The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - FINISHED
- Thread starter Gibbtall
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CelticRuins
Sr Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Foam Helmet - Painted
Sir, you are my hero.
Sir, you are my hero.
Gibbtall
Well-Known Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Foam Helmet - Painted
How dare you! If I could be making this thing out of metal I would only use foam to fuel the fires of my forge! I'm in the digital industry and sometimes want to say "**** it" and go move up north and be a blacksmith, maybe someday that will happen and I won't be sad about it.
Thanks to everyone else with the fantastic kudos! kialna: I've learned SO much in the few months I've been working with this stuff, the first bunch of cuts I did were pretty terrible. I tried several tools before finding exactly how sharp blades should really be and the way it reacts to sandpaper. I also collect and convert Warhammer 40k miniatures, so I tend to take a lot of the theory of painting and modification from them and scale it up.
How dare you! If I could be making this thing out of metal I would only use foam to fuel the fires of my forge! I'm in the digital industry and sometimes want to say "**** it" and go move up north and be a blacksmith, maybe someday that will happen and I won't be sad about it.
Thanks to everyone else with the fantastic kudos! kialna: I've learned SO much in the few months I've been working with this stuff, the first bunch of cuts I did were pretty terrible. I tried several tools before finding exactly how sharp blades should really be and the way it reacts to sandpaper. I also collect and convert Warhammer 40k miniatures, so I tend to take a lot of the theory of painting and modification from them and scale it up.
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Foam Helmet - Painted
I work as a graphic designer myself. I do all my hammering on weekends and days off....if you want to make them out of real metal then do so...your dream of working metal isn't an unattainable goal and you surely don't need to quit ur job and move to do it. Granted the learning curb is a steep one and risk of blowing yourself up is much higher than working with foam but if you needed any advice on what tools u need I'd be glad to let u know what I use.
Now then about foam I've been seeing a lot of foam builds going on and have been interested in maybe giving it a try myself and I like what you've done so I may have a go at it myself.
I work as a graphic designer myself. I do all my hammering on weekends and days off....if you want to make them out of real metal then do so...your dream of working metal isn't an unattainable goal and you surely don't need to quit ur job and move to do it. Granted the learning curb is a steep one and risk of blowing yourself up is much higher than working with foam but if you needed any advice on what tools u need I'd be glad to let u know what I use.
Now then about foam I've been seeing a lot of foam builds going on and have been interested in maybe giving it a try myself and I like what you've done so I may have a go at it myself.
Gibbtall
Well-Known Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Foam Helmet - Painted
I'm pretty much limited by spare time, money, and chance of fire in my apartment, heh.
I'm pretty much limited by spare time, money, and chance of fire in my apartment, heh.
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Foam Helmet - Painted
LOL yeah living in an apartment would make it more of an adventure now the cost of it...yes its pretty costly even if you know someone with a scrap yard getting metal to ur shop can be a task. ..yeah foam I think I will try foam lol my eyebrows will thank me for it I'm sure.
LOL yeah living in an apartment would make it more of an adventure now the cost of it...yes its pretty costly even if you know someone with a scrap yard getting metal to ur shop can be a task. ..yeah foam I think I will try foam lol my eyebrows will thank me for it I'm sure.
sanctuspiox
Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Foam Helmet - Painted
love the walking axe, I can hardly wait to see it finished. If you do move up North, take me with you. . you and I have the same dream!!
love the walking axe, I can hardly wait to see it finished. If you do move up North, take me with you. . you and I have the same dream!!
Gibbtall
Well-Known Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Weapons
So I spent a day making a second axe, since I had a spare chunk of handle. The problem I had starting this one was the fact that I needed to figure out a way to attach it to the handle securely, since it doesn't have the upper piece that the larger one has for maximum surface area to be glued, I decided to wrap the two pieces around the handle. To do that I cut slits on the inside of the foam to let me bend it around the corners of the handle. Worked out pretty well I think. I'll probably carve some designs on this guy since he's a bit plain like this. Not sure what to do with the bottom of the handle, maybe just taper the edges down.
Here it is beside the big brother, and both beside a cutting mat for scale. They're both pretty big.
So I spent a day making a second axe, since I had a spare chunk of handle. The problem I had starting this one was the fact that I needed to figure out a way to attach it to the handle securely, since it doesn't have the upper piece that the larger one has for maximum surface area to be glued, I decided to wrap the two pieces around the handle. To do that I cut slits on the inside of the foam to let me bend it around the corners of the handle. Worked out pretty well I think. I'll probably carve some designs on this guy since he's a bit plain like this. Not sure what to do with the bottom of the handle, maybe just taper the edges down.
Here it is beside the big brother, and both beside a cutting mat for scale. They're both pretty big.
