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I realized yesterday that Desucon is only a month away. Inspired or horrified of the closing convention I started with Luminara’s headgear. I dug up the base I had prepared in February as a refreshing crafting project between Snowtrooper’s construction. The materials I used for the dome part was corrugated cardboard, lots of masking tape, modelling “clay”, tricot and flannel for support and padding and wool.
I took advantage on our Snowtrooper helmet dome mold for the cardboard skeleton. I actually had done one dome before, but because I didn’t have anything to shape it over it became too big and bulky for my taste. With the mold I was able to get the shape close enough and with little tweaking and trying it on it finally took nice, fitting form. I used hot glue and masking tape to keep the structure together.
Next I took about 250 grams of modelling material and rolled it to thin sheet. Then I covered the dome with the clay substitute. Then I left the dome to dry before the next step. After the clay is dry, it’s almost impossible to alter the shape anymore. The cardboard dome was correct size for me, but it was bit too round while my head is more oval. I padded my wig head with plastic to fit my head size and taped the sides down to create the right shape on the rim.
After the clay was dry I covered the dome with tricot and applied glue-water mixture all over. The tricot smoothed out some of the inconsistencies in the clay and because I was too lazy to sand it I added flannel on the front to hide all the remaining bumps. I only applied glue on the edges to keep the fabric soft. I also didn’t cover the whole dome, because the back part will not be visible under the, uh, curtain..?
I had bought the only brown wool with smooth surface available on the local fabric stores. Not the best time of the year to buy wool, I say. I stretched the fabric over the dome and added water to where I had to stretch even more. Damp wool will stretch nicely and with little effort, but will not revert as a warning to the aspiring hat makers out there.
I haven’t lined the dome yet. I’m still thinking will the hat need some support system or elastics inside. To write this post I took a break from trying to figure how the shape of the, emm, curtain structure on the top is achieved. I’ve tried three different methods this far and I think it’s time to move on to mesh-wire-paper clay- direction.
Oh yeah, I finished the brooch! At least something is ready!
I could've take a photo of the finished thing with missing rings and attachment... Oh, well.
I realized yesterday that Desucon is only a month away. Inspired or horrified of the closing convention I started with Luminara’s headgear. I dug up the base I had prepared in February as a refreshing crafting project between Snowtrooper’s construction. The materials I used for the dome part was corrugated cardboard, lots of masking tape, modelling “clay”, tricot and flannel for support and padding and wool.
I took advantage on our Snowtrooper helmet dome mold for the cardboard skeleton. I actually had done one dome before, but because I didn’t have anything to shape it over it became too big and bulky for my taste. With the mold I was able to get the shape close enough and with little tweaking and trying it on it finally took nice, fitting form. I used hot glue and masking tape to keep the structure together.
Next I took about 250 grams of modelling material and rolled it to thin sheet. Then I covered the dome with the clay substitute. Then I left the dome to dry before the next step. After the clay is dry, it’s almost impossible to alter the shape anymore. The cardboard dome was correct size for me, but it was bit too round while my head is more oval. I padded my wig head with plastic to fit my head size and taped the sides down to create the right shape on the rim.
After the clay was dry I covered the dome with tricot and applied glue-water mixture all over. The tricot smoothed out some of the inconsistencies in the clay and because I was too lazy to sand it I added flannel on the front to hide all the remaining bumps. I only applied glue on the edges to keep the fabric soft. I also didn’t cover the whole dome, because the back part will not be visible under the, uh, curtain..?
I had bought the only brown wool with smooth surface available on the local fabric stores. Not the best time of the year to buy wool, I say. I stretched the fabric over the dome and added water to where I had to stretch even more. Damp wool will stretch nicely and with little effort, but will not revert as a warning to the aspiring hat makers out there.
