# Cosplay Notes ## Misc internet knowledge (possibly untested) * Superglue can be kicked with water, especially in fine spritz mist * Baking soda + superglue can be used to build up areas / cracks as a filler powder that hardens ## Resins (mostly untested internet knowledge) * youtube suggestion: Smooth-on Onyx seems to work for paper nicely * forum suggestion: smooth-coating foam called Shell Shock by Smooth On * forum suggestion: try urethane casting resin instead - smooth-on 320 or 321 * Smoothcast 65D vs 321: 65D kicks faster, is thicker and more pliable for bending angle failures * Completely alternative suggestion is wood glue over fabric, since true fiberglass is overkill * Neither polyester, vinylester, nor epoxy fiberglassing resins will eat through EVA foam. Polyester resin eats through polystyrene foam * Apparently polyester resin doesn't fully cure on EVA and is fairly nasty to work with * Some resins ^^^^ don't really like to harden EVA foam, though, since the foam itself is flexible under that shell - ideally you'd use some substrate like paper or fiberglass mat or papier mache or something, and resin *that.* * Could you maybe use tape or something as a stick-on layer? * forum: "probably have a better success using some laminating epoxy. EpoxAmite as a Smooth-On brand. But if you want to be more cost effective, go back to using Pep and 3/4 oz. fiberglass mat." * forum: "seal the foam with pva glue which i just used elmers spray on adhesive" to fill the foam pores * There's a difference between waxed and unwaxed resin - the first finishes hard and the latter tacky for further lay-up layers. Obviously, using the second for a finish coat won't ever "dry" for painting ## 3D Printing * PLA plastic is cheapest, biodegradable and can be oven-tempered for strength. $20-25 a kilo * Nylon is strongest, but you can't print it without a big heat box / new hot-end? More for 'real' parts. * Shapeways everything else, other than the US -> CAD shipping ($11+) ## Foam work * 5mm EVA dense foam, comes in sheets 24" x 60" or so, also other thicknesses. \~$10 a sheet * Kwik Seal (DAP) is a tile caulk from home depot, used for sealing seams and smoothing. \~$3 tube * Dap Weldwood Contact Cement for gluing pieces together (glue both sides, wait 10 minutes to dry somewhat, then press together for ultra strong bond) * Gummi Dip is a smoother / better Plastidip - not sure if we can even get it here, seems european * Pepakura program for making / getting cut out patterns as templates -> Cricut to cut templates? * If you buy that full-page sticker label sheet from staples, maybe you don't even need to glue it down * You can make [Xacto cuts + heat gun for contrasty detail lines](https://youtu.be/SyYT4RIS-Jg) like scales or panel gaps ## Papercraft * Experimental idea: Cricut papercraft, glue tabs, use epoxy or some sort of resin to harden??? * Take that base frame and fiberglass the positive? * Could 3D print parts for corners or whatever to hold angles and provide rigidity to empreg paper? ## Vinyl cutter See [Cricut notes](/brendex/working-theories/cricut-settings-and-notes.md) * Use for actual vinyls and paper stencils for painting * You can cut greentape on the mat to make a stickable temporary stencil instead of using vinyl or transfer paper, if that's cheaper / easier * pen tool for writing numbers and marking mating faces?? * Scoring tool for bends in papercraft? ## Plastidip * Not super cheap, \~$20 a rattlecan * Use more for thickness and smoothing than painting * Limited colours, but can spraypaint over top * It creates a semi-removable vinyl layer that peels off with varying effort depending on your coats * Tape around emblem on car such that you're spraying both the emblem and onto the car paint * Spray MORE than you think, especially to the outside of the emblem, such that it can connect to itself and peel up as one layer - if it's just dotted overspray, it's a pain * Works best when the can is room temperature, works best when sprayed in warmer air. * Cold plastidip 'chunks' which makes the spray surface rough and also gunks the rattlecan nozzle * Lasted about 4-5 years on the Mini * You can respray over peeling bits, but the thickness difference will be visible * For the most part, removability isn't the benefit I assumed it was - just commit and use spraypaint --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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