How would I go about rounding my Sintra armor a bit more? I just got mine from Egyptbrick on ebay but I need to round a f ew parts to fit me better.
Discussion on Official Sintra thread within the Prop Building Workshop forum, part of the Community category; How would I go about rounding my Sintra armor a
How would I go about rounding my Sintra armor a bit more? I just got mine from Egyptbrick on ebay but I need to round a f ew parts to fit me better.
A lot of people just use hot water in a sink. This has worked well for me. Another method is to use a hair dryer or heat gun. Just make sure you don't get the sentra too hot or it will buble up or burn. Try the hot water method first and if that doesn't work for you, put some gloves on and try the other method. Good luck!
I used a heat gun, got it at joannes. best $5 bucks I spent.
Bear
I just did it using a normal hairdryer and it worked great. That sintra is weeeeird stuff.
It seems to me, from what I can gather from this board, that Sintra is the best material to make Fett armor from. Where might one obtain Sintra on the Internet? I live in a spot where there isn't a sign shop for atleast a 50 mile radius. Thanks.
sign shops will be too much money go instead to a plastic manufacturer. try looking up Tripps plastic and see if they still sell it.
Bear
I would think even if you found a place on the Internet that shipping would be outrageous on a 4' X 8' piece. I guess you could have it pre-cut but there is almost always a surcharge if they cut it so I don't think that would help offset the shipping cost. I would recommend going to a hardware store or some kind of manufacturing shop in town and see if they can order it for you. If it is not easily accessible, it might be just as cheap to buy some preformed armor off of someone as well.....Good luck!
I'd recommend contacting the manufacturer by email or phone -- they can tell you where the closest distributor in your area is.
http://www.alusuisse-comp.com/
Follow the "contact us" link. And good luck!
If you sent an email, good luck I still heard nothing. I just called them and asked for the closest dealer to me.
I wouldn't say it is the BEST, but it is definately the EASIEST and probably the most cost effective way to go. What's the best? Aluminum and fiberglass (IMO), neither of which are easy to work with nor cost effective, but man do they make for some awesome armor.darthtater2 wrote:It seems to me, from what I can gather from this board, that Sintra is the best material to make Fett armor from.
I used sheet steel, I got it from Menards thick enough that it would not bend unless you hit it with a hammer. I was able to cut it with a jig saw that had a metal cutting bit. Why steel, well I wanted to solder snaps onto it and I thought I coulden't solder onto aluminum.....so I used steel. I coulden't leave it flat so I pounded out the pectoral pieces a little to round them out. I have plenty of tools (jig saws, files, bench grinder, drill press, propane torches, ball peen hammers....) so using steel wasn't a struggle. But from what I have seen on the board Sintra works well. It is easy to work with, you could cut out pretty much all your armor in a few days, and if you mess up.... you can start over without having spent too much time on the first attempt.
I bought my Sintra here: http://www.matgraph.com/products_main_temp.html
They sell it in 4 X 8 foot sheets for signs, and ship by truck freight. It was too pricey THAT way, so I found a nice alternative.
They also sell CUT pieces here: http://www.matgraph.com/servlet/SelectCircle
Select "Rectangle" (it defaults to "Circle"), type in your desired width x length dimensions, then select your material from the pull down menu.
They have Sintra in 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 10mm, 13mm, & 19mm thicknesses, in varying colors. I bought several sheets of light gray 3mm Sintra for my armor, then 2mm white Sintra for some of my "accessories".
For reference, a 12" X 12" sheet of 3mm light gray Sintra is around $1.17. I found out on checkout that if you want a sheet over 30" X 30", your shipping is astronomical, so try to stay at 30" X 30" or LESS for each sheet. Also, they charge $30.00 per ORDER to cut Sintra to size.
It seems like a lot, but the Sintra is REALLY inexpensive, and so is the shipping. They're in Chicago, and I got my order in 3 days. I ended up with eight 12" X 12" sheets of light gray 3mm Sintra, one 30" X 30" sheet of white 2mm Sintra, one 18" X 18" sheet of light gray 3mm Sintra, and one 24" X 24" sheet of light gray 3mm Sintra, plus shipping AND the $30.00 cutting fee for about $50.00. I'll have enough left over to use for other costumes.
