Possible method of making armor?

[Kasaron]

I'm toying with the idea of using a mix of foam work and vacuum forming a set of armor, but am unsure as to how to go about this. The plan at this point is to use rigid foam, make a master then vacuum form over it, but the more I look, the more feasible the method of making a mold and using chemoplastic becomes. The main issue is; I'm unsure as to how to make the parts without either having large inclusions or worse; making them out of solid plastic and spending an arm and a leg.

Which of these two methods do you people personally think is the most effective/detailed? I'd, optimally like the best quality I can manage without completely breaking the bank (budget for this costume is about 1k on the very outside of things.)

 

[TD2253]

By rigid foam, do you mean the green floral foam from craft stores? I've used it to sculpt a Star Wars Galactic Marine chest and back. After the initial sculpt, I coated the foam with Bondo to strengthen it and give it a smoother surface. Then, I coated it with MH Ready Patch for a smoother, cleaner finish. Not sure if this method will survive the pressure from the vac-form machine but you may have to make molds of the sculpts with silicone rubber and mother mold to hold it in shape. Then cast it by using Hydrocal or similar products then this cast should be strong enough for vac-forming purposes.

 

[sandy1973]

I think you should use pepakura method raisin on the outside and solid plaster on the inside detail the pice with bondo or drywall compound and vacum form your armor.
and overall cost of material that I said should be less than 200$

 

[Kasaron]

If I'm going to go through with making it with foam, I'll probably use smoothcast and then cast it. Do you know a good casting material. What I'd be looking for, optimally is something with a fairly low price, that's tough enough to withstand the wear and tear of some action scenes(occasionally getting knocked around, scuffed, etc, so it can't crumble apart or anything), with a good surface finish. Suggestions?

 

[sandy1973]

only the smoothcast product that I know that good enough to stand the abuse or you might want to use the fiberglass resin + fiberglass cloth to cast your stuffs but it is a long process.
haha funny : I did correct it.

 

[sonic sod]

oooo can i have a fiberglass raisin

 

[Sosuhno]

oooo can i have a fiberglass raisin

Is that anything like wall candy?