Best Material for Gunblade?

Lady Subaru · Post by **Lady Subaru** » Sat Aug 21, 2004 12:38 pm

So far I've heard Pine and MDF Board are good to use... but I need to find materials that are cheap yet at the sametime are great (I have no idea how much Pine and MDF Board cost). I don't know much about prop making and stuff, so can anyone help me? ^^;

Dark_Tiger · Post by **Dark_Tiger** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:47 am

For the blade bit? I'd use bondo with a steel wire support structure, bondo & plexiglass, bondo & hardboard, white (not knotty) pine, or poplar. Those are listed in increasing order of weight.

Lady Subaru · Post by **Lady Subaru** » Sun Aug 22, 2004 3:44 pm

For the whole thing basically x.x;...

Bondo? What is that o.o;;...

Dark_Tiger · Post by **Dark_Tiger** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 4:09 pm

Yah, as I look at that, someone with no experience in accessories frabication wouldn't be able to follow that. The bad news is that gunblades are so easy to get wrong that I'm going to get confusing.

Anyway, all about Bondo:

Bondo is the greatest thing on earth. You know that ugly green stuff they use to patch holes in a car body? That's bondo. I've seen some people call it fiberglass (which it really isn't) or a composite plastic (which it is.) Whichever, it's light, is sandable once dried, when mixed properly has the consistincy of peanut butter (creamy) and dries fairly strong.

The bad news: If you use it indoors, you will die. Also, it is this awful shade of green, so you have to prime before you paint. Use of gloves is a VERY good idea, and there is a learning curve with this stuff.

Laura92 · Post by **Laura92** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 4:35 pm

I'd use a light wood. But I suck at props...*eep*

Dark_Tiger · Post by **Dark_Tiger** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:07 pm

heh. My first instinct with any weapon is to go for the plastic. Although you can make a plastic weapon just as dangerous as anything made of metal or wood (not that I do, mind) hardly anyone disallows plastic.

Hemuloki-sama · Post by **Hemuloki-sama** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:18 pm

Pine at my local hardware store only costs about $3....it's the stuff you shape it with that's expensive but my Father already had that.

Laura92 · Post by **Laura92** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 5:01 am

also, I used sealed foam alot (I dont know how useful it'll be for a gunblade though) its just regular, annoying foam, but there's a product out there called foam finish that you coat the foam with, and it makes it hard and paintable. It wont shed anymore like regular foam. Its nice, if you needed to use foam on something.

Dark_Tiger · Post by **Dark_Tiger** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 10:16 am

Laura92 wrote:also, I used sealed foam alot (I dont know how useful it'll be for a gunblade though) its just regular, annoying foam, but there's a product out there called foam finish that you coat the foam with, and it makes it hard and paintable. It wont shed anymore like regular foam. Its nice, if you needed to use foam on something.

Foam Finish? Where do you get it and what form does it come in? I've tried just painting on some liquid rubber, with mixed results.

Laura92 · Post by **Laura92** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 10:19 am

i got mine at a local craft store, it just comes in a little plastic jug and you kinda paint it on.