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EVA Foam Fabrication Must Haves & Tutorials - Cosplay, theater, props, Halloween
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items All the necessities to craft items out of EVA foam and make them look real! This is used a lot in cosplay for armor and props, theater productions, movies, and Halloween displays.
Sections
4
Crafting Materials
Necessary Tools
Great Tutorials
Adhesives
Crafting Materials
The building blocks of your EVA foam project
My go to foam brand for EVA foam work. SKS props is a great brand that is made special for cosplay uses. It comes in a variety of thicknesses and shapes to accommodate different uses. But it is great for heat treating/ warping/ sculpting and takes we...
SKS Props HD-Foam Rolls
An affordable form of EVA foam you can use for “bases.” It comes in a variety of thicknesses. I recommend using this more affordable EVA form to create the base form for your project, then a use EVA foam clay, or SKS HD foam, or worbla over that to a...
Black EVA Foam Roll, 2mm Thick, 49"x13.5"
A cosplayer's best friend! This is heat morphable thermo plastic sheets. You use a heat gun and tools to shape it into anything you want. This material is commonly used on top of eva foam bases to add really complex details to things like armor or we...
Worbla's Finest Art Original - 8x8 in. Sheet
Ultra thin worbla with small grain & texture. This is heat moldable plastic sheets that are used for very fine details.
Worbla Black MINI Strip 2.5x10 in - Thermoplastic
A FANTASTIC product to add detail & organic shapes to your EVA foam base, or to create wonderful stand alone pieces. This is air dry clay made to adhere to EVA foam. It dries and can be sanded, sealed, and painted just like EVA foam. Keep in mind... paint up just like EVA foam. You can also use this foam clay to cast things. Just squish it into flat molds, pop them in the freezer, then pull them out and let them harden. You will get a pretty good cast!
SKS Props Lightweight Foam Clay
Once your EVA foam item has been created, it is important to seal it before painting. Paint beads up on EVA foam and will peel & crack as the EVA foam bends. So, this is a flexible black rubber sealant that will grip the pores of EVA foam, fill t...
Plasti Dip 11oz Black Aerosol
Wax based metallic finishes that I like to use on top of a black acrylic base to create the illusion of metal that actually has a shine!!
Rub 'n Buff : Metallic Finishes : Mixed Media
Great for mixing paint cans, but in EVA foam crafting, I use these as bracers or handle makers. Lots of items (like shields) require a flat handle. Wood sticks well to EVA foam with contact cement. And, eva foam sticks well to wood to cover up the pa...
Amazon.com: Paint Stir Sticks
An affordable yet effective matte drying acrylic paint. This is what you will paint your EVA foam with once the plastidip is dry. This paint is a medium thickness and medium coverage paint. I use it on all my paintings because it is afforable yet sti...
Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Set, 48 x 22ml
If your project needs small raised areas that look very rigid, perhaps using premade dowels of foam is better than sculpting. It will save you a lot of time and it will look machine made! SKS props has triangular dowels and round dowels. I use the ro...
SKS Props HD-Foam Dowels
Wire comes in handy in many projects, but I use it for a flexible base in my EVA foam ears! I use wire between sandwiched EVA foam to create flexible bendable Gremlin ears that I attached to a headband. The ears are massive and still weigh almost not...
Nickel Silver Wire CDA #752 Alloy Jewelry
If you want to use EVA foam to create reusable ears or horns for a costume, head bands are a must! This is the type I used for my gremlin ears. Light weight, flexible, and didn't hurt my head.
20 Pack Black Satin Cloth Thin Metal Headbands
Necessary Tools
Necessary tools to work with EVA foam and stay safe
Wax paper sheets you put your acrylic paint wells & mix on. This goes inside a palette keeper box. This is what I use to dip my brushes into and paint EVA foam. You could use a tray or open faced item. Just as the acrylic dries you will get a mes...
EBIVEN Artist Oil Paint Palette Paper 12x16, 40 Sheets
Proper PPE is NOT an option. Your lungs & long term health are VERY important. EVEN if you are outside working with glues, aerosols, and sanded particles is very harmful. Whenever I am heat treating EVA foam, spraying glues or paints, or sanding ...
