DIY Steampunk Shoulder Armor / Foam Armor Template

I made a mechanical arm pattern a while ago, and though it looked pretty epic by itself, I felt it would be even better if it was a part of a larger mechanical body armor piece. Those were the roots behind this steampunk shoulder armor, though it holds it's own very well all by itself, and, more than that, works well as a base for many different fantasy armor cosplays. Made from inexpensive EVA foam floor mats and hot glue, it is not beyond the skills and budget of the average crafter to make a costume piece worthy of a blockbuster movie!

In case you are wondering, yes this pattern does also fit most women as well.

Here are the tools and materials I used:

Video Tutorials: Part 1, Part 2

Pattern: I used the one that I created. You can find it on my website. It includes 3 different sizes.. ** When printing, make sure scale is set to ACTUAL SIZE**

5-8mm EVA Foam(paid link): This can be foam from a camping/exercise mat or the denser EVA foam found in anti-fatigue floor mat.

2 mm EVA foam(paid link): The larger the sheets, the better. This allows you to cut the long strips without needing to splice shorter ones together.

Very Sharp Knife(paid link): If it is not really sharp you will have a terrible time when you are cutting the foam. I use a surgical scalpel.

Gluing Surface: A surface that the hot glue won’t stick to - The ultimate surface is a silicone baking mat - nothing sticks to silicone!

Hot Glue Gun(paid link): I highly suggest a glue gun that has adjustable temperature. If you use a temperature just a little bit higher than the melting point of the glue, you will have fewer burnt fingers, and not have to hold pieces together as long as they cool.

Paint: I like to use artists acrylic paint. It tends to remain a little bit flexible when it dries. I used Liquitex Basics: Mars Black and Bronze as well as DecoArt Americana Decor Metallics: Vintage Brass, Silver, and Pewter (paid Links)

Vinyl Tubing (1/4” outside diameter): 50 cm is plenty.

2 old pens or a bit more (or 25 cm of 1/4" vinyl tubing)

Wire: I used 3m of old telephone wire.

Webbing: 25cm long x 25mm wide.

D-Ring: The width of your webbing.

Old Power Cord: 25cm.

Belt: Something you can cut up.

Corrugated hose: I used an old dishwasher drain hose - 20 mm diameter.

Blowdryer: Used for heating the foam so it can be shaped.

Rubber Gloves: Used for applying the metallic paste.

Gift Card: For making grooves in the foam.

Coarse sandpaper: To roughen up the foam and belt to prep for gluing.

Hole punches(paid link): 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm

Wire Cutters

Pliers: To bend the wire.

Super Glue: For gluing the wire to the foam.

5 minute 2 part epoxy(paid link): For making decorative rivets.

Scissors

Ruler

Cutting Surface: Somewhere to cut where you won’t be destroying anything.

Please note, the above links are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.It doesn't cost you any more though 😁

Some EVA foam contains a chemical called formamide. There are some people that say there isn't enough formamide in EVA mats to be harmful, and others that say there is. Do your research and come to your own conclusions. At the least, I would say it is a good idea to open your foam mat up and let it sit in the sun for a day or two, as most of the chemical will off-gas from the foam. Or buy foam that is labelled formamide free.

Sharp knives and hot glue can cause cuts and burns. Be sure to use in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Print the pattern pages of the PDF. Make sure the scale is set to actual size. Once printed, measure against the print guides to know that the scale is correct. Some of the pattern pieces are larger than one sheet of paper. For these, line up the “+” marks and tape the sheets together. I find it is easier to line up the marks if I hold the papers up against a window so that the light coming through the window allows me to see through to the lower registration marks.

I have included three sizes in this pattern.

Print pages 17-26 for size S, pages 27-38 for size M, and pages 39-53 for size L.

