Can I vacuum form while adhering?

Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
in Costumes & Cosplay
Can I set up a vacuum form where I am purposely adhering the material to the buck (original)? If so, is there a class that covers this? I am trying to layer an armor piece where the original buck is only a minimum of framing but that will have smooth curves when complete. It needs to stay shaped to the frame afterward. Because I do not want it to be hollow nor overly fragile, I was hoping to layer thinner eva vacuum formed layers to reach the final smooth curvature.

The neck piece of the Gurney Halleck, Dune 2 armor is the end goal. 

And yes, I can see that this is not the preferred method as sculpting a full original and then casting and foam molding the entire piece in one go would be the proper technique. 

I am shooting for minimal, one piece, work. I have the size and shape of the rigid underneath frame and would like to layer the top sheets to get the final full foam curves.

Is it possible to spray on the adhesive to the buck and then pull a successful vacuum on the next layer without it bunching and sticking oddly?


Comments

  • Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited May 30
    I have filled my current cardboard structure with expanding foam and awaiting it to dry. Once complete, I will add some outer banding on the neck to make it vertically capable of withstanding a vacuum pull. Because the foam also goes down into the neck space, I am skinning the final surface with thin 1/8 foam. I don't want to lose any space on the inside of the neck opening but need it to have the smooth curve like the original.

    current status:




  • Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    edited June 6
    I decided to try the thicker foam sheets, instead of the thin top sheet. This means I don't attempt to adhere while vacuforming.

    It also means that the very unlikely event of a good pull on thick material burned out nearly a pack and a half of 24x24 floor mats before I got a successful pull.

    My vacuform is a plastic storage tub with a pegboard top. Do not do this. The tub collapses and breaks any seal you had. 

    The vacuform MUST be solid materials like wood or metal to be truly useful.

    But my tub and a shopvac were my bag (60s shagalistic phrasing) and a large rosebud weed burner heated my material (15 inch flame). I used the metal underframe of my portable table saw as my clamp jig to hold the foam. After 5 fails I realized my sculpt was too tall. My foam was never going to stretch that far. After cutting it down, I pulled successful on sheet 3. 

    I then spent two hours fine tuning the piece with a heat gun and clamps.

    Calling this good enough for 10 feet away:


    versus 


    Thread complete. I will create a full Brolin thread when done.
    Post edited by Darrell Green on
  • Darrell GreenDarrell Green ✭✭✭
    Oh, public service announcement. To avoid all the hassle and do it right the first time, watch the course on building a vacuform:

    https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/tutorials/making-a-sci-fi-helmet-vacuum-forming-machine
  • Chris EllerbyChris Ellerby Admin
    Fon's course is fantastic, and should help you a ton.  I've only done a bit of vacuum forming, and his course helped me a great deal.

    Looking forward to seeing how Brolin turns out!

    /Chris
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