Anime Boston

[color:blue]Well I finally have a time slot for my workshop on affordable prop making.
It will mainly focus on using cardboard (because cardboard is free).
If we have time we will talk about building an affordable vacuum forming table.

Why am I telling you this?
I would love to get your input for the workshop.
[color:red]Do you have any tips that others can use to save money?
Have you done anything particularly clever in the past to save money when making a prop?
Have you had problems in the past and could not figure out an affordable solution?[/color]

I would love to hear your thoughts, questions, suggestions, etc.[/color]
...timmy

Cardboard ftw!

Tips you want? Here goes..
--The dremel is your friend.
--Hotglue bonds with very little.
--Loc*Tite is the best cyano-acrylate commercially available XD

A brief reading of Anime Boston's 2008 Weapons policy might be a good way to kick it off, but now I'm just snowballing ideas, lol.

I'd love to sit in on this one, and of course, you're welcome to pop in at my Plushie Weapons workshop, as well

Good luck!

Firstly, I agree with above post. Hot glue doesn't work for everything. It's definitely not the best glue for cardboard. So you should make sure people know what glue(s) to use. Also, thinks like spraypaint vs. hand-painting, where to get any non-free parts, etc. Can't think of much else.

Honestly? I'm looking to move past cardboard, but I would make every effort to attend a panel that talked about vacuum forming.

I've just finished making my first prop sword, and it was definitely educational. Here's what I learned:

* Extruded foam insulation board (pink or blue; made by Corning or Styrofoam; found at Home Depot/Lowe's, etc.) is really fantastic to work with. It's fairly cheap for a large piece, is lightweight, and is cut VERY nicely if you know someone with a band saw. If you don't know someone with a band saw, an electric kitchen carving knife works well, too - especially for shaping angles on the blade of a sword, for example.
* Epoxy and fiberglass might be durable, but it's a pain to work with, and can get expensive quickly. It requires some practice to produce a decent result without trapped air bubbles, and most epoxys will eat through the foam and ruin your earlier work. Once set, sanding creates a fine, sharp dust that is really hazardous to your eyes and to breathe in, plus it ITCHES LIKE ANYTHING. Don't go this route unless you have a lot of time, some money, workspace with adequate ventilation and equipment, and advice from someone who knows what they're doing.
* Gesso is your friend. $8-12 for a bottle is entirely worth it. It will prime anything, and does a good job of covering minor blemishes.
* Claycrete is pretty cool stuff. About $10-15 for a large bag, and is similar to paper mache. Sculptable, adheres to other surfaces (like gesso'd foam board), and dries overnight to very hard and durable. However, does not leave a smooth finish and does not sand well - it's like trying to sand newspaper.
* Paperclay is AWESOME. Fine-grained paper-pulp based clay, very firm, extremely workable and sculptable, and will adhere to most surfaces (like dried and gesso'd Claycrete on top of gesso'd foamboard, hahah). Since it's just like clay, it can be worked down to create a flat surface, and then, after air drying, can be sanded smooth just like wood. I was amazed. It sells for about $6 for a brick, and about 1/2-2/3 of a brick covered a 3-foot long sword. For large projects, this could potentially get pricey, but for smaller things, especially jewelry, this would probably be really fantastic.

Also, slats of birchwood (usually in the dollhouse/miniatures section of craft stores like Michael's or ACMoores) go for about $2 or so, and are great for flat details - I've used it for pendants, decorative details on swords, and the like. Craft foam ($0.99/sheet) is also good, especially for things that may get jostled, bent, or broken. Foam sheets can also be wrapped around a glass bottle and held over a stove burner to form a curve for things like bracers - cheap armor!

I second the dremel. It may be pricey, but in the end it is *well* worth it.

I'd love to see the home-made vacuumforming table, but according to the schedule, I may be in my own panel. What else... Oh, keep some paper cups and bowls around. They make good circle traces.

Oh! And for the locals, Building 19 is your best friend.

[color:brown]Thanks for your replies. I will use all of it in my presentation. Heck - I will even try to use "cyanoacrylate" so I sound smart. I've been using Loctite for years on my cars but I never thought about trying on other things.
...timmy[/color]

*ROFLOL* Cyan-o-ac-ryl-ate, if that helps.

Basically, Cyanide (POISON!) and Acrylic (PLASTIC!) together form crazy glue, super glue, loc-tite, zap-a-gap (available in model train/car stores, and works GREAT on urethane, if it's not meant to bend. most Cyanoacrylates will NOT flex, but for flat, non-moving, non-flexing parts, they're the top of the top)..
And those who've every put a new sole on a MUDD brand shoe will know, urethane bonds with NOTHING, hehe.. *Oh, whoops, that's just me..*

These adhesives ARE poisonous in large doses. ALWAYS work in well ventilated areas with adequate air flow. ALWAYS wear protective goggles (package design for most adhesives is somewhat dangerous, and can splatter without warning. Super Glue in EYES is BAD), and glueing your fingers together, while temporarily amusing, DOES expose you to, that's right, Cyanide. While it takes large doses to do any *noticable/immediate* damage, we life-long crafters do build up quite a number of exposures to said products.

Better safe than sorry, neh?
-------------------

Fun foam + Heat = yay? Hmm, I'll hafta try that! ...Carefully, of course..

(Glass Yoohoo bottles should be about right for over-sized bangles, too.. woohoo!)

[quote=majik]
Fun foam + Heat = yay? Hmm, I'll hafta try that! ...Carefully, of course..

(Glass Yoohoo bottles should be about right for over-sized bangles, too.. woohoo!)[/quote]

Yup, I had to make the handcuff-bracelet for my Haruko. I cut several strips to the width I needed, and wrapped them around an empty wine bottle, which I judged to be the best diameter to get an arm-sized curve. I just used scotch tape to hold them in place temporarily, then turned my stovetop burner on the lowest setting, and held the bottle by the neck about 3-5 inches over the burner (I started high up, until I could see how hot it was/how the foam would react, and then gradually brought it closer). I let it cool for a bit, checked to see how much curve the foam had, and then repeated the process.

When that was done, I took all the pieces off, layered them to the thickness I needed for the cuff, and glued them together. The order on this was pretty important: heat-form the foam, and THEN glue! On my first try, I glued several layers together and then attempted to form the entire piece, which naturally didn't work.