r/foamsmiths • • 1d ago

Smooth-On Epsilon w/ Bondo

0 Upvotes

Looking for some advice. I built a helmet out of EVA foam, sealed it in several layers of Smooth-On Epsilon, then used Bondo to help round out the form and fill in seams, etc.
Looks great so far. But would it be worth it to add a couple more layers of Epsilon over top of the Bondo layer just for some added rigidity and to seal in the Bondo layer? Or would that be a wate of time? I'm planning on a final filler primer layer before painting. I'm leaning toward the epsilon even if it might be a little overkill.


r/foamsmiths • • 4d ago

Megaman WIP 2 (for my 6yo)

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11 Upvotes

Week… 5? But to be fair the first 4 weeks don’t even count. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t come out unless 95% of the work is done in the last 72 hours, mainly after midnight?


r/foamsmiths • • 4d ago

Work In Progress (WIP) Megaman WIP

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14 Upvotes

First attempt, making it for my 6yo.
Is the compulsory need to keep all the scraps normal?


r/foamsmiths • • 6d ago

Question How can I tone down/get rid of the brush strokes?

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7 Upvotes

you’ve probably seen quite a few of my posts by now, sorry about that 😅
If you haven’t, this is my first time making a cosplay myself and I have just over a month to finish this. Is there a way to help with the brush strokes? I’m using flex paint.
Would fixing it take a long time? Is it not worth it, since im not entering any competitions and it’s only for fun?
Another thing, is there a way I can paint it faster? As I’ve said, im on quite a time crunch and it’s taken me a day and a bit to get to this point because of the sheer amount of thin layers needed


r/foamsmiths • • 7d ago

Question Help with mask

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0 Upvotes

Heya, I'm currently planning a "no face" cosplay from spirited away and so far I got all the materials and can begin assembling and crafting the outfit and mask.

I wanted to make a template out of cardboard so I can easily cut out the mask out of the foam and form it.
But that's what I somehow really struggle with - I'm really bad when it comes to drawing : S

I thought about printing out a template or the mask just so I have the overall shape right and can fit the details inside it once I've got the shape down.
But I'm just too stupid rn I think and can't get the image to be the size I want and on multiple sheets of din a4 paper so I can print it.

I would really appreciate if someone could help me with that : )

Size would be.
Top to Bottom: 60cm
Left to Right: 45cm

Also: is 5mm foam enough if I reinforce it with some pvc pipes so it is held upright, or should I go for 1cm total thickness if I add some more foam behind it?


r/foamsmiths • • 8d ago

Work In Progress (WIP) wtf do I do (panicking a bit)

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3 Upvotes

Making my first set of armour ever. Using flexipaint to paint this bracer, it worked perfectly on scrap foam, but it’s streaky and chunky on here. I don’t have the time to re cut and glue everything to make a new bracer. Yes I watered down the paint. No I didn’t use primer, because flexupaint is advertised to not need it. Yes I heat sealed the foam beforehand. What do I do?


r/foamsmiths • • 9d ago

Foam Armour w/ Rivets?

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9 Upvotes

I recently picked up the plans for the Warrior Armour from Prince Armory, and am looking forward to my first full set of armour. I am planning on making the first set out of EVA foam, both for weight and cost savings, but the construction is almost entirely done with hammered rivets, and I’m unsure as to how foam will hold up.

Has anyone had any experience using rivets on foam, and can provide any information on how effective they are?


r/foamsmiths • • 9d ago

Question First small project - EVA Foam Mask

2 Upvotes

Hello,

I'm currently creating my first cosplay and I have to get it ready for sunday as I got an invitation for an event on pretty short notice :)
It's not something huge but it's my first time working with EVA Foam.

I've got a few questions regarding it:

  1. Which foam should I get? I've seen there is a black and a white foam and I don't know if I should get the more flexible or stiff one. The mask won't move so a stiffer foam might be better for rigidity?
  2. What thickness would be advised to use? 5mm, or should I go for 1cm?
  1. It's quite hard to get plasti dip where I'm from and I only have a hot air gun, is that enough to make the foam paintable? I do have some primer from mini figurines I can use.
  2. I'm a bit unsure about the size of the mask. I'm a pretty big dude with 1.90m and 130kg so I don't want the mask look to small, I thought about 50-70cm tall for the mask, so I would approach 2.40m in total with the mask and I would look through the mouth part.

