Hi. I have just come across your video. I have found a technique from someone who makes bird feathers from EVA foam sheets. They use a 1mm thickness, but said with heat manipulation etc, they make the foam paper thin but it keeps its strength. I have tried myself but I cant get it paper thin. Any tips guys? Many thanks x
Hey! I’m no expert but if you watch my video on the Valkyrie Helmet it has tons of feathers on it. Maybe it might give you some insight that you can spring off of?
This has got to be the most educational/inspirational/ultimate foam build I've seen. So many good tips and techniques are all here. You kept starting cuts that had me going 'is he really going to try that?!' LOL. This is so cool!
Man this is so cool hearing that the stuff that got me jacked up is getting someone else jacked up!! I love every detail and love when they turn out like I hoped. Glad you are getting something from the channel.
Love seeing you use the circle templates. I have a bunch of different ones that I got from my dad. They come in handy for foamcrafting! I even have one that has triangles and hexagons. I've been making something lately with lots of circles and dowels. I tried your dowel wrap method on one piece and it came out awesome I think.
@@BlackSheepProps thanks for the swift reply, do you know if they deliver out of state? I'm in Ohio and i haven't found a reliable source with a good variety pack.
Wow! That’s very nice of you MGYT!! That’s actually why I retired, I was still almost totally invisible after 3 years of designing, building, filming and editing almost 7 days a week. But man it was super fun while it lasted!
Thank you for all the video's! Watching them gave me the convidence and a ton of tips and tricks to try and make my first cosplay weapon. It turned out great and its something I'll definitly keep on doing, Thank you for the inspiration! Hope you are well
Hi! Hmm, the only time I have done exoskeleton sort of stuff is with small thin pieces. When it is small or thin I paint the entire piece with super glue and when the super glue drys it leaves a thin hard surface coat. Only other thing I can think of is - if the piece in question is flat on the sides and not shaped, they sell really thin metal strips at the hardware stores so instead of the support being round it is thin - then you can lay it up against the flat outside of your piece and using contact cement overlay another thin piece of foam so you have a thin metal support added. It will add a little bit to the width you wanted but with a thin metal strip and a thin piece of foam ( maybe 3MM ) it will be stiff.
You made the 3 years worth it! I was just talking with my brother, who builds amazing dioramas, and I was commenting on what a colossal failure the channel was. It never made it into the stream for millions to see. But it’s the small group like yourself that made it worth while. Thanks!
Well, you’d think with only 2 settings it wouldn’t be that hard. And the video actually shows how far to hold the gun away from the foam. Not sure what you’re not getting?
That’s awesome!!! Thanks a lot. Yeah, I got burned out after 3 years of nonstop creating. Hopefully I got enough on the site to help folks learn everything I knew. Happy building!!!
Brother, you have a list of tools you are using? Maybe some amazon affiliate links I can use? I am just getting started and have NOTHING in the way of supplies or equipment, so I can use all of your recommendations.
Hey man! Here’s a link to my channel, check out my video on tools. Also, every video on my channel features all the tools I use so you can watch those too. Have a great time getting started! www.youtube.com/@BlackSheepProps/videos
To cover relatively large areas (for example, two 14"x14" surfaces) in an appropriate amount of time (to avoid excessive drying), should the contact cement be rolled on? And if so, how likely is it of applying too thick a coating by rolling? Any pointers for rolling on contact cement would be greatly appreciated!
Hi, I have covered large areas by pouring the cement out in a puddle and using a large throw away brush to paint the entire surface fairly quickly. It takes several minutes to begin drying and even after it is dry it will still make contact with another surface with dry cement on it. That’s actually how contact cement works on all of my builds - coat 2 pieces and let them both fully dry and then they will stick together.
Hey Steve I have a pet chair made from sponge like foam that’s glued together into a chair shape with a fabric cover that I put on a passenger seat on a motorcycle that my dog rides in. How can I reinforce or harden the foam so it’s less flexible and is more rigid for my furry friend to be more secure? Any help is appreciated.
Hi! Not sure what kind of foam it is, but I know with EVA foam you can slice the foam in half like 2 pieces of bread and imbed something stiff in between the two pieces like in my video. But again, I don’t know what kind of foam it is so I can’t guarantee it will work like it does in my video on inner supports.
@@BlackSheepProps it’s not like regular styrofoam it’s the sponge like one that’s been glued into a shape of a oval chair, it’s pretty sturdy but deforms when I watch it down to my bike to keep it secure so I’d like to use something on the bottom and sides so it keeps its shape and stays sturdy. I’ll try to figure out what kind of foam it is I believe they might use it in tv packaging boxes but I’ve also seen regular foam too and it’s not that.
Hmm, really don’t know about how to strengthen foam other than EVA? Sorry. Maybe you could make a box with really thick EVA foam ( 18MM or 24MM ) - 4 sides and a bottom - and then hot glue your current foam inside it as a cushion? That way the structure is sturdy from the EVA and the inner part is cushiony from your foam?
But how does it ACTUALLY work?? And instead of leaving it to dry for 5 minutes, or as my can says: 20 min, what if you left it for a week or a year? Would it still stick when the 2 items are brought in contact? I guess I could do an experiment. But I'm impatient.
I wonder what happened to the channel. I miss it. So much passion in the creations and this man will forever have my respect. Top teir stuff. It's such a shame you did not blow up as you deserved so much more with the amount of awesome effort you put in. People with millions of subscribers don't put in what you do. I wish you the best man.
