How to do you use expandable pvc sheets (sintra) to form armor pieces of a costume?

Hello everyone! i am new to the build your own costume hobby and my question(s) is how do you use sintra to form armor pieces? is it strong enough to shape and use as a costume piece or is there other steps to using this method? please comment, im eager to begin and need to know how to start such a project! Thank You!

I really don't have much experience with sintra. But, i do know how to use it. First you need to heat it up (somepeople sue heat guns, boiling, an oven, a Bunsen burner might be cool, etc.) to about 150 degrees (Fahrenheit (probably like 70 degrees centigrade)) then you form it (some people use a mold to lay it on) cool it and you're done!

I have used sintra (Foamex PVC) to build three suits. You can get it in two thickness's that i know of. 3mm and 6mm. The 6 mil is about a 1/4 inch thick and is very durable. I would recomend using a skill saw/jig saw to cut out the peices when you trace out your patterns. You'll burnt out a dremel if you use it. You can use a heat gun (my preference) to heat up the plastic to bend it into shape. It holds it's shape very well and takes paint and glue very well.
Hope that helps.
Happy Building

Thank you for the helpful tips, once i decide on a design and get my materials together i will start posting my progress.

SUperglue works very well on it as well.
Ive used high temp hot glue on a cooled sheet (gluing on a scored side).

whats the best method for cutting out the pieces?

Use a Jigsaw. 6mm will burn out a dremel.

cool! thanx!

I was wondering that myself, and what sort of mold you're going to use to lay it on.

good question, i havent thought that far ahead yet!

Oh, BTW, I hear the fumes are ever so slightly toxic so form in well ventilated area.

of course! Dont need my first project to be my last!

This is very good straightforward advice so far, thanks! but I wanted to know what people are using for the under part? (under the chest armour etc)... just some spandex? or a long sleeves t shirt? do you need some special type of shirt?

Why, A jumpsuit my lad.

Your body is your mold. I turn my oven on 175 and place the pieces one at a time on a cookie sheet. Then, with simple working gloves, I take the pieces out and place it on the appropriate body part and bend it. The sintra comes out of the over very floppy. You really don't want it that soft, cause the shape with distort. There is a very subtle "grain" to the plastic. If you cut it one way and let it get super floppy, the armor piece will expand horizontally. It will be so bad that the piece is junk. Likewise, if you cut the piece turned sideways, the piece will expand vertically (since you turned it, the grain is the same direction). So try not to leave the armor in there for more than a minute or two. Get someone to help you if you can, so all the edges get formed properly. Doing this will ensure you have a custom & form fitting set of armor. Regardless of the material, the worse thing you can ever have is ill fitting armor that juts out. As for the fumes, I am on set 6 of sintra armor...both 3 & 6mm and have never had fumes problems. Heat guns are great for making one spot on a piece soft to make it fit better. However, if you hold the gun too close or too long, the sintra will bubble up and ruin the armor. For me, the oven makes the most sense. It heats the piece evenly and allows you to do large pieces like a backplate.