My Zam Project Progress

I love 'em! Putting that brown leather strip there was genious! Great idea!

My only complaint is the toe and ankle guards weathering is too heavy in some places, making it look painted and not weathered. Hope that makes since.

Ya...actually i had just put the rub and buff on and wanted to take some shots...hadnt had a chance to buff it in

with the leather strip...glad you like that...i actually wanted to sort of match the shoe color with a hint of purple...when you see it in person it really can look like very dark purple but matches the boots nice...all the colors are coming together and working well with each other... the shin guards are funny cause in the bright light they really take on a more purple look but in the shadows they come out with more of the burgundy color like the VD and the movie...so im real happy with the way it's coming together...a real movie looking zam i think

That's really coming along!!!

You'll have to tell me how well the leather weld holds down those leather pieces... (Notice, I'm letting you be the guinea pig here! j/k )

Cracking

Originally Posted by MaulMaus

That's really coming along!!!

You'll have to tell me how well the leather weld holds down those leather pieces... (Notice, I'm letting you be the guinea pig here! j/k )

i tried giving it a little pull the next day...noway thats coming apart without some serious yanking on it...using that stuff to glue leather to leather is really strong

Cool... That is most likely how I'm gonna be putting down those purple thingies...

it helps a lot with the strength of the seam if you use some high grit, like wet dry sandpaper, to rough up the area to be glued first...just be careful cause you dont want the sanded area to show past the seam. also paint the shins(if you plan on doing that) after the whole leather area is constructed. I also used Duco spray adhesive to hold the pigskin to the shins...seems to be working quite well

Okay... I'm confused (I'm blonde...I'm allowed to be confused! ) You painted the shins after you put the leather on them? I guess I don't understand what you painted....

well the shins are covered in pigskin...after the shins are covered and the edge applied...i used leather paint to paint them instead of dye...the reason was

1. the pigskin i used was very inexpensive and was a darker skin tone, therefore i had to mix a lot of variants to get the color i wanted,

2. The dye just wasnt doing what i hoped for and was a lot harder to manage over a dark colored pigskin

the leather paint i got from turtlefeathers.com, they also sell a spray to cover the painted surface to make it water proof and sealed

(BTW dont worry about the blond moment, Jamie's blond too...hehehe...she doesnt have too many of those...but every now and then...HAHA she is actually a pretty smart girl for a blond...)

Laura, don't worry, I'm blond and polish! I got you beat!

The more I read JD's post, the more I didn't understand, so I was right there with you.

I am going to dry that Dusky Lavender leather you suggested first...and if that doesn't pan out, I will let you know!

I'm sure I'll think of some smart-alec question sooner or later... just give me some time.

Originally Posted by ItsThatGuy

The more I read JD's post, the more I didn't understand, so I was right there with you.

Good... I'm not the only one! It's all his fault then!!

Our Kentucky flintlock replica came in today! I went to HD looking for some good parts to construct the scope and the side mounted greeblie thing...found some workable stuff...will post stuff once i get started on it...

JD if you contact Ian TK7903 on these boards, he does wicked greeblies and scopes.
He did Beckys for me (Langsuir666)....but if you're skilled to do em yourself, cool

Not bad for 7 bucks! Very clever!

i have this thing, i like to try and build stuff from scratch if i can, especially when it comes to weapons and such...it brings out the old model builder in me...upgrades are for later when i have extra cash laying around and the actual zam is fiished

Ah dude that's inspirational

Try and find 'smoother' parts and spray them rather than hand paint them?
I would have thought if enough people wanted them Ian's price could come down? But it's not for me to say. I will say that his stuff is ace though and I'm very pleased with them.

That said. That looks awesome and will do the job

im actually on another trek today for some other possibilities...i think i can find some better options for some of the parts, and it wasnt quite long enough...but that was pretty good for a test run...after comparing to the actual picture a few times i saw some stuff i'd like to change around...stay tuned...still trying to keep it under 10 bucks...

I love your enthusiasm for making things from scratch!

How is it that most of the posts on the Zam threads are from guys making costumes for their "female companions"? Now I know what I need - it's a clone of one of you talented guys who love making costumes!