I'm really open for ideas and tips :)


r/foamsmiths • • 10d ago

Looking for suggestions

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1 Upvotes

Looking for suggestion on how to create this linkage. Specifically the post at the top. For reference, it's part of an antique diving suit. I've already made the helmet and weight. But I haven't yet figured out how I'm going to attach the two. The weight is just EVA, so there won't be a lot of pressure on the joint, but I also don't want it to break with an accidental tug. Thinking of making the post out of real hardware, I just don't know what to look for


r/foamsmiths • • 11d ago

Completed Projects Finished up all my foam armor for Grey Fox (MGS)

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18 Upvotes

6 months of work and a whole lotta contact cement


r/foamsmiths • • 14d ago

can I save dried out flexipaint? (Slightly watered down)

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2 Upvotes

I got the PERFECT water to flexipaint ratio… then forgot about it for a few days :( can I revive it or is it just really not worth it


r/foamsmiths • • 15d ago

Test version, Corvus helm.

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10 Upvotes

r/foamsmiths • • 17d ago

Question what’s the best way to paint EVA foam?

4 Upvotes

I’m completely new to foamsmithing, and im making armour for Kris from Deltarune. I have made tiny finger pieces (following this pattern https://www.kamuicosplay.com/product/dragonarmorclaw/) however im stuck on how to paint them. The con is in mid-November, so I have just less than 50 days. I’ve bought silver flexi-paint and a gloss top coat from the same brand, but after painting a test piece of foam, it didn’t cover the whole thing despite maybe 10 or more layers (albeit watered down a tiny bit because that’s what I was told to do), and it took hours total because I had to wait for each layer to dry. I foolishly chose to get black EVA foam, so I have to try even harder to get the paint to cover all the black. I also don’t know how to store the 28 little finger pieces while they dry without smudging the paint

Sorry that turned into a bit of a rant.

TLDR im on a time crunch and flexi paint isn’t giving me proper coverage despite a ton of layers and im wondering if i should switch to another method of painting which is faster, but if so, what?


r/foamsmiths • • 27d ago

Question Need help with my Death 13 cosplay, og plan bombed

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7 Upvotes

I am making a Death 13 mask for my cosplay but my original plan to “mask” it didnt work as I hoped 💔 originally the plan was to sculpt the face out of foam and wrap it tightly in fabric like those kemono(?) fursuits but the details were lost and there were tons of wrinkles in the fabric. Does anyone know how i can wrap this so theres a smoother finish like the fabric idea while losing as little details as possible? My main issue now is con is in 3 days and i dont think thats enough time for a new mask to come in to start over


r/foamsmiths • • Sep 13 '26

Completed Projects Fem Winter Soldier arm

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39 Upvotes

Hello! It’s been a while since I posted on here, but I wanted to share my latest prop! I made a winter soldier arm for my next cosplay out of EVA foam, and lined the insides with Worbla for added stability. Lemme know what you guys think!


r/foamsmiths • • Sep 09 '26

Question Painting Eva foam wings

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1 Upvotes

r/foamsmiths • • Sep 05 '26

Work In Progress (WIP) Ghost inspired shield

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18 Upvotes

So, I have a stall at GhostCon next weekend (a convention for the band ghost, who I love) and to showcase my work, I thought I would make a shield with their logo on it! 😁


r/foamsmiths • • Sep 01 '26

Feedback Needed First time smith

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10 Upvotes

Hi, I'm making a cosmic staff for a Starman cosplay and I've never worked with foam or really done any 3d craft before. I have the general outside form figured out? But I'm really struggling with how I'm supposed to figure out the two inside shapes and the base.


r/foamsmiths • • Aug 31 '26

Carl's Enchanted War Gauntlet of the Exalted Grull

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14 Upvotes

r/foamsmiths • • Aug 30 '26

Foamtrooper finally finished

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41 Upvotes

Or as finished as it’s going to get….. the terrible habit of going to the gym means it just doesn’t fit my arms and legs properly, so it’s a bittersweet finish, but glad it’s finally done :)

Templates by the awesome StormtroopTemplates


r/foamsmiths • • Aug 25 '26

Work In Progress (WIP) Am i the only person who loves creating aluminum structures to keep the props rigid?

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14 Upvotes

r/foamsmiths • • Aug 24 '26

Why Won’t My Foam Wrap?

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15 Upvotes

r/foamsmiths • • Aug 20 '26

Work In Progress (WIP) anyone tried this?

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9 Upvotes

Has anyone tried this before? I wanted to give the shield's rim an organic look, so I experimented with toilet paper and white glue, and it created this cool wrinkled texture. What do you guys think?


r/foamsmiths • • Aug 20 '26

Question Working further on foamarmour

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7 Upvotes

Hi everybody

I made for the first time a foam armour for a renaissance fair. I had a lot of fun with it. But everyone already heard of the con crunch and time limits. So i couldn't do everything i wanted. The foam is primed with a heatgun and cospaint and then painted with metallic cospaint. No time for any sealer. Now i would like to add many more details before the next fun event.

Now my question is: is it possible to work further without any sanding? Will foamclay still stick to the painted foam with just water? Does anyones have any experience with this? Tips and tricks are all welcome!


r/foamsmiths • • Aug 19 '26

Could it be...

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2 Upvotes