By the way, they also sell ALUMINUM, STEEL, and Plexiglas.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the pointer! Even with the $30 setup fee, when you count it against the whole cost of doing a costume it seems quite reasonable.
The total I got for 8 18"x18" pieces, 4 24"x28" pieces, and one 36"x24" piece was $74 (that was $60 material + setup & $14 shipping via ground to California).
Excellent!
How much sintra is required to make the armor, any approximations?
i bought a 8' x 4' for 25 bucks...and ive made 3 sets and still have enough for about 4 more...
It all depends on your size and your experience cutting Sintra with a Dremel cut-off wheel (tin snips and other cutters cause the Sintra to shatter and break. The Dremel melts/cuts right through it). I was able to cut all 4 of the chest pieces out of one 18" X 18" sheet of 3mm Sintra. Persons larger than myself might require, say, a 24" X 24" sheet, to cut the pieces out of.
The easiest way to approximate is to draw out patterns for every piece of armor that you want to make out of Sintra, add their sizes up, and buy your Sintra accordingly. I believe I can get 2 knee armor pieces out of one sheet of 12" X 12" Sintra. I also cut both of my shoulder bells out of one 12" X 12" sheet. If you cut wisely, it goes a long way. I figured that since I was paying the $30 fee, I'd go ahead and get enough to last me awhile. It was definitely worth it!
Are you guys vacuforming the armor or just cuting the sentra and bending it to shape? I have a sheet of it in my garage that I need to use one way or the other. I don't really want to set up for vacuforming for a one time shot. I was thinking about doing my Jango Armor with it, it seams that the edges of his armor looked flat unlike Boba's which are rounded off. Does that sound right?
I've been cutting mine with a fiberglass-reinforced Dremel cut-off wheel, sanding/rounding-off the edges with a Dremel sanding drum, then forming it with a Wagner paint stripper/heat gun and cold water out of the faucet in my kitchen sink. It's incredibly easy to shape, even in the 3mm thickness that I use. 1mm and 2mm is VERY thin. You might be able to vacuform 1mm, but I've never tried it...
When I get a chance, I'll post a pic of one of my shoulder bells that I completed over the weekend.
is the fiberglass reinforced cuttin better than the normal cutting discs?
Well,Here we go
I bought A .080 guage 4'x8' for 50 bucks,they were very nice
and cut it into two 4'x4'sheets.I live in the detroit area and
went to AIN plastics.I then used A jig saw for the cuts and
fine tunned with A dremmel.I then used A propane torch to heat
and bend.As far as the corners go I used the dremmel to sand
off the back so the sides of the armor were not as thick as
the middle.It gives A nice illusion that the armor is not that
thick.But if you were to knock on te armor it appears thick
and sturdy.I have bought several sets of vaccume formed and I
have to say I like the do it yourself method much better.And
with putting in the dents and rips in the armor it is great.
My armor is **** close to the M.O.M.
LOBH:
The fiberglass reinforced cut-off wheels are a little more expensive, but they last longer and cut better than regular wheels. I've cut bolts, aluminum sheets, plastics... you name it!
So what thickness is best for armor?
Go for 1/8th inch. It is easy to work with & looks to be about right.
You can use either 2mm or 3mm and get away with it. 3mm seems to be a bit closer to 1/8" than 2mm is, but it's harder to bend since it's thicker. Thicker Sintra is also more expensive.
Well, at least it sounds easy! I have seen some incredible jango gauntlets and knee armor made from sintra. How easy is it to shape into some accurate armor? I consider myself to be quite artistic not to toot my own horn but I just don't know if this is going to be as easy as it sounds, having never worked with sintra before what are my chances of making some good looking armor? I see that it is much cheaper than purchasing a set but in the long run might I end up going through a couple of sheets to get it right?
Thanks for the help.........
I bought plenty of extra for extra projects, but as long as you cut it right, you'll be ok. If you heat it, bend it, then cool it down and it doesn't look right, just heat it up again, re-bend it, and re-cool it. It's fairly "idiotproof" (I can vouche for that!).
