Very intense and cool. Can’t wait to see the finished design!
I don’t think you could cover that with fabric without obscuring the details.
If it’s thin cloth it will work, the edges just won’t be as sharp. And you may need to pick up the detail with a bit of paint.
You might want to just latex it instead.
So for latex option, anyone in the Auckland area got the means + skills in latexing? I can reimburse you on the materials used.
I am a noob, so will appriciate assistance in applying it.
I think this is something that can be done with instructions. You may find a lot of people are busy prepping for Teonn at the moment.
You will need:
[ul][li]Liquid latex (thickened “brushable” thickness) available from TopMark. You will probably want a litre or two to get coverage for a shield, because you’ll be putting on several layers. It can be stored for later projects so long as you keep it airtight.[/li]
[li]Soft brushes you don’t mind ruining. Some bigger for undercoats, some smaller for details.[/li]
[li]Black water-based paint for the undercoats.[/li]
[li]Coloured water-based paints for the top coats. If you’re going metallic, be careful to get copper-free. Copper-based paint rots latex over time. TopMark may be able to provide appropriate metallic colourants for use with liquid latex. [/li]
[li]A sealant, to stop the latex surface being sticky. This isn’t mandatory, you can use something like talcum powder instead but you’ll lose colour and it washes off and has to be re-applied and it can be messy. The trouble is, we haven’t identified a nice, clear, flexible sealant that isn’t too toxic in NZ. If you can find one you’ll be doing the community a big favour - TopMark may be able to make recommendations.[/li]
[li]I see TopMark has something called “PAX paint”. Never heard of it, but maybe this could be used instead of the coloured latex and the sealant. You mix it with paint. So you may be able to apply the under-coats of latex in plain black and then use the PAX paint over that to provide all the colour. I’ve never tried this but on first impression it looks like it could be ideal.[/li][/ul]
Steps:
[ol]
[li]Prepare your clothes and workspace. Latex sticks like a bastard to clothing, carpet, etc. so wear old clothes and do it somewhere appropriate over newspaper. Good ventilation is recommended, as latex has ammonia in it that evaporates as it dries. Note that extra ammonia may come out of the jar when you open it so don’t breath it in. [/li]
[li]Mix some base-colour (e.g. black) paint into some latex. The ratio I’ve used in the past is about 1 teaspoon of paint to 1 cup of latex. Not that it will look very white when it’s mixed in. Latex starts opaque white but dries translucent, so the colour comes out on drying. Paint a little onto a surface and let it dry to see the dried colour, or rub a bit between your finders. You can always add more. [/li]
[li]Paint a layer of base latex onto your shield with a broad soft brush. Try not to leave too many brush strokes, but some can’t be avoided. Note that your brush will gung up with latex as it dries, try to wash it off with water ASAP (and dry before using again) but be aware it will gradually build up and the brush will be ruined. If you have a wire brush that could be used to clean dried latex out of a paintbrush. [/li]
[li]Wait for it to dry. It’s best to work on a sunny day and pop it in the sun. Can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on how thick you laid it on and the weather.[/li]
[li]Repeat application of base layer and drying. Number of layers you need varies, if it’s going on thick then three or four might be okay. In the UK they recommend using watery latex and putting on 12 layers, but that is very time consuming especially with drying time. [/li]
[li]Mix top coat color(s) with latex. Paint them on. You may want a couple of layers. This is the arty part, if you’ve done miniature painting then it’s maybe a bit like that. [/li]
[li]Apply sealant (follow its instructions). Or if you’re trying the PAX paint then apply that instead of the last step. The PAX may be the better option, TopMark should be able to advise. [/li][li]Clean your brushes thoroughly if you want to use them again. Seal any remaining latex securely for storage.[/li][/ol]
Hope that helps.
I’m finding lots of sources saying PAX paint is good for painting onto latex (it’s apparently often used on latex masks) but it’s not good as a top coat. It’s sticky. Apparently you can make it less sticky by mixing more paint and less Pros Aid, like 10 to 1 instead of 50/50, but I still don’t get the impression it’s a top coat.
One latex mask guide suggested painting “Matte Medium” over PAX paint as a topcoat. I wonder if Matte Medium would make a good topcoat directly on to latex too, but I can’t find any info on whether Matte Medium will go onto latex as well as it apparently goes onto PAX paint (or whether it will degrade the latex somehow). Apparently you sponge a layer of Matte Medium on, and it goes on white but dries clear. Matte Medium is available from some art shops, “Liquitex” is the popular brand.
