Kamui Cosplay did an excellent "How To" Plastidip video, which can be viewed here: Click.
Plastidip was originally made for dipping tool handles into a bucket of the stuff (like you're making candles, but with a wrench), hence the name. if you have any tools with a thick rubbery coating on the handles, its most likely Plastidip! Keeping that in mind, I want to go over some pros and cons of Plastidip on different surfaces. It's by far my favorite painting medium!
I first started Plastidipping in 2014 with automotive Plastidip, and have consistently used both the paint gun and the aerosol styles since then. My opinions on Plastidip are based solely on my own experiences and you might not have the same results as me. However, I hope my experiences can be helpful for those troubleshooting an issue, or just wanting to be wary of the risks.
Plastidip is a lot like automotive paint, which is highly toxic. work in a well ventilated area and wear protection!
An incredibly popular trend at the moment is "priming" EVA foam with Plastidip. I'm very so-so on this, as there are a lot of downsides when the proper precautions aren't taken. Plastidip is not a primer, nor is it a stabilizer of any kind. it might temporarily strengthen foam while it still has it's elasticity from being fresh, but it does not have any shrinkage like foam does. (remember, it was designed to coat solid tool handles, and be applied in pretty viscous layers). It needs to have a top coat to keep it from prematurely peeling, if applied rather thin (the only thing it won't peel off of is the floor of my garage). Since it's used in aerosol form nowadays, you're going to be dealing with some incredibly thin layers. Using a dip gun gives you more control of layer thickness, but you can achieve what you need with aerosol for the most part!
This isn't to say you cannot prime your foam with Plastidip-- It's possible, and works great for a lot of people! for more control and better results, here are some tidbits I have learned over the past several years of being knee-deep in the stuff!
-->dust is the enemy! If possible, use painter's plastic to create a dust-free area to apply your first few coats. the base coats should be a thin, fine mist, to ensure the particles get in every crevice. ESPECIALLY if you're dealing with even moderately porous materials. To get the smoothest results at this stage, you should make sure your Plastidip is warm, so try to keep it inside in between coats if you're working in the winter.
When dust particles get in the base layers of your Plastidip, it creates a barrier between the dip and your project, and can cause the Plastidip to peel away later as it ages. you want the dip to stick to your project, not the fine layer of dust on top of it!
-->As you progress, make your layers a little thicker to avoid what I refer to as "orange peel" texture. if your coats remain thin, it's possible to get a more spattered look, which can look ... like an orange. An apple texture is much more appealing, so don't be afraid to get a little thicker as you go, especially when you get to the topcoat stages!
-->If you are planning on using acrylic paint over a base coat of plastidip, consider priming your project first with Mod Podge, Flexbond (my favorite! and it comes in little bottles now), or elmer's school glue/water (since you won't be doing a Plastidip topcoat). acrylic paints do have a slight shrinkage rate because they dry kind of like plastic. even on a non-foam, solid surface, where acrylic paint cracks, the Plastidip primer layer may peel. alternatively, a topcoat before the paint layer would help a little, but then you don't have that sweet, sweet primer that paint sticks so well to (the topcoat does add a slick texture).
-->for the best results on foam, sealing with heat and Flexbond, then finishing with a topcoat yields the best results. Sealing with flexbond fills the "pores" of the foam, and slows the aging process or shrinkage. "foamies" or "craft foam" are the less dense varieties, and will have a higher shrinkage rate because of this. when the foam shrinks, it creates an air pocket between the foam and the dip coat. the purpose of the sealing is to create a solid, even surface for the Plastidip to stick to. TNT Foam is the best US-based brand I've personally tried. I'm sure there are even more dense varieties out there which are even better for Plastidip. I've used TNT Foam without Flexbond on smaller projects, and compensated with heavier layers of the top coat. This method works OK with pieces that are not experiencing any stress or flexing.
if Plastidip is used on a highly dense flexible surface, it will keep its flexibility MUCH longer. for example, a leather piece will experience little to no peeling, because it has no shrinkage, and is far more dense than foam. it also has a side that is solid and non-porous for the most part.
Some fun self-reflection and costume notes!
Plastidip was originally made for dipping tool handles into a bucket of the stuff (like you're making candles, but with a wrench), hence the name. if you have any tools with a thick rubbery coating on the handles, its most likely Plastidip! Keeping that in mind, I want to go over some pros and cons of Plastidip on different surfaces. It's by far my favorite painting medium!
I first started Plastidipping in 2014 with automotive Plastidip, and have consistently used both the paint gun and the aerosol styles since then. My opinions on Plastidip are based solely on my own experiences and you might not have the same results as me. However, I hope my experiences can be helpful for those troubleshooting an issue, or just wanting to be wary of the risks.
Plastidip is a lot like automotive paint, which is highly toxic. work in a well ventilated area and wear protection!
An incredibly popular trend at the moment is "priming" EVA foam with Plastidip. I'm very so-so on this, as there are a lot of downsides when the proper precautions aren't taken. Plastidip is not a primer, nor is it a stabilizer of any kind. it might temporarily strengthen foam while it still has it's elasticity from being fresh, but it does not have any shrinkage like foam does. (remember, it was designed to coat solid tool handles, and be applied in pretty viscous layers). It needs to have a top coat to keep it from prematurely peeling, if applied rather thin (the only thing it won't peel off of is the floor of my garage). Since it's used in aerosol form nowadays, you're going to be dealing with some incredibly thin layers. Using a dip gun gives you more control of layer thickness, but you can achieve what you need with aerosol for the most part!
This isn't to say you cannot prime your foam with Plastidip-- It's possible, and works great for a lot of people! for more control and better results, here are some tidbits I have learned over the past several years of being knee-deep in the stuff!
-->dust is the enemy! If possible, use painter's plastic to create a dust-free area to apply your first few coats. the base coats should be a thin, fine mist, to ensure the particles get in every crevice. ESPECIALLY if you're dealing with even moderately porous materials. To get the smoothest results at this stage, you should make sure your Plastidip is warm, so try to keep it inside in between coats if you're working in the winter.
When dust particles get in the base layers of your Plastidip, it creates a barrier between the dip and your project, and can cause the Plastidip to peel away later as it ages. you want the dip to stick to your project, not the fine layer of dust on top of it!
-->As you progress, make your layers a little thicker to avoid what I refer to as "orange peel" texture. if your coats remain thin, it's possible to get a more spattered look, which can look ... like an orange. An apple texture is much more appealing, so don't be afraid to get a little thicker as you go, especially when you get to the topcoat stages!
-->If you are planning on using acrylic paint over a base coat of plastidip, consider priming your project first with Mod Podge, Flexbond (my favorite! and it comes in little bottles now), or elmer's school glue/water (since you won't be doing a Plastidip topcoat). acrylic paints do have a slight shrinkage rate because they dry kind of like plastic. even on a non-foam, solid surface, where acrylic paint cracks, the Plastidip primer layer may peel. alternatively, a topcoat before the paint layer would help a little, but then you don't have that sweet, sweet primer that paint sticks so well to (the topcoat does add a slick texture).
-->for the best results on foam, sealing with heat and Flexbond, then finishing with a topcoat yields the best results. Sealing with flexbond fills the "pores" of the foam, and slows the aging process or shrinkage. "foamies" or "craft foam" are the less dense varieties, and will have a higher shrinkage rate because of this. when the foam shrinks, it creates an air pocket between the foam and the dip coat. the purpose of the sealing is to create a solid, even surface for the Plastidip to stick to. TNT Foam is the best US-based brand I've personally tried. I'm sure there are even more dense varieties out there which are even better for Plastidip. I've used TNT Foam without Flexbond on smaller projects, and compensated with heavier layers of the top coat. This method works OK with pieces that are not experiencing any stress or flexing.
if Plastidip is used on a highly dense flexible surface, it will keep its flexibility MUCH longer. for example, a leather piece will experience little to no peeling, because it has no shrinkage, and is far more dense than foam. it also has a side that is solid and non-porous for the most part.
Some fun self-reflection and costume notes!
Skyward Sword Zelda’s accessories are TNT foam with DipYourCar’s base color mixed with a Dip Pearl Topcoat with KP Pigments. Because I used a couple different pigment layers, the topcoat was thick enough that I didn’t need to seal the accessories with flex bond. The were, however, heat sealed. In the future, I would seal them with flex bond just to be safe.
My inquisitor cosplay is a mixed bag of experiences. The pauldrons were made before higher density foam was a readily available resource, so they definitely shrank and peeled (even after being sealed with mod podge). This was also a project where I used Plastidip as a primer for acrylic paint and aerosol. So we had foam shrinkage AND acrylic paint shrinkage. Hence the plastidip peeled terribly in the cracks. Thankfully, some layers of dark oil acrylics hide the peeled areas, so I can still wear them!
The Shield is actually made from EVA foam mats (for martial arts or shop floors) and with no primer below the plastidip, is still in good shape! The incredibly high density of the foam is to thank here. A good base material can sometimes save a project in the long term! |
Zelda’s sandals were sealed with two layers of flexbond, and have twice the number of coats as a regular project for me. There’s no way to keep plastidip from eventually creasing when it’s on foam that has stress points, but it is possible to keep it to a minimum with lots of preparation, and thick foam.
Princess Zelda is another mixed bag! Plastidip over worbla and evercoat filler is pretty efficient because we’re not dealing with porous materials. So everything works as advertised. Alternatively, her bangles are made from the ever-faithful Foamies from Joann’s, and shrank to the point where they no longer close around my wrists- even after being heavily sealed. A little sad, because they turned out so smooth! I have since made a pair out of leather.
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