Looking for a flexible plastic thats poured

[Livebyhonor]

As parts of my projects are getting closer to being complete I have been searching for a 2 part plastic like smooth-on that will give me the flexibility of... say a soda bottle. If you know of RC car bodies they are lexan and are painted on the inside. I am considering something like this for my current armor build since it would leave that crystal clear shine a polished armor would give off.

I think one of the reasons I am looking for something like this is the thigh plates for my armor. they wrap around the front to the back and if i make them from foam they wont have the finish texture/shine to it. But if I make it of standard smooth-on stuff it wont flex when I sit down and may break. If on the other hand its a material like a soda bottle it will flex well, can be painted from behind and foam reinforced to give me a solid yet flexible piece. Does anyone have any thoughts to a plastic like this. From what I have seen of smooth-ons or Taps line up they have nothing like this.

 

[Zercon]

Smooth-Cast 65D: I have never used this before, so don't go and rely on my guesswork entirely, but this says it is a semi ridged which leads me to believe it has some give to it in its final form. You will likely want to call Smooth-On to ask them about it. But do know that soda bottles and such are small cylinders of plastic that are heated, then air blown into shape using high pressure. So mimicking that thinness will be very difficult even with a rotocast I feel.

FlexFoam-iT: Is another Smooth-On product. I have seen that some of these will seal like a plastic finish on the outside if it is cast under slight pressure with a backboard. This is what they make some prop weapons out of like-

As you can see, they got a nice slick finish with it even though it is foam. Only issue I see is making the molds which is an expensive ballgame to jump into. It will also require special paints so they don’t crack and flake off.

If you really want it clear, and able to paint the interior? They sell a clear epoxy and plastic, but that is stuff I have never worked with at all, and seems like a lot of trouble and expensive materials to rotocast entire pieces out of it ((Nearly 200 for one gallon of Crystal Clear)) An option is to buy this, or a similar epoxy resin and glaze it over the finished product to add that sheen. The stuff they use to laminate bars should work well, and stand up to some scratching. But this is only for a final coat sort of thing, and would not hold up on its own without other ridged materials backing it.

When it comes to the generic plastic that you think will crack, if you layer it thick enough it really shouldn’t be an issue. If it is too thin? It will shatter like nobodies business. I learned that with the outer edge of my Skirmisher Helmet. Flicking it caused a chunk to go flying off. But the snout? Which was much thicker? I could probably slam that thing into a table and not have issues. So I would say for your money ((and sanity)) go that route.

If you make it thick and stability is still a worry? I say sand the plastic interior ((to give it something to grip to)) and apply fiberglass for this piece, not worrying about weight since it is just for this one component. Another thing is if you add upholstery foam to the inside? It could have some nice 'squish' to pad and distribute your weight on the pieces interior.

This is all concept though; I have not tried any of this myself. ((I just like doing research on products)) So please take everything said with a grain of salt!

 

[demo084]

If you go flexible, like you explained you want. The paint will begin flaking off as the plastic flexes and warps. From my experience if you reinforce your armor properly you should be able to roll, jump, and dive without breaking your armor. As for a thigh piece mearly sitting down in a chair shouldn't be enough to break or damage your armor.

 

[Livebyhonor]

thanks for your thoughts on this idea. I know bending plastic is not friendly with paint but there are some that allow some flex. I was never 100% in my mind with this idea but I at least wanted some other thoughts to it. Thanks for your input.

 

[GuitarMaster157]

Yup, smooth cast 65-D is what you're talking about! But, how would you make it from the smooth cast? Are you molding and casting all of your pieces?