Preface v
Acknowledgements xiii
Part I Prototypes and One-Offs
 Building with Sheets and Tubes 3
Starting Off Easy
Starting Off Simple 4
Battle Axe for the Wolf Warrior 8
Hunter’s Rifle 18
 Working with Pepakura 29
Print a Science Fiction Helmet on
Your Inkjet
Pepakura Boot Camp 30
Putting Pepakura toWork 35
Making It Hard 43
Making It Smooth 50
Detailing 53
 EVA Foam 57
Turning Floor Mats into Armor
Sourcing: Where to GetFoam 58
The Basics: Making Foam Obey Your
EveryWhim 59
Patterning 64
Final Detailing 77
Prepping for Paint 79
Paint! 80
 3D Printing and CNC Carving 81
Let the Robots Do the Work
Part II Molding and Casting
 Mold-Making Basics 87
Leave a Lasting Impression
The Simplest Molds Ever 88
Mold-Making Material 88
Mold-Making Terminology 89
 One-Piece Molds 93
You’ve Got to Start Somewhere
Easy Version: A Part with a Flat Backside 93
Slightly Harder Version: A Piece with
Details on All Sides 101
 Multi-Piece Molds 109
When You Need to See Both Sides
Starting Simple: A Two-Part Mold
with a Mold Box 110
Not So Simple: A Three-Piece Silicone
Rubber Jacket Mold with a
Mother Mold 117
A Few Tips and Tricks for Better Castings 131
 Molds for Rotocasting 133
Bigger Doesn’t Have to Cost More
Prepare the Prototype 135
Prepare the Work Space 136
Building Up the RubberJacket 136
Building the MotherMold 140
Rotocasting 147
Trimming and Prepping the Cast
Part for Painting 150
Part III Vacuum Forming
 Vacforming Basics 155
Make Factory-Looking Parts at Home
Terminology 156
Designing the FormingBucks 156
Building the Forming Bucks 157
Choosing Plastics for Vacforming 163
The Simplest Possible Vacforming Setup 164
 Build Your Own Vacuum
Forming Machine 175
Step Up Your Game by Stepping Out
of the Kitchen
Begin by Building the Clamping Frame 176
Heat Sources 179
Common Configurations 180
Building the Platen 183
Vacuum Sources 184
Putting It to Work 188
Part IV Painting and Weathering
 Basecoats and Masking 193
Building a Believable Finish Starts with a
Solid Foundation
More Than You Ever Wanted to Know
About Paint 194
Basecoats: Building a Believable Finish
Starts with a Solid Foundation 196
Masking and Stenciling 205
 Faux Finishes 209
Making Something into Something Else
Metal 210
Leather 212
Wood Grain 214
Carbon Fiber 218
 Weathering 221
The Fastest Way to Wear and Tear
Additive Weathering 222
Subtractive Weathering 227
Mud 230
Rust 231
The Path to Patina 236
Scorches and Burn Marks 237
Burnt Metal 238
Blood Spatter 239
Part V Bringing it All Together
 Strapping and Padding 245
Hold Yourself Together!
Padding 246
Armor Attachment Options 247
Strapping Materials 249
Buckles and Related Hardware 249
How to Attach Straps toStuff 250
Design Considerations for Strapping
Your Armor Together 253
The Tricky Bits 254
Odds and Ends: A Few More
Strapping Tips 260
 Showing Off 263
Now That You've Got It, Flaunt It!
Handlers 263
Field Repair Kit 264
Posing for Photos 265
Planned Photoshoots 266
Index 269