Elsewhere I’ve heard that “Gelcoat” is good stuff for applying as a top coat over latex larp gear. It’s usually used to waterproof fibreglass boats. See this topic for further discussion. While we did get feedback from one NZ supplier that it may not be appropriate, given that some people are reporting they have successfully used it with latex I believe it’s worth trying. I think I’ve heard it’s what some professional European latex weapon companies use.
Tip I got from Norm / Joker:
Have a cup of water mixed with dishwashing detergent nearby, and soak the brushes in that. It will loosen up the latex that gets stuck in the brush, so potentially allow you to get more life out of your brush.
Jon
Thanks Guys.
I went over and got some Liquid Latex from TopMark.
The lady there was really happy to talk my ear off about casts, molds and resins. Which heck, that’s interesting 
so I let her go on… and on… and on.
She said for what I’m doing the Pax paint isn’t neccessary, and would be way too expensive for the job. Does have some interesting uses however, but it is along the lines of just mixing in some paint with the latex before applying it. So that’s what I’ll do instead.
Wish me luck!
Good luck!
[quote=“Kharnak”]Thanks Guys.
I went over and got some Liquid Latex from TopMark.
The lady there was really happy to talk my ear off about casts, molds and resins. Which heck, that’s interesting so I let her go on… and on… and on.
She said for what I’m doing the Pax paint isn’t neccessary, and would be way too expensive for the job. Does have some interesting uses however, but it is along the lines of just mixing in some paint with the latex before applying it. So that’s what I’ll do instead.
Wish me luck![/quote]
I’ve called TopMark for advice before, and they’re -super-. Friendly, interested, and experienced with people working in film/TV SFX. No request too weird!
Hey,
Yeah, I should have mentioned, when I latexed my webbed gloves, I just mixed the latex with some standard acrylic paint from Whitcoulls. Might not have the same quality finish as a bought one, but seems to be okay.
Jon
Hey,
Yeah, I should have mentioned, when I latexed my webbed gloves, I just mixed the latex with some standard acrylic paint from Whitcoulls. Might not have the same quality finish as a bought one, but seems to be okay.
Jon[/quote]
In the small amount of latexing I’ve done, I’ve also just used standard acrylic paint from a paint store. I usually get student grade, because it’s cheap, an I found the slightly watery consistency works really nicely.
I also tend to use foam brushes over brushes with bristles, less brush strokes. But I’ve only done a weee bit if latexing.
From memory when watching Derek - the use of bristled brushes creates a wood-like texture to the latex, especially if the brush strokes are all parallel.
Conversely, using a piece of foam to dab the paint on gives a more metal-like texture.
Am I right in that regard?
Bristled brushes do give a nice wood grain.
I used foam brushes (and cosmetic sponges) to create as flat a texture as possible.
Did the TopMark lady have any suggestions for sealants for latex to stop it being sticky?
I wonder if Selleys All Clear would work as a sealant?
The latex weapon sealant used in the UK is a clear, flexible roofing sealant that goes by the brand name Isoflex. Quite nasty stuff apparently.
But I’ve read of other flexible rubber clear roofing sealants being used around the world as sealants for latex weapons, e.g. in the US people talk about using one with the brand name “Through the Roof”.
Selleys All Clear is a clear flexible rubber sealant that can be used for DIY roof sealing, and it’s easily available at DIY shops in NZ and comes in multiple sizes for small or large applications, including 1-litre “brushable” cans for about $50 that would be good for big jobs like sealing multiple shields. So it would be a convenient option if it worked.
/obsessions with sealants
When I called Top Mark to talk sealants, they said they had a number of things that might work.
They wanted to see examples of what I was wanting to do and suggested bringing in various swords. One sealed, one unsealed, so they could make a recommendation. So if you’re keen, maybe take down one of your professionally produced swords, and a home made one and see what they suggest 
Cutting it close for time now!
Off to paint with sister who is up to visit and come to Teonn! Yay!
Just thought I’d snap my first latexing job, not too happy with it, but its not too terrible either.
Sealant, hmm, it is still a little sticky… Will this be a problem for the paint?
Do you mean the black paint in the latex you’ve already done? That will attract dust if left unsealed.
Or are you thinking of applying pure paint over the latex? That’s not what people usually do, not sure what the result would. It’s usual to mix the top colour paint with latex too. Doesn’t matter that the base latex is sticky for that, that’s what you’d expect.
Looks good.
Ah, I was under the impression the latex was a coat on the foam to make painting easier as the foam may not take to paint as well.
I did add black to that latex but I have since painted with just paint…