"Help!" for: Foam

[Mrpinski]

cool well, by all means try your method but I just think minimal pieces and some work with a dremel for the badge will make things a lot simpler for you but I could be wrong, but i'm pretty sure thats what you want to do... its what i'd do

Well the badge area what's just the used example, if you take a look at the abdomen, he has those movie ticket looking pieces sticking up, I would use a foamie to create that detail which is why I was trying to keep things consistent you know?

 

[DBmike]

That wouldn't be too much trouble to do, just again a shaped piece of Eva then cut out the foamies into the right shape and stick them straight on top to create those raised details

 

[David29]

I am gearing up for an Agent Maine (the Meta) Foam build and looking for tips at how to approach the helmet for this build i have my pep template downloaded and ready to print however i have never done this before not even with the card stock type builds, any tips or advice are appreciated as i worry how to properly template the many round edges of the faceplate.

 

[DBmike]

I am gearing up for an Agent Maine (the Meta) Foam build and looking for tips at how to approach the helmet for this build i have my pep template downloaded and ready to print however i have never done this before not even with the card stock type builds, any tips or advice are appreciated as i worry how to properly template the many round edges of the faceplate.

I'm not familiar with the design but basically, any big bits you want to keep, loose all the small details because it won't work out with foam, any cimetrical parts just keep one of each of those to save paper and you should be fine. Check YouTube for help videos on how to edit the file for foam if needs be.

Hope that helps buddy!

Mike

 

[Ravarkian]

I hope this is clear enough, but here goes. I have a question about a foam Noble Six build. When making the boot, do I encase the whole shoe I plan to use in the foam boot build (placing a foam layer across the underside too) or only wrap it around the shoe, leaving the bottom exposed? What did some of you guys do here on the 405th in regards to the boots?

 

[Ghost01]

I hope this is clear enough, but here goes. I have a question about a foam Noble Six build. When making the boot, do I encase the whole shoe I plan to use in the foam boot build (placing a foam layer across the underside too) or only wrap it around the shoe, leaving the bottom exposed? What did some of you guys do here on the 405th in regards to the boots?

To add to Ravarkian's question, how do you keep the foam from coming apart over time due to the constant flexing of the foot? I imagine that walking around with a foam covered shoe will put alot of stress on the foam. And I can't completely answer your question Ravarkian, however I can point you to a couple of builds that have some detailed boot construction pics.

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/35790-KAT-ARMOR-BUILD-with-custom-undersuit/page34

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/34127-RoxyRoo-s-Reach-Build-Undersuit/page20

And here's a pic of the way I'm planning on building the boots. Of course I am certainly no expert and as you can see above I have a question of my own, but I hope this little bit of info helps.

Hope this helps!

 

[DBmike]

Here ya go fellas
http://www.xrobots.co.uk/ironmancostume/
That's James from xrobots. On that page you'll find a description plus a video guide to how he made his boots functional.
Basically it involves some plastic and a hinge on the sole to allow the bending of the foot. If you look around the site there's lots of solutions and a wealth of info on solving problems.

My way of doing it was to make a heal and toe section with a half inch gap so that my cut off welly boot was concealed inside and the foot could still bend without ripping the foam sole in two thanks to the gap in the sole. Again consult my build thread for more info but beware I am rebuilding my boots using a new set of reference pictures so they will be changing however the initial idea of two sections is going to remain.

Hope that helps

 

[Ravarkian]

Thanks guys, These will help me formulate a good functioning boot!

 

[theTavernKnight]

So I'm looking at giving foam a shot and I see some people talk about EVA foam and others talk about anti-fatigue foam. At first I thought they were two names for the same thing but when I found some anti-fatigue foam mats at Home Depot they were a lot squishy and bendier than I thought. It didn't seem like a good base for building armor out of. So now I'm wondering if they're different and maybe EVA foam is a little more structurally rigid. Or are they both squishy/bendy and that's fine because the sealing makes it a little more solid later on?

Basically, I'm trying to figure out what I should be buying to make some base armor. I plan on using craft foam for more detail stuff on top.

Thanks!

 

[Skullptura]

Loving that iron man suit.

 

[David29]

thanks so much

 

[Seth Knight]

Give a 'duh' answer, but is a heat gun and knife okay to work with foam INSIDE a house? I want to know before I start today (secret project te he he). Thanks

-Seth

 

[DBmike]

If your referring to te gun you use to heat an bend the foam then yes. It's traditionally used for stripping paint from door frames etc and a hot knife is also fine so long as you don't leave it on a combustible surface just hang it from something when your not using it.

Good luck with this secret project

 

[Seth Knight]

Thanks DBMike, I appreciate it, if I'm successful today I'll put a link here what I get done

-Seth

 

[Statyk]

A hot knife? I've been using a boxcutter to cut my foam... And I've been using a hair dryer, but everyone is saying "heat gun". Is there a difference?

 

[DBmike]

A hot knife? I've been using a boxcutter to cut my foam... And I've been using a hair dryer, but everyone is saying "heat gun". Is there a difference?

A heat gun is a paint stripper type tool that gets a lot hotter than a hair dryer... you wouldn't want to dry your hair with one!!
and you need to loose the box cutter and get your self a craft knife

 

[Ghost01]

A heat gun is a paint stripper type tool that gets a lot hotter than a hair dryer... you wouldn't want to dry your hair with one!!
and you need to loose the box cutter and get your self a craft knife

You can get a heat gun for relatively cheap at any hardware or big box store. The one I use is pretty old so it only has a high or low setting and no trigger. I would reccommend getting one with a stand and a trigger activation so you can pick it up and put it down faster without worrying about it burning the surface you are working on. The quicker you get to forming the foam after heating, the better the shapes you can accomplish. Also, I would wear pants when working with heated foam since you can use your knee as a convenient curve surface. You wouldnt want to press hot foam against your bare skin. And Mike is on the money about the craft knife. Alot of people use scalpels but I would say that most use Xacto knives with #11 blades. And as long as you are purchasing an Xacto knife get yourself plenty of extra blades. You can dull a new blade after cutting out several pieces of foam. Dull blade = sloppy and ragged cuts.

 

[Seth Knight]

Well, just putting my two cents, if you get a hot knife get a good one. The woodburner w/knife attachment, well broke after cutting out the first piece, after that I used a utility knife and it worked out pretty well.

-Seth

 

[FatherDamien CO]

Has anyone else tried sharpening their blades??

My hobby knife kit came with a sharpening stone and once I got the hang of how to sharpen the blade I have now cut out a full Warhammer 40K chest piece and 50% of the back/jet pack with a single blade.

Granted I have to sharpen the blade every 3-4 cuts but I figure the little bit of extra effort is worth the money Im saving in blades. And once you get the hang of shapening the blades it only takes 10-15 secs.

Just a thought.

 

[Ghost01]

Has anyone else tried sharpening their blades??

My hobby knife kit came with a sharpening stone and once I got the hang of how to sharpen the blade I have now cut out a full Warhammer 40K chest piece and 50% of the back/jet pack with a single blade.

Granted I have to sharpen the blade every 3-4 cuts but I figure the little bit of extra effort is worth the money Im saving in blades. And once you get the hang of shapening the blades it only takes 10-15 secs.

Just a thought.

I havent seen one of these yet! That would save me a little money in spare blades. Thanks for the info!