Ideas for foam padding inside armor?

[GStam66]

Hey, tried doing a search on foam padding, but all I got were threads about foam armor. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions/ideas about where to get/best kind of foam to use to pad pepakura armor so that it fits better? I've tried some of the basic craft foam, but it seems constant movement causes it to wear down a bit, and leave pieces leftover on clothing. Hopefully looking for black foam that will be somewhat easy to conceal and won't fall apart. Thanks!

 

[DBmike]

I bought sofa foam ie the foam from inside your cushions you get on the sofa. Bought a big tile of It pretty cheap and it works just fine!

 

[Psquiddy]

Egg-crate foam and packing foam work well, just don't use EVA foam, it's made for construction, not padding.

 

[Jason 078]

packing foam and hot glue it on the inside of the armor. The hot glue won't come off of the foam, but might come off of the armor after time.

 

[drack]

I just bought a batch of cheap kitchen sponges and cut them up but DBmikes suggestion is best as upholstery foam is cheap and comes in large blocks.

 

[GStam66]

Alright, I'll have to look into that. Even if I can't find it in black, I'm assuming black spray paint done lightly should do the trick, without making it too hard/crusty. Yeah I've heard how the foam separates from the armor at times, I'm gonna try scuffing up the inside of the armor so it has a rougher surface to adhere to.

 

[Spartan_127]

Any type of soft foam would do. You don't have to use spray paint for your foam to make it dark. Just make a small black cloth bag to slip the foam into like a pillowcase. Take a look at Carpathiavh's Build. It shows how he made his and it is an extremely easy way to make the padding customized to your needs.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ghost01]

I would also look at the egg crate style of foam for padding. If you have any sewing skills, you can cover the foam up with black cloth and stitch it shut on both ends and then run seams across the entire piece a few times to give it a rippled effect. This would give the padding a more finished look and keep it from falling apart.

**edit**

Just make a small black cloth bag to slip the foam into like a pillowcase.

Sorry for double posting the same idea, I must have missed this reply somehow.

 

[Kangabox]

Looks like everyone else has got it covered.

For helmet foam padding tho, I would HIGHLY throwing a few extra $$$, running to your local army surplus, and buying some Kevlar (MICH 2000) Helmet Foam pads:

Why? Because, if you put a layer of velcro on the inside of your helmet, you can adjust these pads freely without having to go through hot gluing trial/error.

Also, I just find them more comfortable, and they absorb most of the stink from sweating XD

 

[Jason 078]

Those are an old friend. OregonAero has adjustable sizes for almost every kind of helmet. Not to mention, they promote airflow through the helmet to help keep you cool. Take it from me, I wore those in 120 degree temps and my head was relatively cool (the rest of my body under the tac gear and uniform on the other hand...)

 

[GStam66]

Thanks for the advice on the helmet padding, I might have to grab some (if time permits, haven't begun resining yet). I found some black/dark charcoal foam at Home Depot, which should do the trick for the armor pieces.