Tried using cardboard for armor plating and it turned into a soggy mess

I was building a budget Halo Spartan suit for a con next month and thought hey, cardboard is free and easy to work with. Painted it with some cheap acrylics and it looked decent for about two hours at the convention. Then someone spilled a soda near me and the whole chest piece just warped and sagged like wet newspaper. Learned the hard way that cardboard needs a serious sealant like mod podge or even just clear spray paint. Has anyone else had a cardboard costume fail in a weird way?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_murphy1628d ago

Nah, I gotta disagree with the whole cardboard approach altogether honestly. I tried that with a budget Iron Man helmet years ago and it got wrecked by my own sweat after maybe an hour. The humidity in my house alone made it start peeling. You’re right that sealant helps but even with mod podge coats the stuff just doesn’t hold up to any real wear. I’d rather spend a little more on EVA foam mats from the hardware store because they bend without cracking and you can heat shape them. Did you try reinforcing the inside with something like a wire frame before you painted?

mitchell.wade28d ago

Gotta agree with @wendy_murphy16 here, cardboard cosplay is basically a recipe for soggy disaster. My own sweat ruined a whole helmet I spent a weekend on, so I feel that pain way too much. I switched to foam mats too and never looked back, they don't melt like cardboard does.