EVA Foam Heat Shaping Basics 

Wow! Awesome, super glad the tips helped you out! Have fun building more stuff!!

It’s actually more like 4:45

Awesome! So glad t o know I’m helping others build!

Cool!

Wow! Thanks so much Jack. This was my goal when I got started - to hopefully be able to pass what I have learned onto others. Have fun building.

Hey Mista C! Thanks! I dig your appreciation for true OG classics!

Heck yeah!! The all-time most classic ride EVER!!

As an entry level video it is really good.

So I've noticed that you comment quite a bit on Steve's videos recently, and I just can't figure you out. Basically, you seem to underhandedly insult him at almost any chance you get. His shield handle wasn't historically accurate enough for you. You said his axe design was terrible. You goofed on his spray booth because it wasn't professional enough for you. And now you mock the basicness of his latest tips video. So far, everyone else has been very positive and supportive with their comments and Steve is building a nice little community of folks who just want to learn how to make easy props. I'm really not sure why you even watch his videos at all. And regarding your comments, I don't know if you're just so socially awkward that you don't realize that you are being a douchebag, or if you just really are a douchebag. Either way, I would probably just stop watching his content if I were you or take your negativity elsewhere. Good day sir.

@@mistac5050 Except for the axe design which makes no sense to me, I find most of his videos to be quite comprehensive and a boon to anyone starting out building with foam. They are fairly basic videos, but that is what people need to know- the basics, before they can do anything more complicated..

Hahaaaaa! Yeah, the intro is a coffee spiller for sure!

Awesome! I’m glad I could help!

Just did the same too

Hi Liam! Glad it helped! In case you haven’t seen all our other tips videos and builds, here is the link to our channel’s home page : ru-vid.com Just look under VIDEOS near the upper left for a complete list of vieos. Thanks for watching!

Thanks

You are totally welcome! Hope it helped. We have more tips videos and a bunch of builds on our channel in case you were interested. Here’s the link if so : ru-vid.com Just look under the VIDEOS tab near the upper left for a complete listing. Thanks for watching!

Mornin' FP! I haven’t done a lot of fasteners since I mostly do prop weapons and not a lot of stuff you wear. Some velcro in my Scorpion Mask and Predator Gauntlet, foam strips for my shield handles, etc. Take a look at those videos, it might help a little bit.

@@BlackSheepProps Thank you I will have a look.

Hi Dacia! I have the Wagner FURNO 300 and it has always been awesome! It has 2 settings - 750 and 1100. But I only use it on high. Works great!

Ooh, costumes scare me!!! I only build props and have always been blown away by the cosplayers skill in costume making. I won’t be much help with a body piece. I would guess maybe look around online at places like ETSY to see if anyone has any corset templates. I gotta think cosplayers have done them and sell the templates?

Hello Dr! I’m not sure? I think my gun produces 1200 Watts of power, and the temperature can reach 1100 degrees. And that is totally hot enough to bend foam - and bend it fast! I guess if you held your gun at your foam and really cooked it for a longer period of time your gun might be able to get the foam warm enough. It just might take a bit longer than the stronger guns. Not sure though? I have even seen some people put their foam in the oven for a bit and warm it up until it’s hot enough. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. Thanks for watching though!

Hi Patrick, As long as you are not pointing the heat gun right at your hand I don’t think you really need gloves.

@@BlackSheepProps I meant when your touching the foam with your hands

Hi SD! Oh yeah, would totally wobble all over the place at 3-foot long. And it might drift a little on you when it’s in the air - it would be so light. You know what though, you could probably use 2 6MM pieces and embed a steel rod from the hardware store. It would add some stability without making it too heavy. The steel rods are pretty light, I’ve used them before. Check out our tips video on adding support on our home page : ru-vid.com Just look under PLAYLISTS in the TIPS, TOOLS, TECHNIQUES and MATERIALS section.

maybe put some wires through it I do that for my swords :D

Hi Colin, Totally, I use the dremel, sandpaper and a heat gun. If I do any crazy heavy carving I use my super rough dremel bit to smooth most of the roughness, and then I follow it by using my smooth dremel bit to get it even smoother, then I follow that by using sand paper to get it even smoother. Then I finish by using the heat gun to heat seal the foam. It sort of melts the surface a bit which tightens up the surface and adds another level of smoothing.