Here are a few pics of my recently finished right shoulder bell (I posted the paints I used under the merged "paint codes" thread under "ARMOR"). This piece of Sintra took me about 2 minutes to cut with a Dremel (or less), a couple of minutes to sand, about 5 minutes to shape with a Wagner heat gun, then another 5 or 10 minutes scarring and denting it up with a Dremel to get the "battle damage". The rest of my time was spent painting it, and all told, I probably have about 9 coats of paint on it. All of the round "impact points" were made by heating the Sintra, then pushing into it with a dowel slightly smaller in diameter than the depression that I wanted to create. They range between 1/8" and 1/4" deep.
I swear it looks a lot better in person than it does here.
Sintra is your FRIEND!
I found a better way to cut Sintra last night. I don't know WHY it didn't occur to me sooner. Maybe it's because I use my Dremel for 95% of all my projects, but I didn't even think of using the band saw attachment on our Shop Smith Mark V. DUH!
A band saw gives you a clean cut, unlike a Dremel which cuts and melts your cutting line. The band saw only melts the Sintra if you leave it in one place for a long time. The band saw lets you cut compound curves and angles MUCH more easily than the Dremel will. Of course, the Dremel was about $60, and the Shop Smith... well... we won't go there.
Any band saw should give you really great results.
if your in the bay area try Tapp plastic for a 4x8 at about $40
A scrollsaw might work as well, and it's cheaper than a bandsaw.
That's a pretty good price. Materiel Graphics (website listed above) sells a 4' x 8' sheet of 3mm for $36.16. You could just about build a Clone Army Gunship with that much Sintra.
I bought 11 smaller sheets of 2mm and 3mm for about $20, and I may have bought too much. At least I'll have some left over for other projects (my wife is making a female Tusken Raider for this Halloween, and then she's working on a female Mandalorian for Celebration 3).
A scroll saw would work, though you have to be careful. A scroll saw has a down stroke and an upstroke. It only cuts on the downstroke, and when it lifts up on the upstroke, if you're not careful, it will try to lift the Sintra up with it (especially smaller thicknessess). A band saw is constantly moving down, so it doesn't lift the piece. That's really the only difference. Both are good for precision cutting.
Try a rotozip with a vinyl bit. If your going to drop alot of money into your costume, might as well get a great tool.
I went to a plastics place yesterday where they sell 4x8' sheets for $24. The only thing is that the place had a $35 minimum purchase policy. They guy took me into the back where they kept everything and gave me a 4x4' sheet for free!!!
This sintra stuff is a miracle! It's easy to cut (with a dremel and cutting wheel), it sands sooooo easily, and it's very easy to shape. Thanks for all of the info guys!
Later,
Tater
Is 1/8th inch Sintra good for armor?
well is it good? durable?
I know that sintra is very malleable after being exposed to really hot water or temperatures. Best to go with ABS, but as far as I know, I don't know anyone who produces ABS Fett armor.
Yup... Sintra is the way to go in my opion.. I worked with a few other materials.. and was blown away with how easy Sintra was to work with.. just a little heat and your curvin'. So yah.. if you put to much heat to it... you could run into problems... but just don't ad to much then.. take your time with it.. and you'll be set. Plus its nice and light.. I made my entire gaunlets out of it.. and they are not heavy at all. good luck
well im not makin them but i am ordering a set of sintra armor soon
This is my opinion, but I think if you actually make most of your armor by hand, that is, the parts that are possible to make by hand, you'll feel better about it. There's nothing like sporting something you made yourself. Hey, who made your kneepads? .. I did. My two cents.
Yeah, sintra is awesome. I'm making my armor from it. It is sooooo easy to work with. Boiling water heats is up enough to make it flexible, but it won't warp in a hot car or anything like that. It sands VERY easily, I've done all of my sanding by hand with a piece of sand paper. Paint sticks well to it to. It's like a miracle material.
