If your careful you might be able to heat a local area away from glued edges but it might not be easy. You might consider, and only if localised hearing isn't viable. Cut out the section, make the modification then cleanly glue it back in place.
"Help!" for: Foam
- Thread starter Carpathia
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If your careful you might be able to heat a local area away from glued edges but it might not be easy. You might consider, and only if localised hearing isn't viable. Cut out the section, make the modification then cleanly glue it back in place.
hobbitdude13
Active Member
Hey guys I'm already thinking ahead to my next set of MJOLNIR and am considering foam.
Would plasti-dip smooth out the diamond pattern on this type of foam?
Would plasti-dip smooth out the diamond pattern on this type of foam?
hobbitdude13
Active Member
That's the backside visible in the pic. The front has the raised pattern
I'm curious as to what you mean by "raised"? 99% of the foam I have seen has a pattern on one side, and a flat or smooth on the other. If this is the case. Use the smooth side. The "diamond pattern" should be the part that that is next to the body.
hobbitdude13
Active Member
The side in the pic is the "smooth" side. So it is indented where the other side is raised.
What thickness foam board is reccommended for sliced weapons?
What thickness foam board is reccommended for sliced weapons?
Skullptura
Member
This is going to sound rather silly but flat foam is best. If someone reccommended that typee of foam its actually a bad choice. For exactly the reason you have given. both sides are marked one with a lump one with a hole. Foam floor mats should be ok. If your making sliced weapons the files should mention what type and thickness to use. Someone here will have an idea. They always do lol. Thats what nakes this place awesome! 
As Skullputra said, for sliced weapons it depends on who created the file. Most of L3X's are made for standard cardboard (3mm) while carpathiavh99's tend to use mat board (1.5mm). The foam board I've seen is all 5mm, so if you can make the math work out then go for it, else I'd suggest sticking to what the file calls for.
Shrouded Maribel
New Member
This thread was much help but I was wondering if you seal your foam armor using PVA glue, does it protect foam from being dissolved by a regular spray paint?
I don't mean to be a nag or anything, but I posed a question/suggestion back on page 4 and it was never addressed. I've waited, figuring if anyone was going to test it out they would need some time, but it's been a month and a half without so much as an acknowledgement. Is someone experimenting and still needs time, or was the question just buried and subsequently forgotten?
If you mean the question about the machine you found that can be modified to cut foam. Then it's possibly a case of you weren't ignored just people may have looked into it and thought it wouldn't work, it's too much effort to try when there's already tools for the job or simply... Have a go yourself.
And don't mean that to sound nasty but I can't imagine anyone would want to spend money/time trying it for you.
I'd suggest try it yourself, post your findings and you never know you may start something.
And don't mean that to sound nasty but I can't imagine anyone would want to spend money/time trying it for you.
I'd suggest try it yourself, post your findings and you never know you may start something.
Currently I'm still unemployed and don't have access to even half of what would be needed to test it, including the crucial element of foam. I just figured I'd put it out there and see if anyone had any interest, and thought I'd at least get some kind of comment about it, even if it's nothing more than whether they think it would work or not. I realize that people are doing well enough with blades and other hand tools, I just thought that if this was a viable option it could help those who are having difficulty with foam due to unsteady hands or not being able to keep up with the frequent cost of having to replace cutting blades.
FatherDamien CO
Member
I don't have access to the dc power source. Everything else I have in my garage. I'll see if I can come up with something at work this week. I have my daughter this weekend so, I won't be able to test it till next weekend.
Out of pure curiosity .. Which build is more difficult for noobs? A) Pepakura -> resin -> fiberglass -> bondo / B) Foam -> Bondo (or at least I think those are the steps .. never researched how foam builds work)
I'm already working on a Pep build (currently on the bondo stage), so Im not trying to decide which to do. I was just curious ^.^
I'm already working on a Pep build (currently on the bondo stage), so Im not trying to decide which to do. I was just curious ^.^
alex prime
New Member
hello, i am very new to all of this and i need help with scaling! i have found several armor templates that i will leave a link to. i am 6ft and i just need to scale them to fit me. i am using letter sized paper also.
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/38092-Halo-4-Master-Chief-foam-build-*WIP*
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/38092-Halo-4-Master-Chief-foam-build-*WIP*
Leventel, I'm new to this and I think that foam can be quite detailed if you're willing to put some work into making it so. You don't have to be one of the many savants of foam building on this forum to make a great foam build. I've learned that craft foam sheets can be used for more detail to great effect, and there are many more tricks out there too.
Plus, from what I can tell, foam isn't as toxic as resin and bondo pepakura builds. Although Plastidip (which is what many use to harden their foam builds) is quite toxic in liquid form. But I would recommend more research into foam before you decide what suits your needs best.
Alex Prime, HaloGoddess has a very well done tutorial on scaling armor, so you might look it up using the search bar. But being 6ft, I would think you're probably more on the lanky side like I am. And while I myself haven't made any arm or leg armor pieces, I'm thinking that scaling the templates for those areas to fit in terms of length will make the part too bulky on width and depth, but it may depend on what armor you're building. I plan on looking into other alternatives if this is the case.
Plus, from what I can tell, foam isn't as toxic as resin and bondo pepakura builds. Although Plastidip (which is what many use to harden their foam builds) is quite toxic in liquid form. But I would recommend more research into foam before you decide what suits your needs best.
Alex Prime, HaloGoddess has a very well done tutorial on scaling armor, so you might look it up using the search bar. But being 6ft, I would think you're probably more on the lanky side like I am. And while I myself haven't made any arm or leg armor pieces, I'm thinking that scaling the templates for those areas to fit in terms of length will make the part too bulky on width and depth, but it may depend on what armor you're building. I plan on looking into other alternatives if this is the case.
alex prime
New Member
alex prime
Thank you, it is all ready to print now! just one more question. for the helmet, where do i get a visor??
Thank you, it is all ready to print now! just one more question. for the helmet, where do i get a visor??
I've been toying with the idea of getting a 1/16" sheet of polycarbonate off ebay (most likely from popdisplays as they seem to have the best price per square inch) and using reflective/metallic automotive window tinting film to cover it. Most reflective films can be found ina variety of colors, and one could possibly get a basic silver/mirror tint, and then go to an automotive paint supplier and buy a candy paint iin the color they want it to be. I specify "candy" because it is a highly translucent form of paint most often used with metallic and/or pearl paint jobs on cars because it allows the visual effect to come through, and can be layred multiple times to create different shades. Of course, because of this property you'll need to be especially careful with coloring your visor otherwise you may end up with unwanted stripes. I haven't actually tested this process myself, so I don't know for certain how the paint would react to the film. But if it does present a problem it should still work well enough on the polycarbonate sheet, so you could layer two sheets with the tint applied to the inner layer and the candy color applied ot the outer layer.
True, it might be less work to just buy a motorcycle visor and trim it, but then you're stuck not only with the color but also the general shape of the visor. With this method the 1/16" sheets are thin enough that they can be fairly easily bent into the desired shape (careful use of a heat gun could make it more pliable and also help to "set" the shape once it is achieved). This makes it easaier to get a more customized fit for the visor, which will greatly improve the overall look of the helmet. I have seen a lot of great looking helmets throughout the building and painting stages on here that suddenly look significantly less impressive once the visor is put in because the shape of it just does not fit with what the helmet is supposed to look like.
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