How many pieces and what type does he need? Easy, inexpensive armor: For chain mail. Get a black sweater the nubbier the knit, the better. Dry brush silver paint onto the sweater. Do not soak it; just a light brushing will do. It looks like chain mail from a distance.
For helmet-- Get a wig stand. Make the shape you want out of modeling clay--Plasticine is what I use. Cover with a layer of Vaseline. Dip cheesecloth in watered down white glue--4 parts glue to one water, or until it's not so thick. Cover clay with cheesecloth. Next dip paper --brown bags or newspaper, in the glue and add a layer of paper. Continue adding layers of paper--3-5 should be enough. You can add details with rope or rolled paper, if desired. You can finish with another layer of cheesecloth, if you want. Let dry a bit between layers. The edges can be easily trimmed with scissors after it's all dry. Paint. For breastplates--make a base layer of cardboard, forming shape with additional layers of cardboard, sort of like a contour map. Add cheesecloth/paper/glue layers until desired shape. Paint. A more expensive/faster option for the body armor is to use Friendly Foam sheets. They look stiffer, though. And the glue doesn't always hold up. Sharon C. -----Original Message----- From: h-costume-boun...@indra.com [mailto:h-costume-boun...@indra.com] On Behalf Of Ruth Anne Baumgartner Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 3:03 PM To: Historical Costume Cc: Mark and Lucy Subject: [h-cost] Desperation request from a friend.. Hello the list. A friend is directing Man of La Mancha in his high school, and the place where he was expecting to rent armor is going out of business and has no armor. We're in Connecticut. Can anyone recommend a rental place, or else refer me to directions for building papier mache armor and helm, or offer any other suggestions? He says he might even be able to buy, but this would not be actual armor or replica armor, just stage stuff. This is not my period! Thanks-- Ruth Anne Baumgartner scholar gypsy and amateur costumer _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