Can anyone help me with a good technique of layering sintra to form the gauntlets. I bought a 4x4 sheet of 6mm sintra for this as to decrease the amount of layers needed. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
I should have some shots of mine soon done with layering sintra. The best thing to do is make a hollow box the is your base to base your gauntlet top form to. I molded a bracket of sintra around my arm to fit.... then built up on that. I used flexible plastic adhesive... bonds fairly quick. Make sure you sand each piece you build ontop of so that that glue will bond more to the coarse sintra. I used a sander / belt sander to create the shape of the tops of the gauntlets. Sure turned out better then I thought they could. but if you build a solid piece of gauntlet.. remember.. that will only create weight... so keeping the peices hollow... like I mentioned above with creating boxes to build on would be your best bet. Mine are pretty light considering.
Pics to come shortly of my entire suit so far built.
6mm? Egads! That's GOT to be difficult to bend! I guess boiling it would work. The thickest that I use is 3mm, and even with a 1000 Watt heat gun it takes some time. I thought about making gauntlets out of 2mm Sintra since it's so easy to work with, but I'm not crazy enough to use anything as thick as 6mm!
Greetings. I'm a newbie and have been sent here for advice. I am going to make my own Jango Fett costume and I keep reading about Sintra. What in the world is Sintra? I have checked at several hardware stores in town and they've never heard of it. Are there other names for Sintra and if so, what are they? Is it a plastic or what kind of material is it? Also, any suggestions on where I should go to find it? Should I go back to a hardware store or is there another place to look? I have purchased some aluminum to use, but get the impression Sintra will be much easier to work with.
Thank you so much for your help!
Jango Rules
http://www.skaines.com/fett/
Go into the design area and then look under armor...hope it helps
Ok... im having trouble figuring out what exactly Sintra is...
from what ive gathered its PVC Foamboard but i dont exactly understand what that is. How can it be PVC (a hard plastic)and foam (soft)? and is a full set of pre-made Mandalorian Armor made of Sintra worth $90? because thats the cheapest price i have found. Also what might i have seen that is made of Sintra?
You can get unpainted mandalorian armor chest plates for $25. Paint it yourself and save alot of cash. PM me for details.
Sintra isn't foamboard of any type. It's a solid, PVC-like plastic. You can buy it in many thicknesses and colors here: www.matgraph.com
It's called PVC foam board, I think, because there are little holes inside the plastic to give it some space to be ply-able(sp?). You can see little tiny holes on the sides of it. But don't worry, when you sand and paint it, you can't tell. And I don't think that $90 is worth the price. At my plastics supplier you can get a 4x8' sheet for $24. And that's the 1/8", the stuff that most people use. It's SOOO easy to work with.
I would work with it myself but i dont have the molds or anything
You don't need molds, all you need is a dremel, a stove, and a pot of water. Cut the piece out with the dremel, boil some water, dip the piece in for about 30 secs and form with your hands (may want to wear some gloves though). You can use the mandalorian armor blueprints for patterns.
And if you don't have a dremel, go out and get one <font size="2">NOW.
It's an essential tool for any prop or costumer.
Finally!! Now I know what Sintra is.Thanks soooooo much for clearing this up for me. I was beginning to think they didn't sell the stuff in Indiana.
Jango Rulz!!
Ya but if i did that im afraid i might mess something up and i already have a dremel its sweet. If some one could or knows someone who could sell me a full set of Mandalorian Armor made of Sintra for less than $90 please PM me.darthtater2 wrote:You don't need molds, all you need is a dremel, a stove, and a pot of water. Cut the piece out with the dremel, boil some water, dip the piece in for about 30 secs and form with your hands (may want to wear some gloves though). You can use the mandalorian armor blueprints for patterns.
Well im guessing since its been over a day and nobody has PM'ed me that nobody sells or knows somebody that sells full Mandalorian Armor for less than $90
Well, I did a search and I can't seem to find it. Someone here had bought sintra online and I remember that you could order certain size pieces and have it cut down so you didn't have to pay an arm and a leg (or head) paying for shipping. There was also a minimum $30 cutting fee but the sintra was cheap aside from that. Where was that? Help!
