Prop: Shop - Strapping Your Foam Armor

[@JimboTMX]

5 years later and Im still watching this! ❤️Love all your hard work!

[@punishedprops]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@StardustMegu]

I've used this technique a billion times on my cosplays. It works and is one of the best ways to attach armor pieces. I usually use e6000 glue instead of hot glue because it's much stronger. Make sure to place the parts that are glued together below books or have clips to hold them together and wait 24hrs for the e6000 glue to cure and release.

[@punishedprops]

We're so glad it's been helpful - thanks for tip!

[@Wonyumi]

"You can't wish it to stick to your body"?? Well that explains a lot... :D Thanks a lot for your great tips. I'm working on my first foam armor right now (this is going to be huuuuuge) and I could never do that without your books and videos!

[@bethysboutique]

E6000 is a million times better than hot glue. Hot glue gets gross and weakens very easily. E6000 is flexible and tough as nails, great for working with straps and other potentially stretchy things.

[@GenGamesUniverse]

Yeah, I got a MMPR White Ranger shield with a zipper straped on with hot glue and it just came off literally after I tried the shield on!

[@acsugg]

Your right but it takes way longer to dry

[@misterwinkybluff]

Thank gawd I saw this. I have every glue a cosplayer could need but wasn’t sure which to use. I tried contact cement but it didn’t really play nice with the paint I used. I’m assuming contact cement is just better for foam on foam attachment.

[@WillSway]

Perfect timing i needed this ! thank you ! i love your tutorials :)

[@brianpowell9630]

+Punished Props PLEASE REPLY. How would I do this for a chest piece?

[@timbonetonight.4416]

You are freaking helpful. Seriously, I watch your videos and it helps me out a lot. Thanks for the tips.

[@PyroX792]

One technique I've had great success with is for larger straps that have a lot of weight on them, like around the midsection of the torso, I glue a second piece of nylon webbing perpendicular across the top of the first strap and down to the foam making a t shape. It spreads the weight out and gives more surface area for the glue to bond.

[@fmadiva]

Thank you! My foam is gonna be thinner and cheaper but I think I can still apply the same idea. This really helped me have more of an idea for my Speed of Sound Sonic cosplay

[@spieagentl]

I gotta say, these videos and your book has helped me get into this hobby so that I can make an XCOM 2 Advent Captain costume in time for the game release! It certainly isn't pretty, and I only have 2 weeks total to work on it, but the knowledge you have provided has mitigated a lot of frustration as this is my first time making a costume ^^

[@alexismicunek7563]

Thanks for this, ive been struggling with straps!

[@punishedprops]

You're welcome!

[@StardustMegu]

This tutorial really helped me when I was making my armor pieces for my Wonder Woman cosplay! Instead of eva foam, I used craft foam and it still works! Thank you!

[@punishedprops]

That's fantastic! =D

[@johnalmaraz2852]

great meeting you at the con my son was little deathstroke....i used magnets to hold down some of his armor..... worked great!

[@punishedprops]

+John Almaraz That is awesome! Awesome meeting you guys. =D

[@TheJackkiller703]

I think using contact glue/cement will be better to attach the straps. Conventions can be pretty hot and especially in high summer so the glue from the hot glue gun can let lose way faster. I have seen many cosplayers struggeling with this so i hope you take the tip for granted ^^

[@enderthedragon8724]

all your tips has been huge help to a beginner cosplayer like me and I thank you so much but can you do one for painting and detailing with paint?

[@CDSuperNova]

All of these videos are super helpful. Thank you!

[@CazM]

yeah, i've started to give up on velcro, it just doesn't hold as well as i want for parts that move a lot, even with Barge cement it peels if you move too much, so i'm switching to buckles anytime i can manage it.

[@n.j.e.9841]

Just a little tip for people out there who don't want to buy that nylon webbing: buy some cheap felt at Wal-Mart or a craft store and cut it into strips. Just make sure to pre-stretch the strips before you glue them to your costume because some brands of felt can stretch and then your pieces will become very loose.

[@timwelch175]

N.J.E. Um, if you're at Walmart anyway the webbing (that doesn't stretch out btw) is the same cost as the cheaper felt they sell and much less than buying it bty for what you'll get out of that one spool AND not have the stretching.

[@willitodavis89]

hi could you make video of how to install lighting on a foam armor

[@illumidas]

I thought your name was Builder Anne, haha. A fitting name for a prop-maker. Thanks for the great video. It's helping with some shoe covers I'm making.

