Save Yo' Worbla Scraps or How to Do Something Other Than Sandwiching Craft Foam with Worbla or Why Do I Have This Bag of Worbla Scraps That Everyone Thinks is Broken Tortilla Chips?
Save Yo’ Worbla Scraps or How to Do Something Other Than Sandwiching Craft Foam with Worbla or Why Do I Have This Bag of Worbla Scraps That Everyone Thinks is Broken Tortilla Chips?
So, Worbla is like really cool. The coolest. You literally don’t need to waste any of it. Yeah, it’s really expensive, but you’ll use every cent of that investment as long as you prepare for it. Case and point.
Save that stuff. Save every last bit of it. Even the teeny tiny pieces. They’re all still usable. But first you gotta gather up a bunch and make a pile.
Steps to making the shield for my Unicorn Knight!
I tried to remember to take pics along every step of the way!
I did a full writeup on each step, and posted them on my (completely free) Patreon ( www.patreon.com/AmazonMandy ) if you want to read about each step!
I'm almost done with this costume, I hope to finish the sword next!
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Did a little worbla testing today to help me decide what I wanted for my Rose Quartz armor. So here's a quick rundown. On the left are my samples with foam sandwiched between them and from top to bottom, worbla mesh, black worbla, worbla finest art. I've used finest art before so I had a good idea what to expect and it's kind of my control piece. The black worbla was great. I got really nice edges with it. The worbla mesh I had trouble with. It got kinda gummy and the edges didn't smooth super great because of it. You can see my issues in the top right pic. I'll blame user error but not what I want to bet my whole armor on. On the bottom left was some further efforts with the black worbla. I tried some thinner foam strips to see how detailed I could get and it's pretty cool. Held up well under the stress of the tight curve I made and being stressed over the foam. So basically based on my results I'm going with the black worbla. Easiest to use and it has the smoothest texture without sanding.
My Worbla crafting tutorial book is available as E-book (direct download!) and as physical book wich comes SIGNED!! Learn all about how I create details on my Worbla projects! Get yours at: Www.pretzlcosplay.com/shopping
I've been asked many times how I sealed the Worbla on my Wrathion costume for it to look this smooth. I don't have progress pictures but I can explain since it's pretty straightforward. This technique not only allows you to have a smooth surface, it gives you the chance to refine the shape and erase seams if, like me, you're unable to form Worbla perfectly. Also, if you use a flexible paint and varnish on top, your piece will remain bendable without cracking.
1. Take the time to shape the Worbla as best as you can. A soldering iron is an invaluable tool for this.
2. Apply 1 coat of liquid gesso so that what we put on top adheres better (even though we're talking about plastic and it unfortunately won't adhere perfectly even then).
3. Apply 2 very thick layers of super heavy gesso. It's gesso with the consistency of greek yogourt or cake icing. It's very hard to apply smoothly but all we want here is as much thickness as possible without loosing sight of the Worbla's shape underneath. Since super heavy gesso remains slightly malleable when dry and can be vulnerable to hits, I prefer stopping after 2 layers for the bare minimum and therefore less fragility.
4. After at least 36 hours of drying, you're ready to sand. You're basically resculpting your armor and correcting any flaws in the shape. I use coarse sandpaper for this (40-60 grit).
5. If you've pierced through to the Worbla, fill the hole with super heavy gesso and sand more delicately in that spot.
6. If you need your piece of armor to remain flexible, apply 1 last thin super heavy gesso coat with a paint spatula or knife and use a fine sandpaper (~220 grit) to even everything out. You're now ready to paint.
7. If your armor does not need to bend, you can achieve greater precision with a primer in spray. I apply 4 thick coats and sand into the final shape with 100-150 grit. Since in some places you'll have uncovered the super heavy gesso underneath, and considering that paint may be absorbed differently by the primer and the gesso, put 2 thin final coats of primer and polish down the spray texture with a used 220 grit sandpaper. You're now ready to paint.
This sealing technique takes me around 10 days, but it's 10 days of inactive drying time for the most part. You do have to sand everything a total of 3 times, however a lot less time is put into applying layers than with the liquid gesso or wood glue methods. The surface remains slightly vulnerable to hits and sharp objects but not significantly more so than any other painted surfaces.
I won't say that this is the best technique to seal Worbla but it's what I found works well through experimenting. I hope this helps, and I'm all ears if anyone has advice or suggestions!