I never heard of sintra before but I looked in the yellow pages under Plastics. I called up one of plastic shops and they said they carried it in just about any color and in 3mil. and 6 mil. It came in 4 by 8 foot sheets and I got one sheet in gray. I hope this helps.
Try http://www.usplastic.com,
For $22.64 I got two sheets of white sintra 24" x 48" .120 mil thickness shipped. They ship fast.
I know that plastics stores carry it, but none in my town do. But thanks! I was actually looking for a specific place that someone had posted and I'm hoping they post it again
Edit: Gwizah- I didn't see the cut sheets before there. I tried to order the full sheets and shipping was going to be $90! also, someone had previously told me that those were foam core and not rigid foam board and it wasn't the correct stuff. However, I just called and talked to one of their technical people and it is not foam core. So just for anyone else who needs it, it is the correct stuff and the 2'x4' sheets are $8.14 each.
Well, Im no expert but $8.14 for a 2x4 sheet of sintra sounds like a deal to me. I will order any other stuff I need from these guys from now on.
What is the correct thickness to buy for the armor pieces? and what does the shipping run?
.120 is what I bought. Shipping depends on how many pieces you buy. Not too bad thought, maybe 12 bucks for 3 pieces.
how many pieces would you suggest for the chest armor cod piece shoulder bells and knee armor?
I'm guessing one 2x4' sheet. I haven't made my armor yet. Anyone else on this one?
I just received my order of sintra. They ship VERY fast.
Unless you live near or in a large city you will probably have a hard time finding it. I called probably 6-7 places they all pretty much told me I was nuts and hung up. But... there is an online source for sintra which I was very pleased to find out about (can't remember what thread its in) but the link for what you want is USPlastic.com
Oh yeah, Welcome to The Dented Helmet!!
Okay, I just visited Sintra central (figuratively) and found out what the main difference is between styrene and Sintra.
Sintra is a compressed expandable foam that has been pressed. that is why it cuts so easy and is great for really minor thermaforming. It lasts a lot longer and is good against bad weather (literally)
Styrene is a rolled plastic with direction (important when you are dyeing it).
I understand now a bit better. I hope you guys too (sarcasm).
gm
Sintra is also used in sign shops for making signs. It is sometimes known by other names, so ya gotta tell them what your looking for. Then buy it from them. Or like me, BEG for the scraps they have. So far, I have ZERO dollars in my armor.
I wouldn't exactly call where I live a "big city" but I did find a plastics supplier in the ole book that sells it by the sheet. Lucky me! Now I just have to go get some of it.
Look in the phone book for plastic suppliers and see what you get. Remember sintra is to pvc plastic as Kleenex is to tissues its a brand name, so don't just ask for sintra they may have something just the same but cheaper.
The online source posted above is also a very good alternative if you are having trouble locating a local source. It won't take much anyway to make all the armor for you and some friends and at that price, why not?
does sintra go by another name?
theres something called "Polyethylene" and "Polypropylene" is it one of those 2...or neither?
Here is the web site i used to find some info on sintra- http://www.alusuisse-comp.com/ I just went to the contact phone number and asked where the nearest dealer was to me, simple.
My local plastics company sells it as CELTEK (?sp) $30 a sheet, and they even cut it into 3 pieces so I can fit it in my Honda.
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...+PVC+Cut+Sheet
I do believe that is where ya get it.... Although my links never work.
thanks appolo.i was looking through the site last and i could find it...maybe i looked through too quickly...
my gut tells me no
im on a budget so i dont want to buy more than i need.any suggestions?
For everything? Probably not. I made my Fett (the 1st time) with a full sheet 48"x96". That was enough for chest armor, shoulder bells, gauntlets, knees, backplate, and the jet pack. There was even enough for me to mess up quite a bit (but now I know to ALWAYS try it out on cardboard 1st!) How much is your supplier charging? For a full sheet of sintra I pay just $30.
A 4'x8' sheet of sintra was more than enough
for all my Jango armor pieces...including my
gauntlets. I didn't make my arena jet pack from
sintra so I'm not sure how much you would need
if you are going to make one that way. I only
used a little over half the sheet though for all
the armor.
