Where to get Neoprene?

Hi there,

so I'm slowly starting to look into becoming Zam... and I can't find anywhere to get Neoprene in my neck of the woods.

Anyone know of anywhere in Europe that sells/stocks/ships it?

thanks!

Well... many of the Zam's here have ordered the lavender spandex/neoprene from TheStretchhouse.com and been real happy with it. I don't know their policies about shipping to Europe though. They might know of other retailers in Europe...

Worth a shot anyway. Good luck!

RE: StretchHouse...Their web site does mention that they do ship to other countries 'express' (whatever that might entail). They do ship pretty quick though; I got my order less than a week after ordering, so it might be worth looking into. Good luck!

If you order from there and can't get it shipped overseas, you could have it shipped to another member here on TDH who could bounce it over to you. I've done that for several members here on the forum.

yes the stretchhouse material is a very close second to the real thing. color wise its real nice and its much thinner and more comfortable to wear than the thicker neo..easy as pie to sew up as well...no need to spend huge cash on a seamstress.

I'm 99.9% sure it's No. 4. The other "purple's" look way too blue to me. When I saw Jamie's costume, the color she had looked spot on to me... The only difference I could see between it and the real thing was the sheen.

I can look up that number for the stretchhouse fabric if you need it. Word to the wary, the very nice person on the phone for Stretchhouse told me that he won't be getting that fabric much longer.

Deunan "Shiruba"

Oh great.... What is it about Zam and her neoprene? *Need head slamming into wall "smilie".*

Yep, it's #4. We went with the that same fabric too and it's the closest substitute we could find as well.

Hi Schwartz,

My name is Jescica. I'm starting my Zam costume and am looking for the neoprene for the suit. I was hoping you wouldn't mind answering a couple of questions for me. I saw at the stretchouse that there is a spandex called Milliskin. Is that the type of spandex you used? The #4 looks very close to what is in this thread. Also, I'm haveing a hard time finding parts (shin guards, helmat, chest plate, greeblies, and toe guard) and the aluminum blaster. It's pretty much anything that has to be casted. I was wondering where you found youe parts. The info would be greatly appreciated and helpful. I hope to hear from you.

Thanks,
Jescica

It's the fabric called neoprene and listed under that link ( http://www.stretchhouse.com/neoprene.htm ) Color #4. They may have that same color under various other fabrics such as spandex, but it won't have the thickness of the neoprene. Spandex will look like a bathing-suit or super-hero suit.

Originally Posted by MaulMaus

It's the fabric called neoprene and listed under that link ( http://www.stretchhouse.com/neoprene.htm ) Color #4. They may have that same color under various other fabrics such as spandex, but it won't have the thickness of the neoprene. Spandex will look like a bathing-suit or super-hero suit.

What MM said, plus PM responded to that contains all the info you'll need on the other stuff.

anyone know just how much of this i would need? i am 5'2" and i weigh 114 lbs

It depends on how much your pattern calls for.... Most have needed somewhere between 4 and 5 yards. (there is always some extra). Figure out your pattern then your yardage.

If you're 5'2" and the original actress was 5'7", you may need to do some size rescaling on the parts, armor, and greeblies - make sure you warn whoever is casting those for you. When I have to rescale things to fit, I make a cardboard cut out of the part, tape it in place, and take pictures until it looks like the original costume.

Deunan Shiruba

Speaking of patterns, is there a specific pattern people suggest or is it basically, try and make one?

<-- Newb!

There is no "one" pattern for this... Do a search on this section for some of the recommended patterns (there are several). The top is a modified t-shirt but the pants are more difficult.

Gotcha, thank you!

While on this subject... Does anyone know of anyone who will do the seamstress work on the material?

I'm a really bad hand at sewing!

If you don't want to tackle this yourself (don't be afraid that your sewing machine can't handle the fabric... because it can with the right needles and foot) - You'll need to find someone locally to do the work... a costume maker or good seamstress should be able to do it. Perhaps someone in your local 501st garrison can recommend someone. If not, try a theater company for recommendations... the yellow pages can give you a start.

And before you even ask - No, I have no idea how much it will cost Some might charge per hour, some per piece, I don't have a clue...

I'm having mine made by a local seamstress for $100. I didn't give her a pattern or anything--just walked in with the fabric and some pictures. We talked about how I wanted it to fit, and she said she'd give it a go.

Wow, really? I'm in Portland too! I'd be interested in looking her up! Are you having it made as a two piece? Great costume by the way!

Yep, two pieces. Her shop is called the Mad Hatter. It's in Cedar Mill. I don't have the contact info handy, but I'm sure a Google search will turn up her phone number and address.

Cool! There you go! Sounds like a good deal to me... I'd be interested in seeing photos of the finished pieces too (I realize the patterns would be proprietary).

Awesome! Thanks for the info! I'll look into it. I still have a long way to go with this costume (lots of other projects)! But I'm looking forward to moving forward a wee bit!

Does anybody know how to get hold of the Strech houses? I sent them several emails but no reply....:-((

It take some time but I got my wife's neoprene from them.
I filled the form and they sent me a "catalog" (it was in fact a sampler) and then I placed the order on their site

Bad news "I called and I am sorry to tell you the color is discontinued. The factory
is no longer making material in that color."....

Does not anybody got another option?

Zhongfett

Really bad news because their product was great.
I haven't found another source of neoprene, good luck.
P.S. not a long time ago there was someone selling some neoprene here in the forums, it was expensive compared to the one from stretchhouse but now that there is no option maybe you can got it from him.

I'm selling some of the Zam I Am screen accurate neoprene in the Cargo Hold. http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f31/z...ccurate-42706/

link does not work. Pls advice.

I'm desperately searching for a Zam neoprene, I've got a lot of stuff prepared to make the costume, but it gets slowed down by the problem of where to find the neoprene. It is impossible to get something here in Czech Republic, and I also checked some other options but still nothing. Any ideas, or help?

They do ship overseas and are very prompt and good service.

If anyone will have some neoprene left I'm definitely interested.

Hi hi! I've been plannin on my Zam for my wedding but gosh! I felt so overwhlemed by the amount of work required that i seriously do not know where to begin. Nevertheless, I am going to do it still. So i thought i'll start with the body suit first. Everytime i tried to access Stretch House to purchase the material, i can get past the 'buy not' stage. Think mthe website might be down.

Anyone had any idea of another alternative source? What about the thickness of the material? I see there are several thickness... from 0.5mm - 3mm. How do i choose?

Any help is deeple appreciated!!