So if any of you have single male (tool-wielding, talented) friends who would love to dedicate their free time to making costumes for a SWF, the age range is 50-60 and I prefer non-smokers.

funny thing is, my wife isnt so enthusiastic about me doing the work on her costume... at least not openly...i think she is somewhere underneath the surface...kinda smilin to herself

found a few better pieces for the coil area...thiner than washers...also finished it up and detailed it...not bad for 10 bucks...

in this picture you can actually see the makings of the scope in the back right...I also painted the stock and weathered it as well as the hardware...



a more side shot...

Your attention to detail is fantastic!! Keep going. Its going to turn out great!!

Originally Posted by zamgram

How is it that most of the posts on the Zam threads are from guys making costumes for their "female companions"? Now I know what I need - it's a clone of one of you talented guys who love making costumes!

I dunno.... Where were you guys when I was single eh? My hubby just keeps giving me these looks like he's ready to call the guys in the padded wagon for me!

BTW: That's looking pretty good... and for the price you can't beat that! Gotta be the cheapest part of the whole dang costume!

ya...and the smallest too..

so after redoing a few parts of the side mount, I finished that up along with the extra little greeblie that goes on the inside of the sidemount and runs the wires to it...





I also started work on the scope...



You can see I botched the mounts...didnt see the curves in them till after...soooo...had to redo them...and they were bad enough to do the first time.. :







not too bad so far for a couple of 89 cent walmart flashlights and some scrap! :wink: :

Oh...and while i was away from the rest of the costume working on the rifle...jamie painted the ovary bits...and then i put them on the hanger today...

Hey dude, most impressive

What did you make the mounts from? I used plywood and then milliput to give that curve. Loving the detail. For a budget these look ace!

actually i just used a block of pressure treated 2X4 i had laying around...and a lot of sanding with the sanding attachment for the dremel...

cut the two holes needed with a hole saw first, then cut out the block shape around the holes with a box cut saw(yes by hand, no ban saw here ) then i just worked it with the dremel sander....oh and about 20 heavy coats of paint, flat black rustolium...a wet sand and a couple more coats

nothing too tough...they look pretty good...not perfect but they definatley do the job

thanks BTW for the complement....

not sure if anyone is interested, but i decided to purchase a second kentucky flintlock replica so i could get the extra stock piece needed for the rifle...wanted everything to match correctly...

id be willing to let the whole thing go to anyone interested (minus the stock piece i need obviously) for 30 bucks plus shipping...they are sending it to me and it was labeled as defective...not really sure what the problem is with it and wont know till i get it. I told them all i was interested in purchasing was the fore stock and he told me he would sell the whole rifle to me half price (50 bucks)...so the rifle parts left over will be up for grabs.

pm me if interested...its at least a good start for the rifle with all the needed metal parts and the butt stock piece

Looks like me and Becky got ours in the nick of time. I'd never get a replica through now.

Slap it in the cargo hold JD?

Yep... that should go in the cargo hold. Maybe a Mini-Zam will want it?

Wow - you are really moving right along! I wonder what the record is for completing a Zam?

well lets see...not sure about zam, but i went from kit for to paint and assembly complete with helmet and long blaster rifle with my clone in like three days....

assembled my entire scout armor and soft parts in 2 days

did an entire rubies vader conversion, back when the 501st said it couldnt be done in less than three weeks complete with a total overhaul of the helmet, chestbox, beltboxes, cape, shoulder armor...ect ect...

btw....the clone total cost...500
vader (including the initial purchase of the rubies) 1000

so i like to do things for less but make them work...i know this is a zam thread but heck...here is my clone and my vader...pictures taken by our friend here at the helmet....



anywho...back to my wife's zam and enough of me showing off some of my costumes... ( also have a biker and a maul)

Wow nice work dude. And so fast too

I like to get my head down and just get on with it too. Me and my friend made a complete mini stormtrooper vac form kit in 2 days. Well 12 hrs really. We worked flat out making moulds pulling them, making a plaster master and shaping the sculpt. Pretty pleased with it as it goes.
Becky made the cod piece but I dropped it

