Got schooled by a 15 year old at a con last weekend

This kid at Comic-Con showed me how he made a whole Mandalorian armor set from foam floor mats from Harbor Freight. It cost him like $40 total and looked 10x better than my stuff I spent over $100 on. How do you guys get those smooth edges on EVA foam without a dremel?

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2 Comments

ray6482d agoTop Commenter

You know, I heard about this exact thing on a cosplay tutorial video (I think it was from Punished Props or someone similar) where they talked about using wood glue mixed with water as a cheap sealant for EVA foam. That kid at the con probably knew that trick, because it fills in the tiny pores and gives you that super smooth surface before you even prime it. The heat gunning helps but if you don't seal it right, the paint will flake off like you said. My buddy swears by using a cheap hair straightener to get those edges crisp too, but you gotta be careful not to burn the foam. I tried the wood glue trick on my last helmet and it made a huge difference, no dremel needed at all.

avery_roberts672d ago

Did that kid happen to mention what kind of sealant or primer he used before painting the foam? I'm wondering if that's the missing step for getting those sharp, smooth lines without sanding. I've tried heat gunning the edges but they still look a bit rough, and on my last build the paint started chipping off after a couple of wears. A $40 set of armor that looks that good makes me think he had some trick for the surface prep too.