a-la trial by error. The plastic coating will definitely help with the other not weight supporting pieces at any rate so cheers for that.

 

[XRobots]

any comment towards using white glue? You were saying something about it needing to be water soluble in your video

Yes PVA is water soluble - are you asking about Elmers glue?. We don't have that in the UK so I don't know, perhaps test some and see if it becomes sticky again if you make it wet.

 

[DarthVeach]

any comment towards using white glue? You were saying something about it needing to be water soluble in your video

PVA is basic white glue. It really comes down to what brand you are comfortable using. I would say for the U.S., Elmer's Glue All would be a good one. Also have heard that Aileen's is a great white glue, but I am pretty sure it is a lot more expensive than Elmer's. I wouldn't use school glue though, that tends to be a watered down version.

 

[huttman]

Thank you for your replies. I got some glue all and am currently making a test piece. Only difference is I will be using "rigid" vs the "semi-rigid" used in the tutorial. I will post my results when finished.

 

[nolatron]

Brilliant! I've been thinking about doing a foam suit but still wanted that glass/bonda kinda of finish too. This seems like a good middle ground for the two.

 

[talye05]

Love this. Your video tutorial is quite informative and easy to follow. Thanks for sharing.

 

[docholiday78]

cool tutorial! Thank ya sir. I couldnt find smoothcast in my area and I'm not patient man to order online and wait, so I sealed it with 5 coats spray can modpodge and put rondo (bondo and resin) and worked like a charm. rock solid and still has flex.

 

[jayjayn]

wow great idea!! , does it allow the foam to still be bendable without cracking the coating?

 

[huttman]

Finished my test piece and its like armor made from abs with built in padding. Pretty awesome. 3 coats of white glue then 3 coats of the rigid resin

 

[docholiday78]

hasnt cracked yet and I made my helmet a little to small so i shove my head in it and still crack free lol, Just make sure its mixed right n there tutoriols on youtube that shows how to mix rondo n itll end up like a gelcoat so there some flex and also its self leveling which is awesome. hope it helps

 

[jayjayn]

sweet i wonder is it possible to use this to reinforce and recoat my existing suit that has a clear coat already on?

 

[XRobots]

sweet i wonder is it possible to use this to reinforce and recoat my existing suit that has a clear coat already on?

Possibly - try a small sample and see how well it sticks to a piece of foam painted and sealed in the same way as the suit.

 

[docholiday78]

thats why cant thank you enough for this tut, now i can make foam armor without it looking like foam armor lol, heres some pics of my foam helmet with rondo just primered last coat and now on to paint. and srry that pics arent to clear, my phones camera sucks. Its robo"s file modified by stealth. thhanks fellas couldnt of done it with out ya

 

[docholiday78]

srry my mistake its SHARKMAN_IM_MK6 file for foam helmet

 

[-VERTIGO-]

This is awesome man, I'm just about to start making my first piece and I've been going back and forth to do cardstock and pep or do foam. I knew foam would be a lot easier but I the finished product left a lot to be desired. This solves that problem!