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[Angrec]

Hello back at a convention I was at earlier this year I attended a panel run by a prop maker. One of the materials he talked about was some sort of rigid pvc foam or something that was malleable when soaked in boiling water but was tough enough to be drilled into.

Im wondering if anyone knows what the name of this plastic is/any tips on working with it/good places to get ahold of it. Planning on using it to make a skeleton for some shoulderpads im making with wonderflex.

[koi-ishly]

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.aspx?catid=728

PVC (polymerized vinyl chloride) isn't foam, it's a plastic pipe used for drainage. It's what's underneath your sink, at least different grades of it. You can find it at any local hardware store.

If you search PVC pipe in the forums you will find a lot of information on it and how people have used it in their cosplay. A lot use it for their weapons.

[Angrec]

Originally Posted by koi-ishly

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.aspx?catid=728

PVC (polymerized vinyl chloride) isn't foam, it's a plastic pipe used for drainage. It's what's underneath your sink, at least different grades of it. You can find it at any local hardware store.

If you search PVC pipe in the forums you will find a lot of information on it and how people have used it in their cosplay. A lot use it for their weapons.

Will do, and by foam i was meaning that it was impregnated by air while casting so that it had lots of air bubbles/spaces all throughout it, or at least thats the way the material looked/was described during the panel.

Also ill check pvc out here

[CDF_Vagabond]

There is one type of foam called EVA foam that can be heat formed, the is also Sintra which is a type of thermoplastic, Wonderflex which is another tye of thermoplastic and Friendly Plastic which is a plastic when put in hot water it's moldable. I hope this helps I've worked on a few panels.

[Angrec]

Originally Posted by CDF_Vagabond

There is one type of foam called EVA foam that can be heat formed, the is also Sintra which is a type of thermoplastic, Wonderflex which is another tye of thermoplastic and Friendly Plastic which is a plastic when put in hot water it's moldable. I hope this helps I've worked on a few panels.

Yeah the main part of the armor is being made from wonderflex (wonderful material) but i need something rigid to make the skeleton of the shoulderpads that ill lay plastic upon.

At that panel the guy had some of the material, its white like pvc but came in sheets a couple inches thick and the sides of the material were porous. He said that soaking it in boiling water would allow you to be able to bend it easily, but once it hardened it could be drilled on ect. Im desperatly trying to find out what its called and where to buy it so i can get my cosplay done in time for ohayocon

[ChilmarkGryphon]

I'm pretty sure you're describing Sintra, although generally I see it in thicknesses of a few mm rather than a few inches o___o So craft-foam thickness rather than anti-fatigue mat EVA thickness. I've only seen the really thick stuff used in architectural models, and it was being carved rather than heat-shaped.
See if you can find a local plastics supply house or a signmaker in your area, or order it online (online stuff is usually in 8"x11"ish sheets rather than 4'x8' sheets like the signmakers will sell you ^^).

[Angrec]

Originally Posted by ChilmarkGryphon

I'm pretty sure you're describing Sintra, although generally I see it in thicknesses of a few mm rather than a few inches o___o So craft-foam thickness rather than anti-fatigue mat EVA thickness. I've only seen the really thick stuff used in architectural models, and it was being carved rather than heat-shaped.
See if you can find a local plastics supply house or a signmaker in your area, or order it online (online stuff is usually in 8"x11"ish sheets rather than 4'x8' sheets like the signmakers will sell you ^^).

ill look into sintra, but can it be heated and shaped? I specifically need to be able to screw it together since im going to screw it to the breastplate.

Whatever the plastic was that he had it was at least an inch or two thick, he had it in strips and showed a few props he had used it in (curved quite nicely). Also whatever it was he had was rigid enough that you could drill a screw into it.

[ChilmarkGryphon]

Sintra softens to a workable consistency in boiling water. It's rigid. You could probably screw it together, but I think bolts + nuts with washers would distribute the force more evenly and be a stronger fastener. The 3mm is plenty strong unless you intend to go out and combat LARP in it or something.

[Angrec]

Originally Posted by ChilmarkGryphon

Sintra softens to a workable consistency in boiling water. It's rigid. You could probably screw it together, but I think bolts + nuts with washers would distribute the force more evenly and be a stronger fastener. The 3mm is plenty strong unless you intend to go out and combat LARP in it or something.

No larping just need something strong enough to keep a large shoulderpad rigid. It's the lich king's shoulder so they are rather sizable, and with having to finish the wonderflex with bondo im extremely worried about flexing causing the bondo to crack. Well hold the bondo's weight to, since the only way I can think to attach them is through the chestpiece

[essex1984]

why not just do a few layers of Wonderflex.... 3 layers of wonderflex heated and pressed together are sheetmetal strong. That should be as strong as any other base material out there and lord if its not enough to support the shoulders then I feel very bad for your back.

[Angrec]

Originally Posted by essex1984

why not just do a few layers of Wonderflex.... 3 layers of wonderflex heated and pressed together are sheetmetal strong. That should be as strong as any other base material out there and lord if its not enough to support the shoulders then I feel very bad for your back.

great idea thank you!