Toe guard progress.. update 9/12

[MonCal]

Toe guard progress.. update 1/18

Finally...some more fun progress pics

I started off making a paper shape of the guards and then sculpting a corresponding piece out of clay. I'll make a mold of the clay sculpt and pour a plaster cast that I can sand and make better
I'll then make a mold of that so I can make the guard in fiberglass cause I just know these are gonna take some abuse and I'll be able to make new ones when they break / disappear
I'll also design the spike / spike holder to screw to the guard and also be easily replaced when they break away
Probably have to carry extra ones while out troopin'

I'll try to keep on top of this and post progress pics as I go
enjoy

 

[Zam I Am]

You made it the same way I did Hubby did the whole fiberglass dealio too for the toe gaurd. Only, I am thinking about casting new spikes outta foam rubber, so that I don't have to stock up on toe spikes. :confused It's up to hubby.

 

[judz dwedd]

I was thinking of making the whole guard AND spike thing out of rubber. I think rubber can hold rub n buff, but it doesn't shine as well. The whole assembly can be glued on with E6000.

 

[Zam I Am]

The gaurd made outta fiberglass is fine. I had no probs whatsoever. And, it looks better with the rubnbuff than foam/rubber does. But, the spike is the most abused part, that's why I considered the foam rubber for that spike. So, it can go POING! like a door stop I also considered doing the spike as a two part mold, with the same type of plastic that goes into the "unbreakable" combs. Oooh.. E6000 my fav glue

 

[MaulMaus]

Gee... and I spent the weekend punching 7,239,872 holes in all those skirt squares!

Looking good MonCal... looking really good!

 

[MonCal]

Thanks guys!

I'm going to experiment with the spike / holder. I'm going to try one with the plastic I use for the shin guards and if that still acts like breaking, I'll make one out of rubber.

 

[Zam I Am]

The place where it breaks all the time is between the spike and the base/holder (where you have yours made of sculpey.) Yeah, that would be cool to try your shin material. How does rubnbuff look on your shin material?

 

[MonCal]

Well,
I just tried a splotch of rub n buff on some scrap shin plastic. It seems to work fine.....granted I haven't put it to practical use yet.

I think the shin plastic will work. It is even close in color to the spike. I'm heating up the spike right now in the oven I'll put the spike and the holder together and mold one solid piece. I can screw through the fiberglass toe guard and into the spike holder with two screws. I tried a scrap piece of the plastic with some screws and it takes a lot of work to pull the screw out. I even heated up a piece in the microwave first to soften it and it was still really hard to pull the screw out. I think with some epoxy along with the screw, they should be really tough. That plastic is flexible enough it won't fracture like resin.....I'll know more in a couple days after going through the triple molding process.

 

[MaulMaus]

Wow... you guys just amaze me!

Sounds great MonCal! Can't wait to see more pics of the progress!

 

[MonCal]

I've re- made my molds ... again :facepalm I cleaned up the first casting to get a nice second mold. I then poured a new master in liquid plastic but on one of them, I must not have put enough mold release and well, I destroyed the mold. Now I've gotta wait til I get more rubber.

I might try throwing the plastic casting on the vac table and see how they vaccuum form. I'm not sure if I like that plastic though.

Yvonne, what brand of liquid plastic are you using these days?

....hey, I'm trying to make some more progress ... yay!

 

[MaulMaus]

You're a perfectionist MonCal... do you know that?

Really... you are!!!

Are you talking about the whole toe guard here? Or just the toe-spike part?

Good luck!

 

[MonCal]

Thanks maulmaus!

I'm trying really hard to get back in gear on this costume! I have just been so discouraged with the bodysuit :facepalm and well, I've been really busy too!

The mold I ruined was on one of the toe guards. My mold for the spike is fine, I've just gotta decide which casting material is the best. I've made a few different ones with a couple different types of liquid plastic. I think the softer plastic that I use for the shin guards is the best because it is flexible and won't break. The natural color is also similiar to the base color of the real toe spike

And yes, I know I have been called a perfectionist before. I'm not as bad as I was years ago. Along with being a little high strung, I think that's what initially gave me my ulcers

 

[Zam I Am]

I haven't tested the toe spike mold with the new stuff you told me to use, as different parts need different types of plastic. But, I had planned on using the same stuff you used for the spikes. Jim fiberglassed my toe gaurds. So, we aren't gonna be making any more of those.

 

[MonCal]

I was actually curious as to what plastic you're using for all your castings? The new stuff looks more like plastic rather than the other resin you had used.

 

[Zam I Am]

Most of our resins come from www.smoothon.com or something like it, but he used different types for different things. Combo from different sources. The first source was from some other brand. That's why you may think it's different. It may also have the lesser weight than my first castings. (Trying to get my pieces lighter to wear, so that it doesn't feel like we are carrying a ton of bricks around.)

 

[MonCal]

Everything I've used is also from smooth-on.com
The shin guard material and the rubber both.
I've only tried a small batch of the smooth cast 310 plastic. I used it to make masters of my toe guard sculpts. Is this what you've been using? Also, if it is how do you control your air bubbles? I probably shouldn't follow the directions on the trial bottles which say "shake well". That is probably a stupid idea because it mixes more air into it. :facepalm

The main reason I'm asking is because I'm helping a garrison member make some parts for his R2 and his tie pilot. He sculpted his own chest box pieces and wants to make them out of a good plastic.

 

[MonCal]

Well, the smooth cast 310 isn't a good idea for vac forming. The heat and the pressure causes all the sharp edges to round over and wrinkle :facepalm dangit...
Now my masters are ruined and I definitely have to wait until the next batch of rubber arrives to make new molds.

Is this the same liquid plastic you use ZIA?

 

[Zam I Am]

I am not sure, we did use something in the 300 series...305 mebbe? and we didn't vac form anything. Everything we made was with reg rubber molds with resin casting. I don't know how it would hold against a vac table heating element. Different molds have different pouring methods to keep out the bubbly. Some high some low, and with some aggitation or coating or teasing with a popsicle stick. Oh and I think Zam I Ain't has had everything bad that has ever happened under the sun with our molds. :rolleyes Wrong temperature, too many air pockets, catalyst probs.. you name it. Oh, make sure that you learn how to re-use your molds so that you don't waste $$. IE, use them as gap fillers, instead of clean clay.

 

[MonCal]

Some more news ....


After going through some experimenting phases with vac forming and then molding problems, I've finally found the process I want to use ... good ole' fiberglass
I had to make a new mold for the spike piece now :facepalm Hopefully have some pics of those up asap.
enjoy

 

[phantom viper]

vary nice. They look great.:zam