[@oopsiethatsgay3203]

This is something I never thought of! Thank you for making my work easier when I start lol

[@SketchUpWorkshop]

Learned that velcro doesn't hold well glued to foam when my costume started falling apart at Denver Comicon this year. Haha, thanks for the tips, next time will hopefully go better.

[@thesilvas8047]

i got to say man, i love the videos so much i will be buying the book. you seem to be able to explain things very good. keep it up guys! very helpful!!!

[@BlueBerrySherry]

That was very helpful for my elastic band ^^

[@GravyActual87z]

ive needed this for a week thank you!!

[@bentstrider]

I've been finding surplus, US Army issue, load bearing vests for between $5 and $10. These seem to be excellent platforms to use to strap an entire armor section to as well.

[@maribakumon]

Glad I came across this. I'm working on a shy guy mask and I didn't have a clue how I was going to get elastic to stick to the inside. Hot glue was never favorable to me so I'm considering testing contact cement.

[@punishedprops]

So glad we could help!

[@RenLen]

Thank You Bill!!! I had a lot of issues strapping my armors, but thanks to you problem solved!! :D

[@anonymouslyunknown4811]

I have to make some minor adjustments to my Batsuit, this video was very helpful thank you

[@punishedprops]

Awesome, we're really glad to hear that!

[@gabeecarrera4686]

thank you for this video! i always had problems attaching my armour, this will help a lot!

[@punishedprops]

You're welcome!

[@booksandreams2543]

Trying to do Mercy from Overwatch and this helped a lot :) still not sure if I should use magnets or these ideas though. Great advice though! Subscribed!

[@sjbgarden]

Great video, do you have any suggestions for gluing straps onto Styrofoam?

[@kennethcalimpong7919]

Thankyou for sharing these great techniques, liked & Subscribed, Aloha

[@MegaBusterMovies]

hey Bill!! Could you do a video on how to know how much mold making supplies to use when making a mold and how to figure out how much resin to use for casting? :) That would be awesome thank you!!

[@Nekoenjeru]

Thanks so much for this. I do have one question. Okay, I'm in the process of doing Sergeant Calhoun from Wreck It Ralph. As of now, I'm very pleased with my results. I managed to create the chest and back plates, along with attaching them together. Now, my EVA foam that I ordered (by accident mind you, only it turned into a 'happy accident') turns out it has an adhesive backing to it already. With that said, I'm going to have to have straps connecting my chest plate and back plate together at the sides. So my question is this, how would you go about attaching straps like the plastic buckles on the inside of the armor while them being secured with the factor of the EVA foam itself having an adhesive backing? Thanks so much for your time and response.

[@punishedprops]

I would use the same techniques in this video. The adhesive backing won't help much with straps, just ignore it and use what I did in this tutorial.

[@Nekoenjeru]

Okay, thanks^_^

[@IconicProps]

I like to use leather or thin aluminum glued to other side and a thin headed rifot or bolt through it. If it is going to support anything heavy. I have a lot of these on my bumblebee.

[@punishedprops]

Smart!

[@KimberPrime]

I bought your book and am loving it for my Auriel build! Will definitely have to check out your 2nd one. =D

[@punishedprops]

+Kimber Prime Hurray! Thanks! =D

[@shanecox954rr]

thanx for the help! using this now! ps watch your show everytime i work on my stuff! good inspiration.

[@btlscarz9819]

Love the videos Bill! What type of glue would you recommend for 3d printed parts made of PLA?

[@godzillab10]

How long would you recommend letting the glue cure? I'm always super impatient in letting stuff like that sit if i don't knoe how much time to give it. I tried this out and managed to wait about and hour. Good bond when pulling but still peeled relatively easy so I'm worried about that degrading pretty quickly when tightening the straps

[@WayaWolf]

Thank you, I plan on making a mandalorian costume, these tips are amazing!!!

[@punishedprops]

You're so very welcome! We're happy to help :)

[@HellOfAMaid]

Haha I recently tried hot glueing velcro to an elastic strap that was hot glued to foam and I figured right away they weren't meant to be like that so it's good seeing this video so I don't try again thinking it was a one time thing lol

[@Tianshanwarrior]

Just what I was looking for, thanks a lot!