Amazing what we can do when we want to and when we focus

here is the sniper rifle almost finished. I need to get the last stock piece on and detail the barrel end...also need to reinstall the trigger so it can pull. I was able to secure a second denix kentucky flintlock as you know, so im waiting on that to use the other piece of fore stock to finish up...all the barrel clips inbetween were cut from sheet metal as well as the face plates on each clip...i actually found a 5' chome plated handle at a local department store...not sure what the handle is for but it seemed to have a nice home for my barrel on the rifle...the ramrod is just a rub and buffed 5/16th inch dowel that was stock 4 feet long. used the same ram rod tip that came with the rifle and srewed some countersunk screws into the barrel from under the stcok so the screws would be hidden by the ramrod...

finished picture in Jamie's hands will be next

That looks really great! Can't wait to see it in her hands! Very cool!

Wow! Not bad!

amazing work!!!

Hey dude, that's ace!

Nice feeling banging something like that on the head. YOu just keep looking at it with pride and say..... I did that

Sweet!

darnit...i just realized i painted the scope in the wrong scheme...so i fixed it today and once i get the last stock piece on and detail the barrel end then I'll post a updated picture...I plan on filling the barrel end with epoxy and then drilling a smaller hole in it, make it look more like a blaster and make the barrel end seem more relaistic instead of being a big open pipe. not sure of how it will work out but we shall see

here is the finished barrel end of the rifle...simple PC-7 epoxy with a hole drilled



i think it gives the barrel a more real feel to it rather than leaving it an open ended pipe

and the new scope paint scheme



more accurate now...just did away with the silver stripes as i think thats more of a reflection, and painted the ends correctly as well

Very nice! Love the idea of adding to the barrel... hadn't thought of that, but it sure does make sense!

I didn't even really notice the scope wasn't painted correctly before... ... Like I said... I'm blonde..

here is Jamie holding her new blaster....

Very cool.... I'm officially jealous!

i have a bigger gun than you jdfett!!

hehehe....

seriously, thanks for all the hard work you did, it is a sweet peice!

thanks to everyone else for all the input, it always most helpful, and input is always welcome....

Wow! Very vice work!

holy shitake mushrooms batman!! i get to post a progress pic!! *doing a dance*

alright enough partying...heres something that i painted tonight....

i like to see posts of progress from work...hehehe

been watching this thread. LOVE THE PROGRESS SHOTS.

Her ZAM is going to SHOCK AND AWE!

very nice paint jobs guys

Looks great! Nicely painted! It's always fun to post progress pics eh?

went to tandy yesterday...picked up the leather shoulder needed for the skirt amd the vest pigskin white...so i guess the fun will now begin!

btw...anyone interested in making me some lace for the skirt? dont have a lace tool and not sure how much i need...one option was to get some 48" 1/2 inch latigo and cut it in half with the leather stripper we got..comments? is 48 inches long enough to do a run down the skirt?

If you don't want to cut the lace yourself... I would suggest buying a couple rolls of that 3/16" kangaroo lace I mentioned somewhere else on the boards here... it is the closest I found to the "canon" sized lace... close enough for me in any case. I got mine from Tandy.

I did buy a lace cutter and couldn't get the blasted thing to really work for me. I dunno, I'm an impatient Sith or something... I only got like 3 pieces of lace long enough to use (Piles-o-scrap.. ) but it just wasn't worth the effort for me.

You need one piece long enough to run down and then back up the skirt to use... My skirt is 26" finished length (including overlaps) so I'm thinking 5 1/2 to 6 feet to allow enough room to tie off, etc.

ya..i saw your mention of the 3/16 lace...i may go that route as well...seems a lot easier and im not that picky

so it's been a bit since i posted...been working with the dye process...managed to come up with some options but now i need to get a punch...the one i bought was oval not oblong...anyone want to let me borrow theirs...the only one i saw was like 40 bucks..ouch...rather pay to and from shipping...it would be cheaper...if not guess im spending the 40 bucks...cant dye the squares till i punch the holes...

I also got the leather for the vest and the other shin and gauntlets so im getting close...should be able to finish up the vest construction and the other boot this week...will be waiting to paint the vest and shins till i get everything else done though...really want the skirt finished...

