Cut out of Worblas black art to prepare for the "Worbla sandwich" Heating and pressing to make the sandwich. Cutting out the shape. I have learned to cut at LEAST 1/3" from the foam edge. The edges can be heated and smoothed. You cannot tell from the photo but the piece on the left has been primed using Dave's wax paper technique. Piece on left is raw Worbla. This was so easy to do and made the Worbla very, very smooth. I prepped and started priming all pieces in under 30 minutes. Gesso may be a thing of my past!!
yes indeed! it is a very pliable material. even though it comes in sheets and is great for flat armor pieces when heated you can mach it up into a ball or whatever shape you want and sculpt with it while it is heated up. adding in battle damage would be an easy task.
I have a piece of worbla I bought with the intention of forming Mon Cal arms for Ackbar. That costume is now relegated to the trash heap...BUT... the worbla will be the perfect medium for crafting detail pieces on an 1836 era Mexican cavalry helmet for my private Alamo museum. Prior to this, I had resigned myself to Sculpey clay for the job.
I'm sorry to hear about Ackbar. Did you toss it? When you're ready to work w the Worbla I'm available to hep!!
I still have the head, but it's packed away. Just too difficult to wear for longer than 10 minutes at a time. I'll definitely take you up on the offer of help. I will build the base helmet out of EVA, but will want to use the worbla for fine details that must be carved, such as the plate on the front with the Mexican eagle, chin strap and the crest that will hold the plumes.
I've been contemplating using Worbla for my Mando and for Kanen, but I don't know about the cost. How much material do you think I would need for these endevors?
http://www.cosplaysupplies.com/store.php?s=W7BE here is a link to the black worbla. it should be enough to make the standard mando (boba fett style) armor as well as kanan's armor bits. $88(plus shipping) may seem pricey but the material is well worth it. even first time projects regardless of experience hold up rather well and stay pretty durable.
Tutorial on how to attach snaps to worbla: http://nephtis.deviantart.com/art/Snaps-on-Worbla-609267042
nice! i was thinking something along these lines but i didnt think about the added material. in the middle! thanks for sharing!
I've used Wonderflex in the past for the middle. Plus it adheres nicely for the Worbla. This is the technique I will use for my stunt Mando armor.
This is what I want to build. As I said, the basic helmet can be made from EVA. Can Worbla be formed and carved/sculpted to show intricate detail, such as on this helmet's front plate and plume holder?
Coming soon, Heat Resistant Gloves!!!! http://blog.cosplaysupplies.com/2016/05/20/heat-resistant-gloves-the-search-is-over/
Worbla time!! Using worbla for James' Ezra season 2 shin guard. Started off wrapping the boy's leg in cellophane and painters tape. I then drew the design on the painters tape and cut out a pattern. Transferred the pattern onto newsprint and measured on the boy. Used this pattern to cut out the craft foam shape, then two pieces of worbla. To make depth differences, I layered the craft foam shapes, embossing, before covering with worbla using the sandwich method. Heating the entire piece, I shaped it to fit his leg. Taped down until it cooled into shape. There is piping on the armor, so I used my worbla scraps!! I started by heating them up, rolling them into a ball, then rolled and molded them into the shapes I needed. Worbla adheres to itself when heated. I heated the armor and my greeblies, attached and held together until they cooled... about 2 minutes. After a quick size check on the boy, I started priming with clear gesso. The gesso not only allows the paint (I'll be using acrylic) to adhere, but it will smooth the surface. I will apply about 20 thin layers of gesso, allowing them to dry between layers. Once dried, I will sand to smooth the surface using three different grains of sand paper, before painting. To be continued... The above process took about an hour.
New Project: The First Blade from Supernatural. The weapon used by Cain to kill his brother Able. A weapon that had the ability to kill all supernatural beings. I started off by designing the weapon on newsprint. Used this design to shape and cut EVA foam. I used a double layer of foam, looking back, I should have left it at 1 layer. I glued the two pieces together with Contact Cement. Then I was ready for the Worbla! Above process took about 25 minutes. I let the glue sit overnight. Since I was covering with Worbla, I could have used a simple adhesive. But it was my first time working with EVA, and I did not want the halves moving as I covered with the Worbla.
I used Worbla’s black art primarily as that is the product I have in sheets. I used Worbla’s Finest art scraps for details because I have a significant amount of scraps. Worbla is a thermoplastic material than can be reheated multiple times, shaped, molded, that adheres to itself. No glue needed. I started by cutting out enough Worbla to cover the foam knife. i essentially wrapped the Worbla around the knife. Not worrying about gaps. I then heated and shaped scraps and added for details. I then covered the scraps with Worbla’s Black art to cover many of the sharp edges, and to add uniformity to the knife. It also allowed me to add “wrinkles” with the covering. A sheet of Worbla is very pliable when heated, the Black art more so than the Finest Art. It was then time for the teeth. I once again used the Finest Art scraps: heated, rolled, then applied to the jaw bone. Once all of the teeth were placed into the jaw bone, I heated them once again, then used both a pencil eraser, and the tip of a small paint brush handle, to emboss details. No Photos of the raw Worbla, but here are some finished details of the teeth: Once all of the Worbla work was completed, it was time to paint.
