JFcustom's FOAM files

[Father]

Hot glue will definitely work, that's all I used for several years. If you have the availability, you want either a high-temp glue gun or a variable-temp glue gun. It doesn't have to be industrial-grade or anything, a craft gun will work, but one with a high-temp setting gets you more time to work the seams and a better bond overall. High-temp guns tend to string (those spiderwebs that come off the tip) a lot less as well.

Thanks!! I have a glue gun but it;s a cheap craft gun so I'm pretty sure it doesn't get the glue as hot as the kind you're talking about. It's another one of those items that I can't go out and buy where I am. I'll give it a shot and see how it works.

So... rubber cement is a definitely no go?

The construction adhesive seems to be working... probably usable, but its a little messy. Just have to figure out the best time between applying it to the two pieces and it setting before putting them together.

 

[laellee]

I can't speak for rubber cement. A regular glue gun will work, you just have to do much smaller sections.

 

[Father]

Well... the hot glue worked way better than the construction adhesive.
The base helmet it assembled, BUT the mannequin head I used is a little small so odds are I'll have to scale the templates up and start over.

So... next question: What's the best way to either increase the scale of cut-out templates or increase the size of the mannequin head?
They're not downloaded. I used Evil Ted Smith's tutorial but I don't have a proper head cast.

EDIT: It's a tight fit on the mannequin head... and my son was able to jam it down onto his head but it split one of the seams. SO... what I can do to scale it up to my kid's big head it put it on the mannequin and do the whole foil/duct tape thing again. That should increase the size of the head by a 1/2-inch all the way around.

I'll make up time by using a bandsaw to cut them rather than a knife.

 

[George]

You can find a .pdo file of a mannequin head here in EyeOfSauron's Iron Man Pep files thread (scroll about 2/3 down).You can scale it to your own liking:

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=151288&highlight=eyeofsauron

 

[brightestknight]

Question: what is the best store bought thing to use to make foam armor hard and durable?

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[MoSc0ut]

Question: what is the best store bought thing to use to make foam armor hard and durable?

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Smooth-On, Shell Shock. https://www.smooth-on.com/category/urethane-resin/ but it's not cheap.


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[George]

And as an alternative,try RPF member Cyehra's foam coating method which will make your props and armors hard as plastic yet flexible.
She uses acrylic gel,which I would think is cheaper and cleaner.

 

[brightestknight]

Thank you

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[chemicallion]

My iron patriot cosplay using JFcustoms Foam iron patriot files. haven't finished the fingers

 

[chemicallion]

Ebony Warrior made from Eva Foam for my 8 year old son with (pepakura)Daedric sword. he won first place also

 

[kbobsicle]

Hello All! I have to give major props to JFcustom for this compilation, as a newbie it has helped so much in building foam suits.
Planning on building a war machine suit as soon as possible, can't wait!

Couple of questions however. What would be a good scale for a 6'3 lean guy?
Secondly, as for plasti-dip, do I need anything else? Can I build the suit out of foam and hot glue and then immediately plasti-dip it, or do I have to add another step?

I also wanted to add to the conversation, so here is some sweet mats I've found for incredibly cheap with the promo code ($0.50 or less per foot excluding tax and shipping). https://www.pepboys.com/product/details/9945838/00268

If I'm posting something that isn't allowed I'm sorry, but I'm trying my best to understand this process entirely. It is my first build, so I'm doing all the research possible

 

[Gizamoe]

Hey guys new to the foam craft but have been doing pep for a couple of years now. im currently building the iron patriot abs and cod piece what thickness of foam should i use i currently have 2mm is that to thin or could it be used?

 

[chemicallion]

i used 5mm for all of my iron patriot armor( the helmet i used 12mm floor mats- bought from harbor freight). bought from hobby lobby. i would think 2mm would be two thin and would tear very easily

 

[George]

What would be a good scale for a 6'3 lean guy?
Secondly, as for plasti-dip, do I need anything else? Can I build the suit out of foam and hot glue and then immediately plasti-dip it, or do I have to add another step?

Hi KBob,

just scale the suit to match your height if it's a complete 3D model.If they are separate parts like from JfCustom,scale them to match your limbs.
Build your foam pieces,heat-seal them by going over them with your heatgun,3 layers of PVA for sealing,then plastidip.This is the correct order I've learned/seen.Ofcourse there are so many methods for so many people...
Just read a few threads on this forum of people who build a complete armor and you'll find out everything you need to know

- - - Updated - - -

im currently building the iron patriot abs and cod piece what thickness of foam should i use i currently have 2mm is that to thin or could it be used?

Hi Giza,

2mm is often used for delicate armor parts like the hands and for detailing.5 or 6mm should be good.

 

[Gizamoe]

Awesome thank you I still have a hard time putting together all the foam pieces I've read and read the first page and still have a hard time understanding

 

[PrincessJ]

Wow! What a detailed post good stuff. Looks like they will take too much time for me to try but thanks it's interesting to see all those patterns

 

[Father]

I'll say this... after working on my son's costume for the last few weeks I have a whole new appreciation for what I see on here that I originally thought was "meh".

I started out trying to do a set of armor I downloaded. I printed out the templates, cut all the pieces out... and then realized how difficult it was going to be to assemble them.
Of course, not all the pieces were cut perfectly and I'm definitely not good enough to cut the angled edges so I scrapped a good portion of that build and went "freeform" just to get something done for Halloween. It's not bad, but hardly great.

I'll post pictures when I wrap up painting today assuming it's not a complete disaster.

 

[George]

Just take your time for cutting and sharpen your knife every so often.For more precision,pin your paper templates down on the foam and draw the contours with a pen.Then use your ruler to cut in straight lines along the pen stripes you made.Check the angle of your knife before and as you're cutting.Stop at sharp corners and approach the other side with a new cut towards the end of your previous.

 

[Father]

Hot glue seams = welding seams after painted and silver dry brushing.
A LOT OF GLUE SEAMS.

Hopefully his costume survives the weather and him long enough for me to take a picture.

 

[ProjectVelo]

Here is my Stealth Project IronMan MK4 I made using JF's files. Bought the Marvel Legends Helmet and plastidipped it to match the rest of the paint scheme. Did not heat seal the foam, just went straight to plastidip. Used 7mm foam for the entire suit.