Respirator Mask with Filters - Reusable Gas Mask
Safety glasses that keep things from getting in your eyes and protect them from damage. I wear these when sanding EVA foam so I don't get itchy particles in my eyes.
MEIGIX Safety Glasses Anti-fog UV400 Protection
You put your palette paper in here and your acrylic paint wells stay wet! If you seal it up correctly it is air tight and will keep your paints wet for 7-10 days!
Masterson Airtight Palette Seal Keeps Paint Fresh
The most necessary tool for working with EVA foam! This is how you cut the foam! I highly recommend a knife with a wheel that allows you to grow & shrink the blade. This will allow you to make different depth and angled cuts.
Alvin SN236 Heavy-Duty Utility Knife - Large
Second most important EVA tool! Eva is a heat bendable foam. You need to add heat to get rolled up pieces to lay flat, but you can also use heat to create bends, domes, dents etc. PLEASE wear proper PPE when heating EVA Foam. It is toxic when heated
SEEKONE 1800W Heat Gun Kit, 122℉~1202℉, 4 Nozzles
Always wear gloves when working with contact cement & super glues! You do not want to glue your fingers together, get all sticky, or get those chemicals in your body.
PEIPU Nitrile & Vinyl Blend Disposable Gloves
This is used to “fill in cracks” where the seams are on your projects! You just squeeze it into the seam and use a wet glove covered finger to smush and smooth the kwik seal. Layer on you can sand it, seal it, and paint it.
Kwik Seal 5.5 oz. White Kitchen and Bath Adhesive Caulk
A variety of brushes in a variety of sizes will be needed to do acrylic painting on your eva foam project. BUT, I can't really recommend a specific size because if its small or a super large project, you will need different sizes shapes and stiffness...
Acrylic Paint Brush Set, 50 pcs Nylon Hair Brushes
Great Tutorials
Want to learn how to craft with Eva foam? I've done my research & these tutorials have helped me the most.
My EVA foam playlist where I document from start to finish how I make a Viking EVA foam shield, seal it, and paint it!
Playlist EVA Foam Journey! created by @witteartistry
Great tutorial by SKS props that shows you how to use premade patterns, cut eva foam, layer it, sculpt on it, sand it, and paint it.
How to Make a Dog Skull Mask with Moving Jaw - Free Foam Templates - Werewolf Fursuit Head Tutorial
All about EVA foam! How to use the foam, what products you need and how you use them on eva foam. GREAT vid
How to Cosplay using EVA Foam - Basic Tools Techniques and Materials Needed
An EVA foam professional! Her work is NEXT LEVEL! She has fantastic tutorials but this one is the best for learning how to master proper cutting techniques for EVA foam. Angles, smoothness, etc
How to cut foam like a PRO - Cosplay Tutorial
Tutorial about all the basics of EVA foam: types of foam, sizes, how to cut, heat treat, seal etc!
EVA Foam Basics
How to fill foam seams created by gluing & miss haps!
How to Fix and Fill Seams in Foam Props & Armor
The tutorial that inspired me to try! I have successfully made this exact shield without a pattern! I just free handed it and learned as I went.
How to Make an EVA Foam Viking Shield Perfect for your Cosplay
Eva foam glue video! All about all glues, which ones are the best, and how to best use them
The Best Glue for EVA Foam - Cosplay Tutorial
Adhesives
Proper glues to use on EVA foam that create solid bonds AND don't melt the foam
Hot glue is an okay option for attaching edges of eva foam together. It holds really well but it can be difficult to work with. However, its uses in creating small adornments both with flat molds, dotting, drawing lines are extremally valuable in the crafting world.
Hot Glue Sticks
The best glue to adhere EVA foam together! You paint the glue on both surfaces, let them dry, then stick them together. It holds long term and once dry, most normal heat situations will not cause the bond to lift (unlike hot glue which is easily melt...
Weldwood 3 fl. oz. Original Contact Cement
Sometimes, contact cement isn't enough! If you are making something that has a small surface area but needs to hold up to a lot of abuse, use super glue! This type doesn't eat the EVA foam.
Loctite Super Glue Ultra Gel Control, 4g (1739050)