Materials and Techniques for Costuming - Safety and Pepakura

I will be making a series of posts laying out some of the techniques and materials one could use to complete their desired project. This first one will be covering some of the basic materials needed to make a costume.

First off, you will need some basic safety equipment. Remember that safety always comes first, and protect yourself accordingly. If you're beginning with a pepakura file, you will need some plastic gloves to protect your hands. At first you will be working with just paper and glue, but even the glue can get kind of nasty when on your bare hands.

Continuing down the line of safety, you will need to get an organic vapor respirator. You will be working with resin and bondo at some point in your costuming career, and these things will kill you in 30 to 40 years. So protect yourself now, and wear a respirator. It needs to be an organic vapor respirator in order to chemically neutralize the vapors from the resin and bondo. You can pick these up from any hardware store for about $20. You should probably also pick up a pair of safety goggles just to cover all of your bases.

On to actually make your costume. Most importantly, you will need your pepakura file. Browse around on the 405th website for files that are provided by the kind community members. Remember to keep track of who made them so you can give them due credit when you post your work in progress!

In order to read this file, you will need either Pepakura Viewer or Pepakura Designer. Both of these can be downloaded for free, but you need the full version of Pepakura Designer in order to save any changes you might make. I personally suggest Pepakura Designer, as it will allow you to scale your file to fit your body. You can pick either of these programs up at Tama Soft's website.

Next, you'll need paper to print on. Normal paper, while possible to use, is not advisable. The commonly accepted best material to use is 110 lb. cardstock. You can pick this up at most office supply stores. I was able to get half of a ream from Staples for $15, but you can probably find it cheaper if you're willing to look.

Finally, on the paper materials angle, you will need something to cut the cardstock with, something to glue with, and a board to cut on. Any sort of thick plastic will work as a surface. I was lucky and had a board used in chain restaurant menus to use, but any thick surface will work. To cut with, I suggest any hobby knife. These can be found at any hobby store, such as Michael's. For glue, any sort of superglue works very well. It sets fast, and doesn't require much glue in order to provide a tight bond.

That's it for this post. Next time I'll cover how to scale your pepakura file, and techniques for constructing said file.

Until next time,
-Jake/Zaeldren

Current Progress - ODST Rookie

While I may be currently studying in the land of the rising sun, I can still share the progress on my ODST Rookie costume. I decided to start with the helmet, since I need to have something impressive to show for my first efforts, right? I began the helmet by constructing it out of cardstock from a pepakura file made by RUNDOWN. This file is amazing, having the perfect mix of simplicity and detail. That said, there was one portion that could use some work. The little rectangle on the forehead is a complete pain to make, and I just flubbed it in the end.

After it was constructed, I applied a few coats of fiberglass resin to the outside of the helmet. This portion was fairly easy, despite the dry heat that day which ruined a batch of resin, and thus one of my brushes. Next I used the rondo technique as presented by Ben Streeper to harden the inside of the helmet. I probably didn't get this portion right, as the rondo wasn't quite liquid enough to properly spread, but I did finish it in the end.

Finally, I began the process of smoothing the helmet using bondo. This part proved to be very work intensive. Luckily, this is the hardest part of the entire helmet creation process. I'm having a little trouble getting a smooth curve on the top of the helmet, but it'll just be a matter of time before it's perfect. The top is almost done, with the sides and back to follow. The front hasn't been touched too much, but should go fairly quickly due to having a lot of flat segments.

That's where I was at prior to leaving on my trip. When I return, I'm going to finish applying bondo to the outside, then I will create the mold out of it. After that, I can probably completely finish the helmet in a couple days. I will be vacuforming a visor, but I need to research how to make a silvery tint without using a sheet application. Pictures of the current progress can be found in the ODST Rookie tab on the top of the page, check them out.

Until next time,
-Jake/Zaeldren

It's Begun!

Decided to set up a blog to go along with my costume making. I figured it would make a good repository for updates on my projects, and some overviews of the techniques I've been using. Check out the first video on the videos tab, drop me an email or a comment with any suggestions or comments you may have. Enjoy what I have to show!

Until next time!