I wanted to separate these into two posts so here's #2! #1 here.
What I also received yesterday was my order from @rosalind-hawkins of all 3D printed Millennium Items + Puzzle box as well as a pair of 3D printed Khopesh!
Unlike actual licensed Millennium Rods, this 3D one actually has the hidden blade! I'm however going to have to be very gentle with the blade when prepping it as the tip is very fine and fragile (might end up cutting it off a bit and reinforcing it to make sure it doesn't break during handling.)
I'm going to be focusing on sanding these over the next couple of months as well as sanding the mask that will be going with my Scion of Wepwawet AU TKB. (I started that over the weekend while it was gloomy weather)
Ya'll seen the body progress pics but time for the stuff that goes ON and WITH the body update!
Did a mock up of putting together the Millennium Rod to see how it would eventually look without glueing it together just yet. It's an amazing print and can't wait to start priming! (If you're interested in your own Millennium Items @rosalind-hawkins can print EVERY single one for an amazingly decent price!) Only problem I have as of right now is how loose the sheathe is with connecting to the rest of the rod but I'm going to attempt to use a similar fix that us model builders use to tighten old/loose joints on our Model Kits. It's essentially taking a clear nail polish and putting a light layer around the peg that connects into the socket. But honestly some layers of primer/paint might produce a similar result.
While at the hobby store yesterday I picked up some Krylon since I mentioned in a previous post that Rust-o-leum is unfortunately unsandable after application and was recommended Krylon paint and primer. Even if this ends up not being entirely sandable I'll still have them for the base colors of my stuff.
Real reason I went to the hobby store though?
Having time to think about it, I will be using the gold acrylic markers to paint the dark wood beads I intend to use for the TKB robe collar chain instead of using a rattle can. One reason being there is room for so much error and mess ups/smudges if I use a can paint as opposed to individually painting them.
And so far its hard to choose which marker I want to use.
They appear to be the same tint but it feels like one is more reflective and shiny than the other. The UMark Metallic Gold appears more vibrant where as the DecoColor is a little duller. But the DecoColor appears to be more reflective with light than the UMark brand. But because I have way more DecoColor, I will likely use it instead. The robe chain is one of the projects I'm putting off until Gremlin arrives because I'll be able to work on it while also attending to puppy supervision.
I will also likely hand sew the Shenti together rather than machine sew as it would help me personally produce a more accurate stitch. Machines sometimes move too fast. The Sash I will likely machine sew the velcro in but for the false folds I'll likely do those by hand as well. For me things are just less anxiety inducing when I have full control of the situation. While yes you CAN Control the machine.. I had a heavy foot and will make it go too fast lol.
I really need to paint some thing with the Krylon Metallic Gold and see if it'll match up with the DecoColor Gold. That would make doing touch ups SO much easier. Pray for me guys.
So it was a rather gloomy yet comfortable evening to tackle some sanding of the 3D printed Millennium Items I got from @rosalind-hawkins
I predominately worked on some of the Millennium Rod which was surprisingly easy to work with compared to previous work on the Khopesh hilt. (I attempted to tackle the Ring but.. uuh.. we're gonna hold off on that)
When it comes to sanding 3D projects you absolutely DO NOT need to sand the entire surface unless you're a masochist. Primer will fill in the subtle printed lines but what you need to work on is the parts that would undoubtedly take MULTIPLE fillings of primer to disappear. For example the back of the Millennium Rod's Spherical upper attachment. You can see the remnants of the center here that I've sanded down.
As well as miniscule raised surfaces that do not belong on the print itself as you can see this line I've smoothed out.
Once sanded properly these malformations MAY look like you'd be able to feel them but rest assured they are very smooth and will disappear into the projects initial primer coats.
For lines like these though? A few coats of previously mentioned primer will fill these in nicely and all you have to do is maybe follow up with a tiny bit of soft sanding to blend the surface nicely.
My primary focus for the rod though was smoothing out the 'sharp' contours of the wings. These were a lil more pronounced initially but I wanted a a lil smoother transition along the surface area.
And as for the actual sharp edges? Smoothed those out as well.
The unfortunate casualty though is the Rod's dagger tip did break off a lil more during its first sanding but its not bad at all and will be hardly noticeable. Probably safer this way as well. (Sorry Yamima, you get a slight handicap.)
3D print sanding tip though? For fine edges such as blade tips and sharp edges (like the Millennium rod's outer wing edges) Sand in one direction instead of a vigorous back and forth/side to side sanding motion. You will get a smoother finish on these.
Also wash your 3D prints after every sanding session.
AND AS ALWAYS WEAR A RESPERATOR FILTER MASK WHEN DOING ANY AND ALL SANDING PROJECTS!
Over the next few days before the weekend I'm going to try to tackle the rest of the items and then scour my local home improvement store on Saturday for a better primer than Rust-o-leum Primer for plastics because that shit is NOT sandable after it's been applied. Ruined a few sanding bits for my Dremel after 2-3 coats of this crap on a Leshy Mask.
Ravi Out!
A post by @ravij
It's been a bit since I've made any progress on this cosplay but now that Gremlin is a bit older and more settled in I decided to start tackling things. ◉‿◉
While the rest of Amurica was celebrating I was busy toiling away on TKB's neck chain that iirc was given to him by fans through fanart. I think he had one in the Manga? But I do not remember one in the Anime.
Ya'll remember this post from end of May in which I tested sequences. Well I decided to go with the red discs.
I started with setting up and measuring about 45 in (1.14 meters) length of cord. The idea is for a 37-38 in (0.93-.096 meters) chain but I'd need the extra length to tie it off. I clipped it off with a cloth clip so beads wouldn't go everywhere because I need both ends not knotted in order to tie it off.
