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neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

Hey, thread. I'm DIYing a close approximation of the stilts from Area 51's Digilegs, and I'm looking for a good method of securing the stilts to my legs. What would you guys do to secure them to your legs?

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CzarChasm
Mar 14, 2009

I don't like it when you're watching me eat.
My immediate first thought is nylon strapping and adjusters
https://www.strapworks.com/shop-by-product-type/plastic-hardware/strap-adjusters

Probably 3 horizontal bars down each leg, two around each foot, over the arch to secure the foot in place on the base plate.

Maybe buckles, but I'd really rather just worry about loosening straps vs un-clasping buckles down my leg.

I am not an engineer though, so stay safe.

neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

Clasps would certainly be easier to create than the velcro strips I was going to try to sew. I'll keep that in mind for the actual straps that I need to make.

More though, I was asking about the solid black plastic sections that go around the front of the thigh, and the calf. I know that that's likely some sort of foamed PVC, or some other heat-moldable plastic, but I would prefer to work with something that's a bit easier to set up than having to create all of that from scratch. Unless you guys think that that's really the only way to go, in which case I'd like to hear about how you guys would go about that.

Dr. Lunchables
Dec 27, 2012

IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD



My wife is an OT and they use moldable plastics. Thermoplastics, I think? Look up plastics for moldable splints, they finish hard and rigid but retain some necessary flexibility, and can be easily shaped via boiling.

neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

Dr. Lunchables posted:

My wife is an OT and they use moldable plastics. Thermoplastics, I think? Look up plastics for moldable splints, they finish hard and rigid but retain some necessary flexibility, and can be easily shaped via boiling.

Hmm... I'm trying to google up what sort of plastic that would be, but all I'm getting are essentially advertisements disguised as articles for various medical companies' heat moldable plastic splints. The stuff I've seen for sale was like $75+ per sheet, and it looks like the dimensions would cover maybe 1-2 parts out of the 4 I would need to make.

Dr. Lunchables
Dec 27, 2012

IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD



She’s asleep now, but I’ll ask her and post back soon. No guarantees on cost, since American medical system, but I’ll see what she says.

BigFactory
Sep 17, 2002

neogeo0823 posted:

Hmm... I'm trying to google up what sort of plastic that would be, but all I'm getting are essentially advertisements disguised as articles for various medical companies' heat moldable plastic splints. The stuff I've seen for sale was like $75+ per sheet, and it looks like the dimensions would cover maybe 1-2 parts out of the 4 I would need to make.

Is this the kind of device you really want to cheap out on? It looks like you could break something if it collapses.

Deviant
Sep 26, 2003

i've forgotten all of your names.


Back again because I have actually 3d printed a giant sword for myself for once.

i will be cosplaying Saber Artoria at Katsucon and as such needed a suitable blade.


Sword of Promised Victory, aka Excalibur

Gold and Silver are sprayed, blue and black are laid in by hand.

And this was commissioned to go with my Brisket cosplay but is too cute not to share

Roger, Guilty Gear Strive

They even put my @ on it!

Deviant fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Feb 5, 2023

neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

BigFactory posted:

Is this the kind of device you really want to cheap out on? It looks like you could break something if it collapses.

Yes, considering the rest of the materials that have gone into this thing currently totals out to less than $100. The digilegs from Area51 sell for something like $1500, with tax and international shipping. If I were spending that much money on this pair of stilts, I'd be absolutely ok with $100 for plastic, but at that price, I'll end up doubling the cost of the things easily.

in complete honesty, I don't really want to work with heat moldable plastic, since I've had poor experiences with it. The previous pair of stilts I made used moldable plastic, and I ended up falling over in them, twice, and each time I shattered the plastic parts. Admittedly, I did not injure myself in those falls though, so there's that. But short of some bespoke(and expensive) custom solution, I'm kind of out of ideas that could possibly be cheap. I was hoping that you guys would have some ideas for some sort of either soft and flexible, or rigid and sturdy, way to attach the stilts to my legs that would survive a fall over.

Dr. Lunchables
Dec 27, 2012

IRL DEBUFFED KOBOLD



Alright, I talked to my wife, and for your purposes she recommended Taylor Splint and Ezeform, both thermoplastics. Her preferred is Aquaplast, but said that it will stick to itself, so she didn’t recommend it for beginners.

There is some marketed towards cosplay, running $50 for a 30x40” sheet but I don’t know if I would trust it for something so stress intensive and critical. Basically you wanna make something like the sole and back of the leg of a ski boot, right? So rigidity is important. You may also be able to attach metal splints to improve strength, without making the entire system too heavy.

I don’t see a super cheap way to get this done, but overall a few hundred dollars is much cheaper than buying the name brand.

e: upon looking further, it seems like the critical components are all metal frame, with something like a thermoplastic just used for bindings. If you have access to a machine shop or CNC cutter, you’d probably be able to do the metal frame relatively easily. Since you want light weight and high tensile strength, maybe boxed aluminum for the foot structure, then machine-cut aluminum or stainless steel rods for the leg bracing. The thermoplastic doesn’t need to be structural, so the cosplay stuff I linked would probably be fine. Cut out attachment points for Velcro bindings and use existing hardware for this stuff. Things like sport boot bindings or hardware for prosthetics would be up to the task.

Anyway, I’ve never tried something like this, it’s just back of the envelope math.

Dr. Lunchables fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Feb 5, 2023

BigFactory
Sep 17, 2002

neogeo0823 posted:

Yes, considering the rest of the materials that have gone into this thing currently totals out to less than $100. The digilegs from Area51 sell for something like $1500, with tax and international shipping. If I were spending that much money on this pair of stilts, I'd be absolutely ok with $100 for plastic, but at that price, I'll end up doubling the cost of the things easily.

in complete honesty, I don't really want to work with heat moldable plastic, since I've had poor experiences with it. The previous pair of stilts I made used moldable plastic, and I ended up falling over in them, twice, and each time I shattered the plastic parts. Admittedly, I did not injure myself in those falls though, so there's that. But short of some bespoke(and expensive) custom solution, I'm kind of out of ideas that could possibly be cheap. I was hoping that you guys would have some ideas for some sort of either soft and flexible, or rigid and sturdy, way to attach the stilts to my legs that would survive a fall over.

You’re going to injure yourself

neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

Dr. Lunchables posted:

Alright, I talked to my wife, and for your purposes she recommended Taylor Splint and Ezeform, both thermoplastics. Her preferred is Aquaplast, but said that it will stick to itself, so she didn’t recommend it for beginners.

There is some marketed towards cosplay, running $50 for a 30x40” sheet but I don’t know if I would trust it for something so stress intensive and critical. Basically you wanna make something like the sole and back of the leg of a ski boot, right? So rigidity is important. You may also be able to attach metal splints to improve strength, without making the entire system too heavy.

I don’t see a super cheap way to get this done, but overall a few hundred dollars is much cheaper than buying the name brand.

e: upon looking further, it seems like the critical components are all metal frame, with something like a thermoplastic just used for bindings. If you have access to a machine shop or CNC cutter, you’d probably be able to do the metal frame relatively easily. Since you want light weight and high tensile strength, maybe boxed aluminum for the foot structure, then machine-cut aluminum or stainless steel rods for the leg bracing. The thermoplastic doesn’t need to be structural, so the cosplay stuff I linked would probably be fine. Cut out attachment points for Velcro bindings and use existing hardware for this stuff. Things like sport boot bindings or hardware for prosthetics would be up to the task.

Anyway, I’ve never tried something like this, it’s just back of the envelope math.

Thank you for the links and names, I'll look into them. I did have an idea a bit ago that I'll also look into; What if I took some very large diameter PVC pipe joints/segments and cut them up to use? They wouldn't be molded to my legs, but they'd be decently close, and then I can make up the difference with some neoprene padding I've got for another part of this project. I figure, roughly, cut the PVC in half, then cut slots for the straps to go through, then bolt the thing to the side supports? It might work, might not.

Actually, this seems like a good chance to segway into the materials list a bit for this build. The entire point with this iteration of these stilts is that my previous designs were all too heavy, or were very hard to stand in, or whatever other problems. This iteration, I'm looking to reduce weight as much as possible, as well as trying to reduce friction and noise from motion, and make it easier to stand overall. A preemptive apology for lovely pictures. My workbench light tends to drown out all other light in the room, and my phone is just lovely at taking pictures. And of course, the qualifying statement that is whole project is still very WIP, and I've changed the design multiple times already, and will probably change it again. Also, I am very open to suggestions for improvements.

I'll start with what I'm calling the "foot" pieces, simply because they're the parts where my feet are strapped in.


Those are primarily made of 1.5in x 3ft tube steel, cut down to 1.5ft. The L-brackets are 1in x 6in flat corner braces, which are secured to the tube steel with two 4.5in grade 8 bolts, and held in place with a 1in section of black iron pipe per side per bolt, as well as a couple of fender washers, because I purposefully cut the black iron a bit short to let me customize the width of the ankle joints a bit. I used the existing holes where possible, and ended up needing to enlarge the bolt holes, and only trim and drill a hole where the ankle joint needs to go. My plan for the rest of this part is to take a couple of small pieces of stainless sheet steel that we have in the scrap bin at work, and cut, drill, and bend them to make a foot plate that I can attach the straps to to secure my feet to the stilts. The ankle straps, which will go around the back and front of the ankle, will be secured to the corner braces. The foot plate will have adhesive backed neoprene attached to cushion my feet(and be used elsewhere). I still need to come up with a proper system to connect the braided steel tendon cable to the foot piece.

Next up, the "toe" piece. So named because it's, well, the toe of the foot piece.


These are primarly made from 1.25in x 3ft tube steel, cut down to 9in. The tube steel is attached to a caster bracket from Harbor Freight Tools(~$5 ea), which is riveted to a piece of scrap steel I got from a local metal supplier. On that scrap steel, I've riveted brackets that I will use as anchor points to rivet on the actual tread material, which will be some medium hardness rubber sheeting until I find a better material to use. It's the same sort of rubber you put under appliances to reduce noise from vibration. Modestly grippy, and sturdy enough to not just shred apart. I hope. We'll see. To the "heel" of the toe piece, I've attached a bit of C-channel steel from an old project as a bracket for the bicycle spring you see there. No link for that one, sadly. I forget where I got it, but I know they cost ~$30 each, and have a spring rate of around 300lbs. more C-channel for the bottom bracket, and some 1/8in thick x 3/4in x 3ft aluminum flat bar, which I am ending up using quite extensively in this project.

Not shown, is how the spring/bottom bracket is not attached to the scrap steel plate. I will be placing a chunk of neoprene between the bracket and the plate to cushion that a bit and help eliminate noise when moving. Also not shown are some form of bungee cord or other similar thing, which will keep the steel plate held against the spring bracket as much as possible. I just haven't happened upon properly sized bungee cords yet, but I'm sure I can find them.

This toe piece design was lifted as much as I could, from this video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjiLlz9csrE
Check out that Youtube channel, by the way. The guy's got a ton of neat videos where he shows off like, various hand, leg, and tail prosthetics, and how he uses them for like, movie and video game mocap stuff and the like. Just really neat poo poo all around.

This pic's just a quick and dirty of how the foot and toe pieces fit together. I plan to cut the clevis pins down to the correct length when I'm all done, to keep the profile low. I tried to keep the tube steel as long as I comfortably could, but I know that the overall length of the stilts will depend on a few factors, and I may need to trim it down some, which I am ok with doing if I have to.


next up, the barely-worked-on-so-far leg supports.


I only just got the corner braces from the foot pieces this past week, so I haven't had the chance yet to get the ankle joints correctly installed yet, so they're currently separate parts. They're primarily made from the previously linked 1/8in x 3/4in aluminum flat bar. The bent metal strips you see are 1/16 thickness of the same stuff, and were what I was going to originally use before I went "That looks like it'll be pretty uncomfortable. Better find an alternative." Still, you can kinda see what I'm going for there. some sort of semi-solid-to-solid bracing, with straps around the back side to hold me in place. For the curious, I riveted the thigh piece, as I was originally going to just leave that there, but I used clevis pins to hold the shin piece in place as a temporary thing, because it was right around then that I realized I wasn't a fan of that solution.

These pics are to show how the various moveable joints will be constructed.



The riveted side may not look secured down, but it is. Those two pieces of aluminum do not move unless I really force them. The actually moving part of the joint is held together by clevis pins and cotter rings, which I bought from McMaster Carr.

Overall, my goal with this iteration of the build, materially, is to try and spend as little as possible, and also to try and get as much as I can from any big chain stores. This is because if I share the design around, I want it to be as easy as possible to source and buy the materials. So far, I'm mostly on track, except for like half a dozen total pieces of metal from various scrap bins, and the like. I think I'm staying pretty well on that goal though, otherwise. I'll be happy to answer any questions anyone has on this thing so far, and I'm also happy to hear suggestions and ideas for improvements.

neogeo0823
Jul 4, 2007

NO THAT'S NOT ME!!

BigFactory posted:

You’re going to injure yourself

Double post, but I figure this way it's not drowned out by that other huge post.

I very well might. In fact, I'm planning on it. Not intentionally, obviously, but you gotta plan for when you might hurt yourself. These sorts of projects are not, inherently, safe. But honestly, what is? I'm fine taking some risks, provided I know what they are and am able to mitigate them as much as possible. When I wrote that I fell and broke the plastic on my old stilts, that happened in a controlled environment, with me surrounded by padding and people. That's what stopped me from injuring myself. I've been working on making stilts like these off and on since 2015. Hell, check out my post history; I asked a ton of annoying questions in this very thread back then.

But anyway, yeah, I might injure myself. I also probably won't. You gotta take risks, and learn the lessons of those risks. To me, if you take a risk, and you come out fine, then great! You know the lesson. And if you take a risk and hurt yourself? Well, that is a very important lesson then, isn't it?

Deviant
Sep 26, 2003

i've forgotten all of your names.


Did a test fit today, and need to make a few adjustments, but this is my initial pass at Saber Artoria for Katsucon

my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

gently caress yeah

the face is real bad though have you considered changing that element :haw:

Deviant
Sep 26, 2003

i've forgotten all of your names.


my cat is norris posted:

gently caress yeah

the face is real bad though have you considered changing that element :haw:

it is my worst feature aside from my personality

TwystNeko
Dec 25, 2004

*ya~~wn*
So it's been a hot minute since I've posted on this forum. Last year, I printed and finished this "cybercat" mask, for a Cyberpunk inspired costume.

https://imgur.com/a/ZBPppoq
this is the initial paint job I did, but then decided I didn't really like the blue, so it ended up like this:

https://imgur.com/a/xznHNGP

The eyes are are apa102 based led rings, and are sound reactive, with a mic in the chin.

I then printed a bunch of parts for a cheap leather jacket, added LEDs, and repainted a nerf gun, to come up with this final costume.

https://imgur.com/a/6wMmRAr

Sadly, the mask designer is Russian, and got his CGtrader account terminated. Otherwise I'd approach him about possibly modified the mask so I could make the jaw move - it has obvious hinge points, I'm just terrible at modifying 3d models.

my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

that's cool as hell, really excellent work!!

TwystNeko
Dec 25, 2004

*ya~~wn*
Thanks! It's probably the best costume I've made. I'm tempted to do another print of the mask, and electroplate it, which would be really slick. Hell, electroplate all the parts, then do a black wash, mmm.

I do want to rework the jacket, as that one is a bit snug, it's a woman's XL, and the fake leather is way too thin. I need to find a cheap "biker" jacket that I don't mind screwing up. Then I have some shoulder armor as well, although that might not fit well with the "enforcer" collar.

Acid Reflux
Oct 18, 2004

TwystNeko posted:

Sadly, the mask designer is Russian, and got his CGtrader account terminated. Otherwise I'd approach him about possibly modified the mask so I could make the jaw move - it has obvious hinge points, I'm just terrible at modifying 3d models.

I can't make any promises - I'm no 3D modeling expert by anyone's definition - but I also own those files and *might* be able to help you with a split version. It'll be some hours before I'm home from work and settled in, but I'll take a look at it this evening and see if I can do anything with it for you. :)

Sockser
Jun 28, 2007

This world only remembers the results!




TwystNeko posted:

I'm tempted to do another print of the mask, and electroplate it, which would be really slick. Hell, electroplate all the parts, then do a black wash, mmm.

Electroplating is probably more than you really need




This is just a graphite rub and it looks great

Acid Reflux
Oct 18, 2004

OK, nope, unfortunately... while I can actually manipulate the *.obj version of the model that's made up of several different pieces, the geometry overlaps between the parts and they wouldn't fit back together if printed separately. I'm not skilled enough with any of the software to do the modifications that would be needed. Sorry TwystNeko, I was hoping it was going to be as simple as saving out the parts and going to town. :(

TwystNeko
Dec 25, 2004

*ya~~wn*
Yea, that's the issue I was dealing with. It's all one piece, and would need surgery. Thanks for looking, tho!

That being said, I still might do the electroplating, mostly because I really really love the idea of all the parts being this distressed chrome look. there's a relatively easy method, it just uses fun chemicals, lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoJkduIoBF0

But I suppose that I could use a 'chrome' spray and do the wash overtop, would probably be 'good enough'

TwystNeko
Dec 25, 2004

*ya~~wn*
So, it turns out RTwin, the artist who made my mask, is back on CG Trader, and CG Peers. He's over here: https://cults3d.com/en/users/RTprops/creations

Also, he made updates to the mask, including splitting out major color components like the side grilles and light areas, so there may be a reprint in my future.

And if you have the original files, in PrusaSlicer, you can "split to objects" and it will break into useful pieces - including separating out the jaw! (but the side grilles are not split out... )

Anyways, I've started revising the costume. I decided I wanted to do away with the leather jacket, because it's so drat hot. I also wanted to have the Thermal Katana, so I've printed one out. Then I ordered a "tactical radio pouch", designed a magnetic mount, and now the katana is secure on my back, yet can be easily removed. Uses 2 pairs of 13mm neodymium magnets, which is possibly overkill as the katana only weighs 200g fully assembled. :D

My next project is to make an arm similar to this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M28087uVTRA I'm just having a hard time getting a basic pattern made.

Depending on time, I'll also print a replica gun as well, to replace the painted nerf gun.

Tias
May 25, 2008

Pictured: the patron saint of internet political arguments (probably)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund
So I'm going to a warhammer fantasy LARP in may, and I can't really pull my costume together.

Short context: It's a military LARP, in which all players belong to units fighting a number of set-piece battles, drinking, brawling and having a good time in camp between the battles. My "faction" is Averland, a part of the Old World Empire. So the theme is landsknechts/early modern, but I'm part of a new skirmish unit who are not classic warhammer soldiers, instead being RIVER PIRATES :getin::hf::pirate:

I haven't made an outfit from scratch before, but I want to at least embellish a base set of pants and shirt with a really good hat, thematic purity seals and a good finish for my pistol. Averlands colours are black and yellow, and our primary squad uses red as a complementary colour.. However, being forced soldiers with a criminal/irregular background, they might not have to use the strict colour scheme.

So, I guess I'm looking for:
good tips for a beginner on how to pull an outfit together
ideas for looking like a mean authentic early modern river pirate
good ideas for hat decoration

CzarChasm
Mar 14, 2009

I don't like it when you're watching me eat.

Tias posted:

So I'm going to a warhammer fantasy LARP in may, and I can't really pull my costume together.

Short context: It's a military LARP, in which all players belong to units fighting a number of set-piece battles, drinking, brawling and having a good time in camp between the battles. My "faction" is Averland, a part of the Old World Empire. So the theme is landsknechts/early modern, but I'm part of a new skirmish unit who are not classic warhammer soldiers, instead being RIVER PIRATES :getin::hf::pirate:

I haven't made an outfit from scratch before, but I want to at least embellish a base set of pants and shirt with a really good hat, thematic purity seals and a good finish for my pistol. Averlands colours are black and yellow, and our primary squad uses red as a complementary colour.. However, being forced soldiers with a criminal/irregular background, they might not have to use the strict colour scheme.

So, I guess I'm looking for:
good tips for a beginner on how to pull an outfit together
ideas for looking like a mean authentic early modern river pirate
good ideas for hat decoration

As far as putting an outfit together goes, there's a few things to keep in mind. This is a LARP event, so I have to imagine a lot of running/quick movements, so comfortable clothes are probably more of a focus rather than style. Also, because of that, you probably want items that are good with getting sweaty in, or don't mind getting full of dirt and mud. IDK, maybe this is a less active LARP, but that will have an influence over how you dress. When you say pirate I see one thing, but then you say landsknechts and I see something else entirely. I'm not sure which is closer to what your mental image is. In either case, tights would probably be a good starting point, with maybe basic flat, ballet style slippers (again, if you are going to be running or on your feet all day, do something with support instead). If landsknechts are your style, maybe buy one pair black and another yellow, cut the leg off of one, and then wear it over the full set like an extra long sock. This would probably have to be pinned in place if you can't sew, and sewing stretch material can be kind of difficult. If going for more classical pirate, then flesh colored tights, and then some baggy shorts worn over that, with frayed or torn cuffs.

I'm not super familiar with Warhammer specifically, but this is a fantasy setting with Skaven or Orks, right? If that's the case, and you want to be a mean, dirty pirate, accessorize with trophies of either Ork ears, Skaven tails or teeth from either faction as is setting appropriate. Any of those would be good spare decorations or hat specific ones. If you are going to buy fake plastic teeth/fangs, they are probably going to be bright white to maybe slightly off white. Do a blackwash (black paint thinned with water, applied heavy, then wiped off with a paper towel) to give some quick aging.

For authenticity, I believe only captains would have the traditional "taco" style, pirate hat, but the Jack Sparrow tri-corner style would probably be good. Otherwise a bandanna or do-rag style head cover would probably be accurate, and less upsetting if it gets damaged or lost during a LARP fracas.

Tias
May 25, 2008

Pictured: the patron saint of internet political arguments (probably)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund
Amazing advice, thanks! I could definitely go for the skaven tails.

Pirates have been around forever, but Warhammer Fantasys human empire is heavily influenced by the 30 yr war and early modern period, which means fancy costumes, plate armour and firearms. However, we're a non-armoured unit with pistols, swords and whatever we decide is a "river pirate" uniform, so any kind of inspiration and feedback is welcome.

It's a lot of running and swordfighting (using rigid latex weapons) so I'll definitely err on the side of practical wear.

Tias fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Jan 22, 2024

Ashcans
Jan 2, 2006

Let's do the space-time warp again!

It sounds like the vibe you are going for is like the old Free Company Militia - basically less-professional people added to the force as mercenaries or levies, perhaps more informal units. There is some decent art out there to help you get inspired, but also important is that they have plenty of variation so you can play around with what you want to wear:



You can also look for some historical inspiration - I would recommend trying to look for 17th century paintings of sailors, ports, etc. Often you can peer around and see some people in an example of basic clothing. You can throw in different cities, areas, etc. to try and find different looks:





As you can see, you might wear something like hose and slippers/light shoes, with baggier breeches. A lot of working sailors look to have skipped the hose and shoes and worked barefoot/legged - remember that clothing is time-consuming and expensive, so people will spare it from heavy wear, and also reuse/repair it as much as possible. We're a long way from fast fashion! There's also a variety of tops; you can see some people working shirtless, other people in vests, loose shirts, or wearing some kind of doublet or coat.

If you have a group you can maybe see what a good common base is and work from there. Maybe you wear breeches slashed with your company colors, or bicolored hose like CzarChasm suggested. If you get a common element it helps tie the group together across other differences in individual looks.

As general advice, there are a couple of things I would suggest:

Avoid any 'costume' fabrics, or synthetic fabrics as much as possible. Try to use natural fibers that would be setting appropriate like cotton, linen, or wool. Try and match your choices to what the purpose of the garment is; inner layers can be a light and breathable linen or cotton, outer layers can be heavier broadcloth or even canvas (sailors would sometimes make work pants out of old sail fabric because it was hard-wearing). If you want fabric to look fancy, maybe look for something with a woven pattern (upholstery fabric can be a good choice for things like jackets and doublets).

The best way to make an outfit look like clothing and not a costume is to make sure it is built and layered properly. A lot of costumes look bad because they're made with cheap synthetic fabric (see above) and because they try to emulate an appears in one garment, when it's actually several stacked up. Getting all those layers together and making sure they're correctly made (ie, a doublet should be lined, was usually quilted or padded, and is layered over at least one other garment and sometimes below another!) This is also to your benefit; if your costume is arranged in layers, then you can add and subtract to suit the occasion, weather, and temperature while still looking appropriate. The other things that makes it look right is having been worn to get a 'lived in' look to it - that will come along naturally, but is another reason to avoid cheap fabrics that won't actually hold up for long.

Lastly, accessories and tools are a great way to build onto a costume and make it seem authentic. If you are going to be a pistoleer, you can add some sort of strap or belt for ammunition and charges. Historically musketeers wore a pretty elaborate setup to let them reload quicker in the fight:

All those little dangly things on his cross harness are individual charges so they can reload without measuring powder; they'd also have a pouch for shot and a little bottle/flask for primer as well as fuse for the weapon. You'll probably also have some sort of sidesword or hatchet/etc. You likely don't need to worry about carrying all your camp supplies, but you might want/need some sort of pouch of satchel for things needed 'in the field'. You can also think about who your character is and what they might carry - maybe mementos from home, religious icons, charms? As a river pirate you might carry your personal wealth on you in the form of jewelry or decorations. I like the idea above about world-specific trophies, too.

For hats, you have lots of choices. You could use something like the landsknecht flat caps, but big wide musketeer hats (one side pinned up or not) and even the tall pillbox 'pilgrim' hat are all possible. You can also use a tricorner, those are I think just derived from essentially the musketeer design with three sides pinned. All benefit from feathers or other decorations; you can use ribbons around the crown, or pins or brooches holding feathers etc. Keep in mind you'll need to carry it on your head and keep it on, though.

Tias
May 25, 2008

Pictured: the patron saint of internet political arguments (probably)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund
Amazing feedback, thanks! I'll definitely consider a doublet and perhaps some inner fabric. Last time (when I went as a pikeman) I just had my thermal underpants below the actual custome pants which was fine - sometimes I'd even dispense with it, because running in plate armour in the Danish spring turned out to be plenty hot enough.

Also great point in the pistol accessories. Current ideas are a thong with a rabbit's foot and a charm with an "X" on it (as these guys obviously also worship Ranald the outlaw), but I'm beginning to understand how wide my options are..

Doctor Zero
Sep 21, 2002

Would you like a jelly baby?
It's been in my pocket through 4 regenerations,
but it's still good.

Proving that I have more money than sense, I now have the most accurate Colonial Marines armor you can get without owning an original set. I'm 3d printing a shoulder lamp right now, and modifying / fixing / upgrading the resin pulse rifle I bought waaaaaaay back when no companies were making replicas. I can post pics of all that jazz and I can also answer questions about the armor. Are people interested?









Do you recognize this man?

my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

Very interested!

CzarChasm
Mar 14, 2009

I don't like it when you're watching me eat.

Doctor Zero posted:

Do you recognize this man?


I immediately heard this in Robert Stack's voice, and now I have the urge to call 800-876-5353 with information.

deoju
Jul 11, 2004

All the pieces matter.
Nap Ghost
That's Terry English. The guy who did the original armor.

https://youtu.be/vib1-V8ArzM?si=dvRLgDQA35HiKiYU

Also yes I'm interested.

Doctor Zero
Sep 21, 2002

Would you like a jelly baby?
It's been in my pocket through 4 regenerations,
but it's still good.

Okay then!

Im at a convention this weekend, so haven’t had much time but here are a couple things.

Shoulder lamp:

The guy that works with Terry to take orders, ship, etc. is Rob from Chefs Creations. (https://chefscreations.co.uk). I put in for a shoulder lamp kit but they are backlogged a few months and I wanted to get this whole thing together enough to wear at Pax East, so I went looking for 3d version I could print myself and found a good one on Cults.

There are nearly no instructions, but the parts look well done and accurate.


Pulse Rifle:

Way back at the end of the Cretaceous, I bought the resin pulse rifle from Nathan McKenna who at the time built it with a working ammo counter and had it online. I’ll have to see if I can necro that website, but regardless I pulled it out and found that it needed repair. Parts were starting to rattle around since the almost 30 year old (jeezus …:corsair:) glue was starting to give. I’ll dig up the old pics of it whole, but here are the guts.

The “thomson” parts were never well attached to the frame in the first place. I’m trying to figure out a way to do that without screwing up the electronics or changing the outside. I’m leaning toward just pulling the electronics out and replacing them with an Arduino or something. Haven’t decided yet. I’m not sure if this thing has any kind of provenance - I’ll have to do some digging. Regardless, the barrel is janky in several chunks of different sizes that are barely attached to the rear parts, so I ordered an appropriately sized steel tube to replace it. Will also give it more heft.

Pics:






Oh, I also started 3d printing a new one. This one I WILL put an arduino soundboard in.

Doctor Zero fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Feb 11, 2024

Deviant
Sep 26, 2003

i've forgotten all of your names.




oh sure i can build a new prop 4 days before katsucon :suicide:

(XTC 3D curing, next is the crest and paint)

deoju
Jul 11, 2004

All the pieces matter.
Nap Ghost
Anybody got tips for aging/distressing boots?
These would go perfectly with my favorite outfit, but they are too fresh.

Also tips on breaking them in would be rad too. Those spots marked with blue tape are where they hurt.

Doctor Zero posted:

Pulse Rifle:

Rad AF, btw

deoju fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Feb 21, 2024

my cat is norris
Mar 11, 2010

#onecallcat

Hairdryer! If those are leather, hit em with the hairdryer until they're plenty pliable, then wear them around.

Wear and tear looks best when naturally done, so try to do some hiking or poo poo once they're more broken in. If time is short, concentrate on the breaking in part, then do what you can to scuff 'em and dirty 'em up. Shaking them around in a tote bag with a bunch of dirty rocks is a good start depending on what you're going for.

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Doctor Zero
Sep 21, 2002

Would you like a jelly baby?
It's been in my pocket through 4 regenerations,
but it's still good.

Been working on the back lamp lately and also fell totally down the rabbit hole with the idea of upgrading the pulse rifle's electronics.

Here's better pics of the armor at least. I got these BDUs that I know aren't really authentic, but they have muted colors without dark brown blotches.















I'm not sure how to mount the back lamp since the side brace thing doesn't line up with the side of the unit like I would expect. Probably have to email them and ask how it's supposed to work. I looked everywhere online and while I can see some of the original armor had the same bits, I can't find good pics showing exactly how the lamp is mounted.









For gently caress's sake someone make me stop trying to build new pulse rifles. :argh:


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