[@IdentityCrisis1581]

What type of hot glue do you use? From my experience with hot glue eventually it will harden and release. I used to use hot glue for all kinds of stuff, but some brands seemed to work better than others, but alas eventually over time all hot glue I have used will just give up it's grip. I know low temp hot glue is worse than the high temp, even if you just melt it with a lighter at a higher temp, it still gets hard and gives up if it's something that flexes a lot. So is there a particular brand that you have found works exceptionally better than others? For me when it comes to rubber and foam in areas that have to move I have gotten better results with that shoe repair glue called Shoe GOO than I have hot glue. I haven't done a lot of foam craft. But when I was a teenager we used to hammer out practise swords out steel pipes. Got a lot of busted knuckles playing with those. Anyhow when making scabbards we toyed with lots of different materials, like foam or vinyl or cardboard with cloth or pleather glued to the outside, and hot glue was what we mostly used and after a few weeks the stuff always started falling apart. The Shoe Goo is made to flex and still be strong, so it worked a lot better for certain things. But we would melt down a bunch of sticks of hot glue over a fire in a tin can, and brush it onto the cardboard tubes we flattened to make the scabbards with to give it some durability. Now I would likely just make the scabbard by heat forming PVC. But I'm not sure what sticks to that when it comes to glue. Since PVC glue only glues PVC to PVC. It won't glue cloth to PVC, and it will melt vinyl faux leather completely so you can't use it on that. By the same token don't get PVC glue on linoleum flooring either, otherwise you will be replacing some linoleum.

[@StackinSkills]

Another great video Bill, why wouldn't something like Barge cement be better for attaching the nylon straps rather than hot glue?

[@buttbuttyawn3280]

+TheGorrilla man It would be better.

[@LordArikado]

+TheGorrilla man Barge would definitely work better, but you can't buy it at as many stores, it's more expensive, and hot glue is quicker and easier to use.

[@lancer525]

Bill, what the heck kind of hot glue are you using? Every time I ever hot-glue anything, as soon as it cools, it peels right up from whatever I put it on! I can't see using hot glue for anything you want to be permanent.

[@creativeguy1138]

Thanks for the cool video! Informative but I have a question. Will Barge cement work to do this as well? Thanks!

[@punishedprops]

I think it would, yeah!

[@dylanwillis2812]

Man that bill, hes my favorite "costume guy"

[@rileywhelan5051]

you videos are so professionally put together. how do you only have 110,000 subscribers. Keep up the good work I look forward to more videos ( : oh and have you ever heard of Gen-con in Indianapolis, because if so you should definitely go!

[@rileywhelan5051]

I hope you get to go!

[@linkpie]

What type of mask and filter do you recommend for using spray paint, contact cement, and bondo?

[@leeyawn]

does it work with barge cement ??

[@genereed3230]

thanks a lot buddy!! great videos. fyi, your links don't work at the end of the video. wonderful info and guess what? I'm buying your book!!

[@punishedprops]

Thank you so much!

[@Goooooon84]

Do you think magnets will hold up to time? I'm considering using them to connect the Mando armor that I just finished to my jumpsuit.

[@386joedaddy]

We use this staple gun at work that blows the staple ends outwards. I just used it on my 5 year olds scout trooper costume. I used hot glue as well, and you can find the staple gun at any AC supply house.

[@punishedprops]

Oh, that's neat! - Paige

[@andrewjeisenman]

Hey Bill, big fan here. I am working on a costume of my warlock for the local comic-con, and was curious about how you would go about making the Light Beyond nemesis exotic helmet? I was thinking of modifying an existing skateboard helmet, poly-carbonate sheets(from amazon), and epoxy/bondo. At the same time, I feel that foam would be much lighter, but how to keep the feathered wings stiff is a problem. The biggest issue though is how to make a visor that looks like it does in the game, but I can also look through. Any advice will be appreciated.

[@ajprice6595]

DUDE! Where did you find that Bourbon st. sign??! I am a huge Gambit fan and I must have that in my man cave.

[@Gdddguhjkbfs]

costume guy? more like costume GOD! AMAZING I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH!

[@StephenOsirusCovers]

Hey Bill, sorry I don't know if this helps or not but u can actually buy the nylon webbing belt material and buckles for cheaper on wish.com. great quality items for dirt cheap. I got 50 buckle sets for FREE and all I had to pay was $3 for shipping and handling

[@punishedprops]

Ooh excellent! I'll check that out when my current supply runs low.

[@StephenOsirusCovers]

awesome. glad I could help. u can download the wish app on ur phone. it's like amazon and ebay. but the have really great supplies and items for dirt cheap. that's where i have been getting all my supplies for starting foam Smithing

[@caseygill1839]

Wonderful...thank you!

[@punishedprops]

Happy to help!

