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 Durability of PVC Foam Board (Sintra)? Alternative plastic for armor?

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Cakes


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I've never worked with PVC Foam board so I bought a small 2mm thick sheet. It bent and molded pretty easy as apposed to a few other plastics I've used in the past but I'm concerned about it's durability.
I tend to be a little rough on my costumes and while playing with it the stuff seemed to bend pretty easy. How much better is the 6mm in resisting bending and will it last?

I'm leaning towards using regular PVC or Polypropylene instead. Any thoughts on either of these? Are they capable of being shaped by a heat gun?

Havelock


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I don't know about Polypropylene, but regular PVC can certainly be shaped with a heat gun.  It just takes a bit more effort.  But if you're going to play around more with Sintra (the foam board) - which is what a lot of Mercs use - then you'll definitely want at least 3mm, and 6mm is probably going to be your best bet.  For what it's worth, I'm using 6mm for my armor.

The 6mm is very sturdy in the size plates and configurations we use.  And it's still very light and, from what I understand, pretty durable.

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Malek Dair


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I'm knee deep in 3mm pVC here for my kit. I am finiding it a pleasure to work with. Cuts easy, heats and moulds well, plus its super light weight as Havelock stated.

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Havelock


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Plus, with a little PVC primer and cement, you can layer it to make it thicker and look more "armor-y." 

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Welkin


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I have 3mm for mine, which was pretty easy to work with, but the 6mm definitely gives you a thicker look and is a bit more durable over all.

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Yeah, 6mm is best for sintra, but if you have enough of the lighter stuff, you can layer it. Makes for an interesting look. :D

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Cakes


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Thanks for the info guys! I'll get some 6mm and see how it handles. The 2mm stuff I got was pretty easy to bend and put into shape which was nice.

 


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