Creating Costume Armor with Wonderflex

Step 19: Strut

Toss all your rusty armor over your stained clothes and go show it off! I wish I'd had time to do makeup appropriate to the rest of the grit in the costume, but I suppose that will have to happen next time.

A couple tips about storing your Wonderflex armor:

• Do not store it in a position where it is being pressed down on or where there is anything flattening the shape out. It should keep its dimensions quite well on its own, but after enough time and pressure, the curved edges can distort.
• Store it in a temperature controlled space. No attics, garages, or outdoor storage lockers. Heat will distort and damage those shapes you worked so hard on!
• DO NOT LEAVE IT IN YOUR CAR, EVER. See "heat damage" above

Beyond that, enjoy your durable and (relatively!) inexpensive costume pieces!

If you'd like to learn more about making a helmet like the one shown in this tutorial, check out my other Instructable about making videogame helmets here.

For a write-up on the Axe shown in these shots, you can visit my website.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your projects everyone!

Comments

[jwilliamsen]

Great stuff, Harrison - really nice instructable.

One thing you might want to check out is Smooth-on's "Free-Form Air Epoxy Putty" as a replacement for Apoxy Sculpt - it is crazy-light, carves and smooths well, is super easy to mix (knead) about the hardness of maple... and did I mention light? (it will float in water).  I've been using it to replace some of my uses of Magic Sculpt and have been impressed with it.

[William930]

does it shrink when hardening?

[jwilliamsen]

Not that I've noticed - no appreciable amount, anyway - and can't think why it would. It's composed of glass micro-spheres and epoxy - so there's nothing to shrink, really.

[paqrat]

Thanks for the info on Free-Form Epoxy Putty. It looks like a very useful product.

[mezcraft]

I think this is totally stellar. I have never used wonderflex before and am curious about it's durability.? I have made a lot of armour using fibreglass molds and fibreglass, but I am wondering if it has the same kind of durabiity as that. Also do you think under the heat of an actual body fighting would it warp it's shape? Or perhaps theatre/film lighting hot enough to distort the shape? I really think this is super keen and I am very impressed by your process and end result. Also I come from a pattern drafting background and was superimpressed with how you figured out a pattern using a 3D program.. It makes me feel like I'm a neanderthal! Very cool though. Also I feel like I am bad propbuilder never having used the ferrous powder before... It has a really cool effect. Also, If you want some more grungy texture without worrying about it all falling off, rockerguard ( that's what it's called in Canada) or car undercoating spray is something I use a lot with a couple tosses of sawdust put on then sprayed on top of, then sanded off. I was super impressed by this tutorial.Way to freakin' go.

[interknight2007]

This is an AMAZING Ible! I love your work (and it is yet another reason I am kicking myself for not going to DragonCon), and really really want to get into this kind of stuff.

Do you think this method would be feasible for making Mass Effect armor? It seems like you might be able to get the same shapes, but that it would take a whole lot more of the Wonderflex.

[ganhiru]

I admire your work and I have been looking to make armour for my own costumes.
I have been thinking of casting shapes with Polyurethane.
But this Wonderflex should be better.

I'm a LARP'er from the Netherlands, so the impact resistance is a factor.

Thank you for this guide.