The rest below the cut! 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜
So here's the bare bones mock up that I filled to nearly the ends. I will not be using all these but I will be painting them all. Total 28 olive beads, 28 sphere beads and 57 red discs.
Now that I have my beads and set up (I have tons of beads left over to potentially make 2-3 more chains) It was time to color with a gold acrylic paint marker. I had two brands to choose from but the DecoColor just popped more for me as seen in this previous test post, The DecoColor is just a bit more reflective and the sheen is sharper compared to UMark Metallic Gold. ദ്ദി ˉ꒳ˉ )
So I wore protective black gloves but I ran into the problem of smudging the paint while I turned it. Thankfully I'm a model kit builder/enthusiast who rattle cans sprues and plastic so I decided to reverse the purpose of my alligator clips. (The black bendy ones ended up being a pain in the ass so I went and grabbed the wooden stick ones from a long since dried project for doing the spheres.)
I waited about an hour then harvested the nuggets. Beautiful! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)
After all was said and done, we went from the left, to the right! Shiny and gold! ✦ω✦ Perfect for stealing!
Now it was time to rethread them and viola!
I went with a cross thread through the two end beads to create a seamless sequence and tied about 3-4 knots to ensure it would hold while also hiding the knot in the bead. I did indeed remove about 3 rice beads, 3 sphere beads, and 6 red discs.
And we're stylin! I'm going to try to find a way to make the chain lay a lil more spread like on the hanger without the use of pins as I want to be able to take off the robe (and it'd be a hassle to remove the pins every time) and lift the hood (which would reveal the pins). I'm thinking small snare hooks sewn into the robe and painted red to hide them. (╭ರ_•́) (Also please pardon the hair. I had to throw on clothes for this pic and really haven't fully gotten ready for the day :v)
Bonus of my support creature, Gremlin!
Side Note: I overestimated just how much paint was in each marker and I have a huge stockpile of UMark and DecoColor Gold Acrylic paint pens now of various sizes. :> Will likely use them on the Millennium items.
I can simply look to my left and its there. Motivation to work out. Motivation to tackle projects for the full fit.
October deadline is approaching. ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻) This month the wig is being worked on by Nipah, maybe I'll have it by July then I'll do a contact/make up test.
I recently bought a large glass marble backsplash plate because clear glass/acrylic/fiberglass is fucking expensive and I need an always clean, cold, smooth surface for making scars. I can't imagine wtf the guy who helped me out was thinking seeing me walk around the hardware store with this single 12 x 24 Smooth Marble backsplash under one arm and a 7.5 inch diameter - 6 inch deep PVC tube. But there I was walking out with them back to my apartment after not seeing anything else catch my eye LMAO
P.S. The PVC tube is going to be used for silicon mold pours for resin based pieces on another project.
Haha so as promised here's that Cosplay update! :D;;;
So I was running into a bit of a problem with our bare-chested, #1 Pharaoh hater and that is just it. His bare chest. I won't be getting top surgery until next year and I didn't want to wear a shirt or close up his tunic nor do I want to try binding tape. Then it hit me. I get a pretty flat chest with my daily binders and HOPEFULLY by the time October rolls around my stomach will be flatter and I have half tops that I use for work outs. So; without further ado... the set up!
I know it's hard to see but on the bottom left of my half binder top is some dirty Halloween costume mummy wraps. This is not the binder I'm going to use as this is my work out binder and they are required to be a bit bigger than your casual binders. (Pro Tip as a Transmasc: It is a must for FTM to have a binder that is a size or two bigger than your casual binders when working out. Do NOT wear your everydays to work out because they will suffocate you.) We also have some white elastic as I will have this be a removable piece and not a permanent addition to a binder.
I decided to do a mock up and will likely have to double up the layers so you can't see through it.
I think I have enough to fully wrap around my torso but need to wait on my new everyday half torso binders to arrive to really do any sort of measurements. I'm hoping I have enough material to also cover the binder straps but we'll see.
I will be hand sewing this as well. When its layered up its pretty durable but I'll see if I need to create a backing for it. Would have to be lightweight cause I will be wearing a binder under it.
post by @ravij
Follow @ravij for updates!
Allergies kicking my ass and my mood lately. Managed to work more on the "Staff of Ways" though for my AU TKB Scion of Wepwawet outfit.
Got the entire bottom end stripped yesterday while one of my unit neighbors was playing their music outside. Decided I'd use the free noise to get some work on it done.
I've made a lot of progress on it though. Nearly fully stripped of the base bark.
All that remains is the staff head and still debating getting some easier to carve wood blocks to carve the head of the Was scepter and find a way to attach it or if I should just simply decorate it with hieroglyph inscriptions/leather straps.
We'll see... still a long ways to go before this entire design for the whole thing is even realized.
Working on a concept that will be my first elaborate AU TKB cosplay. "Scion of Wepwawet Bakura"
Wepwawet is seen as a white wolf/jackal and is titled "Opener of Ways" as they open the way to and through the Duat for the dead to have safe passage. In some texts he is considered the brother of Anubis.
For Bakura's role as a Scion of Wepwawet, he goes out to gather wayward souls who either do not want to move on or who do not realize they are dead. His task is to convince them to move on to the Duat to continue their journey into the afterlife.
He will have some white fur motifs and a mix of ceremonial and light weight garb as some souls can be quite unwilling to move on if their deaths were excruciating or agonizing.
As weapons he wields a Khopesh and carries the "Staff of Ways" which is his conduit to open the door to the afterlife and allow souls to cross over.