Thanks so much!!! I am so glad you liked the channel. Yeah, I got tired of grinding these out and being totally invisible on RU-vid. Oh well, I had a lot of fun. Thanks again.
@@BlackSheepProps I don't blame you for leaving. You did not get a return on your efforts so I understand. Im just getting into this kind of stuff and your videos are very informative, I have been learning alot. Edit: So I apreciate the videos you took the time to make.
Yeah, got burned out with little return for sure. I mean, a lot of people have watched the videos overall but it didn’t blow up. I was never showing up in people’s searches. Even when using exact wording no one was finding my videos. I was blocked form showing up in searches. I couldn’t break through RU-vid’s algorithm. I have an ETSY site that sells all of my templates for the builds and they are still selling so that’s cool I guess.
@@BlackSheepProps Thats great you can still make a buck off the templates 😊. I gave up on youtube with my old account too. Consistant quality uploads don't work and it confuses me how people with no skill or talent end up getting the attention.
Thanks! FOR SURE one of my top favorites! And one of my all time favorite details - the coils!!! TONS of time on the coils but super easy and worth the result.
hello! I'm looking for a replacement for plastic dip most of rubber coating I find is solvent based, plastic dip is also solvent based spray right, doesn't it melt foam?
that's great! I'm curious some people says don't use solvent based spray or paint on foam because it will melt foam or paint color, or just plasti-dip is kind of Exception?@@BlackSheepProps
Thanks! Yeah, several of my builds have had gradient done without spraying. The Sonic gun from Minority Report and Star Lords blaster have the 3 discolored metal that occurs when metal heats up and causes it to turn red, blue and yellow. Check those out, they’re cool.
I REALLY REALLY NEEDED THIS DEMONSTRATION, BECAUSE IM GETTING VERY SERIOUS WITH BUYING AND RESTORING SNEAKERS. IVE ONLY TRIED ANGELUS CEMENT AND MASTER PETRONIO ALL PURPOSE CEMENT . ANGELUS CEMENT IS CLEAR BEFORE IT DRIES ,BUT TURNS INTO A REAL FOGGY LIKE WHITE. IT WORKS GOOD AFTER YOU LET DRY FOR ABOUT 5-15 MINS,THEN I USE MY HEAT GUN TO LOOSEN IT TO ATTACH THE SHOE SOLES. THE MASTER IS TOUGH BUT IT IS THIS DARK BEIGE COLOR WHICH IS OK BUT SUCKS WHEN I OVER APPLY. IM JUST BEGINING AND UNDERSTANDING. I JUST WANT TO BUY THE BEST CEMENT AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT SO I DONT HAVE TO PROLONG MY SNEAKER RESTORATIONS.
Yeah, I watch them every once in a while and sometimes I say “ geez, I seem a little geeked out on that one”. I’m just glad somebody is enjoying them 'cause I sure had fun doing it.
Hi,was just wondering,if your using coloured EVA foam is there anyway to hide the lines that are shown even when you glue all parts together (take your time to response if needed) :D thank you
Hi! I mostly use only black foam. But even if I did use colored foam I would be sealing it with plasti-dip before I paint it. Plastidip can fill in some of the seams so they aren’t as noticable once you paint. And I also sometimes use something called quick-seal to fill any seams before I paint. But if you are using color foam and not planning on sealing and painting it then you might see some seams where two pieces attach. Watch some of the builds on my channel and see what it looks like when I seal a prop and paint it. It might give you a better idea of what I’m talking about. Watching the builds might also show you how to attach two pieces and not get a noticable seam.
I hear you. Yeah, my heat gun is on max which is 1000 degrees - it’s ferocious! You kind of have to get used to how much to heat it. Not enough and it won’t soften the foam - too much and you can start melting it. But after a few times you get used to how close to hold the heat gun to the foam and how to wave the gun back and forth so it doesn’t stay too long on one spot.
@@BlackSheepProps Thank you for the reply! I always struggle with not getting it warm enough to shape it, but I'm paranoid of burning it. I guess I'll just buy a mask with a good filter and experiment some more.
Since I never heated my foam to the point of burning it I never used a mask. It can give off fumes but I didn’t do heavy amounts of heating foam. I also had a large work area and a fan next to me to blow any fumes away from my face. So I was never really in an enclosed area breathing the fumes. I also periodically opened my garage door to air out the room just in case. What little bit I could smell was not too much.
@@BlackSheepProps thanks. Great tutorial. I’m going to order the plans. I’ve recently got a stormtrooper and I’m looking for accessories. This will be super when I build it. I’m trying source the EVA Foam in the UK. I’ve found most of the thinner stuff up to about 5-6mm thick. Trying to find some bigger stuff. 20-40mm.
@BlackSheepProps that's it. Looks awesome and like it would good for dexterity. I tend to put a lot of pressure in the upper portion of my index finger. Which causes some finger pain for days after a big project like this. Thanks
I usually only use the OLFA utility knife for long straight cuts. And I grip it normally. But I do get a sore index finger when I use the xacto knife for a long time since that knife requires using the index finger. Check out my videos, they show using both the utility knife and the xacto.
Not sure. It might be? The fact that it’s called “contact” makes me think it works the same way, but I can’t be positive. Sorry I can’t be more help. Maybe look up a video on youtube for contact adhesive to be sure.
That really was an epic build. Sucks about that paint!! Painting a prop always terrifies me, a lot of the stuff I build will sit around sealed and Plastidip waiting for color.