I haven’t lined the dome yet. I’m still thinking will the hat need some support system or elastics inside. To write this post I took a break from trying to figure how the shape of the, emm, curtain structure on the top is achieved. I’ve tried three different methods this far and I think it’s time to move on to mesh-wire-paper clay- direction.
Oh yeah, I finished the brooch! At least something is ready!
I could've take a photo of the finished thing with missing rings and attachment... Oh, well.
READ MORE - Luminara's headgear- The dome
Next to leather gauntlets and cloth Luminara has few more accessories. She has a brooch fastening her cape on next to pair of belts and a lightsaber. The brooch I made last year already. I thought about re-making it, but after I examined the reference pictures I settled to it. There is still painting and weathering ahead, but I could say I'm on the winning side with it.
I've done lot of brain work with Luminara's belt buckles and few days ago I took the bull from its horns and started crafting. I've seen buckles that resemble the original ones, but never have I found exact copies. Nitpicky as I am, I had to get as close as possible. I have the simpler buckle done and fail-painted. The spray paint I used was really poor quality. I was able to get the bubbles out, which can still be seen in the picture. I'm going to paint it again with acrylics and trim the edges a little.
After painting the buckle, I need to weather it with black paint to give the design more depth. I also need to make the other, more difficult one and then come up with a fastening mechanism. I'm leaning forward to making the front of the belt “fake” and hiding the real buckle or snaps to the back, where the belt is covered by the cape. This way I would not need to worry about ruining the buckle while trying to make a tongue to it or about breaking the whole thing.
We have thought about applying to Rebel Legion with Luminara and Barriss, which makes having a lightsaber or the hilt of it necessary. I started constructing version 1 saber hilt a day prior to the buckles. The base is a carton tube from baking paper container and the covering is craft foam. There are insulation foam structures in both ends of the hilt. With the previous materials the hilt is really light, but looks neat. After covering it with glue I will paint it and add buttons and other required details.
As I stated the saber is just a version 1. If we get accepted to the Legion, we will make sabers with the blade later on. I also wanted to have little simpler props to work on now, because we are going to wear the costumes in two months and we will be busy on our own quarters for at least a month.
READ MORE - Under construction: Luminara's accessories
Next to leather gauntlets and cloth Luminara has few more accessories. She has a brooch fastening her cape on next to pair of belts and a lightsaber. The brooch I made last year already. I thought about re-making it, but after I examined the reference pictures I settled to it. There is still painting and weathering ahead, but I could say I'm on the winning side with it.
I've done lot of brain work with Luminara's belt buckles and few days ago I took the bull from its horns and started crafting. I've seen buckles that resemble the original ones, but never have I found exact copies. Nitpicky as I am, I had to get as close as possible. I have the simpler buckle done and fail-painted. The spray paint I used was really poor quality. I was able to get the bubbles out, which can still be seen in the picture. I'm going to paint it again with acrylics and trim the edges a little.
After painting the buckle, I need to weather it with black paint to give the design more depth. I also need to make the other, more difficult one and then come up with a fastening mechanism. I'm leaning forward to making the front of the belt “fake” and hiding the real buckle or snaps to the back, where the belt is covered by the cape. This way I would not need to worry about ruining the buckle while trying to make a tongue to it or about breaking the whole thing.
We have thought about applying to Rebel Legion with Luminara and Barriss, which makes having a lightsaber or the hilt of it necessary. I started constructing version 1 saber hilt a day prior to the buckles. The base is a carton tube from baking paper container and the covering is craft foam. There are insulation foam structures in both ends of the hilt. With the previous materials the hilt is really light, but looks neat. After covering it with glue I will paint it and add buttons and other required details.
As I stated the saber is just a version 1. If we get accepted to the Legion, we will make sabers with the blade later on. I also wanted to have little simpler props to work on now, because we are going to wear the costumes in two months and we will be busy on our own quarters for at least a month.
