Learned the hard way that hot glue and EVA foam don't mix for armor

Wanted to put together a cheap Mandalorian cosplay for a con last month, so I grabbed a $10 hot glue gun from Walmart and some foam floor mats. Spent 3 evenings cutting and gluing a chest plate, and everything looked solid until I tried to bend it to my shape. The glue joints just snapped apart like dry spaghetti on day 2, and the whole front piece fell off while I was walking through the dealer hall. Wasted about 40 bucks on foam and glue I can't even use again. Anyone got a better method for attaching foam pieces that doesn't break the bank?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivanb417d agoTop Commenter

Heard somewhere that contact cement is the way to go for foam, melts into the material instead of just sitting on top.

claire_campbell7d ago

I mean is it really that deep though? Like yeah hot glue is gonna pop off if you're bending foam, but for a first time cheap cosplay you probably could have just duct taped the seams on the inside and called it a day. I've seen people wear cardboard boxes to cons and still have a blast. The whole thing falling off in the dealer hall is rough though, I'll give you that.