Another tip for gluing foam with hot glue! This is the last one for now, and I have some Genos progress photos coming soon.
You probably have seen cosplayers achieve almost invisible seams when using contact cement to glue together EVA foam edges into dome shaped armor. This is impossible with hot glue since the edges don’t bond instantly. However, here is a method that creates hot glue seams that look almost as good as contact cement seams!
(Pictures are ordered left to right, top to bottom)
1. Cut out the pieces of foam that need to be glued together.
2. Using a heat gun, heat form the foam pieces to whatever shape they need to be.
3. Using Scotch tape or another type of tape that won’t mar the foam surface, tape the two edges that need gluing together. Start with one piece of tape, press the edges as flush as possible, and quickly tape it together. Work your way to the other end of the piece, pressing the edges flush and taping them as you go. Overlap each strip of tape over the previous strip.
4. This is what it should like when the edges are taped together.
5. Flip the armor piece over to the backside. Starting at one end of the seam, press the tip of your hot glue gun in between the two edges of the seam.
6. Slowly start squeezing hot glue into the seam, carefully sliding the hot glue gun tip between the seam edges. As you glue, press the tip of the glue gun as deep into the seam as possible. You will feel a lot of resistance, but don’t be afraid to press hard.
7. Once you finish gluing the seam, squeeze some excess hot glue over the seam to make it more durable. Let it cool completely.
8. Flip the armor piece to the right side and carefully peel off the tape.
9. This is what the finished seam looks like! It isn’t perfect, but it is far cleaner than trying to hot glue the seams together without taping them first.
Using hot glue for gluing seams will yield a less durable and less seamless result than contact cement. If you want maximum durability, use contact cement.
Let me know if you have any questions!
