General New member considering Zam Wesell

I can't wait to have the glove put together with the hand and thumb guards attached. I smooth out those edges, and no one will ever be able to tell just by looking.
Leather gives too, which I think will help it last longer than harder materials, when glued onto the glove.

Very nice work! If I had anything done, I'd probably post pictures, too!

Any progress on the blaster? I'd be interested in if he has the 3D print files available as I have access to a printer through work. Thank you!

You can just search "Zam" on the file database and it should turn up. I haven't seen you post here before, so welcome

Silver, wow! I just looked at your photobucket--you're doing great work!! I'm probably going to try the same method as you for the glove plates being leather, but if I may ask, can you share the dimensions for some of your other items? Particularly the veil, hood, shoe pieces, and holster? Please keep us posted!

Sure. I've kept all that on a newsprint paper pattern, with notes on changes and such. I'm going to try to get some work accomplished today after my kids get on the bus to school, so I'll try to post what I can here today sometime. I've kind of been in a holding pattern lately as I've gotten to a point where I need an experienced person to help with the invisible zipper (vest), and a few dry sunny days to airbrush more leather. I've set up Friday for the sewing part, but I can't do anything about the weather.

Currently, I'm making a latex (single use)of the greeblies for accidental breakage purposes. Not sure how long soft latex plastic molds last, but as it's alot of time wasted doing this, I don't have plans to ever do it again. Also, once again "no thank you Mom Nature for alllll the wet humid days" making everything take forever to dry. I see why JD live in Arizona now.

On the upnote, my husband mentioned the possibility of being able to machine me the rifle scope and power cell. Won't that be neat if he can find the time for it? All I'll have to do is put in blaack rubber rings or paint the places black that need it.

It would be super awesome if you could share some of your secrets! I'm in the process of building three different costumes at the same time, and this one is by far the hardest (and most expensive) of the three! And, on top of that, this weeks is extremely busy... going to Missouri for a friend's wedding and all, so this entire week's focus is that. As a bridesmaid, we even have to learn a dance--ugh, so busy!

Kudos to you for even attempting the rifle; it doesn't look like hardly anyone else has.

I almost think the rifle is one of the easier parts

Just thought I'd pass along a thought about the glove guards. When I posted it at the Bounty Hunters Guiild, one of the top dogs there was not so sure that they would work out due to the fact that they're more pliable than plastic/metal, and because of the little dings on them from working the leather. I'm going to use a leather tool to try to dampen down the "dents" and give it a more smoother appearance, but I'm still going to use them. I personally like the worn well-used look.

You wanted some numbers on the veil and hood, right? Well, as you know, I tend to start it a bit big and cut away, so I will most likely reduce these a few inches.

So, currently, my veil is 13x21 inches and the red satin inside is the same size, but is folded over 1/4th inch, all the way around, to sew it a nice flat edge. When I go to attach it to the leather veil, I'm using a specific two sided tape for leather called Tanner's Tape. If that fails me somehow, I'm falling back on some nuclear stuff that's used for slick plastics, but hopefully it won't come to that.
My hood is arced, like the big cheesy grins you see on thee emicons here . So if you take a midpoint from the bottom of the hood vertically up to the midpoint of the neck, it's 14 inches. The same bottom of hood midpoint, lengthwise, to the end that comes to the front, is 28 inches. Doing the same to the top midpoint to end is 15 3/4 inches. The ends are not pointed, but are flat 1 inch long ends.

This is how I am going about it, but I cannot vouch that I'm going to get the great results that I've seen in finished Zam costumes. I think I will though. If you are interested in seeing this for yourself, I highly suggest you get an old bedsheet and go to town on it. So you aren't wasting anything costly.

Great ideas, thanks!! Also, I just purchased the Jabbadashery fabric, and I'm really looking forward to taking it to a seamstress!

Got a little more done today, so I thought I'd share. Gloves and skirt. The scrap of leather between the gloves is the visible portion of a "holster liner".

The skirt now is perfect, the colours are so beautiful.

Wow great work! I just got my fabric in the mail, but I've also been very distracted with another costume I'm making. Keep up the great work!

