Alternative way to harden armor?

[otaku for life]

Sorry for posting a lot, i was wondering if there was any other alternative to hardening and strengthening armor?
I hit the end of my limit, cost wise for materials and supplies....mainly resin, fiberglass, and Bondo (expensive)
i don't need it to be super tough, just wearable, sturdy enough to handle walking, and inexpensive.

looking to wear it for halo 4 midnight release and maybe some anime cons.

 

[onmi shift]

its not really that exspensive but, and mind you this just a thought not a proven method. have you seen that commercial of spray on rubber seal? he used it to cover a screen door on the bottom of the boat? well you can try that stuff.

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/paint/...bber-coating-performix-brand-spray-98266.html

its suppose to be stiff but just slightly flexible and weather resistant soooo yea. it seems like it might work in theory but i havnt tried it yet.

 

[Bulbxsaur]

Well depending how hard you want it, smooth cast 300 is a good choice. It gets your armor hard and you can put as many layers as you want, but this only replaces the fiber-glassing part. I recommend you save some money because a good quality set of armor will cost about 250$ or you can try to only use fiberglass resin by putting 2-3 coats, but i have never tried it.

 

[sandy1973]

Papermache with water down wood glue should work. This is a very cheap way but time consuming.

 

[Halo airsoft92]

You could try the hot glue method, not too sure about it myself but you can check the creation discussion stickies for the method

 

[big4wheeler]

This is a very great way to burn yourself! Definitely use gloves and long sleeves.
It worked on my Army of Two mask, but it broke after some abuse.
If you are going to do this way I would advise you to use something else besides hot glue to put all the pieces together with. It caused it to fall apart when I went to spread the hot glue and I spent some time with a heat gun trying to get everything back together the right way

 

[Hyperballistik]

If your making a complete suit, I suggest building it out of Eva foam, you can even make the helmet this way, if you want to make it out of pep your best bet is to take fiberglass cloth soak it down with wood glue and stick the cloth on the back sides of the armor, it won't be as hard as fiberglass and as strong but it will harden your parts without all the toxic fumes and should work pretty good enough for what your looking for at least............... Good luck hope to see some progress

 

[Zat German]

Seconding Hyperballistik's EVA foam. It is much more comfortable and wearable. You can also get it pretty cheap at Harbor Freight, if you are in the US. Next month, August 24, 25 & 26, they are having an in-store sale at $6.99 for 4 sheets. At that price, you could probably build a whole suit for less than $50, including foam, glue and paint.

 

[Unity]

Seconding Hyperballistik's EVA foam. It is much more comfortable and wearable. You can also get it pretty cheap at Harbor Freight, if you are in the US. Next month, August 24, 25 & 26, they are having an in-store sale at $6.99 for 4 sheets. At that price, you could probably build a whole suit for less than $50, including foam, glue and paint.

This is kind of off topic but.......FOUR SHEETS FOR $6.99 ?!?!? Thank you for posting this!! I'm going to have to pick up a few packs!

 

[Zat German]

This is kind of off topic but.......FOUR SHEETS FOR $6.99 ?!?!? Thank you for posting this!! I'm going to have to pick up a few packs!

They are regularly on sale for $9.99, with coupons now and then for $7.99. I think the regular price is $14.99.

 

[Drakon]

Well depending how hard you want it, smooth cast 300 is a good choice. It gets your armor hard and you can put as many layers as you want, but this only replaces the fiber-glassing part. I recommend you save some money because a good quality set of armor will cost about 250$ or you can try to only use fiberglass resin by putting 2-3 coats, but i have never tried it.

