Ladies can be Iron Man too (everything but the shoulders, pg 35)

[msleeper]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Have a supplier? Did you get it online? I'm about out of the EVA that I have now so I'm gonna need to material up soon. I'm going to try and work with the roll I have since I'd hate for this whole big sheet to go to waste. Maybe a stronger heatgun, the one I have now is pretty old.

 

[Laamberry]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Have a supplier? Did you get it online? I'm about out of the EVA that I have now so I'm gonna need to material up soon. I'm going to try and work with the roll I have since I'd hate for this whole big sheet to go to waste. Maybe a stronger heatgun, the one I have now is pretty old.

I use these guys because I love their price and customer service. The shipping cost from the UK isn't bad at all.
Plastics & Foam - Coscraft

 

[aelynn000]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Innnnnnneresting...

I'm totally clueless about properties of things and what different materials contain or whatever. Laam, what would you say are the main differences between plastazote and EVA craft foam?


ps. there is too much awesome in this thread and i'm insanely jealous. @_@

 

[Laamberry]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Innnnnnneresting...

I'm totally clueless about properties of things and what different materials contain or whatever. Laam, what would you say are the main differences between plastazote and EVA craft foam?


ps. there is too much awesome in this thread and i'm insanely jealous. @_@

ohhh don't be silly, this thread is just "hey are you going to put boobs on it?" and "nah" over and over again lol!

I would say that plastazote takes to heat better than EVA and it's easier to find in thin sheets. Because it's more heat-formable you end up with a lot less seams in the finished product. Coscraft sends out samples of both kinds of foam if you send them a request, I'm sure they would help you out

 

[msleeper]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Oh neat, I might have to bug them for some samples then.

Just moments ago my heatgun kicked the bucket, so that's probably a contributing factor to why I wasn't getting any sort of real changes in shape. That's what I get for using hand-me-down tools.

aelynn000 - For the record, I have been mostly using the interlocking EVA floor tiles and not craft sheets. I can only find the 3mm thin craft sheets in my area; if I can find them in bigger thicknesses I'd like to switch to them for pretty much anything that requires a curve.

The biggest problem with the floor tiles is their thickness. The ones I've found are 1/2" thick which isn't a big problem for things like the War Machine chest/back/abs that has more square angles. But trying to do something like the gauntlets or any part of the legs would be a nightmare. If I ever go for a Mk IV I doubt I'd use the 1/2" again.

I have found a roll of 3/8" thick floor mat, but like I was saying earlier, the curve from the foam being rolled up won't come out and I made a junk Mk IV gauntlet out of it. But since my heatgun just died I'm not going to give up on that foam just yet. If I can flatten it out properly, I'll probably switch to that after I finish the upper body parts.

I just finished building the abs and rebuilding the front half of the chest using a different technique with the 1/2": using a dremel to more evenly angle the inner side of the foam pieces so they fit together much more flushly than when I was angle-cutting by hand. Unfortunately I'm absolutely covered in foam dust, but the seams are MUCH nicer looking. I'm gonna try and get the torso parts finished (abs, chest, shoulder rails) this weekend when I buy a new heatgun.

And then I promise I'll stop hijacking Laamberry's thread! ;D

 

[MattMunson]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Regarding materials qualities, I've noticed some differences too, and I would definitely recommend the stuff Laamberry is using. Hard to describe, but I guess I would say that it cuts cleaner, and more easily. Like, you know the difference between cutting say Muslin vs Neoprene? They just handle differently, and cut differently. It's kind of like that with the EVA foam vs plastazote.

The latter also bonds VERY strongly with hot glue, which surprises the heck out of me. I believe EVA does too, but I've been impressed with Plastazote.

I think what the verdict is still out on is how well the stuff takes paint, and how well the paint adheres after use. I'm very curious to see how that pans out, and how it would compare to eva foam.

 

[Hfuy]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Posted in error.

 

[EyeofSauron]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

can you tell me, how much you paid for shipping to the us? i wrote them a mail, but im curious nontheless also, did you buy only 6mm 1x1,5 m sheets or did you buy the smaller ones, because the page says, the big sheets only ship in the uk

just wondering

 

[aelynn000]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

aelynn000 - For the record, I have been mostly using the interlocking EVA floor tiles and not craft sheets. I can only find the 3mm thin craft sheets in my area; if I can find them in bigger thicknesses I'd like to switch to them for pretty much anything that requires a curve.

Jo-Anns has 6mm sheets, I bought a bajillion for an armor costume I'm currently making, but they only come in 12"x9" and are $1.50 a pop.

...

then I checked my local Canadian Michael's craft store and they were here for 90 cents. ...

research fail.

OK HIJACKING DONE!

