#longfall boots

[zappender]

[coolyourdools]

Also for tomorrow I made myself some comfy chell shoes. These are longfall-boot-esque while not having 4 inch heels, so I can actually wear them around a crowded convention floor (and on the train to get there). Pretty happy with them since I banged them out on a whim in about 45 minutes.

[nunc-pro-tunc]

Chell Progress - Longfall Boots

Outside of the portal gun, the most iconic part of Chell’s character design is the longfall boots, so I knew I’d have to come up with a way to keep to the steampunk theme of the outfit while still doing them justice.

I trawled the Internet for objects that I could use to achieve something close to my concept art, and then drafted a final plan incorporating those parts.  My plan was to use anti-gravity wedges (also known as “hoof boots”) as the base shoes, and build them up into knee-high boots with non-weight-bearing struts.

My final materials list was:

1 pair anti-gravity wedge heels 6 sheets 6mm EVA foam Barge cement White Rustoleum spray enamel 2 1.25″ brass center-bar buckles 1.25″ black elastic 3′ of 1/2 inch plastic conduit White boot laces Assorted gears 2 steel plant hangers/brackets 2 articulated friction arms 2 aluminum survival whistles 16 black elastic straps 32 brass D-rings for boot lacing Brass brads/decorative rivets Striped wood-grain Kona cotton fabric, 1/2 yd. Black lace Black Plasti-Dip (brush-on) Black paint pen Brass metallic paint

 After all the parts arrived, I built a makeshift mill in my living room to reshape the two steel strips I cannibalized from the plant hangers. Once they were the correct shape, I drilled holes through the strips to allow me to bolt them to the boots and the friction arms. Then I locked the arms down into the shape I’d drafted,  and bolted them through the steel struts.

Next came the first coat of paint on my base boots. 

I masked off the base (I didn’t really want to experiment with how well black Plasti-Dip agrees with white enamel Rustoleum over leather...)

I’ve let them dry for two days now, so the next step will be assembly of the upper shell of the boots, bolting on the struts, adding material to the boot tongues, and detail work.

[poison0ak]

"You are not a good person. You know that, right? Good people don't get up here"

[raritarous]

My Longfall Boot Peeps

My longfall boot tutorial has started to get a bit of attention again lately so I just wanted to say a few things to anyone interested. 

I am ALWAYS open to answering any questions about the tutorial, my boots, materials and how to use them, or anything else you want to know. My tumblr inbox is buggy so the chat is probably the best way to get a hold of me. 

I get lots of questions about commissions for the braces. (metal bars) Yes I do commissions BUT I am very busy right now. I have a lot of personal stuff going on and so I’m not taking on any project right now. Hopefully I am able to start taking projects again by the end of this month.

I do not take commissions for completed longfall boots. I just don’t sorry.

You can do it!!! I see a lot of you saying how you could never make these boots and, let me tell you, it’s not as hard as it looks. These boots where my first project. I idolized this prop-maker (still look up to him) and one day I got the guts to message him on facebook and tell him how much I liked his work and I could never make anything like that and bla bla bla. And you know what happened? He messaged me back and told me “Get some supplies, get your hands dirty. You will be surprised what you can do.” So I did, and I ended up with those boots. So you CAN do it. B E L I E V E  I N  Y O U R S E L F.

I will be forever grateful to Volpin for taking the time out of his life to respond to me and encourage me to just try. I know I don’t hold a candle to him in skill or popularity but if I could do the same thing for someone that he did for me...lets just say it would make me really happy. So see #1 I am always here to help!

That is all. You are all awesome! Have a good night or day or whatever time it is for you.

[raritarous]

Hello! I am in the process of working through your Long Fall tutorial ( Thank you by the way) and I was wondering how much fiberglass/resin you used to do the boots and what type of resin you went with. Fiberglass is completely new to me and I would hate to mess it up. Thank you!

Hello anon! 

I am glad the tutorial is helping you. If I remember correctly I purchased three yards of fiberglass to do my boots and it was way to much. Like 5 or 6 years later I still have like half of it left over. Although having too much is better then not enough and if you are planning to do more prop-making it is super useful to have some on hand. It keeps forever. Also if you have never worked with the stuff before I highly recommend getting extra to practice with first. 

As for the resin I have used two different brands and found them both sufficient. They were Lowe’s store brand and Auto Zone’s store brand I don’t remember the names, but they both work fine. Its all just laminating resin. The best piece of advice I can give you for buying resin is make sure the hardener is under the plastic cap before you buy it because sometimes people like to steal it. 

One last thing about the resin, I am sure I said this in the tutorial but NEVER poor the resin (after you mix in the hardener). Use a disposable paint brush to apply it. When you poor laminating resin it gets REALLY HOT. It can (and most likely will) light what you are pouring it onto on fire. 

Good luck and happy crafting :)

[thrifty-cosplay-tips]

The finale, Part 4, of the Longfall Boots Tutorial!

[thrifty-cosplay-tips]

Aaaand Part 3 of the Longfall Boots Tutorial!