Tutorial: The Duct Tape Method

jdosko · Mar 13, 2011

The "DuctTape" Method
Supplies
1. Duct tape (I found half a roll for a helmet worked good)
2. A completed pepakura armor piece

Directions
1. Cut off strips of duct tape that are relatively small
2. Place the strips on the Inside of the armor. After the first layer, you can use bigger and bigger strips of duct tape
3. repeat this as many times as you want, depending on how much strength you want your armor to have

Remember to make your armor bigger than usual, the duct tape makes the inside smaller, but if you use enough, I found it works as padding.

Pics comming soon!

Kanniba1istic · Mar 13, 2011

does this really work?

Nova Reclaimer · Mar 13, 2011

Hmm... this seems like a good alternative method for strengthening Pepped armour. I have made body casts using duct tape and stuffing, and it holds ups okay, but in my experience, you'll have to use a lot of duct tape (maybe 5-10 layers) for decent strength.

Kanniba1istic · Mar 13, 2011

Nova Reclaimer said:
Hmm... this seems like a good alternative method for strengthening Pepped armour. I have made body casts using duct tape and stuffing, and it holds ups okay, but in my experience, you'll have to use a lot of duct tape (maybe 5-10 layers) for decent strength.

well im okay with that, i dont have fiberglass or anything else for strengthening, but i worship duct tape so i naturally have lots of it. Ima try it out.

Devious · Mar 13, 2011

I would use this to compliment a layer of resin for those who don't want to worry about fiberglass and its irritant properties. Duct tape alone is not a good replacement.

Kanniba1istic · Mar 13, 2011

Devious said:
I would use this to compliment a layer of resin for those who don't want to worry about fiberglass and its irritant properties. Duct tape alone is not a good replacement.

I was thinking the same thing.

Agent Arizona · Mar 13, 2011

Devious said:
I would use this to compliment a layer of resin for those who don't want to worry about fiberglass and its irritant properties. Duct tape alone is not a good replacement.

I also agree. Maybe good for a temporary costume but not a long term solution. Not something you would wear to a con or anything. Its best to invest in fiberglass.

ventrue · Mar 13, 2011

Devious said:
I would use this to compliment a layer of resin for those who don't want to worry about fiberglass and its irritant properties. Duct tape alone is not a good replacement.

If you use resin, then you probably have the equipment to safely use fibreglass as well. I don't see the point here.

And - without trying to be destructive - I have my doubts about both the tutorial and the method itself as well. All it's saying is to stick tape inside a model. No pictures, no further insights, no expert tips. And as much as I love duck tape: this stuff is a LOT more expensive than resin and it doesn't even get close in terms of stability.

I happen to have two rolls lying right here next to me, one with a few metres of tape left (maybe 2 mm thick) and one with a few dozen metres left (2.6 cm thick). So I just did a little experiment: One after the other, I put them on the floor and put my vacuum cleaner on top of them (heaviest suitable object I have here, weighs maybe 4 or 5 kg). Then I measured how much the rolls had been compressed by the weight. Result: 5 mm for the small roll, 4 mm for the large roll. I'd venture to say that the tape isn't really doing a lot at all and that the paper core is carrying most of the weight.

Kanniba1istic · Mar 13, 2011

i agree with you all but for people like me, who will probably never goto a convention, and are unable to use resin it seems like its not that bad of an idea.

Also agree that we could use some pictures though =]]

jdosko · Mar 14, 2011

unfortunately, i am having some trouble with photobucket,but in answer to some questions, yes, it does work, it is just not as sturdy and is a little flexable, i was thinking of putting a little aqua resin on, and see how it works. Also, while it may not keep it in form as much, it will be very hard to tear your armor once you duct tape it.

ventrue · Mar 14, 2011

jdosko said:
unfortunately, i am having some trouble with photobucket,but in answer to some questions, yes, it does work, it is just not as sturdy and is a little flexable, i was thinking of putting a little aqua resin on, and see how it works. Also, while it may not keep it in form as much, it will be very hard to tear your armor once you duct tape it.

Isn't "keeping it in form" kind of the point when you wear a costume? :-D

Anyways, this is how Photobucket works: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30673-How-to-use-Photobucket-to-include-pictures-in-your-threads

jdosko · Mar 14, 2011

I said "I" was having trouble with photobucket my computer is screwy. The paper i use keeps in form enough on its own, it just needs support in case it rips.

EPSON BROCHURE/FLYER PAPER

Its kind of expensive, though.

ventrue · Mar 15, 2011

jdosko said:
as promised, pics are here!

I see you didn't read the tutorial I linked...

You have to copy the links from the share-box on the right. You'll probably like the one that's called "IMG Code".

Quote this post to see an example; it's the code for your cat:

[Example removed]

Spitfire22V · Mar 15, 2011

jdosko said:
I said "I" was having trouble with photobucket my computer is screwy.

Not sure how a computer being screwy affects copying image code to post photos in a thread.

Anyways, good luck getting those photos up, I'm curious to see how this method works.

jdosko · Mar 17, 2011

My computer is really old, and did i menton screwy? and how did you get that picture of my cat?, please take it off.

Devious · Mar 17, 2011

@ Ventrue
Fiberglass cloth alone is hazardous as the little glass particles can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs. If improperly resined it can pose a problem.

TD2253 · Mar 17, 2011

Here are some of your pics just to help out a bit.

jdosko · Mar 17, 2011

Definatly not a long term solution, but it helps, i was also thinking og complementing it with some paper mache
and as promised, pics are here!

my recon helmet

just started the bottom

my helmet after the first layer

sorry if this came out bad, but if you hold it up to the light, you can see what needs extra coverage

several layers of duct tape

Finished!

ventrue · Mar 17, 2011

jdosko said:
My computer is really old, and did i menton screwy? and how did you get that picture of my cat?, please take it off.

Read the tutorial I linked further up and what I said in my last post, both explain what I have done with the image of your cat (which is publicly available in your Photobucket album) and what you should have done to embed the other images. This is not a computer issue.

Devious said:
@ Ventrue
Fiberglass cloth alone is hazardous as the little glass particles can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs. If improperly resined it can pose a problem.

Yeah, but as I said: if you have the equipment to use resin safely, you can also use fibreglass safely.

Spitfire22V · Mar 17, 2011

Devious said:
@ Ventrue
Fiberglass cloth alone is hazardous as the little glass particles can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs. If improperly resined it can pose a problem.

Please don't take this in the wrong way, but are you sure about that? Fiber glass cloth is strands of glass; I don't see where the particles are coming from. I've worked with fiberglass and carbon fiber quite a bit, and never had a problem with particles when handling virgin cloth. However, once that cloth is hardened with resin, it will definitely give off hazardous particles if it is cut, grinded, or sanded.

Tutorial: The Duct Tape Method

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