As far as the amount you want to use...if you make
no mistakes, and space the cut-outs close together,
you should be fine. I, however, always like to have
extra on hand in case of mishaps (which happen more
often than not in my case!).
I would go with at least 2 sheets if you are getting them 48x48. You might go ahead and get three since they don't cost that much.
well i have the jet pack nearly completed.i just need sintra for the rest of the suit.im planning on ordering from US plastics and they charge for 16.56 for a 48"X48" sheet of sintra.2 sheets will run me 33 bucks.is that too much?
BOBA PHAT wrote:
For everything? Probably not. I made my Fett (the 1st time) with a full sheet 48"x96". That was enough for chest armor, shoulder bells, gauntlets, knees, backplate, and the jet pack. There was even enough for me to mess up quite a bit (but now I know to ALWAYS try it out on cardboard 1st!) How much is your supplier charging? For a full sheet of sintra I pay just $30.
Freekk
$33 doesn't sound bad at all. It might be more than you need since your almost done with your pack, but there will always be something you want to redo! Better too much sintra on hand, than too little.
Anyone what would be the best way to go about getting just enough sintra for a butt plate? I'd hate to order a whole sheet for just that.
Thanks
For Jango armor I will wind up using a little more than one 24"x48" sheet so I think it will be enough.
well i have a plastic supplier within walking distance.they have sintra for 30 bucks for a 4'X 8" sheet of it.im always leary about buying stuff when i have no knowledge of a product (being that i live in NYC and people love to take you for a ride in NYC just for a buck)i dont wanna get ripped off.i hate to spend 30 bucks to find out i need a industrial oven to bend it
thanks in advance.
Its hard to describe but, sintra is smooth with a almost foam like center. there is a great online retailer of sintra cheap and fast http://www.usplastics.com ..type in sintra in the search on tdh ,and appollo 50 has a direct link to it {{{{{the thread is "can't find sintra on the usplastics site"}}}}}}also order #42485 .120 thick works perfect
Did somebody say appolo50????? http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...+PVC+Cut+Sheet
hehe I strike again!!!! (thats the longest darn link i have) and bobafreekk they have fast shipping!
Yes they do that is a great website any way someone should lock that link at the top of the armor thread
thanks everyone.i was going to order from US plastics but last time i checked they were out of stock on .120 sintra
Did you check other colors other than white? Perhaps one of them are in?
hey i have an idea, can you create a stuck thread here with an important info like
the real name of :
SINTRA
BONDO
and the other stuff we used to make our suits.
what do ya think
Sergio
I second that. It's a nightmare trying to get all that stuff over here in the UK when we only have brand names to go on.
Please.
Si
I agree. Let's try whenever we post something to give different names for the stuff we use for the costuming, even though it sounds like if we are retards or something, but at least to have consideration for the members who lives outside the continental US, sometimes they have the same stuff with different name.
Robert
Ok, here are three;
Bondo- polyester/styrene resin which needs a cream-hardener. This two-part mixture is used primarily in automotive body work to repair and smooth dents. It's plastic uncured nature allows for spreading and smoothing until hardening begins. Cures quickly. Sands and paints exceptionally well. The Bondo brand is usually gray resin and red cream hardener. A pinkish/light reddish color results when mixed, indicating the product is ready to apply.
Plywood- MDF
JB Weld- Another two-part product used in many applications. It consists of a cream hardener and a steel-impregnated cream. When these are mixed in even amounts, the aliphatic/polyamine/polyamide/epoxy resin produces a very durable and workable result. Does not conduct electricity, maximum temperature is 600F, and has a tensile strength of 3960 PSI. Strong enough to make minor repairs to motor parts, machinery, etc. Drillable and machineable. Long cure-time. Less strong, but faster curing, is JB Kwik.
Hope this helps.
SINTRA = High Density Rigid Polyvinyl PVC Cut Sheet
to buy in usa
also click here to search on google UK
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...UK%7CcountryGB
and a spanish or latinamerican search google too
http://www.google.com/search?hl=es&i...gle&lr=lang_es
please add anothers terms
So I wanted to know if anyone has used this method and if it worked at all.