Thank you Matt for the explanation!!! It looks so close to EVA, I'm wondering if the difference is enough to ship it to the states and drive over there and get it ( shipping anything to canada is always so expensive...and takes forever through customs...UGH ).

As for painting, I grabbed a can of sealer from Michael's for 7 bucks... it's supposed to be mainly for silk flowers but it says " other home crafts " on it... >_> I felt my project fit into that category. Anyways, it's basically a clearcoat spraypaint meant to seal porous surfaces and still be flexible and serve as a base coat... it SOUNDS promising...but I haven't used it yet. I'll pop back in and give you's a heads up on the results!

 

[infymys]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

I know you're not a fan of the Pepperbot/Rescue suit, but Linda Le/Vampy did a pretty nice version of it.

 

[msleeper]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

As for painting, I grabbed a can of sealer from Michael's for 7 bucks... it's supposed to be mainly for silk flowers but it says " other home crafts " on it... >_> I felt my project fit into that category. Anyways, it's basically a clearcoat spraypaint meant to seal porous surfaces and still be flexible and serve as a base coat... it SOUNDS promising...but I haven't used it yet. I'll pop back in and give you's a heads up on the results!

Might want to look into plastidip spray, I've seen STEALTH and a few other foam builders use it to prime the foam. Look for it in a hardware store near hand tools. It's a spray version of the rubber dip for tool grips, if you can't find it tell that to a clerk and I'm sure they can locate it for you.

Thing is though, you definitely want a full respirator and eye gear using it. It is literally a spray can full of liquid plastic.

I'll have to hunt around for foam materials again, there's nothing really close nearby me which really sucks. Walmart has some 3mm sheets, and the only Michael's in my area seems to have a limited craft foam selection. There are a few craft places out in the suburbs I might try if I feel like making that drive.

 

[avianoguitarist]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

PlastiDip is usually in the spraypaint sections of the big box stores.

 

[Laamberry]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

can you tell me, how much you paid for shipping to the us? i wrote them a mail, but im curious nontheless also, did you buy only 6mm 1x1,5 m sheets or did you buy the smaller ones, because the page says, the big sheets only ship in the uk

just wondering

Hey, sorry for the late reply! I've been ridiculously busy :] I'm not sure how much I ended up paying for shipping...I want to say I bought two small sheets and a large sheet (they cut it into sections to ship it to me) and got it here for about $45. I also order a sheet about the size of two small sheets from an American company before I found coscraft and THAT cost me $50 and took months to get here.

As for painting, I grabbed a can of sealer from Michael's for 7 bucks... it's supposed to be mainly for silk flowers but it says " other home crafts " on it... >_> I felt my project fit into that category. Anyways, it's basically a clearcoat spraypaint meant to seal porous surfaces and still be flexible and serve as a base coat... it SOUNDS promising...but I haven't used it yet. I'll pop back in and give you's a heads up on the results!

ohhhh let me know how that goes!! I think the most crucial part of this is going to be the sealing bit.

I know you're not a fan of the Pepperbot/Rescue suit, but Linda Le/Vampy did a pretty nice version of it.

That looks cool! I love Vampy's stuff

 

[Zendragon]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Looking good!!!

 

[Laamberry]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Looking good!!!

Aww, thanks Keith <3

 

[Angel Song]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

This is awesome! Keep it up Laamberry

 

[cHARMcityXero]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (kinda pic heavy)

I'm working on a female chest/backplate if you are interested.

hey im interested to make my wife a rescue armor and i think this would be great for that

 

[Hermes]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Ms. Laamberry, your build is putting mine to shame. My warmest congratulations!! I am definitely looking forward to seeing the final result

 

[ZacharyHurst]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Hello Laamberry,
You might want to consider StyroSpray 1000. I used it to "Hardcoat" My mark IV. the real draw back in using this stuff is the sanding it back to smooth after you paint it 4 coats. I do recommend priming your base material first with the best material of your choosing, That might help the first coat lay down more smoothly and save you some sanding time. The finished results are really nice for impacts and holding paint.

 

[Laamberry]

Re: Ladies can be Iron Man too (chest,abs,neck,bicep done))

Hello Laamberry,
You might want to consider StyroSpray 1000. I used it to "Hardcoat" My mark IV. the real draw back in using this stuff is the sanding it back to smooth after you paint it 4 coats. I do recommend priming your base material first with the best material of your choosing, That might help the first coat lay down more smoothly and save you some sanding time. The finished results are really nice for impacts and holding paint.

Dude! The finish on your suit is BEAUTIFUL, one of the best I've ever seen. Thanks a ton for bringing this stuff to my attention, I may just get a can and see if I can get over my fear of sanding forever and ever. Plasti-dip may not be the single best sealer but I can't say no to self-leveling.