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So... much... Manservice.

Although I see nothing wrong with it, post this here:

http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,14641.0.html

I wouldn't use wood glue. Wood glue and duct tape or something around the outside helping support it.

Not sure if that's right, but you just stated not to use wood glue, then advocated using it.

Anyway, duct tape makes things look "last minute" shoddy, and it is VERY hard to paint over it. I would refrain from using it unless you have to. Wood glue when sanded down bonds items tightly together and is easily painted over.

Thanks for all the tips!


For the pole, do they make wooden dowels long enough? I've only seen the short (2-3") kind, not ones 6" tall like I need.

And yes, I'd like the shell part of the hammer removeable from the pole for easier trandport and storage. Any ideas on how to make it so I can take it off when I need but so it will stay on when it is on?

I would just buy two and bond them together via wood glue.

That is a tricky one (I don't have much expertise in removable staffs), but how I would do it would be to use a dremmel and sand down the pole end/hammer base to make a niche for the pole and hammer and connect them. Though this process takes more time and effort. Shouldn't be TOO hard if you use the clay and make an indentation on where to attach the two.

I'm thinking maybe PVC pipe (lightweight, sturdy), but I'm afraid it might bend, even though it won't be too long (under 6') and the hammer portion isn't all -that- heavy (though still unfinished). I'm afraid that a wooden pole might be too heavy for me to carry around half the day. Any advice?

Use a thick dowel. They sell these at just about every craft store (I go to Michaels).

Once I get a pole, I want to attach it in a way that it can be removed easily for transport. I was thinking that I could just make a chamber the same size as the end of the pole on the underside of my hammer, but I'm scared of it slipping off too easily. Any advice for that? Could I maybe pad out my pole on the top in order to give it a tighter fit but still make it removeable?

Use wood glue or any bonder really. Just make sure to sand it afterwords.

As for the clay, I want something that is air drying but very lightweight. I already have the three main ridges on the shell (built up out of my craft foam), so I just need to define them slightly and build up the spikes. I don't have a lot of clay experience, so I'd like some advice on that, as well.

There are various "clays" you could use.

1) DAS airdray clay: works VERY well and light weight enough to carry around on top of a pole. It's a little bit on the expensive side ($8 for a bag). It dries relatively fast, so using gloves helps out the process a lot. Some problems I've encountered with it is that it tends to leave some bumps if you don't work at it well enough. Problem is fixed with light sanding though. Also, once it's dried you can't really add more on top of the dried clay (it'll slide right off).

2) Sculpy and other assorted brands: Light-wieght, easy to use, but requires you to bake it. It's $4 for a small square, so it's fairly expensive. I only use this for the small details like spikes/swirls/etc.

3) Craft Model Magic: The lightest substance you can get. When I say light, I mean paper light. It's not really clay, but it works just as well for sculpting/kneading. It's also not that expensive ($4 for a bag). Unlike DAS, you can continue to stack more of the product on already dried parts. The only problem is that it is difficult to use because it leaves bumps and will generally annoy you. It's also a tad bit difficult to sand because it's not really a hard product, but more like... dried foam. It takes about 2-3 days to dry, and even then it's still soft. The ways to counter these problems is to sand carefully and seal it after it becomes "hard."

There's one more which name eludes me, but it's basically DAS but better. As such it's more expensive ($11 a bag).

...and speaking of clay (haha, I have too many questions!), I just thought of another problem. I was going to make the spiraly bit coming off of the bottom of the shell base and wrapping around the pole out of clay, as well. How would I attach that, and would it be sturdier to attach that to the pole itself or to the bottom of the shell? If I attatched it to the shell, it would help hold on the pole, I would think, but would be more delicate once I removed the hammer from the pole. If i attached it to the pole, I'm afraid of it falling off.

Of the clays I mentioned, both sculpy and model magic works fine with the wrapping. I would just make the whole shell connected to the pole via clay (after attaching it properly of course) to make it one big hammer (or were you looking to make it into 2 parts?)

Oh God, and I have to figure out how to make those spikes on my armwarmers without poking myself in the eye with them. ;o;

Model Magic, it won't hurt much if you poke yourself with it.

It's always more fun to be someone else other than yourself. Cons don't happen very often, and the rest of the year is filled with mundane everyday life, so it's always fun to dress up and pretend as your favorite characters.

I do it for the experiences and memories. When you get older there will be less and less chances that you will be able to do things like this (natural aging, gaining weight, etc) so it's good to use your youth as long as you can. Making my costumes lets me use some of the skills I picked up in everyday life.

I spent a good amount of time watching the stream today...it actually was pretty entertaining at some parts.

The only bad part was when the /b/-tards came out to play and insulted/made pedo comments about everything. If they came to Fanime and asked me to show off my cosplay, I'd probably run in the other direction rather than see the trolls bash it.

Other than that, it really was pretty good. I do wish we could have them come to Fanime, because I think this definitely made people more interested in attending Sakura-con. I think it'd have the same effect for us.

I agree, it was amazingly entertaining to see what some people did for their cosplays. I ignored most of the comments for that very reason.

Not to rain on your parade, but, this does not constitute Serious Business very much...

This is in fact EXTREMELY serious to those who buy/read manga. This means that there will be a discontinue on my currently read manga.

Same here, no E-mail was sent to me.

So the big question is, "do you want to chance yourself and possibly cause major damage to your eyes, or would you be willing to shell the money?"

In my opinion, yes you should correctly measure your eyes and (if you aren't already) get adjusted to wearing contacts. The first week I had my new contacts it took a lot to get used to and I had some problems (red, sore eyes), but eventually my eyes got used to it and now I can wear them fine without much trouble. And yea, it is somewhat of a hassle to maintain. I have 3 special ones that I have to clean every now and then, even if I'm not wearing them.

I have purchased the contacts at the con before and it is very unlucky, but not everyone can wear them. I remember buying two different pairs (vampire red and blue) and found that I could not fit them into my eyes.

Ultimately, it is your decision. Your eyes are important to you, so do your best to take care of them.

Is there any more information about the At-Con limited services for pre-recording and mixing?

And is it possible to change costumes (or something more comfortable) after the skit/performance is over (after the "Photo Area")? I ask because I plan to be in something doesn't breath very well and it becomes hot/humid VERY quickly.

Since it's on a Sunday now, I'll be there.

I'll be a witch in gothic lolita with 4 wings and a magical staff.

I'll be EMS Uchiha Madara on Friday.

On Saturday I'll be Deva Realm Pain for the gathering. It's also the last time I'll be wearing this costume, so I'm hoping for fun.

Reposting, still looking for any pictures of Pain (from Naruto).



I'm the one on the left.

Does anyone have pictures of Pain anywhere? I was the one with the black nose piercings, ear industrials, and ear piercings. I couldn't make it to the gathering on Sunday because I was a little late having to put on the piercings. Thanks.

Friday: Pain
Saturday: Pain
Sunday: Lolita dress / Pain
Monday: Genis Sage

If anyone has any pictures let me know please.