I was thinking of try a quasi-vacuum form setup without using a vacuum at all. I thought of heating the Sintra in a tray with water, laying it over a sculpt of armor and then using a heat gun to get it to soften up even more and hopefully pick up some of the smaller details. (Can you tell I love long, run on sentences?)
I've never used it so I'm not sure I have the full understanding of it's properties and just how easy it is to work with. I know Mirax and several others have used it, but in general, it sounds like most people heat it up and just bend it. Not very detail oriented. I know you can come back to it and simulate damage and all, but I'd like to do it all in one step if possible.
You may be wondering by now why I want to know this, I need to produce a few sets of chest armor for some friends for a small film and I'm looking for the cheapest solution. We will end up damaging them pretty badly so I need a several back up sets.
Have I bored you enough yet? Any personal experiences would help me out in making a decison as to whether or not I need to buy a freakin shop-vac and an electric oven.
Geoff
I have no experience with this type of work, so this is all just my opinion:
I believe that most sintra is thick, at least from what I've seen. Most heat guns will not get THAT hot. I don't think it will be possible to heat the sintra enough with a heat gun that it would become pliable enough to be sunk over a mold. I just don't think it could happen.
ABS/Styrene is much much thinner, I think maybe even less than half as thick in some cases. And vacuform tables, I believe, get VERY hot. It's the negative pressure from the vactable that does the forming and pulling. Without that pull I don't know how well it could work.
Depending on the thickness you may be able to heat it up and sort of hand-pull the sintra over the form, at least getting the desired bend and shape. I don't think I would expect it to get much detail though.
If it's for a movie and you have a good painter you might just try posterboard. It's very cheap, easily replaced, and easy to form. Just apply velcro where you want it to go and it's so pliable that it will be held easily to the vest etc. It's thick enough to hold a crease as well. If it's painted properly I imagine it would do the trick.
Crazy maybe, but certainly worth a thought,
Phil
I made my armor from .10 gauge sintra and used the
hot water method to bend and shape it. From my experience
working with it, I don't think you can get any fine detail
out of it by trying to heat form it. The heat gun should
get hot enough for you to shape it, but if you are trying
to apply dents & dammage, my advice would either use a
dremmel after the shaping...or maybe a "stamp" of some
kind to stamp dents into the heated sitra.
Just my 2 cents.
Sintra and other thicker plastics won't work that way. You need a very strong vacuum to vacuumform. Otherwise, the details on the plastic are too "soft" or just don't come out. The plastic will not "pick up" the details just from laying over the piece.
You don't want to be heating sintra up that much with a heat gun, anyway. It's very dangerous if you burn it.
There IS a thinner plastic that you can use with a heatgun. I don't know if it will work for you, though. I don't know what it's called, but I know somebody used it to make the mouthpiece on his tusken raider. If I remember right, it's sort of a shrinking or shrink-wrap plastic. Thicker than a piece of paper, but not all that thick.
i may have a problem here, i have 1/8" sintra that im planning to use for my chest armor.i have had success using sintra for my gauntlets (i used the hot water method).i dont have a pot large enough to fit the armor peices in.if a heat gun wont work how am i supposed to bend these peices?...my kitchen oven perhaps
I actually used a heat gun to form my first set of sintra armor...it will work to a small extent but won't really pick up much detail. However, don't get the heat too close to the sintra as it WILL burn...I learned that the hard way
A heat gun will work to bend the pieces, but Sintra won't be able to pick out the fine details that way. Just make sure when you use the heat gun you heat the plastic from the back side, so that the heat doesn't damage the part you want the public to see.
Another thought, this won't work for details either, but... if you have a tray of water the piece will fit, you could try just buying an infusion heater to get the water to the right temperature (it's a little metal heat coil with a plug on it). You can usually find them with tea supplies in a grocery store or Wal-Mart type place. You just plug it into the wall, and then, against all conventional wisdom regarding electrical devices and water, put the coil into the tray.
I used a heat gun and boiling water(not at the same time silly) to form my armor. I used the heat gun for more precise bending.
Like was said before, sitra will burn and releases dangerous fumes when on fire
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