[@Thirdeyeddeer]

just as i was looking for this! thanks! :-)

[@NekoMuraski]

thanks! great video! Youre book will be translated in french? I have much difficulty in English :p

[@schoolsout15]

Would you recommend contact cement for strapping or velcro? I've done some foam fabrication with it, specifically a ringwraith sword, and I found that 2 coats of contact cement, 5 minutes of dry time in between coats, can take a hell of a beating.

[@ZeltraxMillennium]

I can comment on this! I've used Contact Cement for the strapping & some buckles, but I've had to do 2 coats of the cement to make sure it would hold. As for the velcro? Forget about it. The sticky of the velcro does NOT agree with the contact cement AT ALL so I'd use Hot Glue for Velcro to foam, but for stuff like say velcro to suit, I'd use e6000. I just recently finished a cosplay and that stuff works WONDERS. I do recommend leaving it to dry overnight though.

[@14Mew]

Hey Bill, does the print copy of the foamsmith have all 3 books in it? Or do you have 3 different print books

[@dragan3290]

Can you use this to glue abseling harness webbing and then sew for extra strength?

[@Vhagar_CaneCorso]

Dope Shirt ... Destiny ♠️

[@punishedprops]

Thanks!

[@zerox227x]

my only problem is in FL the heat can be so bad that armor will only last 10 min outside before the bond weakens and falls apart. any way to fix this, will this tech work or should i keep using contact cement/superglue also my hotglue is a super strong hightemp that suppose to melt at a much higher heat, but FL is its weakening heat point

[@farrellsprops8065]

Great video

[@darkasssassin]

I tried hot gluing some faux leather straps to my armor for PAX but it all fell apart in minutes. would sewing nylon onto the faux leather make it bind to the glue better? or is there another kind of adhesive that might work better?

[@brianprocopio9209]

Maybe barge cement, the stuff is awesome and holds the crap outta stuff

[@electricocomics]

this and scaling were my problems with my first suit.

[@devourerking23]

So I have a question. What if one were to want to attach shoulder plates to a actual plate carrier how would that be done

[@punishedprops]

You could probably sew a nylon strap to the plate carrier and either glue or buckle that strap to the shoulder armor.

[@devourerking23]

Punished Props thanks for getting back to me! only problem with that is that I intend to use this plate carrier by itself for airsoft. I kinda do already that's what this is for a fallout roleplay event.

[@rosakuboleznennyesladkij1415]

What if you don't have a man equine to use as a reference when building armour? I don't have it, so the hardest piece to finish (in my opinion) is the torso piece.

[@almightywillow]

nice tips!

[@joshhollinshead2190]

god dammit I spent all day today using felt, nuts, bolts and o rings attaching my armour. if I caught drift of this video sooner it might have made life easier xD Thanks Chin Beared

[@selinathorn3625]

How often do you change your blade of the cutting knife? Mine seems dull after 2 uses

[@punishedprops]

We sharpen our blades every few cuts for a while before swapping blades out. You can see a list of tools including blades and the sharpener Bill uses here: punishedprops.com/bills-tools/ - Paige

[@DIYNEEDS]

would you be able to use hot glue to permanently attach velcro to flat rope nylon webbing?

[@punishedprops]

That's how we do it here! Nothing is truly permanent, it will wear after a while

[@chrisclarke73]

Bill what do you suggest for attaching leather straps to foam armor?

[@punishedprops]

I like to use Barge or other contact cement.

[@gabescherschun4060]

I have both your books

[@punishedprops]

That's fantastic!! Thanks so much for your support :)

[@MrKeykeylikesit]

Good stuff

[@rurupyon5686]

When is the best time to add your strapping? after painting or before painting it? ty in advance =)

[@punishedprops]

I recommend figuring out attachments before paint so that you can adjust or remake pieces as needed.

[@rurupyon5686]

@@punishedprops Thank you so much :3

[@lmsullivan5181]

Oh so I can't wish it onto me :,( I thought... *cri* Thank you so much, this is uber useful, making some Star Wars bounty hunter armoring, and it's basically my first full armor other than shoulder pads.

[@juunas22]

Since you're already using a sewing machine with some of the straps might as well sew all of your straps directly to the foam. Looks better too

[@FrehleyFan3988]

Can you find the elastic at walmart?