READ MORE - Under construction: Luminara's accessories
When Yoki talked me in to our Snowtrooper project, she stated that it would be easy, because there is only a few pieces of armor in the costume. Bhah, I say! After some research I confronted Yoki with some drafts and showed her how many there actually were. I have never seen such an impression on Yoki's face, this is actually pretty describing (o.o).
We chose to do the armor parts from PETG plastic using vacuumforming method. The positive, master molds were made of insulation foam and wood putty. You can find the posts dealing with the clothes, equipment preparations and references behind the links.
Third step: Production- Hard components
Our mold making started from sheets of insulation foam. We estimated the approximate measurements based on reference pictures and information. One of our reference sources was site dedicated to Snowtrooper construction, which provided measurements for male size armor. We scaled the measurements down comparing them to our size and portion. When the dimensions of the armor pieces were concluded, the foam was cut to proper sized pieces, stacked and glued with Erikeeper. We cut the rough form after the glue had dried with thin bladed saw or a carpet knife and started sanding. We used different rakes; the final sanding was made with the finest one of course.
For detailing we used craft foam, plaster or foam covered with putty, like the molds themselves. After the piece was completed, we added first layer of putty and sanded it smooth. This step we repeated few times, exposed foam had to be covered, because it would collapse under the hot plastic. We used wood putty because it didn’t smell and could be safely handled. Probably any type of putty will do, but do not use car filler, it will melt the foam. After the surface has been polished with finest grain paper Yoki varnished the molds three times before we went on to vacuumforming. We thought that the varnish would make the removal of the mold from the plastic copy easier. We also used silicon lubricant for that task.
Before vacuumforming we checked how many parts we can make with one sheet of plastic, maximum amount was two. We took notice that the pieces should be somewhat the same height. Big differences on height stretch the plastic unevenly and tears it. We used special, three way bolts as raising pieces. When they were placed under the molds the suction was enabled from every side of the mold. This also helps to avoid the folding on the hot plastic. For us folds formed with strict corners. Sometimes any trick worked, even; they happened never the less. The trick is to try to get them where they show the least.
We had custom made frames and platform for vacuumforming. There are instructions on the internet how to make a vacuumforming studio in home environment. We used regular vacuum cleaner for the suction and a normal stove. Bigger the oven you have the bigger parts you can form. Because the breastplate is rather big, we had to divide it in four different pieces. We did try to make it as a whole, but after five ruined attempts I cried a little and went on and sliced up the mold. If anyone needs unique flowerpots from clear plastic, resembling strangely Snowtrooper breastplate, but with folds and holes, let me know.
Abdomen plate plastication. Please note my pretty hairband.
We painted the pieces with shiny white spray paint. Details were added by painting free hand or with stencils. Please note my ergonomic wposture and Yoki's protective gear aka Smurf hat.
Velcro on the shoulder parts and breast plate construction.
Different kinds of methods were used to fasten the armors: straps, screws, buckles and Velcro. Assembling the armor will be the subject of my last making of post on Snowtroopers.
READ MORE - Snowtrooper: Third step (Part two)
When Yoki talked me in to our Snowtrooper project, she stated that it would be easy, because there is only a few pieces of armor in the costume. Bhah, I say! After some research I confronted Yoki with some drafts and showed her how many there actually were. I have never seen such an impression on Yoki's face, this is actually pretty describing (o.o).
We chose to do the armor parts from PETG plastic using vacuumforming method. The positive, master molds were made of insulation foam and wood putty. You can find the posts dealing with the clothes, equipment preparations and references behind the links.
Third step: Production- Hard components
Our mold making started from sheets of insulation foam. We estimated the approximate measurements based on reference pictures and information. One of our reference sources was site dedicated to Snowtrooper construction, which provided measurements for male size armor. We scaled the measurements down comparing them to our size and portion. When the dimensions of the armor pieces were concluded, the foam was cut to proper sized pieces, stacked and glued with Erikeeper. We cut the rough form after the glue had dried with thin bladed saw or a carpet knife and started sanding. We used different rakes; the final sanding was made with the finest one of course.
