Iron Man & War Machine Build -UPDATE: StyroSpray Results

[Capt TJ]

Re: Iron Man & War Machine Build At The Same Time

Ordered the 2 gallon kit of StyroSpray today. Very easy to order (even though they made fun of my address!), and only 18 bucks to ship!

Going to test it on some scrap foam. I've read that I don't have to pre-treat the foam when using this stuff, which would help skip the PVA coating step.

Lots of work to do yet. My foam skills are improving, but there is just so much to learn.

 

[Capt TJ]

Re: Iron Man & War Machine Build At The Same Time

So, after a quick trip to Michaels (craft store), I've been using some new toys and new foam, with great success!

The store had a 50% off sale today, so I picked up some packs of foam, which are much thinner than what I've been using. I've made some test pieces with this foam for the hands, and it's working great! Any other parts I should use thinner foam for?

I also picked up a bevel cutter, which is a HUGE help. This allows me to accurately join edges and I can also create v-grooves along the back side of my foam pieces for folding. I've been working on cutting out larger sections and folding/gluing them, instead of cutting out all the individual parts and gluing them back together. This allows for a much neater finish.

 

[Capt TJ]

Re: Iron Man & War Machine Build At The Same Time

My Styrospray arrived today! :lol

First of all, they packaged it so secure, it took me 5 minutes to get the damn stuff out! The 2 gallons of Part A & B were in a big bag, which was packed in a box, then filled with an expanding foam. Then that box was inside another box, also packed with expanding foam! Talk about secure! :thumbsup

I'm going to be testing this stuff on one of the test fingers I made out of the thinner foam I just got. Hoping to see some significant strengthening of the foam, and I want to see how think the Styrospray goes on and how easy it is to sand, etc.

Pics below of Styrospray and the finger prior to application.

 

[Capt TJ]

Re: Iron Man & War Machine Build -UPDATE: StyroSpray Testing

After applying the first coat of Styrospray, I have some interesting results....

First of all, do NOT use this stuff in a closed room. While the fumes aren't overbearing, they do react with the water in your lungs, causing quite the burning sensation. I don't normally complain, so take my warning seriously. I guess that's why they include those MSDS sheets. Anywho...

The material firms up quite nice, and it does have some nice flex to it. It is self leveling, and I found that it's a lot better to apply many thin coats versus thick coats. I applied it with a foam brush, and I did see some bubbles in the application, but if you don't sand it, they don't show.

I just sanded a test piece and applied a second coat of Styrospray. I want to see how smooth it gets and how a second coat hardens up.

I did notice that I was able to de-laminate the Styrospray off of the foam. While it did come off clean, it was difficult to initially get it to peel. Having said that, I really don't think that this is an issue. However, I will be doing another test by treating the foam with PVA first (Mod Podge), then applying the Styrospray.

 

[Capt TJ]

Re: Iron Man & War Machine Build -UPDATE: StyroSpray Testing

Styrospray results time! Pics attached.

The first pic shows Styrospray applied directly to the foam. The top portion has two coats, the bottom only one. I then threw some crappy brown spraypaint onto the coating and the foam. You can see that the paint took very well to the coating...and it soaked right in to the foam!

Next, I did a severe concave bend to the coating. I bent the foam so it touched back to back, and I held it there. After releasing it, there were NO visible cracks or marks!

The fourth picture shows some creasing that was due to a severe convex bend. The coating and paint didn't crack, but there were some visible lines. I did note that the creasing was much less in the thicker application area.

The last three (unpainted) pictures show Styrospray applied after applying a coat of Mod Podge sealant. The finish had less bubbles, since the foam was sealed and it wasn't soaking in to the foam. It again had amazing flexibility without showing any marks. The last pic was to test how hard it would be to de-laminate the coating from the foam. I can say that the Mod Podge sealant did make it tougher to pull the coating from the foam.

Don't let the de-laminating scare you. I had to struggle to get it to start, and I didn't wrap the coating around the edges. I'm thinking that you have nothing to worry about if your properly apply 3-4 coats of the material, and make sure to go over any exposed edges.

On a side note, Styrospray sanded very nice, and it is supposed to adhere to Bondo (and related) just fine.

 

[Capt TJ]

Re: Iron Man & War Machine Build -UPDATE: StyroSpray Testing

And, just for fun (and bragging ), here's a picture of my wife and I with part of the cast and special effects guru/director of the Walking Dead.

You'll note that my wife failed to release her death grip on Norman (Darryl) between the two pictures. :facepalm

 

[peruski]

I had used Styro spray for my first ever build last Halloween. I like the result I got with it. In hindsight what I'd do differently for my build would be to use thin coats sanding lightly between. Also, I would have coated the insides of all the pieces as well. I experienced peeling on the edges of some pieces. The foam I was using was very different though, not intended to be flexible.

All in all though, I found it easy to work with... The fumes did get a little obnoxious. It's a strange smell, sort of sweet smelling.

http://www.therpf.com/f24/first-time-build-im-mk-vi-selitac-161499/

Looks like you're getting good results with it. :thumbsup

 

[Capt TJ]

Setback. As I finished making the left leg pieces, I starting to realize that most of my armor is way too big. I guess it should be fitting a bit more snug.
Suggestions on proper sizing and figment? For those using foam, do you test sizing in paper first?
Help!

 

[Capt TJ]

So, I found a thread regarding scaling pep. Looks like I wasn't so far off, except on a few pieces, which caused the issues.
Basically, you measure a representation of what you are building and measure yourself. This creates a scale to use. You then multiply measured parts by the scale and, viola, correct sizing!
I'm sure this is old news to most, it it was new to me. Probably helped save my projects.