I agree. Smooth-On is a VERY good call. How ever I would suggest using Smooth-Cast 65d. It is made specifically for roto casting. For the outer shell I use Smooth-Cast 320. The 320 takes the place of the fiberglass resin. And the 65d is used in place of the rondo. A trial kit of each is about $25 usd. I was able to get 3 helms done using the trial kits. I am now investing in the gallon kit which is $89 usd. Although not as toxic as fiberglass resin. You do still have to take precautions in using it. I did a demo at MegaCon this past year with one of my helms. I banged the thing on the floor repeatedly to show just how rigid it was. Never even cracked. I get my supplies from http://www.reynoldsam.com

And btw, if you are getting your foam from Harbor Freight. Look for their coupons in the ads of your local Sunday paper. They always have a 20% off coupon. I use it at least once a month. And yes you can use it on the sale price of the foam. (well at least I have) I don't think I have ever paid more that $3 for a pack.

 

[ZMX]

I'm all for foam too.

Pros : Easy to use and relatively cheap, no hassle with respirators, no freaking STENCH (big plus depending on where you live), no mess.
Cons : somewhat more fragile than a classic pep piece nurtured with love and lots of fiberglass, a bit harder to detail (although there are some AMAZING foam builds on the 405th)


However, making a foam helmet is quite the challenge. Be warned.

 

[Spartan_127]

If you're looking for the foam in quantity, try the Best Step Anti Fatigue Flooring Mat. The roll measures 46" x 93" and it's 1/4" thickness. I found them at Sears for $20 a roll. I've seen a lot of people use this in their builds in other places. I don't know what the flooring is like from harbor freight or what the size of it is, but the roll has lots of foam. I used it in my son's build for the back of his helmet and a torso undersuit vest. Good luck with everything and hope to see something from you soon.

 

[SpecMouse]

Thank you for posting that!!! Gonna stock up. Woot!

Also, check out places like Biglots,etc after a big holiday, They sell all their holiday stuff super cheap (75% off on average...40cents instead of a $1.50) and I picked up a load of foam placemats which worked great for some Batman gauntlets, filler foam details, etc. They have a thin plastic sheet atop them, which can be peeled off, or left, depending on how stiff you need em to be.

Biglots also had a big roll of 1/4" foam in their tool department for about $18.. ( I didn't get it cause I was heading to Harbor Frieght, but it looked like it could be useful, depending on what you are making

 

[otaku for life]

Thank you all so much for the recommendations, i just finished my Shoulders, Forearms and Hand plates, all low def since i don't wanna pull my hair out, all those tiny folds >_>

oh and for the smooth cast 321 Trial Kit, how much of the armor can i get done and ready for bondo/paint?

 

[Redshirt]

Cardboard painted down with Mop & Glo floor wax to stiffen the fibers then overpainted with scrap house paint before final coloring will be reasonably strong. I still spent $100 by the time I was done with finish paints. Helmet not included.

Redshirt

 

[Draakjuh]

Wouldn't exactly call foam an alternative way to harden armor, i like to harden my peps with fiberglass and/or Kevlar, but prices vary and most of the time it's not that cheap.
Body filler isn't necessary but it sure makes it cooler if done right ^^

 

[Noblechris]

A good way I found to get it pretty strong is to us a glue paper method where you use strips of paper and add a coat of glue using a paint brush over the area you want to strengthen then lay down strips of paper. After that let it sit for a couple of minutes then repeat the glue process but lay down the strips going side to side instead of up and down. Then reappear this process a couple of times and your armor should be pretty strong it worked for me on my helmet that im currently working on.

 

[Drakon]

Thank you all so much for the recommendations, i just finished my Shoulders, Forearms and Hand plates, all low def since i don't wanna pull my hair out, all those tiny folds >_>

oh and for the smooth cast 321 Trial Kit, how much of the armor can i get done and ready for bondo/paint?

Hmmmm good question. I coated 3 full helms with 2-3 coats each. A little bit goes a long way. As for doing an entire suit??? I really couldn't tell ya. After using the trial kit I liked it so much I spent the money and got the gallon kit. Which actually nets you 2 gallons total. You one gallon of part A, and one gallon of part B.

 

[Squirrel24950]

Wow. I didn't think EVA foam was that cheap. That was the main reason I went with Pep. I think my next set is gonna be foam now!!

Thanks for the info on the alternatives to resin/fiberglass/bondo. I might try some of those!

Good luck on your build Otaku!