For detailing we used craft foam, plaster or foam covered with putty, like the molds themselves. After the piece was completed, we added first layer of putty and sanded it smooth. This step we repeated few times, exposed foam had to be covered, because it would collapse under the hot plastic. We used wood putty because it didn’t smell and could be safely handled. Probably any type of putty will do, but do not use car filler, it will melt the foam. After the surface has been polished with finest grain paper Yoki varnished the molds three times before we went on to vacuumforming. We thought that the varnish would make the removal of the mold from the plastic copy easier. We also used silicon lubricant for that task.
Before vacuumforming we checked how many parts we can make with one sheet of plastic, maximum amount was two. We took notice that the pieces should be somewhat the same height. Big differences on height stretch the plastic unevenly and tears it. We used special, three way bolts as raising pieces. When they were placed under the molds the suction was enabled from every side of the mold. This also helps to avoid the folding on the hot plastic. For us folds formed with strict corners. Sometimes any trick worked, even; they happened never the less. The trick is to try to get them where they show the least.
We had custom made frames and platform for vacuumforming. There are instructions on the internet how to make a vacuumforming studio in home environment. We used regular vacuum cleaner for the suction and a normal stove. Bigger the oven you have the bigger parts you can form. Because the breastplate is rather big, we had to divide it in four different pieces. We did try to make it as a whole, but after five ruined attempts I cried a little and went on and sliced up the mold. If anyone needs unique flowerpots from clear plastic, resembling strangely Snowtrooper breastplate, but with folds and holes, let me know.
Abdomen plate plastication. Please note my pretty hairband. The vacuumforming is rather quick, but taking the mold out from its plastic pocket and cutting the excess parts out is more time consuming. For cutting we used carpet knife and wore work gloves to avoid bleeding fingers. No joking. Keep your fingers safe, you need them if you'd like to continue making costumes. The other time-eaters were construction the breast plate and building two back packs. The gluing took time with the breast plate and the backpacks were made like the molds, but instead of varnish the surface was finished with glue. We didn't vacuum form them, because then the mold would've been in thousand pieces. I figured that it was easier to do them by crafting.
We painted the pieces with shiny white spray paint. Details were added by painting free hand or with stencils. Please note my ergonomic wposture and Yoki's protective gear aka Smurf hat. Like the backpacks we made the thermal detonator holders from scratch. The inside is made from insulation foam and covered with craft foam, which is sealed with glue. The ends are insulation foam with putty and three coats of glue. I bended left over aluminum sheets for fastenings and attached them to the holder. Raised details were done from craft foam and sealed with glue before painting. Velcro on the shoulder parts and breast plate construction.
Different kinds of methods were used to fasten the armors: straps, screws, buckles and Velcro. Assembling the armor will be the subject of my last making of post on Snowtroopers.
READ MORE - Snowtrooper: Third step (Part two)
We have been making our Snowtrooper costumes and finally we have been able to finish something. Behold, the thermal detonator holder!
So shiny and new.
Casualties happen before we even get to wear the costumes. Hiron used the old TDH as a hammer. We have also been correcting mistakes we did in a hurry last year. For example the fastening for armor parts and some corrections to molds.
Velcro is the answer!
The backpack has taken most of our time. Some progress pictures.
-yoki out
READ MORE - We are still kicking
We have been making our Snowtrooper costumes and finally we have been able to finish something. Behold, the thermal detonator holder!
So shiny and new.
Casualties happen before we even get to wear the costumes. Hiron used the old TDH as a hammer. We have also been correcting mistakes we did in a hurry last year. For example the fastening for armor parts and some corrections to molds.
Velcro is the answer!
The backpack has taken most of our time. Some progress pictures.
-yoki out
READ MORE - We are still kicking
I could've take a photo of the finished thing with missing rings and attachment... Oh, well.