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Foam Helmet - Painted
nicely done, they look great! no dwarf carries just one axe! well done!
as far as what u can do for the smaller ones handle maybe a simple wraping of leather or metal upholstery studs in the handle for grip maybe or a bit of both
nicely done, they look great! no dwarf carries just one axe! well done!
as far as what u can do for the smaller ones handle maybe a simple wraping of leather or metal upholstery studs in the handle for grip maybe or a bit of both
Gibbtall
Well-Known Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Foam Helmet - Painted
Ooo, I like the stud idea. I was debating wrapping the handles, I like the idea of staining the wood, and love the octagon that someone else spent so much work on making. Studs might be a good way to keep the octagon and still make it different.
nicely done, they look great! no dwarf carries just one axe! well done!
as far as what u can do for the smaller ones handle maybe a simple wraping of leather or metal upholstery studs in the handle for grip maybe or a bit of both
Ooo, I like the stud idea. I was debating wrapping the handles, I like the idea of staining the wood, and love the octagon that someone else spent so much work on making. Studs might be a good way to keep the octagon and still make it different.
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Weapons - WIP
Where did you get that octagon wood from anyways? If you have a wood burner pen u could even do some runes or dwarven designs burned into the handles. Which I would look pretty sweet, or you could even name ur axes and crave in their names with the wood burner. Just a thought though looking pretty awesome man!
with the stain in the burned in designs man would be pretty epic I've even burned in some designs with a wood burner and laid in some gold and silver leaf turned put pretty nice looking but could be a bit distracting in this case. I did that on a chess table ages ago.
oh and if you go ahead with the upholstery tacks pre-drill the holes first using a tiny bit, otherwise it can split the wood. I'm sure u already know that but I didn't first time i did something like that and ruined a handle ^___^
Where did you get that octagon wood from anyways? If you have a wood burner pen u could even do some runes or dwarven designs burned into the handles. Which I would look pretty sweet, or you could even name ur axes and crave in their names with the wood burner. Just a thought though looking pretty awesome man!
with the stain in the burned in designs man would be pretty epic I've even burned in some designs with a wood burner and laid in some gold and silver leaf turned put pretty nice looking but could be a bit distracting in this case. I did that on a chess table ages ago.
oh and if you go ahead with the upholstery tacks pre-drill the holes first using a tiny bit, otherwise it can split the wood. I'm sure u already know that but I didn't first time i did something like that and ruined a handle ^___^
Gibbtall
Well-Known Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Weapons - WIP
The wood was actually a like 7 foot long square pole just over an 1-1 1/2" thick, I got a friend's dad who has proper tools to use his table saw to trim it down to the octagon, then finish it off with a hand plane. I don't have a woodburning kit but I was planning on carving some runes in the elbow of the large axe by hand with an xacto, it'll be tough, but it'll look good once painted.
The wood was actually a like 7 foot long square pole just over an 1-1 1/2" thick, I got a friend's dad who has proper tools to use his table saw to trim it down to the octagon, then finish it off with a hand plane. I don't have a woodburning kit but I was planning on carving some runes in the elbow of the large axe by hand with an xacto, it'll be tough, but it'll look good once painted.
TheRambler
Well-Known Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Weapons - WIP
Do you guys have Michael's or Hobby Lobby? I got a woodburning tool at Hobby Lobby. It was priced somewhere around $12-15, but you can find 40% off coupons for those craft stores all over the interwebs so it was under $10. I definitely think it was worth it.
Do you guys have Michael's or Hobby Lobby? I got a woodburning tool at Hobby Lobby. It was priced somewhere around $12-15, but you can find 40% off coupons for those craft stores all over the interwebs so it was under $10. I definitely think it was worth it.
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Weapons - WIP
yeah I do I got a wood burner way back in college the muti headed ones are nice to do all sorts of cool effects with I haven't tried but I'm fairly sure it would work well with foam as well.
yeah I do I got a wood burner way back in college the muti headed ones are nice to do all sorts of cool effects with I haven't tried but I'm fairly sure it would work well with foam as well.
Gibbtall
Well-Known Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Weapons - WIP
Well with the foam I just used a small box cutter and got a pretty good effect. The woodburner would be good for the elbow part of the large axe, since it's proper wood.
Well with the foam I just used a small box cutter and got a pretty good effect. The woodburner would be good for the elbow part of the large axe, since it's proper wood.
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Weapons - WIP
really wish I had time to start playing with foam but have to rush build a motorcycle helmet to look like the rocketeer helm for a friend to wear for a Halloween party this Saturday so.....been a bit hectic. Soon though very soon heh any updates on your axes man?
really wish I had time to start playing with foam but have to rush build a motorcycle helmet to look like the rocketeer helm for a friend to wear for a Halloween party this Saturday so.....been a bit hectic. Soon though very soon heh any updates on your axes man?
Gibbtall
Well-Known Member
Re: The Hobbit - Erebor Dwarf Armour - Weapons - WIP
Nope, I only work on things for a few hours a couple days a week, most of the time when I have time I end up slacking, hah. It's a slow burn project though, my first proper deadline is the end of next august, since that is the biggest convention in Toronto so if I'm going to wear it anywhere it'll be there.
Nope, I only work on things for a few hours a couple days a week, most of the time when I have time I end up slacking, hah. It's a slow burn project though, my first proper deadline is the end of next august, since that is the biggest convention in Toronto so if I'm going to wear it anywhere it'll be there.
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