[@punishedprops]

Very possibly! I think they do have some kinds of elastic available in their crafts section

[@electricocomics]

could you tell us how to keep cool during a con while wearing this foam armor? I heard it can get pretty hot

[@Ilionej]

+François Perreault My best friend is the toilet for disabled.. ^^; (and carrying at least one drinking straw can save your life, depending on your head gear and movability of your arms)......and sometimes rubbing alcohol.(DON'T DRINK IT! lol)

[@DemonFromSun]

Why use hot glue and not contact cement like barge? I never use hot glue for my builds because it just doesn't hold like contact cement does. It works pretty amazing as well with all sorts of different types of material like Velcro, all foams, plastics and many other things. Expect for different kinds of fabrics but it does hold on spandex pretty strongly.

[@punishedprops]

Hot glue works so well at penetrating nylon webbing and creating an excellent bond.

[@godofimagination]

It seems like the texture of the mat would do the job of scoring the foam for you.

[@Ilionej]

+godofimagination Nope, bc it's still a sort of flat texture. Even if you heat up the foam a little bit, the scores are very small Vs - meaning, the glue will attach to each side of the cut. It'll be pretty much like lines of teeth, whereas the original textures are like flat waves. Hope I delivered the message right. lol

[@SkilledTubeMC]

Haha cool i did my spartan armour's straps the exact same way with the webbing without any tutorials :)

[@meredithrice4555]

Would this work the same for Styrofoam? I have a couple Styrofoam ball halves that I'm trying to have hang on like a vest, but debating on strap techniques.

[@punishedprops]

It could work, but you might need a different adhesive. Check out thistothat.com for advice on glues.

[@meredithrice4555]

Punished Props Academy thank you!

[@kinosoftair]

i literally just finished a Revan mask from the old republic and i was thinking how the hell i'm supposed to hang this sucker to my face. thanks Bill for reading my mind

[@shazcreations3229]

Which gum did you use plz tell me

[@manicusevictus]

thank you so much!

[@nixland]

Awesome

[@oderusmaximus909]

what kind of foam do you use, and where do you get it? thanks.

[@punishedprops]

+Oderus Maximus Here's a guide: punishedprops.com/2014/09/30/eva-foam-buying-guide/

[@guanjinlee7467]

what glue can i use to glue the foam except hot glue?

[@brendenmcguirk7816]

You should make the jacuzzi revolver from borderlands 2

[@JayBEARizzi]

is regular velcro okay to use for eva foam or do I have to use industrial velcro?

[@punishedprops]

Regular is OK, but I prefer to get the heavy duty stuff, just to be sure my costume doesn't fall off in the middle of a convention.

[@artstrutzenberg7197]

Hot Glue question...every time I use hot glue, and try to pull the gun away, it trails a spider web thick strand of glue (that I then have to get rid of)? is there any sort of way to stop that from happening in the first place?

[@Lolturtle145]

+Art Strutzenberg when you're done with your hot glue bead, kind of push the glue gun into the foam, so the tip is face down and no more glue can come out. Make sure you're not pushing any more glue out of the nozzle, then pull away a bit, and do some small, quick circle motions with the tip of the glue gun. This will kind of reel in the small strand(s) and there wont be any strings. Hope this helps!

[@Ilionej]

+Art Strutzenberg Swing it moderately(or quickly) in little circles. Figured that when I tried to create rivets on a dagger - works fine in a range of 2-10mm, so if you really just want it to stop rather than creating super perfect orbs, it's totally easy and you don't get bits of foam stuck on the tip.

[@RemTV1]

can i just use contact cement instwad of hot glue? my costume fell apart during a con bc it was like 80 degrees out plus my bodyheat

[@punishedprops]

+RemTV That will probably work. Also look into getting high temp hot glue.

[@newblackpaladin8246]

I was told that if you heat sealed the foam and then tried gluing on attachments it wouldn't be as adhesive. Is that true?

[@punishedprops]

It can certainly affect it, but it should still work. I think it is the MOST effective before sealing, as it closes the cells and smooths the surface when heat is applied. But you can always rough up the attachment area with some sandpaper or score lines to help the adhesive grip!

[@newblackpaladin8246]

@@punishedprops Thanks! I'm working on my first foam armor set and I wasn't sure which method to use

[@selenes1654]

is there anything wrong with sewing the strap straight onto the foam, why is glue better?

[@brianprocopio9209]

I would think the stitching could just rip through the foam under any sort of strain. The glue basically bonds them together.

[@rootbeerjedi0490]

Glad to see Future War Cult rep in 2024

[@Orionleo]

I find gluing straps to foam to be a nightmare. The things pop off too easily. But why doesn't it for you? D: