Ruined?! What Happened to Adam Savage's Mercury Spacesuit

One of Adam's very first spacesuit replica projects was a NASA Mercury program Navy Mark IV pressure suit, but the materials he chose to recreate its iconic silver fabric have since completely deteriorated! That's why Adam is so thrilled to unveil his newest Mercury suit replica, constructed by costumer Christine Knobel (who worked on Adam's xEMU concept suit). Adam couldn't be happier with this latest iteration, and commences work on weathering the suit to make it look as if it's been part of the space program since the 60s.
Find more of Christine Knobel's work at / thestarflower
Adam's xEMU suit build: • Adam Savage's EPIC Spa...
Adam's first Mercury spacesuit: • Adam Savage's Mercury ...
Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Norman Chan
Music by Jinglepunks
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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Thanks for watching!
#adamsavage #space

[@tested]

Find more of Christine Knobel's work at instagram.com/thestarflower/ Adam's xEMU suit build: kzbin.info/aero/PLJtitKU0CAejUJOkTX4TYXt4mVhFzqS5H Adam's first Mercury spacesuit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l32yh4Zre9Fkhbs

[@AerialTheShamen]

This crumbly plastic coating likely was not vinyl but polyurethane! PU can be as delicate as latex and the residues are more toxic. At least some types of PU are the definitely worst rubbery plastic you can imagine. E.g. headphone foam rubber crumbles after 10 years of light and ozone exposure, some tacky (typically black) paints on electronic case plastic turn sticky like tar, and also elasthane threads in clothing turn crumbly after some years of wear and room air exposure. With your space suit I could imagine that also the metallic coating (aluminium paint?) and possibly even acids from that tea bath may have deteriorated the rubber. Soft PVC foil barely turns crumbly if properly stored (no heat, no extreme sunlight, no contact with other rubber etc.). I collect inflatables and never had PVC ones decompose in unexpected ways (beside print rubbing off).

[@SuperKingslaw]

Did you use archival quality tea?

[@remotecamper9113]

COST Buddy?? WE ALL have our passions, and we can ALL laugh at the $$$ of our passions.... I once paid over $3K for a type of pistol that sells for $1300. because I wanted one and I didn't think they were importing them anymore.....Then they still do, just a delay......

[@geneard639]

...I could have told you about rubberized canvas.... used in body bags, they have a shelf life of less than 20 years. Now you know... I learned the hard way moving body bags that had been in the hot tropical sun..... I don't go into it but I really wish I had not eaten the greasiest steak and eggs 5 minutes before.

[@mfree80286]

ADAM! These suits aren't ruined, just modify them a little bit, insert a skeleton, and pass them off as the pilot pressure suits from the original "Andromeda Strain"! You wouldn't even have to put the hard parts back on, at least not the rubber bits, because the 'space critter' ate them.

[@DoctorX17]

Happy little accidents…

[@flyingardilla143]

My head went to one of the Scooby Doo episodes where a skeletal dude is wearing a space suit.

[@Theduckwebcomics]

Cover of Defcon 4

[@KeljaSamiNation]

Love it! 😊

[@keetrandling4530]

you are a GENIUS!

[@robbydonaghy8735]

25:10 Fun optical illusion of Adam standing on a little table.

[@donaldvincent]

I love that! Thanks for noticing & posting for the rest of us.

[@samueltaylor4989]

That’s hilarious!

[@DoctorX17]

Haha, yeah, I didn’t notice! I did wonder why he got out a table tho, lol

[@SuperMilkfloat]

ha ha ha😂😂 thats brilliant its a little adam standing on a big table

[@daviddrake4715]

When you asked what tea you were using my mind immediately went in Captain Picard's voice "Tea, Earl Gray, Hot!"

[@AInWisco]

I love that any time anyone brings up G4's revival the reaction is always the same: "Welp!"

[@Sinebeast]

That's sadly what will happen anytime you take potshots at your customer base for internet points.

​@@SinebeastNah, it's just the gamers.

[@Chris-pt6hh]

TIL there was a G4 revival

[@jtjack111]

It was a perfect example of not having the excuse of "Toxic gamers review bombed us!!". It was just that both the average viewer AND G4 fans were disgusted by what they saw, and simply changed the channel.

[@Sinebeast]

@@Chris-pt6hh You didn't miss much. IMO It was just nostalgia bait (the good old 'member berries) with mediocre content.

[@TheIdeanator]

Adam is the Bob Ross of weathering. I want more of this exact kind of thing. 30+ seasons of "the joy of weathering"

[@PeachPlastic]

I want and support this request.

[@marcelsirer]

"They will say, I screwed it up with the tea, no no no I call it a happy litlle accident. Plus it will get clearer as it dries"❤

[@armastat]

hear hear +1

[@isstvan82]

The weathering talk reminded me that while I was working on my ghostbusters jumpsuit, I had polished my jumpboots while mostly asleep and did not notice I had left a lot of big gobs of polish on them. When I put the outfit on to see how things worked so far, the polish ended up getting onto the legs and staining it. I tried to clean it out, but it ended up smearing since I didn't know what to do. It ended up getting worse, and worse. By the time I was done, I sat back and realized that it ABSOLUTELY looked better with the smears since they had happened so organically. They literally looked like some rookie had gotten polish on their suit and then panicked trying to clean it off before they got into trouble.

[@armastat]

Which, unsurprisingly, is exactly what happened. lol.

[@isstvan82]

@@armastat Ha! true.

[@Theduckwebcomics]

Reminds me of when I was modifying a motorbike helmet to make it into a cyberpunk thing for a photoshoot. I had this idea to make it shiny black and ultra glossy. I messed up the paint and the gloss coating- no matter how much I sanded and polished it or how long I left it to dry the gloss coating took the paint and wrinkled it all up. (I also got bad advice on the paint from where I bought it). In the end I decided to lean into the mistakes and just add more and it worked beautifully. It ended up looking like a beaten up weathered thing from some future battlefield.

[@THE_BaconPirate]

Does anyone else find the following rather soothing; the sound of Adam stomping across that apparently hollow shop floor, it just feels comfortable like an old piece of well-worn in clothing that just fits right every time you pick it up and put it on....

[@cycoholic]

The floor is indeed wooden and hollow. If I remember correctly, part of the floor was slopped, so he needed it all level. Thus the entire floor was raised a bit and floored with plywood.

[@treborrrrr]

Actually I'm the exact opposite. I find the stomping sounds stressful.

[@caitlinomalley80]

@@cycoholic yep, it was slightly angled, and the cave is in an old fire station apparently. One of the first things he did, was had a raised and level, incredibly heavy duty wood floor installed. I say incredibly heavy duty, as it supports several tons worth of machinery, not counting the hardware store stuff, or all of the other stuff in his shop.

[@pcj3405]

@@caitlinomalley80 Exactly what i was wondering and why i came to the comments. Does Adam have a video covering this issue?

[@caitlinomalley80]

@@pcj3405 I don't remember exactly, but there is a video, where he talks about how the cave was set up, but that was definitely a few years ago at least.

[@aserta]

Yup. Figured this would eventually happen when Adam first showed this suit ages ago. I saw the vinyl and thought... "Man, Adam is going to be heartbroken about this one day." My mom used to moonlight as a clothes designer when she went to her second Uni. And she had a few pieces that were still left in her collection. Back in... 1999~2001 ish, she fought with the same thing. The vinyl let go. She was so upset over it too. Luckily, i knew a really good leather shop who dyed some leather with the same weight apparent and did the swap work.

[@PeachPlastic]

Yeah. Before I even clicked on the video, I muttered at my phone screen - "the fkn pleather self-destructed". It truly is heartbreaking when that happens. In my case, the piece it happened to wasn't self-crafted, but nevertheless a coat I cherished. I also just discovered that a hand-crocheted heirloom shawl that was most likely made by either my grandmother or one of her siblings somewhen between the 60's and 80's started falling apart, because the yarn is synthetic. It's literally coming apart without any external force. The cruelest irony is that I never wore it - for fear of accidentally damaging it. An inherited acrylic painting is doing the same. We can't put any faith in these plastics. You don't know what 10 or even 5 years do to material until you see it for yourself.

[@susanadair3360]

How sweet are you!

[@5naxalotl]

i'm reminded of the rubberized coating that got put on a lot of consumer electronics in the eighties (maybe 90s) ... lovely tactile surface, seemed really high tech at the time, but eventually it slowly liquefied as polymer reverted to monomers and plasticizers. people are always asking what miracle chemical reverses the process, but of course there isn't one

[@audi4444player]

@@5naxalotl it's usually possible to rub off that coating with alcohol, the plastic is sometimes really cheap underneath but at least it's not all sticky, I've got some things I use regularly ish that I've done it with, thank god you rarely see it anymore. I wish adam talked more about the suit materials.

[@armastat]

rubberizing makes it even worse. real rubber is organic. by that I mean it relies on chemical bonds not just structural bonds.

[@lastlifecrisis4980]

I love how, no matter where you set up a workspace, in every shot there is a wash of items in the background that can evoke a myriad of memories and stories!

[@THE_BaconPirate]

That's intentional. It has always been part of Adam's plan for constant engagement.

[@moseszero3281]

@@THE_BaconPirate I don't think its intentional at all. I think the shop just has so many tools/items that there is no where to put a camera that doesn't have a background full of stuff. Just watch him organize stuff or build tool shelves/tables. It's all about functionality. Or at least 99% about function.

[@THE_BaconPirate]

@@moseszero3281 I would agree with tools/shop supplies, it's the collection of memorabilia that gets placed for the way it looks in a particular place. Adam has said before the remodel that people come in on the reg and seem as if they are walking into a museum lol. He is aware of that, and in such placement of "stuff" so it can be seen.

[@armastat]

Its a sign of a well visited shop. a working shop if u will.

[@juts89]

How divisive is wanting things weathered. I love the brand new look.

[@wildsmiley]

When it comes to space suits, I guess it's like this - Clean, brand new look: it looks like you're all dressed up and ready to start the mission or a part of the mission. Weathered, grimy look: it looks like you're doing the mission right now, or you just did, or it happened at some point in the past. It's a matter of individual taste, I suppose. I prefer weathered, but I get the sparkling new look, too.

[@Marc83Aus]

Considering adams background in effects and model making, aging and weathering is a major component of making good props, though of course theres instances where clean and futuristic is wanted rather than the dark 'lived in' look like star wars, aliens etc. I do agree that the brand new mercury suit looks awesome, very futuristic like buck rogers, but for a more 'retro' aesthetic a used museum piece look is perfectly valid. I'm sure adam has seen the real mercury suits in meuseums, look up what john glenns suit looks like, lots of stains on the white parts.

[@Games_and_Music]

@@wildsmiley Yeah, both versions have their story. Also, if a soldier with a fresh uniorm arrives at the frontline, people will immediately tell that he's a rookie. I think Adam likes the weatherd look because it tells more of a story, not only that they've been through the mission, but the things they've seen, the different weathering spots telling different stories etc. A little cut at the shoulder, or a "mysterious" red scrape somewhere, all different memories. But yeah on the other hand, if i had a Stormtrooper outfit, i'd want it to be squeaky clean, also because Stormtroopers don't really get that much adventure and they expire within no time, it's kinda part of the joke. A weathered Stormtrooper is kinda off, because it indicates that that one can actually think and survive, so it's usually a ringer, or a savant or bounty hunter like Boba, but i do like the idea of rogue veteran Stormtroopers. If i had a Xenomorph, i'd also want it to be mint, as smooth and slippery looking as possible. Same for a RoboCop suit, or Mysterio or Cobra B.A.T (just naming some of my favorite helmed designs). With a spacesuit like that, i would probably prefer weathered, because i like the idea of it having been in space or on the Moon. Plus it does look a bit too Star Trek / Buck Rogers when it's all shiny and new, i think a Star Wars approach does make it look a lot more 'real', even though the original was real and looked like that. If i had a Hellboy II Johann Kraus suit, i would go all out on the weathering.

[@DrDoohickey]

So true. I generally get more pleasure out of seeing something at the beginning of its journey.

[@kadirbeneathmomoteh854]

Adam's narration while he was brushing tea onto the suit really made me think of Bob Ross, in the best way possible

[@rogerphillips6702]

Does anyone else watch Adam weather things with a paint brush and go "this is like watching Bob Ross doing a cosplay costume. Except Adam is hoping for happy accidents." ? Lol. Keep on Bob Rossing Adam!

[@THE_BaconPirate]

Happy little stains

[@henrycopeland7316]

I watch him and learn about ageing things, then I watch other model makers doing things and thinking why don’t they watch Adam weathering things with water colour paints…

[@JamesSheridan1]

Was about to post the same observation :) He's totally channeling Bob Ross

[@thomasbecker9676]

He's not doing anything special.

[@THE_BaconPirate]

@@thomasbecker9676 neither did Bob Ross. But we loved him too.

[@zacharywolter]

I wish my craving and excitement for knowledge and creating could be rewarded enough I might have a life a fraction of Adam’s

[@brunothehumble]

I have been watching these videos for years now and I have to admit that I am thoroughly impressed at the level of believability that some weathering techniques can impart. To some extent, I have always been in the development of prop building techniques and weathering, as well as imparting a sense of character into the prop as well. Some of my favorites I've done have just been things I started using at one point along the way and then realized that just my use has taken them above and beyond what I had been doing. It has always made me wonder how much the actors and extra's and such that actually use the props have contributed so the final weathering we end up seeing just by their use and moving them and handling them and such. I am very excited to finally get to putting some time into the Savage Industries bedroll I have, and getting it broken in and putting some genuine use on it. keep up the amazing work Adam.

[@dcsensui]

I enjoy your enthusiasm for the work and passion for the details. A friend had that kind of passion for details when it came to WWII aircraft. Sadly, he passed away recently, but the work he did to create the models that he made lives on.

[@xliquidflames]

...and I do grin a little every time I talk into my smart watch to give it a voice command or take a phone call because I saw the Dick Tracy remake in 1990 when I was a kid. There _is_ a virtuous cycle between culture and science.

[@njones420]

Pleathers do the same thing ... I bought a nice bed a few years back, which was advertised as "real leather" headboard, it now looks just like your suit :)

[@donaldevans5752]

Wow what a fantastic video , the suit is brilliant , so so well done Adam .

[@timreimer5451]

The Kansas cosmosphere has an amazing display of the progression of all the space suits from Mercury on.

[@holmes2210]

We are not deservig of adam, honestly how did we end up with a tv star thats an actual down to earth person that shows us all the amazing things we would struggle to find elsewhere. You inspire me every video I watch. I dont know how many of these comments adam actually reads but if you read mine, I'd like you to know youve made a big difference in my life and I cant thank you enough

[@armastat]

His foray into TV acting is the aberation, not the otherway around, lol

[@MrSqu1nty]

Nice edit. I've rarely seen editing used as the joke, you did an excellent job!

[@Marc83Aus]

Thats a nice zipper, I own a vintage m65 field jacket and the solid brass teeth are very satisfying to use. Thankfully nylon doesnt age like vinyl does otherwise I couldnt appreciate this thing over 50 years after it was made.

[@rustedbeetle]

Spectacle has always been hand in hand with science. NASA's budget has often reflected popular interest in what's going on. When the shuttle launches became mundane in popular culture, the budgets were shrinking. Sometimes it takes movies to get people interested again.

[@ZGryphon]

As Gus Grissom put it in _The Right Stuff,_ "No bucks, no Buck Rogers."

[@foogee5403]

The volatility of seemingly simple material choices is also something I recently learned a bit about when learning about vacuum systems. Seemingly easy materials can really ruin a vacuum. :)

[@MaestroPrep]

Actually.. Now youve got a dystopian space suit with vibes of desolation and struggle... You cant make aging like that look natural.. it just is... I for one dig the rotted aged look...

[@rgiordano8224]

Live in North Tarrytown, now Sleepy Hollow in mid '70's. Love your videos!!!!

[@1683clifton]

Variegation, thanks man. That's a good word! and as always I was entertained

[@Bluenoser613]

Adam's love of things is so fun to experience

[@-MrFozzy-]

That spacesuit for G4 is absolutely gorgeous. I get the same feeling looking at it as I do seeing the mk2/mk3/mk42 ironman suits….

[@billienomates1606]

Had the same happen to a replica WW2 sheepskin bomber jacket and overtime the leather look layer just exfoliated itself.

[@user-ri4hy1qw4l]

Yeah fake leather dont last too well.

[@celticarchie]

Your 'ruined' Mercury suits could be just weathered from a stranded Adam Astronaut in a cool 1970s Sci-Fi movie! :D

[@tomholroyd7519]

Just put a skeleton inside it and leave it someplace

[@celticarchie]

@@tomholroyd7519 - Exactly! :D

[@davidmarden4789]

Like Dark Star, one of David Bowie's last videos

[@timothywaterworth8649]

Love to see a photo showing the eye chart in the capsule.

[@xliquidflames]

6:59 That whole point he's making, ending with, "There's always been a virtuous circle between culture and science," articulates something I find myself saying a lot. It's just that he said it much more eloquently. Every time I see a reveal of some new high tech car, a new humanoid robot, a breakthrough medical advancement, or some other new thing that might have seemed impossible just 10 years ago, I always share it on my social media. Those posts always come with some wording from me about how we are truly living in the science fiction world that we've always imagined we would live in. Science fiction is becoming science fact. I have seen people who work in the field of robotics criticize Tesla's robot Optimus, the Boston Dynamics' robot Atlas, and their new one they just revealed, Atlas 2. They'll say something like, "A humanoid robot is not practical. The most efficient robot is one that is specialized for a specific task. Why are they building a humanoid robot?" And they're right. Most robots doing work today are very specialized like the robotic arms that assemble cars. They do one thing very well and they aren't humanoid. But my response to their question of why build a humanoid robot is always, "Have you seen The Phantom Menace or Star Trek The Next Generation?" Humanoid robots are just what we _want_ to build. Nobody cares if it's the most efficient way to make a robot. Efficient robots will and do exist. But the cultural consciousness has been expecting a humanoid robot to exist for a hundred years. Now that we have the technology, engineering, and material science prowess to do it, we're gonna do it. All of that is a long winded way of saying, "There's always been a virtuous circle between culture and science."

[@xliquidflames]

I remember watching the 1990 remake of Dick Tracy and wanting a smart watch. Twenty-five years later, I have one. The flip out communicator from the original Star Trek is just a cell phone. The Space X Starship looks exactly like every space ship from 1950s fiction. It's shiny metal with flaps that stick out the sides and it lands standing upright by throttling its engines just like all the ships in those old movies and cartoons. People are _still_ trying to crack flying cars. The new take on them is to build them like person sized drones. Maybe they'll finally crack it this time. The list of stuff from science fiction that we can actually own today is endless. And it's so exciting. If one of the great science fiction writers like Jules Vern or H.G. Wells could somehow time travel to now and see everything we've created, they'd probably just say, "Yep, that makes sense."

[@thoughtengine]

@@xliquidflames I still have to wonder why quadcopter airframes aren't being used as regular passenger aircraft anyway.

[@thoughtengine]

Asimov's robot series states that if you made a human-like robot, you could have your worksite or home stocked with normal tools and supplies and a robot shaped like you would simply use the tools as you would, rather than have a thousand robots each suited to a single task just to clean your house, before you even go off to work. It may be possible that a cephalopoid or other multi-limbed frame may be more suited to do more than one task without major hardware reconfiguration, but this remains to be seen.

[@cmorgan2239]

So sorry. You two have been a big part of my evenings. Peaceful videos. Thank you.

[@MrGaldrian]

"50 shades of grime - guidebook to weathering" by A. Savage :D

[@KazyEXE]

A spaceship is only fictional until it's built.

[@manuellujan666]

Seeing you and Kevin in the suits for the G4 relaunch was really awesome. Kevin is crazy talented and naturally funny in a special way wish G4 could have come back the way it was. I guess we have to let some things go.

[@newt2010]

Well said as always Adam. Great info

[@gospyro]

I was so glad to hear that dressing a mannequin is a PITA to everybody!! I have a couple different costumes I keep on mannequins and I always dread taking them off to wear them and even more so, dread putting them back on the mannequin when I'm done!

[@Gubbins_McBumbersnoot]

I love how every time Adam goes off screen to grab something, you just hear a bunch of loud clanging noises, and then he comes back into frame with a friggin space suit lol. this man is a real life cartoon and it’s great

[@LostButMakingGoodTime]

When Adam is in the zone, he attacks - yes, best word - attacks the piece with all the delicate physical subtlety and finesse of a heavy metal roadie rushing in to replace a bad patch cable. Jackson Pollock would be proud. 🤣🤣🤣

[@roguecthulhu6002]

I may be worthwhile to your viewers to note that the tannins in tea react with sunlight.If you weather something with tea (such as book pages) , and then take it out in the sun, it will darken significantly.

[@roryoutdoors5431]

The Right Stuff is my fav telling of the space race - not sure about the historical accuracy but it still holds up as a good movie! Got a stick of Beeman’s? ✈️

[@hlynkacg9529]

The book by Tom Wolfe is excellent and by all accounts very accurate. The movie takes some liberties with the timeline, moving things around to add drama but is still pretty faithful.

[@TheMaestroso]

That's an example of a new favorite term I learned: inherent vice!

[@guildedpickle4755]

Love ya, man. Keep rockin on

[@Mythilt]

Looks pretty nice, some differences from what I remember of the spare suit we had in the building I worked in at WPAFB, I think they finally moved it to the museum about a year after I left. I was always amazed at how small it was, always thought the astronauts were all taller.

[@greggv8]

They were shorter men because 6 foot plus guys wouldn't fit in the Mercury and Gemini capsules. 5' 11" was the absolute maximum. Now it's 6' 4".

[@scottjarnagin348]

a few years, I remember you starting The Martian, Ares III, Watney space suit and then never posted an update to it.

[@thomasbecker9676]

It's dead. When I worked at that shop in 2019, all the parts were gathering dust in a corner. The seamstress that was there designing the soft parts is long gone, as is the master mold-maker, as well as several very talented 3D sculptors.

[@DAK59]

I'm sure Adam takes it into account but didn't mention it. Extra aging should be applied around touch points. Even if your hands are clean, oils are transferred to the fabric. The oils yellows and attracts dirt.

[@adidasDC]

Was recently looking for a blanket to have in my car that I can pull out and throw on the grass for the 1yr old to hang out idk why I never thought about a bedroll, just bought the v2 glad I caught that last 30 seconds of video, can’t wait to try it out

[@southcalder]

Being reminded again of G4 going down the tubes for a second time.

[@Chris_Montgomery]

I love the knowledge that Adam is agnostic about black tea. Somehow this just tickles me (13:19 to 13:26)

[@GeoffreyEwart]

Great music slice... Weathering IS Jazz

[@henrycopeland7316]

Adam, do you get to see the UK Repair Shop restoration program at all? The bear ladies, who repair Teddy Bears and Dolls, have a mix of tea chart specially for dying new bear fur to match in with older aged furs… I also think you would love Steve the watchmaker, and Dom the metal worker. (Who has his own you tube channel and book on tools).

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great video sir

[@sharxbyte]

Spectacular color match on that dye. Now I kinda want a space suit. but I'm in a tiny apartment *sigh*

[@KirkHermary]

I live in a friend's basement due to a few health issues in 2019 and 2023. I have a massive collection of military gear, weapons, money, pocket knives, and all sorts of tools from my construction days. The size of your living space has no limit on you collecting or obtaining what you want. If money is an issue save up, budget, cut out money wasting habits.

[@Mythilt]

The Enterprise space shuttle did fly (well, glided.) It was used for landing tests. It just never went into orbit.

[@armastat]

am still extremely upset over that and think NASA made a poor PR move with not allowing it into space.

[@darylmorning]

​@@armastatIt unfortunately wasn't built for that. The Enterprise was not possibly space rateable, sadly.

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

At around 6:30 you said “it’s a, it’s a, it’s a” and my brain was instantly reminded of the 5th Element. You sounded JUST like Ian Holm, talking to Chris Tucker - in the scene where they see a bomb left by Gary Oldman, attached to the door. 🙂🐿🌈❤️ P.s I have obviously (and absolutely) watched The 5th element toooooo many times 😂😂

[@lister710]

I think you should keep your old mercury suits, make a lost astronaut cosplay with them. They already have a vib going with the vinyl peeling.

[@CraigInNC]

Is the new suit upgraded fabric that will last longer?

[@KirkHermary]

It doesn't matter. He doused it and covered it with coat after coat of organic liquids. As the organic liquids decompose they will rot this new suit. Good thing he got a special mannequin though 🙄

[@stevelyons1962]

Will Adam do a look at or a build of the suits from "For All Mankind"?

[@technicalmadman2986]

Cool peice of kit👍👍

[@Bellerophonmodeler]

Those decayed spacesuits are such an opportunity! Weather the heck out of them and put a skeleton inside!

[@nathantron]

I wonder how Movies make workshops look legitimate. I imagine someday someone will have to make Adams shop for a show, and they will have to weather and wear everything to make it look like it's real. A true paradox will be born that day. XD

[@thomasbecker9676]

It'll just be CG.

[@armastat]

love it. i would not be mad about it being in the Smithsonian someday next to the workshops of Edison or Dr. Frankenstein..

[@thomasbecker9676]

@@armastat Dr. Frankenstein is fictional.

[@armastat]

@@thomasbecker9676 Yes, Yes it is.

[@waterboy181]

Adam When the first Canadians arrived in Afghanistan during te war we were famously ill equipped for the environment. The troops were wearing green CADPAT uniforms but that was workable. The worst part was the fact that they all had a bright white Tilly hat for head wear. The Regimental Sargent Major took one look at the hats and decided that the troops were all walking around with a bright white target on their heads. Before going out on their first patrol he told the cook to get out his biggest pot… a cauldron really. He told him to boil up the biggest nastiest pot of coffee ever created. They boiled the hats for a few hours in the coffee. The result was nicely camouflaged hats with the pleasant odour of coffee. Your tea trick is the genteel version of our combat proven coffee.

[@TheHungrySlug]

haha, take hat of and suck on it for a caffeine boost. The thought of a squadron all wearing bright white that contrasts against the surroundings, is funny because of how the oversight came to be. No one questioned the white hats before they were added to the uniform crate? Like an "uh, Sir. Are we sure the troops won't get spotted wearing these?"

[@butchs.4239]

IIRC, British troops did much the same with their white pith helmets during the Zulu war.

[@andrewmackenna568]

Thank you Adam. I don't recall if I have recommended a remarkable upload on KZbin for the spacesuit enthusiast. 'The Spacewalker' - (Time of the First Ones/ Age of Pioneers). Uploaded by Ayush Cinemaxstudio, an account of Alexi Leonov's career, directed by Dmitriy Kiseler et al (2017). Wikipedia is useful for the background story. Unfortunately it was incorrectly titled as 'The Martian Full Movie In HD Quality'. But if you haven't seen it - it is one of the most epic recreation films made on the international circuit. It is so well directed it doesn't need subtitles, and there is no glorification of smoking - except the amazing reentry sequence. -Andrew Mackenna, Christchurch, New Zealand

[@adambacon8353]

Ever time Adam shows or talks about his spacesuits I think of the Robert A Heinlein story "Have Spacesuit Will Travel."

[@sidsunder]

such a fun and informative video. love the suit and the history behind it, you truly know how to tell a story. but, please tell us what material you used to replace the vinyl? I am super curious and thank you for all you do :).

[@SirWhiteRabbit-gr5so]

Much of the NASA space suits were made at ILC in Dover, Delaware.

[@tweakingheavily]

just came from the lav mic video, and how you say its more meaningful to connect with the audience via the onboard mic on the iPhone. I can assure you that you are 10000% correct Adam! when you lean into the cam, it does make a world of difference to me feeling like im really there!

[@Razgriz85]

For the tea staining just insert the "There are no mistakes, just happy accidents." Bob Ross quote.

[@dmprdctns]

Oh, no! I dropped everything to watch this video as soon as I found it!!!

[@johnthedatascientist7585]

Great Video, I love the "dirty" humour.

[@JessicaKanahoe]

Adam that looks great, thanks for the tip. Also What ever happen with the Martian Space suit?

[@lawrencemahalak6824]

Same thing happened with my self-made BSG Viper flightsuit. Unfortunately, like you said, t’is just a thing with vinyls.

[@jasonpowley4913]

Oh well I guess we can add the several *that's another build* references to the gargantuan list we've accumulated of builds that never materialise. One day.

[@lowsee]

I got emotional walking into the Air and Space museum and seeing the Enterprise there, all lit up. Seeing the X-wing on the ceiling was just sugar on the cream. I very much think those ships belong at the Smithsonian.

[@JoeBieniecki]

Whenever the talk turns to vintage NASA patches my stomach rolls. As a child in the mid to late sixties I would visit my uncle in Holyoke MA who owned what I think was called Interall. They made patches for NASA and they always had overruns for quality control. I would be allowed to pick a few patches to take home. My dad had a plastic ice bucket with an Apollo 8 mission patch on it. etc... literally dozens of "real" NASA patches passed through our hands and later into obscurity..

[@treborsf]

Serve the tea, Adam!😄

[@Broadshore]

First off.. The Master Stemstress Christine Knobel! I bow to you! Must pay Homage to the Master Stemstress! Also, Adam? I'm surprised you don't have like a Tub for cattle. Those Metal Tin Tubs from Tractor Supply?

[@alandahlstrom7213]

I love anything to do with the Mercury program. John Glenn spoke at my graduation from high school in 1983 and both Alan Shepard and Charles Duke (Apollo 16) are alumni.

[@david_r_munson]

Exactly the same thing happened to a film changing tent I had. Very, very similar outcome. Also happened to a silver bounce panel. Disappointing and costly to replace!

[@EcoGearhead]

Thank you for the Bob Ross tutorial. 🎨

[@gregwright392]

That's cool!

[@blar2112]

no weathering beats the real thing, so if the thing im working with can take it i just put it in the most inconvinient spots while im working on other stuff, so when im handling and pushing or kicking it around to get it out of they way it weathers itself to perfection.

[@armastat]

Unfortunately people tend to get upset about work clothes dissapearing, police get in involved and prop masters tend to have short careers when they go out and 'procure' the real thing.

[@jeromefeig4209]

Many plastics and rubber compounds are susceptible to oxidation disintegration from our normal atmosphere. Think in terms of a rubber band in a desk drawer that is not subjected to any light. The "dry rot" will inevitably appear as cracks as well as brittle. You need an oxygen free enclosure to reduce/prevent this decomposition. I would be more than honored to advise you of this technology privately if you wish.

[@messylaura]

the deteriorated suits will be great for props

[@zacharyriley7723]

Okay... saying adult doesnt mean anything lol love how you waited for it. Keep up the work love it fans always.

[@jeromethiel4323]

I used to have a leather bomber jacket. That jacket lasted me over 12 years, and had a lot of character by the end. There was axle grease on one side, chicken grease on the other, plus my own hair oil on the collar. Plus a couple of small rips and tears that happened over those 12 years. Broke my heart when i had to retire that jacket. It eventually just was in too bad a shape to continue to wear. And repairing a leather coat is more expensive than buying a new one. Which is sad, but it is what it is.

[@Trashed20659]

I saw a model of the mother ship from Close Encounters at the Smithsonian years ago. I wondered why, but was grateful to be able to see it. I guess I reasoned that SciFi was a driver of science, and so the two are connected. Great Easter egg on that ship... a miniature C-3P0 and R2D2 were attached to the outer rim top side! SciFi congratulating itself!

[@pashawasha47]

A friend of mine and I are both dedicated to using archival and inert materials wherever possible, we're both fiber artists and there is a long long sad history in textile and fashion conservation of things sitting quietly rotting away until they're so destroyed we can no longer learn anything from them or even enjoy their beauty. I'm so glad you brought this up since I often see artists using things that are going to self-destruct in the near future, not over a course of centuries but decades.

[@JurneeJakes]

If you’re interested in amazing suits to build, the Captain Power series (it was better than the name implies) from the 80’s had amazing suits of armor, and was the first TV show to have actors interact with cgi characters.

[@thoughtengine]

I've seen certain brands of model AFV kits that do the same thing; whatever that stuff is, it doesn't need to be hit with much UV light to deteriorate; the plasticiser can come off the core polymer leaving it brittle and crackly and greasy, and worse, is also a solvent for polystyrene, so it will damage the plastic parts. This has been known to happen to brand new kits in the box.

[@krystalreverb]

Is it weird that I kind of teared up a little when he said “Fictional spaceships are important because they can make real spaceships inspired by them” or something similar, and it just spoke to me because THAT’S THE POINT. Star Trek figured this out. They actually thought out what a spaceship would need to survive as a Space Navy vessel. They based it on naval vessels that were largely self-sufficient. It was brilliant. And a lot of what we have now wouldn’t be possible without that kind of fictional base to jump off of.

[@JoeSchonbok]

Getting some "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" vibes!

[@clivemacken552]

Love the suit builds it’s a shame regarding the deterioration of the suit does weathering effect the properties of the suit as your using tea which is a biodegradable liquid?..

[@colinbartlett8335]

It's the nature of the material it dissolves and peels away from the backing material. From inside. Doesn't seem to matter Older iron on t shirt transfers do the same. Being thinner happens quicker.😑

[@LoLSmileyFACE650]

just pausing at 13 mins in to comment as I had a thought. but one of the magic things I've seen with quite a few of these types of "weathered" items. you saying how you will never get every spot weathered. I think adds to the realism. the amount of times I've seen real antique objects pulled from sheds and such with spots on them that look completely untouched by time while the rest of it looks like it's been... well. stored in a regular shed. is kinda crazy. that's just a thing that happens and it makes the whole picture feel more real to me.

[@criggie]

I'm gutted Adam didn't try it on, and then cruise the Mission on the one-wheel.

[@MikeIsCannonFodder]

I know Adam's going to age it, but if he gets a second one remade it might be fun to keep it looking brand new. Kind of an anachronistic build with a story that he collaborated on to help NASA with its first Mercury suit POC or something.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

I'm with Adam in that the fabric likelly was not actually vinyl. The problem with vinyl is often to actually GET it to degrade away from UV light. No idea what kind of plastic it could be.