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About PVC and tips to use it for cosplay

Aug 28 at 5:05am by admin

In our post About the method to make armor in cosplaying, we have introduce the material of PVC to make cosplay armor, and today, we just wanna further share some bacis ideas of PVC pipe and also some tips to use it for making cosplay armor.

PVC pipe is very handy for things like staff handles, and thanks to my dad (who works in construction, hello uber useful freebies! XD) I’ve collected a bit of knowledge about working with the stuff that I would like to pass on.

1. Selecting size
What I tend to do as far as judging size and length, is just to eyeball it. That tends to work well for me. Consider your other pieces, how it all needs to fit together, and select accordingly. Try to get some with thicker walls, because thinner walls will make it wobbly.

BE SURE YOU’RE WEARING GLOVES/MASK WHERE APPROPRIATE that is, if you can’t do this stuff outside. But outside is definately recommended because not only is some of the stuff recommended a little fumy, it’s messy too.

2. Prepping
Odds are good (almost 100%) that you’ll need to paint it. But there’s one pesky thing about PVC pipe. It has all that size and code number stuff printed on the side of it. You have two options (but first be sure any UPC codes/price tags are off your pipe):

a. Paint thinner
When my dad did this (because he’s got those construction worker sandpaper hands and all, but gloves are recommended otherwise) it didn’t work very well. But he said it used to just take it off like sidewalk chalk on the ground and a hose. So if you’ve got some older pipe, give it a try, but odds are good it won’t work very well. It did come off, but it was slow. This is good if you don’t want to violate the structural integrity of your pipe.

b. Sandpaper
This works great, and it’s quick. Roll some sandpaper (I used 120 grit, one sheet about the size of a regular piece of computer paper) around your pipe, and just sand those numbers off. If it seems like you’re not getting anywhere, move to a fresh spot on your paper. This method has an added benefit of being a sort of priming for your paint. Also, as you can imagine, it’s a little messy, so do this outside if you can, you’ll have white powder everywhere.

c. Primer
This is one I have not tried, but if you can find some sort of white enamel primer, then that could work too, but it’d require heavy coating.

3. Paint
Enamel paint would be best to put on it, according to my dad. It can grab onto the plastic in ways acrylic can’t. There’s one problem, though and since enamel paint is usually outdoor paint, color selection can be limited. If you need a color that you can’t find in the available colors, you can try to have it mixed in the store (I think Lowe’s and Sherwin-Williams do this, I’m sure others do too) or consider an enamel primer, and a different sort of paint. But ask the painting guy in the store first, he’d know what’s best.

My paint is going on great, I still have some more coats in my future, though.

Tips for making props with PVC pipe

PVC pipe, standing for polyvinyl chloride pipe, is a kind of material used for making different things like staff handles. In the following parts I’ll present you some tips about making things with PVC.

First is to select the proper size. What I tend to do when selecting the size and length of it is to barely eyeball it. Consider what you’re going to make, how it all needs to make together, and select accordingly. And try to get thicker pieces, for thinner ones will make it wobbly. When you’re in touch with the material, make sure you’re wearing gloves or mask where you need them. For the PVC is fumy, messy and poisonous.

Second is prepping. You can see outside of the PVC it has the size and code number on it. After you remove the tags, you have the following two options to paint it.

a. Paint thinner: it works well with some old pipe. However it may fall sometimes because the color may come off. Another advantage is this method won’t damage the integrity of your pipe.

b. Sandpaper: this is almost the best way. Sand the number on your paper with your sandpaper rolled. You’ll find the procedure brings a lot of powder, so you can do this job outside your home in order to get rid of them.

c. Primer: if you can find this white enamel primer, then it would work too.

The third part is to paint. According to my experience enamel paint would be the best to put on, because it grabs onto the plastic that acrylic cannot. Only problem is you may not find the right color you need, so you have to mix two or more colors together to get what you want. Ask the seller or some painting veteran to help you get it and remember to paint it outside.

Last, anyone who wants to offer his/her advices, just bring it on.