Hey CC! First, thanks for watching! I have bought the floor mats from my local Lowes - the kind with the puzzle piece edges - like gyms and schools use - and it’s great. If it has texture on one side contact cement won’t stick super well there so you would have to dremel the texture off and get down to the raw foam in order for it to get a good stick. The only time I have ever burned my foam is if I leave the scorching 1100 degree heat gun pointed at a spot for too long, but other than that I have never even come close to burning it. Plus the thinner the foam the quicker you can melt it. The thin 2MM stuff can burn with a heat gun pretty quick. Hope that helps. And in case you haven’t seen our other tips videos and builds here is the link to our channel’s home page if you like : ru-vid.com Just look under the VIDEOS tab at the upper left for a complete list of videos.

@@BlackSheepProps Thanks! That really helps!

Hi Minanme! Thanks for giving me props on my latest prop! To be honest - masks scare the heck out of me. I mostly make props, the cosplay crowd are the real rock stars! They get down on masks. I’ve done some very basic shaping in my builds but the kind of shaping that goes into masks is CRAAAAAZY!

@@BlackSheepProps Thanks for the quick response! What about making thin curves? Like blades?

i've seen some people use tape to hold the shape, just heat your EVA foam and tape one end to the other and let it cool and voila

Ahhhhhh, you noticed that. It’s slipped in there as a surprise preview. That build is coming up shortly. Right now we are currently in the middle of the Scorpion’s Mask series, and there will be another Medieval build after that - and THEN the Shrink Ray! Stay tuned Kyle! And thanks again man!

I have actually seen other makers do that and it worked great. I never have though. But it looks like a legit tactic.

Hi luckynow7! I use a Wagner Furno 300. Do a little bit of experimenting on an extra piece of foam to see how hot it needs to be to be malleable. You will get used to it very fast - it’s super easy. Keep the gun moving back and forth and don’t hold it in the same spot too long until it gets pretty warm to the touch, then you bend it. It can get a bit hot to the touch but that takes really cooking it for a long time. I have never needed gloves though. You are spot on concerning it changing according to the thickness. The thicker the foam the longer the time to heat it enough to be malleable. I have actually never heated and bent anything thicker than 12MM (1/2 inch ). 12MM is used on all of my helmets.

@@BlackSheepProps neat, thank you for the detailed response! :D

Hey FC! I have mine set on high which is 1100 degrees. Just be careful not to hold the gun too close for too long or it can burn and melt your foam. And when you get the foam too hot it can start to give of fumes which you do not want to breath because foam is plastic. I usually haver a fan next to me so it can blow any fumes that might happen away from my face. Have fun. And heat-on!

@@BlackSheepProps thank you so much for the reply! Oh my thats very hot 🤣 i think i set mine to about 400 or something no wonder it took ages to heat!

@@BlackSheepProps how long do u heat your foam? I can't tell if I'm heating enough or too much

Totally! The foam shapes so nicely to a bowl shape.

@@BlackSheepProps I need to make domes that are 2" outside diameter. I have not found them anywhere. I am modeling a special type of oil refining unit. Thanks. I can get EVA anywhere.

Hi Kenobi! My foam comes in rolls also. It is easy to straighten by rolling it the other direction for a little while. When my foam roll arrives I unroll it and then roll it the opposite direction and put a velcro strap or a rubber band around it for a few minutes and that usually helps it lay more flat. You can also roll it the opposite direction very tight and just hold it with your hand for a few minutes. I hope that helps you. We have a lot more builds and tips videos on our channel’s home page in case you did not know. Here is the link if you would like to se them : ru-vid.com Just look under VIDEOS near the top left for a complete list of videos. Thanks for watching!

@@BlackSheepProps what are the differences with soft and hard eva foams? in my country black foam mats comes in 4 packs and it is like $40, so, can i make a blaster prop with eva foam that's not from foam mats???

I’m not very experienced with the different hardnesses? The foam I buy is from TNTCOSPLAYSUPPLY in Texas and their site says ”it has a hardness of 38 which is slightly harder than most foams that are sold on the market”. I like it and it has been fine so far. I started building with 1/2" (12MM) eva floor mat foam from the hardware store before I started buying all my foam from TNT. I hope that helps you a bit. Thanks

Hi RD! A lot of makers do, and a lot don’t. I do when I am using the wood burner because that is completely burning plastic, but heating foam to shape it doesn”t ever really get super vaporous so I just use a fan next to me to blow any vapor away from my face and I frequently open my garage door to air out if needed. But I am not an expert on the safety issue so you will have to kind of make the call depending on the area you are working on, etc.

Hi Jennie, I’m sorry but I don’t know what that is? I’m only familiar with EVA foam, sorry I can’t be more help.

Hi John! Mostly contact cement - and super glue for some smaller pieces. On my home page under VIDEOS I have a video on contact cement basics, and any of the builds on the channel will show the glue process.

@@BlackSheepProps thanks! Just getting into fabricating things this year for Halloween so will subscribe and check out more of your videos

Hi Katie, it always helps doing both. The warmer you get it the easier it is to bend. Just be careful not to hold the heat gun in one spot until it starts to melt.

Hi Kaylee! It depends on the thickness. If its thinner foam just a few seconds and you will see it start to droop and then you can shape it. If it’s thicker - like 12MM (.5') you just go back and forth over it for 20 seconds or so and then try to bend it around something, if you need to heat it up a little more to get it softer then just add a little time. It’s super easy, once you do it one time you will notice how you just warm it up and after a short time it will be much softer than when you started and you can shape it. Foam bends anyway even without heat but what you are trying to do is get it hot enough to where after you bend it and it cools off it will hold its shape.

Hi Karen! Ooh that’s a good question. I have never worked with styrofoam so I am not sure? Sorry I can’t be more help. Thanks for watching though. In case you haven’t seen our other builds and tips videos here is the link to our home page : ru-vid.com

I don’t know for sure but I think it wouldn’t work, styrofoam melts very easily

Hmm? I have never worked with memory foam, I am not sure. Sorry I could not be more help.

Hi! My high is 1100 degrees. Just don’t come in too close for too long and you will be fine. You get used to the level of heat needed really fast. If you hold it right up to the foam and blast it you will see the foam start to bubble. Also, the thickness of the foam matters - with thinner foam you have to be more careful with, thicker foam not so much. But either thick or thin, if you get too close and hold it for too long you will start melting. But like I said, you get used to it really fast. And make sure you have ventilation and/or a mask to keep burning plastic vapor from going up your nose. I have a pretty large space I build in, and I use a big fan off to the side that carries any vapor away. And I wear a dust mask just to make sure.

@@BlackSheepProps Thanks a lot for the reply. i will go and try it out later

Nah, you’ll see how easy it is to use. As long as you stay away from pointing the heat gun directly at your fingers you will be fine.

@@BlackSheepProps alright I’ll try it then! I’m building Enclave Power Armor from Fallout2/New Vegas and I’m excited!

Hey Dominic! Unfortunately it isn’t hot enough. I know even some heat guns aren’t hot enough - it takes a while to get it up to the heat to bend. The heat gun I have is a Wagner 300 and it gets up to 1100 degrees! Super quick! Sucker has burned my skin off though a couple times when I wasn’t paying attention to where it was standing on the table. Hey, thanks for watching! In case you haven’t seen all our other tips videos and builds here’s the link to our home page : ru-vid.com Just check under VIDEOS and PLAYLISTS at the upper left. Thanks again!

@@BlackSheepProps nice video BTW i just need to know because i will make a helmet made out of foam for my cosplay. thanks godbless

I use my iron for clothes at the max .

Hey Matthew! Mine is always on high - 1100 degrees.

Hey DA! I grabbed a marble thing from Target, but whatever has the size you need should be fine. It could be stainless steel, marble, wood. I think the material wouldn’t matter - just getting the right size is all that matters. But it should be a perfect round inside so it is a perfect circle curve.

@@BlackSheepProps thank you!

No problem! Good luck!

Hey Tori, I’ve never tried it but I’ve heard a bunch of builders say it isn’t near hot enough. Some people even heat up their oven and set their foam inside just long enough to get the foam heated up and then they bend it. Never tried that either but it worked from what I saw.

I use my iron for clothes at the max.

Hi Matei, These are only for fun - not for history. I am sorry you don’t seem to like anything we do.

Hi! Not really. You will only be waving the gun back and forth, for short periods of time. It isn’t an open flame and it isn’t long enough to catch the board on fire. The board actually sort of absorbs the heat.

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.

I’m confused. Several heating techniques are shown in the video. What didn’t you see?

@@BlackSheepProps , apologies, I only saw the first part where you skipped the heating time. Seen the later parts where you show the whole process. Thanks. Thumb down removed and thumb up added.

No problem Ethan! I got worried and thought I messed up and left the heat gun out! LOL! I had to go back and watch it to make sure.