In the new Disney+ versions of Boba's armor he wears cast black polyeurethane rubber armor parts that are flexible. I wanted to recreate this because the ide of flexible armor is really appealing from a wearability and durability standpoint. My experience with 3d printed armor is that it tends to be brittle and so I have usually reinforced it with fiberglass, making it very strong but also heavy.
However, with flexible parts they become extremely togh and damage resistant. I originally planned on printing in TPU, since thats essentially the same type of rubber used in the series. However TPU is finicky to print, and doesnt paint or sand well. I stumbled onto Flashforge Flex PLA and have been experimenting.
To me its almost ideal. Because its flexible the parts are extremely tough and can be bent and twisted without fear of breaking. Its virtually impervious to impact. Its light. And it sands well and takes paint/primer like a sponge. And, while extreme heat like a heatgun will melt it, I have left it in the sun and it just gets softer, but it won't warp. And it prints very well.
So.. my finishing recipe...
After print I clean up any support material and stringing with a razor knife. My print settings are not 100% dialed in as I am a total noob, this is my first armor print. I started with standard PLA setting and then adjusted to slow things down and generally print more like a Ninja Flex or TPU filament. Still, i get some gnarly layer shifts sometimes. To fill those I use DAP Alex Flex flexible spackle. Once dry that gets sanded smooth.
Once the part is trimmed and any major errors fixed I start filling the print lines. I went through several different materials, truck bed liner, epoxy filler primer, etc. Eventually I found SEM Flexible Bumper Texture Coat. As you can see in the pics I use it like a filler primer. Use light "wet" coats. Too thick and it will crack when dry. But thin coats sand fantastically and won't crack, although its not as flexible as the part so it can craze some. It makes a tedious process sooooo easy. I use foam sanding blocks at 100 grit.
Once all layer lines are gone, usually 2 to 3 coats sanded in between each, I top coat it with Smart Shade rubberized undercoating. This stuff does not sand at all, so only use it as a last layer for getting the post sarlaac texture. You can use a rag to splotch it and add grainy texture, but it sets very fast so be quick. Because it is rubberized it flexes with the print and will make sure than any tiny crazing lines from the SEM coat won't show through. It takes paint very well.
Speaking of paint, the paint has to also be flexible! No primer is needed at this point. Fortunately the Montana Gold and Black spray paints are pretty flexible and I have't seen any cracking or crazing so far. Just paint and weather as normal!
Hope that helps everyone, good luck and Vode An!
However, with flexible parts they become extremely togh and damage resistant. I originally planned on printing in TPU, since thats essentially the same type of rubber used in the series. However TPU is finicky to print, and doesnt paint or sand well. I stumbled onto Flashforge Flex PLA and have been experimenting.
To me its almost ideal. Because its flexible the parts are extremely tough and can be bent and twisted without fear of breaking. Its virtually impervious to impact. Its light. And it sands well and takes paint/primer like a sponge. And, while extreme heat like a heatgun will melt it, I have left it in the sun and it just gets softer, but it won't warp. And it prints very well.
So.. my finishing recipe...
After print I clean up any support material and stringing with a razor knife. My print settings are not 100% dialed in as I am a total noob, this is my first armor print. I started with standard PLA setting and then adjusted to slow things down and generally print more like a Ninja Flex or TPU filament. Still, i get some gnarly layer shifts sometimes. To fill those I use DAP Alex Flex flexible spackle. Once dry that gets sanded smooth.
Once the part is trimmed and any major errors fixed I start filling the print lines. I went through several different materials, truck bed liner, epoxy filler primer, etc. Eventually I found SEM Flexible Bumper Texture Coat. As you can see in the pics I use it like a filler primer. Use light "wet" coats. Too thick and it will crack when dry. But thin coats sand fantastically and won't crack, although its not as flexible as the part so it can craze some. It makes a tedious process sooooo easy. I use foam sanding blocks at 100 grit.
Once all layer lines are gone, usually 2 to 3 coats sanded in between each, I top coat it with Smart Shade rubberized undercoating. This stuff does not sand at all, so only use it as a last layer for getting the post sarlaac texture. You can use a rag to splotch it and add grainy texture, but it sets very fast so be quick. Because it is rubberized it flexes with the print and will make sure than any tiny crazing lines from the SEM coat won't show through. It takes paint very well.
Speaking of paint, the paint has to also be flexible! No primer is needed at this point. Fortunately the Montana Gold and Black spray paints are pretty flexible and I have't seen any cracking or crazing so far. Just paint and weather as normal!
Hope that helps everyone, good luck and Vode An!