Soldering iron dude. Screwdriver type tip.

Watch that skin fryyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

i knew thats how you said you did it but how did you keep everything the same? youll have to send me a small tutorial write up on the technique...was it faster than punching the holes?

tried the burnign thing..wasnt working out fast enough for me as i really like to move quick...so i took the oval punch i bought and smashed it into an oblong shape...it ended up being maybe 1/16 inch longer than the standard 1/4 inch but i figure that will just give the skirt a little more movement overall and not be so tight...i think ill have to go for some 1/4 inch lacing for sure however as i think the 3/16th may be too loose now...in a since i will end up with the same feel as becky's skirt but with a tad bigger hole and correct size lacing...if i can find some

I dunno about speed mate. Speed was the reason behind the solderring iron as I meant waiting for the correct punch to arrive. Stuff that I thought! Heated her up and bang, worked like a dream!

I did line 2 up underneath each other. Think I may have got cocky and also tried 3, so yeah maybe it is quicker overall?

When you do it make sure you puch the blade down into a thin crevice. Don't leave the blade in too long as it'll tarnish the leather...I think?
You then need to file the charred skin away but that happens anyway when you lace.

Oh and clean the blade every now and again. It needs to be hot see

A punch maybe quicker but who knows if you can more than one at a time?

finally more progress....

here is the skirt leather cut out and holes punched...



with Jamie for size reference...




Jamie made the shirt today as well while I was dying the squares(which is almost done now)


and here is a progress picture of some of her stuff...hehe


boots need a repaint as they are not dark enough...

and here is the skirt after a long day of dying..and getting purple fingers as well!



as you know we are going for a more VD darker movie zam...i think this looks pretty good...dying is such a difficult thing to do when your looking to get as many variations as possible...but i think we got the main color we were looking for..its actually a bit darker in person...the flash blew it out a bit and i tried to recreate with the touch ups and got it pretty close...

so now i need to lace it up...i found some continuous lace on montana leather...it's 1/4" X 64' natural cowhide....is that enough or should i get two for a total of 128'? anyone??? Im figuring at least 2 1/2 feet down the skirt so that would be 5 feet down and back...times the rows, i come out with 40' of continuous lace...I think if i get the one at 64' that should be enough...

so i redid the boot and finished the second one...here are a bunch of shots to compare the colors in the various lighting situations as well as the visual dictionary color comparison...man who knew purple could be so hard?

first some of the skirt colors compared to the VD



now the boots...



another wider angle shot of the VD comparrison...



here is the boots taken inside in the shadows no flash...some skirt pieces are in the picture as well...



and here are a couple pictures outside on full sun with most of the pieces we've got ready...the first one is without the flash hence more shadows, the second is full sun no flash....

Nice dude! Me and Becky found that rubbing the exposed corners of the sins with a pencil eraser helps to give a faded weathered look to the part you rub.
Black shoe scuff cover polish helps to dirty them a little.
Gives them a more worn look.

how did you stick the panels onto the shoes?

by panels i assume you are refering to the lace covers? if so i used leather weld glue...when that is leather on leather the stuff never comes apart unless you really give it a good yank..ya still need to weather the shins and shoes a bit...hadnt got there today...started doing the vest...uggg!

When you move..you move... Yikes. I'm feeling like a glacier here!

Re: lace - at least 5-6 feet per row of lace (Meaning one side down from the belt then back up to the belt ) Add up how many rows you have on your skirt.

On you skirt... did you take into account overlap for each square? With the pics of your wife laying next to the skirt squares - With them all flat like that, they look about the right length, but when you lace them together, they overlap like roof shingles...

ya....if you notice the skirt is actually about two rows too high up her back as she is laying there so I think it will be okay...

in other news...got the white garment pigskin for the vest and took off on a wing and a prayer...it's by no means perfect but we planned on having our leather guy make a super quality replacment after Dcon...just didnt want to not have a vest for that so we had a go ourselves...now im not the king of the stitch but i think its coming along okay for my first leather attmept...

okay the vest as you know was first made out of real cheap pigskin...using that as a pattern i cut out these...