So, I'm having a thought about my shin guards. I'm really close to glueing the leather on, and I've pondered the middle front ridge and what I've come up with, is to use half of the blade of a car windshield wiper. Ok, laugh it up fuzzballs! However, I'm going to slice them down, glue them on first, and then see how they'll look with a scrap piece of leather first. I will post pictures so you can see exactly what I'm doing, then you all can tell me if you think it'll work or not. I'll probably post it on Monday or Tuesday. I can't work on it tonight, because....

Tonight is my daughter's 9th birthday. We're playing Minion Monopoly and eating ice cream (asap when I'm done posting). If the storms pass us up, I'm outside roasting marshmallows with them instead. Tomorrow we have the party for her and her friends. But tonight, is for the kids and I.

Yesterday, we mangled the cummerbund until it was finally figured out that sewing machines are finicky with leather and you have to remember to use the right foot... or put tape on the foot already on it, which is why the cummerbund is a mangle heap of dead goat. Fighting a sewing machine isn't a losing battle, by the way, just exhausting to my brain. Anyways, we DID get the vest nearly completed. I snapped a few pictures. After I get it done, I'll take more before and after "the dye job". And I'm going to buy machine foot for leather today. Let's Sew carries them.


I also did not like how my shoes turned out, so I bought some bit-o'leather from Joann's that nearly the exact color of my shoes and I'm going to sew the purple leather to the brown and then glue it all on. That will make it on target. Yep, I'll take pictures.


My shin guards needed something to give it substance. From the images I've looked at, what I've done so far is right in shape and size, but the thickness seemed to be off. My last Tandy order I bought a sheet of thermoplastic. I'm going to cut it out and see if it'll layer down on everything (for a smooth curve on the ridge and the ankle ring shape at the bottom) and give it the appearance of weight. Any thoughts on if this will adhere to polyethylene plastic? My ridge is holding up well, and after I play with the thermoplastic, I'll post about the shin guards again.

And in between it all, my latex molds have finally dried out and are tucked away for safekeeping (and hoping to never have to use them!) and I'm painting the greeblies. I've half of them done, and by my eye they're darn close to the real deal. I have 8 pots of rubnbuff and have used every color. I even mixed some of them up and made that brown color that is on the "knife" on her leg strap. The malachite black color is dead on for a greasy dirty look too. When those are all completed, I'll post pictures on the photobucket site.


Dented Helmet has been a great board for discussionsfor us Zammers! What I haven't thought of, someone else has and vice versa. And the BIG news is that it was posted today on the Bounty Hunter's Guild that the CRL is nearly approved for Zam, which means alot to us doing this costume.

Photobucket has been updated with images of my pre-dye vest still being finished up, all but three greeblies painted, and shin guards. If you pull back to see the whole Zam album, you'll see my Mom giving the leather a go. She's better at it than I am. I need to do something special for the effort she put into making that machine like leather.






I am in love with Terraflex thermoplastic, by the way. I had no idea just how much fun it is to play with it! It is now my new best friend. I'm seeing a few million possibilities with this stuff....

Great work! Greeblies looks so real!

(There are a few more pictures uploaded, but these are the highlights)


Have shoes, will travel any where in the galaxy









Vest near completion.

Silvermitt, did you use 2 materials to make the shin guards? How did you do?

Shin guards parts are the flexible polyethylene plastic base, small diameter clear tubing (like the kind used for icemakers), the 12" wiper blade (from the rear window of a 1996 Jeep Cherokee if you really needed to know! LOL!), some Terraflex thermoplastic sheeting, and a few tubes of Goop glue, the fantabulous, ever wondrous glue all for anything. When I put the leather overlay for the guards, I sprayed the heck out of the shin guards with spray adhesive before hand. The backside I doubled it up with more goop glue. I would have had them done already, but the guards seem to be a bit thick for regular snaps. There is a local business that makes massive tents and such commercially. They have a small store outlet and I'm betting I can get industrial snaps that will complete my guards beautifully. I'll post a picture of them if I can get those snaps.


Meanwhile, I made Rebel Legion with a Leia costume:
Rebel Legion :: Viewing costume :: Princess Leia Organa