r/cosplayprops • u/S1rL0in • 13d ago

Help Could it be...

That these first, often transparent, kind of flexible layers befor you color your eva, which cost an arm and a leg can be replaced by slightly thinned down craft glue?

Note that I live in switzerland and my glue might be different from your glue somewhere else 😅

4 Upvotes

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u/CrimsonShrike 13d ago

Watered down glue works as a primer yes though it has some small issues (see kamui cosplays foam primer video), though what transparent layers are you using on eva? Personally I use a foam primer/acrylic combo and get painting but most primers are opaque 

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u/S1rL0in 13d ago

Last time I have used Flexi Paint, which acted all weird.

0

u/CrimsonShrike 13d ago

How so? Are you heat sealing your foam first?

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u/S1rL0in 13d ago

I don't know why. Yes I did heat seal it. Maybe it was old...

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u/Ninja_Cat_Production 13d ago

Your craft glue is closer to our wood glue. James Bruton from Xrobots on made a video about this 10-15 years ago.

Even better for you, now that you have sealed it with the glue, you could go straight to a full plastic or even fiberglass coating without damaging your foam.

James made a boat out of XPS foam, an old surplus army blanket, PVA glue, and a ton of fiberglass resin. He even took it to the sea, which proved it was water tight.

Yes, your craft glue is superior to ours, but we have a similar thing just labeled differently.

I also don’t like Plasti-Dip. What you’re describing is why I don’t use it. There are a ton of regular rattle-can spray paints that have much better adhesion than it does.

Automotive spray paints have been formulated to bond to plastic since they started putting plastic on cars. They, in my opinion, are the best option for most applications. The best part is that with automotive primer can go directly onto the foam with only heat sealing first. So in future, you can skip the glue altogether if you’re so inclined.

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u/riontach 13d ago

You can absolutely prime your foam with craft glue or mod podge, but the downside is that it isn't flexible. Sk its great for something like a sword, but will crack if you use it on something like armor.

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u/TheFoamWitch 12d ago

Black flexipaint is the best sealer out there that you can get and is super cost effective. Thin it down a bit with some water and mix it before painting it on and then once dry, smooth it out by brushing over it gently with some water and it is super smooth every time! I won’t use anything else 😍😍