Want to make a costume out of foam...what do I need?

[kingofsouls]

For my next costume project, I was thinking about making the Dark Magician.

That one. The armor I was thinking about making out of foam instead of my standby of cardboard. I have never used foam to make a costume beore, so i am a little confused and not sure what to do, what i need, and etc.

I guess this could be a question thread as I am going to have a lot of those.

So, first big question: Tools I need. What are they?

 

[Grimwood]

First, you should already have many of the tools you need from using cardboard as media for costumes. A good razor knife (I like Husky, but it doesn't matter) many razor blades, a hot glue gun (though I have delved into the wonders of Barge and it is good), a long ruler, a short ruler, a heat gun, a bunch of sharpies and if you're going that route, templates. As many reference photos as you can get, from all angles. One thing I wish I had but haven't wanted to spend the money on is a cutting mat. A bunch of eva foam mats (the interlocking ones from Harbor Freight are pretty decent) and your imagination.

Oh, and a good camera for taking photos and posting them. That's probably most important.

Now get to work!

Grim

 

[metaform3d]

I found this to be a useful resource. It's expensive, but will give you what you need to know as a beginner.

http://punishedprops.com/shop/foamsmith-print-edition/

 

[kingofsouls]

First, you should already have many of the tools you need from using cardboard as media for costumes. A good razor knife (I like Husky, but it doesn't matter) many razor blades, a hot glue gun (though I have delved into the wonders of Barge and it is good), a long ruler, a short ruler, a heat gun, a bunch of sharpies and if you're going that route, templates. As many reference photos as you can get, from all angles. One thing I wish I had but haven't wanted to spend the money on is a cutting mat. A bunch of eva foam mats (the interlocking ones from Harbor Freight are pretty decent) and your imagination.

Oh, and a good camera for taking photos and posting them. That's probably most important.

Now get to work!

Grim

I may need replacement blades. I do have a hot glue gun, the rulers are easy to snag, and I already have a templates and a crap ton of spare sharpies.

What I do not have is a heat gun. What exactly are they?

 

[Travis McGee]

you can also get foam rolls from a website called foam mart here is a link

https://foammart.com/

 

[Cormac]

I may need replacement blades. I do have a hot glue gun, the rulers are easy to snag, and I already have a templates and a crap ton of spare sharpies.

What I do not have is a heat gun. What exactly are they?

You'll go through a huge amount of blades. probably worth buying in bulk at the start and don't be stingy with changing them. you'll get a much better finish with good sharp blade.

A heat gun is a bit like a hair dryer but a lot hotter. Very useful for forming foam.

 

[George]

King,what you need to do before building anything is start reading first and use the search bar to gather as much info as possible.
Here's a good start: JfCustom's foam file thread and the Sticky post on foam building.
There's a lot of info already on this forum.Just pick one of the Iron Man build threads and you'll see what people do and what they use.

 

[OBI WAN KEN0B1]

you can also get foam rolls from a website called foam mart here is a link

https://foammart.com/

which foam type of foam did you order. I got lost looking at all the different kinds

 

[DRG]

Just some notes from my personal experiences... I'd add that there are lots of different thicknesses of EVA foam and they have different strengths and weaknesses, especially depending on what you plan on building.

The large anti-fatigue mats are great for a lot of things. They are very cheap for a lot of square footage, and the thickness makes them the most durable and most likely to hold their shape if you build it right. On the negative side, the thickness makes them harder to cut and you'll go through a lot of blades if you want to avoid jagged edges. The thickness also makes it harder to shape and manipulate. And a big thing to consider that people often miss... when you're dealing with patterns and thicker foam, you have to account for the extra depth and be very careful of your fit. A 1/2" thick foam takes up more internal space than cardboard, so if you build a helmet that feels just right in cardboard, that same scale will be much more snug with the thicker foam. This is especially noticeable in helmets. I find this foam best for bulkier armor builds... I used it for my Gears of War armor as I wanted it to look big and heavy.

Then you have craft foam (or foamies), generally ranging from 2mm to 6mm thick. The 2mm stuff is a bit too floppy for most armor builds, but the 5mm and up holds its shape fairly well for most builds. The advantage I've found to this foam vs the floor mats is that it is far easier to cut, shape, and manipulate -- although assembly can be trickier in some spots as you have less 'edge' to work with. It also takes up less internal space as mentioned earlier. The main negatives are that the sheets generally seem to be smaller (12x18 is the most common size) so for larger pieces you need cut cuts/joins. It is also much less cost effective by square footage... a 12x18 where I live costs me about $1.25 and you'd need a lot of those to equal what comes in one of those puzzle mat packs. In my experience I prefer this type of foam for 'sleek' armors. I used this for the helmet and limbs of my Iron Man build.

 

[MrSouthpaw]

For my next costume project, I was thinking about making the Dark Magician.

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net...5-JP-VG.png/revision/latest?cb=20120121004352

That one. The armor I was thinking about making out of foam instead of my standby of cardboard. I have never used foam to make a costume beore, so i am a little confused and not sure what to do, what i need, and etc.

I guess this could be a question thread as I am going to have a lot of those.

So, first big question: Tools I need. What are they?

Every pro-costumer I've ever talked to says to check out youtube videos from a guy named 'Evil Ted Smith'.

His work....

 

[Travis McGee]

which foam type of foam did you order. I got lost looking at all the different kinds

you want this one


CLOSED CELL FOAM

 

[ShackMan]

Watch all the YouTube videos you can find by Evil Ted Smith, and Punished Props. Tools, techniques, and templates, all covered. [emoji1303]

 

[STLAssassin]

Personally I use a sharpener vs going through tons of blades. Also the roll anti fatigue mats are a nice thickness to work with vs the puzzle piece style ones. The bonus is you can cut larger pieces from them. If you live near a harbor freight they are cheap to get.

 

[kingofsouls]

Personally I use a sharpener vs going through tons of blades. Also the roll anti fatigue mats are a nice thickness to work with vs the puzzle piece style ones. The bonus is you can cut larger pieces from them. If you live near a harbor freight they are cheap to get.

I don't live near a Harbor Freight sadly.

So, just to recap:

Use Foamies (i.e. craft foam) for small things such as vanbraces, sleek and/or light armor, helmets, and etc.
Use Foam Mats (i.e. EVA anti fatiuque foam) for armor, etc.
Buy a knife sharpener.
But a Foam cutting mat.

On cutting, will a foam cutting knife work? Just curious.

 

[laellee]

A lot of people use Exacto knives, and sometimes the exacto mat cutters for mitered edges like this:

Personally, I use a plain old box cutter (seriously) over either a cutting mat or an extra large wooden kitchen cutting board:

I just cut mitered edges freehand by leaning the cutter itself. I also have a blade sharpener, but I still buy my single-edge razor blades in 100-count boxes; I cut all of my paper templates and the foam itself with the box cutter, and a box of blades will last several suits.

 

[STLAssassin]

I use one of these super fancy knives. I like them because you can adjust the blade length for thicker foam and it flexes a bit for curves.