I then cut out four identical pieces and sewed them 2X2 into this...



I then sewed the two front panels to the back and then sewed on the epaulets..sounds a lot easier than it was...

I still have to add the shoulder padding and then I intend on glueing a second piece of leather inside the shoulder and neck area only... all the sides were left with an added inch of leather so i could fold it over and glue it down inside...the sides that will be laced I folded over about 2 inches instead for added strenght and may still glue an additional piece of leather down the inside by that area....need to still install a zipper and the lace for the epaulets as well.





dont even ask me how this was done cause i basically just winged it for the most part...

Hey dude, looking cool. Love the speed all this is flowing along.

Where did you get the patern for the vest from? Would you mind sending it to me and Becky please?

Ta

John

sorry dude...i didnt use a pattern

I actually kindof traced out my motorcycle vest and changed the armpit area...then i put it on jamie and made some minor changes...pinned it in place and then used the original cheapo material vest that i did all that with as the pattern for the white pigskin...if any of that makes since...

im sure its not totally perfect but it will do until we can get a real nice one made up

just showing a progress report...

we just need to put the eyeholes and zipper in the vest, then paint it, sew up the belt, paint a couple greeblies, do the cape and veil and lace up the skirt. after that we will be just about done...just waiting on the delivery of moncals helmet and binocs and for his gauntlets with hand and thumb guards to be available...I figure the helmet and the gauntlets will go pretty quick as its mostly finish and weather situation....gawd...we only got june, july and august to finish....argggggg!!!

question on the helmet and gauntlets...did everyone else go the rub and buff finish for those or did you actually go with an actual paint?

No gauntlets yet... But the helmet came with a metallic color already (I think metal was put in the resin or whatever DCB used ) But I went ahead and put Rub-n-Buff on it anyway then weathered it. MonCal's helmets will be different, so you'll need to decide if you want to paint or go with the Rub-n-Buff. I've seen both done on Jango armor and both can look great ... I do know really good quality paint costs quite a bit. I'll probably end up using the ol-Rub-n-Buff myself.

ya..i actually like the rub and buff...i use silver,then use pewter and the bronze color for the weathering/rust color...comes out looking pretty cool i think...plus it's wax so it is real waterproof as well i imagine...

If you check out Becky's thread there's a few posts on there how I managed to get the chest parts looking very metallic. I'm quite pleased with them anyway
It's all down to a light sanding in one plane only. Helps to give the material a grain. Like metal will have.
Easily done on a flat piece but not too sure on the curved parts you mention.

Rub n buff is good but Becky hasn't put that on her other parts. I may persuade her tomorrow, but they all looks cool as they are. However I have put them on her chest parts, just not the other parts.
Whatever you do I'd do it in one direction only and use 3 or 4 different shades of silver paint in layers plus the rub n buff. Use a broad brush to help hide brush strokes.

got my lace for the skirt today...will be working on that in the next day or "sew"...got 1/4 inch lace at 6 feet long from montana leather...only about 30 USD for 10 pieces

Was that a special order? Don't even remember seeing that on their site... Hmmmm.... May need to rethink this part. My lace came out a bit too dark for me anyway...

they had something called 1/4" rawhide lace that needed to be soaked to use, so i called them and asked what else they had in that size that was a bit more pliable than the cowhide...so i ordered it over the phone actually...

So what kind of lace is it?

I'll have to check...im sure its cow but im not sure of the type

I know lacing the skirt is not an easy task! got one row done in about 45 minutes after i fugured out the pattern...still can not figure out the outside edge pattern though...anyone know where the picture is of that of could someone give me a hint...

here is the start of the skirt showing with the other colors we got going...





you can see the new hose attached to the armor as well...it's long but i did that on purpose..will cut to proper length when we hook it up to the finished vest...

It's supposed to go down to just below the back of the knee in the back (1 1/2" to 2" or so? - at least according to the life-size standee I'm looking at) It's hard to tell from the angle you took the above photo, but it doesn't really look that "off" to me, maybe another row at the top.

