Wonderflex and/or Fosshape

[Kal-El_NC]

Hey all:

Great day to you. I'm trying to create some armor and was wondering what experiences people have had with either Wonderflex and/or Fosshape? I's crafting the shapes out of some foam bedding that is used in camping supplies (you may have seen it as a bed roll in Wal-Mart, it's blue) and was going to cover it with Wonderflex instead of trying to fiberglass it. I have no experience with fiberglass and thought Wonderflex is much more user friendly. When getting ready to order some Wonderflex I noticed on thier site they also sell Fosshape, which sounds similar but it is breathable. So I was wondering what people would suggest.

Thanks for your input.

Kal-El_NC

 

[Darth Mule]

I use both in the costume shop and I can tell you the difference between the two. Wonderflex is thinner than fosshape and is more like a sheet of plastic. It's a mesh net embedded in plastic. Shapes great and is wonderful for maskmaking. For armor, I would imagine it would need reinforced. It is only about twice as thick as posterboard.

Fosshape is a bit thicker. A little thicker than regular felt. It also looks alot like felt. It is kind of fuzzy. Would also probably require reinforcement and definitely a coating of some sort to cover the fuzz.

Both products are great, and I know people have used the wonderflex for armor before, but I question the quality. One thing that we use alot in theatre for armor that works great is Industrial weight felt, patterned over the shape and then soaked in bullseye shellac.

 

[Kal-El_NC]

Darth Mule: Great, thanks for the input. As to reinforcing it, I actually planned on using it to cover some bedroll foam I bought at Wal-Mart (blue and kind of firm but still bends well) that I am making the basic shapes of the armor out of.

One thing that we use alot in theatre for armor that works great is Industrial weight felt, patterned over the shape and then soaked in bullseye shellac.

As to what you mention above, wow. How do you all do that? Patterned over the shape? Soaking in bullseye shellac? Sounds cool. How user/creative friendly would that be, being as this is my first attempt at this type of thing?

Kal-El_NC

 

[Darth Mule]

Its a matter of getting your model or shape and forming a piece of fabric over it so you can get where all the darts are and such then transferring it to your felt. Since the felt doesn't shape itself like the thermoplastics (wonderflex/fosshape) do, you have to dart and seam it to shape it (this all covers up when you shellac it). The felt itself has to be special ordered and is from 1/4" to 5/8" thick. The shellac (accept no substitutes, bullseye is the best) soaks into the felt and makes it hard.

I wish I could find an internet link to something useful on this, but I can't. Strange since it's been the standard go to for theatres across the country for decades.

Here's a handy link on armor cheating techniques though. http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/Armor/ArmorCheats.htm

 

[loganallenwolf]

can we see an example of the felt/shellac armor? This sounds really promising :thumbsup

 

[Jayn]

I've used Wonderflex and have had good luck with it...easy to work with and it can stick to itself as well..Not used Fosshape yet..
High density urethane foam like that can be gently shaped with heat...be careful & don't overheat though, and make sure you have good ventilation..
BTW- the mesh substrate in the wonderflex can become a bit more pronounced on the surface after melting, so you might have to put on another layer of something to cover the woven texture

 

[mdb]

I used craft felt and various glues to make a breastplate for my Galadriel outfit several years ago after reading about using white glue and felt for armour making.
I did find both types of glue made felt and fabric very brittle so I would recommend the above and use a heavy grade of felt should you go that route

 

[Darth Mule]

I used craft felt and various glues to make a breastplate for my Galadriel outfit several years ago after reading about using white glue and felt for armour making.
I did find both types of glue made felt and fabric very brittle so I would recommend the above and use a heavy grade of felt should you go that route

Yes, the shellac makes it rock hard. Fun stuff. As far as using glue, this is definitely an alternative albeit a cheap one (cheap in quality, not in cost, as other methods run about the same in the long run). Try Sculpt or Coat as an alternative to glue. It looks and feels just like elmers, but is formulated for these tasks with a latex base. It really is great stuff. Can be used as a mold compound, a glue, or a paper mache base. I think they have a 101 uses section on there site at http://www.sculpturalarts.com/sculpt_or_coatdirections.htm

 

[cgjeff]

be careful if you're gonna take the sculpt or coat road though. It does work relatively similar to a glue, though much more flexible.
I say be careful because since it is flexible pieces can easily be warped, and also because in cold weather it becomes very brittle.