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Apoxie Armour

11/21/2023

 
All the pieces of Matias' armour were cured and the plastic wrap removed. Unfortunately the plastic wrap that was used to hold the pieces down and mold them to shape, left a texture on everything. 
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I did my best to sand it down, but most of the texture still remained.  The sanding did smooth out the edges and make them more even. Then after sanding everything I used 5 minute Epoxy to glue tiny silver beads into all the dents around the edges...
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The front and back pieces, showing the difference after sanding and gluing in the beads...
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The arm pieces...
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Leg Armour

 I wasn't sure if armour over his boots and lower legs would look good, or end up being too bulky, but since I was sculpting armour already, I figured that I might as well give it a try.  After all, I definitely wouldn't want to make them later.  So I started by wrapping Matias' body and legs with plastic wrap to protect everything. Then I designed patterns out of paper towels, which I then used to make the pieces out of card-stock....
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I made sure to label every piece....on the outside and the inside....
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I sculpted the leg armour in sections, over two days.  First the foot, then the upper legs, and finally the knees. At each step I wrapped everything tightly with plastic wrap to mold the pieces to shape around his legs...
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And since it's impossible to mix up just the exact amount of Apoxie I need, I decided not to waste it, but to make the leftovers into 'food' each time - chicken drumsticks and roast potatoes...
​.to be painted later
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Painting the Armour

I had used the last of my Chrome spray paint on the SartoriaJ gloves and bracers, so went looking for a new can. But no one carried it anymore.  So I ended up buying a can of silver spray paint.  But the silver didn't match the colour of the chrome gloves. So we went looking again, and found some Chrome Bumper Spray Paint for cars, at Canadian Tire.  

The spray paint is toxic, so thankfully it was a relatively 'warm' week, so the parts could be sprayed outside. Then I brought them inside and put them in the powder room with the fan on and door closed, since it's the only room in the house with a fan exhaust to outside.

Once the paint was completely dry, I 'aged' the parts with dark brown paint.  I brushed dark brown folk art paint over the entire surface, then wiped it off immediately with a paper towel. The paint gives the armour an 'aged' tarnished look, and remains in all the cracks and crevices, highlighting all the details.
​ Before and after....
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All the armour sprayed, and some stained. The colour of the stained, new, chrome, spray paint matched the gloves perfectly.
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Leg armour before and after...
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kenaiqueen
11/21/2023 04:04:44 pm

Amazing amount of work! I think the plastic wrap texture looks fine. Just makes it more rustic/antique looking.

Dorothy
11/21/2023 06:21:35 pm

It is just a amazing to me how you think of an idea and then immediately execute it. I love that you used the remaining apoxie to create food for a future festival.

Nancy
11/21/2023 08:26:24 pm

Great outcome. Thanks for sharing the process.

designdreamer
11/22/2023 09:17:07 am

I'm with Dorthy, you are AMAZING!! And I want thank you for sharing the process. Although I'll probably never try it myself, I find this info fascinating!

Martha
11/22/2023 10:02:14 am

Thank you. I've put together a Creative Journey about the making of Matias' costume and armour. That way you can go look at it any time without having to scroll through Blog posts to find the various parts. Just click on Tutorials in the header above, and it's at the top of the page.

earthspirits
11/22/2023 11:18:14 pm

I always love your "how to" posts with all the incredible detail of the creative journey you take to create your costuming and photos. The armor is wonderful!

Martha
11/23/2023 06:32:03 am

Thank you. I figure that I put a lot of effort into figuring out how to do things, so why not share and make it easier for someone else.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
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