But... I did make all my skirt squares 2 1/4" high and I'm 5'5" to gauge any difference between the measurements.

actually i measured them they are also 2 1/4...she is 5'6", so maybe one more row at the top and then the belt to hold it in place...
that shot is also pretty much straight on from the side/front...i got down on the floor to make sure i was showing actual length to where it hits her leg...

the funny thing is it must be something with optical illusions cause when i hold it in my habd it looks like its the right size for a barbie doll..LOL but up against her it does look almost right...weird

Originally Posted by MaulMaus

So what kind of lace is it?

i checked my invoice and this is what i got...

its called lace bulk ind tan 72"X1/4"

the item number from montana leather is 1590075

just dont do what i did and not buy enough...i calculated wrong thinking every two rows was a down and up rather than one row so i need to order more...I bought 10 but needed 16 they are 2.50 USD each so if you do the right calculation the first time it should cost you about $50 usd for what you need...

Looks cool to me dude!
Isn't it theraputic? Try to mix the colours up so you don't get shade patches.

Lengths about right. I think the test is, does it just about touch the floor when she crouches down. Promoshot style

ya...the length is turing out to be okay...we are just going to add one more row to the top and it should be good...

it's really weird on the color scheme cause it actually looks totally different in person...plus we added some mahogany antiquing to the whole thing thus far and it really ties in the colors we are looking for and makes it look less obvious on the differences

Thanks for the info... I haven't decided on mine yet... I have enough lace. More than enough lace. But, it's darker than I wanted it to be. That's what happens when I inhale dye fumes all day and wait for the lace for last... If I do another batch, I have to buy more dye and solvent... gads... *grumbles*

I don't care what color scheme you're aiming for... the color always looks different in person than it does in pictures. I swear it not only changes with time of day and lighting, but with the phase of the moon too!

so true...i will tell you this...i used leather paint for the lace and used a mix or lilac and burgundy 1:1 ratio...i used the same thing for the shins...i went with the paint for two reasons...it covers quick and gets the color you want without question and regardless of the color of the leather you start with...that way all the pieces you want to be a certain color will indeed....match...and it weather nice as i pulled it through the holes as well...i also will cover all the painted pieces with arcyllic matte finisher used for the leather paint...makes it waterproof and flattens the color...i will actually use that for all leather pieces evne the dyed stuff...works for it all and it wont change the color other than making it a matte finish. I also used mahongany antique leather rubbing on everthing after dying and painting which gave it a slight purple-ish/red color

here is a shot of the skirt with the new row added...still need to finish lacing...we had to order more lace as we calculated short...got 8 more rows to go



and here is a kneeling shot for reference on the new length...

The skirt lenght looks good to me.

Yep, looks about right to me too.

One question: How are you attaching the skirt to the belt you'll be using to hold it up?

ya...we bought a standard leather belt that will be attached to the top row

i was actually thinking about putting some snaps or velcro on the belt and then putting the velcro or snaps on the cummerbund belt as well to keep it even with the skirt

so i had some extra leather from the skirt stuff and got tired of waiting on the delivery of my holster from my leather guy...I figured I would give it a go...came out pretty good i think..just needs some color now...

so i wanted to post some pictures of the holster after the paint job...still have to cover it with flat acyllic sealer...i also have a picture of the colors we've used thus far for the rest of the costume...i would say the hardest part of this costume is making the various leathers match the color pallette we chose....I took these with no flash to get it as close to the real deal as possible but even that still depends on the lighting ambiance in the room...among other things as we all know

Looks pretty good to me - all the parts seem to go together very well. (Except those orange things... which took me a minute to figure out was electrical cord and not part of the costume! )

Oh and it was new moon yesterday don't forget to take that into account for the coloring!

HA...i know huh? thats me mr. organization...i got everything where it should be...just ask jamie...

there is a method to my madness...even if i do make 8 trips up and down the stairs looking for a flat head screwdriver that was sitting on the bookshelf(that i had just used 5 minutes earlier...)

here are Jamies gloves..finished them up today...



Thanks John...they worked out nicely!

Lookin good! You must be getting close to being done by now!

just about...basically waiting on mon cal's shipment of the gauntlets and the helmet then we should be in good shape