Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pommel)

[Ragnarzk]

Howdy all, if you've seen my introduction thread, you've seen how far along I am with my gravity hammer build. Unfortunately, as I'm new to all of this, my inexperience is causing me to hit a roadblock and I'm just not sure where to go from here.
Off the top of my head I just can't think of how to make the hand guards and pommel or how to efficiently make the rings.

I would prefer to keep it EVA as that is what I have on-hand, but if I have to go with another technique, so be it. I'm running low anyways.

Here is what I have:


The hammer is a mix of the Halo 3 and Halo: Reach variants, to go along with my ODST mixed build.
Here is the reference photo I have been using for most of the build with rings around what I need help with:


(I concede mine is not the most accurate thing in the world, but hell, it's part of my first build)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

(P.S. Hot glue will not be part of my next build.)

 

[JD of Asgard]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

I know it's not a lot of help, I'm still learning myself, but that hammer looks really nice already. :]

 

[Ragnarzk]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

Thank you. I kinda went full steam ahead with this build. I probably have put in almost 20 hours already.

 

[TPceebee]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

Perhaps try wrapping the EVA around the staff, adding a shape that sicks out and then carving it with a rotary tool if you have one on hand? You could also try to get the greeblies on by using other thicknesses of foam such as 3mm or 1mm foamies. Looks wicked so far!

 

[Sturmwulfe]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

I'd definitely wrap EVA foam around the staff, and use different thicknesses of foam to put out all of the details.

 

[TwinMustang]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

I'd say you have two options. Wrapping the shaft, as recommended above, and then removing material with a rotary tool, or creating a block by stacking and gluing, then removing material from the outside and inside in order to create the shape you want. The stack way puts less strain on the glued joint, but requires much more work to finish and make it look good. Wrapping is easier to finish, takes less material, but will be more likely to tear over time.

 

[TurboCharizard]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

TPceebee has it right with building up the rough shapes that you want with different thicknesses of foam and then sanding down to the exact contours that you need.

For the bottom pommel I'd say to look for a PVC expansion coupler or reducing adapter to change to a larger size from the hammer shaft that you already have and then coat that in 1mm or 2mm foam for detailing.

 

[Ragnarzk]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

Just an important note, I will be using actual leather strips for the leather. Thank you all for your suggestions, and until I actually build it, just keep shooting out suggestions, because I might just really like your suggestion and incorporate it into it.

Also, thank you all for the positive feedback. It means a lot for my first project.

 

[KIsmay]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

Since you're working on making details for the handle, you might want to look at a pool noodle, which you ought to be able to cut easily, carve to the shape you want, and glue it on. Not that I've tried it or anything, it's just an idea. ;-)

 

[Ragnarzk]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

That's actually a really good really simple way of doing that. Super simple to cut, and I could probably harden the outside with heat as well as shrink it down should it respond to heat well enough.

That and the layers will probably be the first I try. After that, PCB.

Thanks all.

 

[Lieutenant Jaku]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

you might try either a skinny pool noodle or a cardboard or foam tube wrapped in leather then add a big nut (I think that's what its called) at the top and bottom

 

[Jme]

As you have used a pvc pipe as your base you could use couplets and adapters as mentioned above. Eva and craft foam can be added to these to create the shapes that you are looking for.

Craft foam can be wrapped around the handle to build it out.

We used these methods to create my daughter's Rey staff and just Plasti Dipped the whole thing once we got the shapes we wanted.

Before Plasti Dip

After

"I don't know what is weirder - that you're fighting a stuffed animal, or that you seem to be losing." - Suzie

 

[Ragnarzk]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

So, just a little response on what I wound up doing. I just decided to go with making it out of EVA foam. If you guys want me to specify how I did it, I can elaborate, but it wasn't the most consistent, which is why I hesitate to post it initially.

So, now with that done, any suggestions on how to make the glyphs on the side decently cleanly?

Regardless, here are some photos:

 

[TurboCharizard]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

That's looking awesome, if you have schematics kicking around I'd definitely be interested in those at some point in the near future. My girlfriend wants to make spartan armour and carry her favourite loadout of a hammer and shotgun.

So, now with that done, any suggestions on how to make the glyphs on the side decently cleanly?

If you have access to a cutting machine, vinyl transfer. If you have a printer and a nearby hardware store either an acetone or similar solvent transfer. Either way is pretty quick and dirty if you already have a graphic of the glyph in a reasonably high resolution.

 

[Ragnarzk]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

TurboCharizard This was actually all freehand. No prints or anything.

I'll probably be doing a thing like DFT with a Reach hammer, except with it being well-explained in the manual and no video series. Do you think $5 is reasonable for a ready-to-print thing considering the amount of time it would take to make it and write it and the (probably low) number of people buying it?

I'm thinking of acetone image transfer at the moment, but I need to find a laser printer somewhere. If it messes with my paint, I'll try finding a better solvent.

 

[TurboCharizard]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

I'll probably be doing a thing like DFT with a Reach hammer, except with it being well-explained in the manual and no video series. Do you think $5 is reasonable for a ready-to-print thing considering the amount of time it would take to make it and write it and the (probably low) number of people buying it?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I dunno man, if you're looking to monetize your work, you do you. I'm probably the worst guy to ask about that since all my patterns I design get posted to Facebook on my cosplay page and then the PDFs on an open shared Dropbox folder. $5 isn't much but I'm the kind of guy who would just go and make my own plans instead of paying for them.

 

[Ragnarzk]

Re: Need Assistance With EVA Gravity Hammer Build (70%) (Hand Guards, Rings and Pomm

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I dunno man, if you're looking to monetize your work, you do you. I'm probably the worst guy to ask about that since all my patterns I design get posted to Facebook on my cosplay page and then the PDFs on an open shared Dropbox folder. $5 isn't much but I'm the kind of guy who would just go and make my own plans instead of paying for them.

I fully understand as I'm much like you, but if I'm going to do it with a tutorial and stuff that's a lot of time, and I have to pay for textbooks somehow. I probably won't be selling it, but there's just a lot to think about.

Thank you for your feedback and everything though.

 

[mike bike]

Howdy all, if you've seen my introduction thread, you've seen how far along I am with my gravity hammer build. Unfortunately, as I'm new to all of this, my inexperience is causing me to hit a roadblock and I'm just not sure where to go from here.
Off the top of my head I just can't think of how to make the hand guards and pommel or how to efficiently make the rings.

I would prefer to keep it EVA as that is what I have on-hand, but if I have to go with another technique, so be it. I'm running low anyways.

Here is what I have:
View attachment 25052View attachment 25053

The hammer is a mix of the Halo 3 and Halo: Reach variants, to go along with my ODST mixed build.
Here is the reference photo I have been using for most of the build with rings around what I need help with:
View attachment 25055

(I concede mine is not the most accurate thing in the world, but hell, it's part of my first build)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

(P.S. Hot glue will not be part of my next build.)

did hot glue not work well or just didn't want to deal with it haha

 

[Distemper]

Don't know if you already know about This to That (Glue Advice) it is a great site that will tell you what is best to use. Personally I love Barge Cement as it works great with almost everything.