I am not totally sure how to match the pattern size to your body measurements, but as a guide, I have measured around the torso just under the armpits. I found that size small fits a measurement of approx 80cm, Medium: 97cm and Large: I am not sure yet:)

Cut the pattern out of the paper, cutting as close to the line as you can without removing the line. Place the pieces on the foam and trace around them with the ballpoint pen, holding them firmly so that they don’t move while being traced.

These are general tracing instructions, but I woud advise only tracing and cutting the pieces mentioned in the next step so that you can be sure you have the right size before cutting any other pieces out.

Piece 3 will need to be flipped over and traced again as indicated on the pattern. This is especially important if you are using foam with only one smooth side. Label the flipped piece "3a"

Make sure to mark all the alignment marks, and once you remove the pattern, extend these lines to the inside of your foam pieces so that they remain on the foam once it is cut out.

** Quick tip** If you trace right on top of the alignment marks while there is a sheet of foam under the pattern, it leaves an indentation in the paper. This is handy when you flip the paper, because then you know where your alignment points should go. You could also just hold the paper up to some light so you can see through it, and then transfer the marks to the back side.

The dotted lines on the pattern show where you will be making indentations later with the gift card, so use your pen and a ruler to mark the lines onto the pattern. To mark where the dotted lines intersect in the middle of the pattern, push your pen tip through the paper to leave a mark on the foam.

Punch through the paper in the centre of any holes that need to be punched.

There are also light grey lines on the pattern. These are just guidelines that show where different pieces will eventually go.

These will be traced onto your 5-8mm EVA foam.

Trace one of each pattern piece 1, 2, 4 and 5 with your ballpoint pen. Trace piece 3 once right side up, and then flip the pattern over and trace it again. Trace two of piece 6, but only mark the hole centres on one of them.

Cut the pieces out carefully with your sharp knife, cutting directly on top of the line you traced. If the cuts look rough, that means your knife is too dull. Either get a new blade or sharpen your knife. It’ll make a ton of difference.

Always watch your fingers when cutting, being careful not to cut yourself.

Piece 1 has a circle and a partial rectangle inside the pattern piece. When you cut these out, don’t discard them, because they will get glued back into place later.

Punch any holes in the foam according to the pattern:

• 4mm holes on pieces 5 and 3
• 6mm holes in one (of 2) piece 6
• 9mm holes on piece 22
• 6mm, 9mm, and 12mm holes on piece 19 (Note: On size small pattern, punch hole sizes 4mm, 6mm, 9mm)

I use hot glue for my projects now, as I am a bit leery of breathing the fumes that go along with contact cement. It takes a little more practice, but you can still get really good results. I like to glue a section about 5cm long and hold it together until the glue cools. This time can vary depending on how hot your glue gun is, but for me it is about 10 seconds. If there is a long piece to glue, it is best to glue both ends so they line up properly first, then glue the rest of the seam in the centre. This reduces any errors due to the stretchable nature of the foam.

I have a video about how to get smooth seams while using hot glue right here

If you use hot glue, be careful not to leave it in a hot car because the glue will melt, leaving you with a hot mess!

Glue the two piece 6s together, with any texture on the foam to the centre. You should already have holes punched in only one of the pieces.

In order to add some extra dimensionality to piece 1, you are going to glue the round piece and the almost rectangular piece that you cut out earlier back where they were cut. The only difference is that they will be recessed about 4 or 5 mm from the main piece. To do this, apply glue to a small section of the piece and push it into place from the back. Some of the piece will remain protruding out the back. Once that bit of glue is cool, you can glue the piece in a section at a time. This allows you to easily line up the piece so that it stays a uniform depth all the way around.

Use your gift card to create recessed lines in the foam along the dotted lines from the pattern. Use medium pressure while rubbing the gift card back and forth until you have created a permanent indentation in the foam.

Glue the dart on piece 2 together: Glue about 5 cm at a time, let it cool, and then glue another 5 cm.

Glue piece 1 and 2 together, aligning points E, F, and G.

Glue the sides of piece 1 and 2 together, aligning point A.

I found the tip of the torso piece wanted to curl outward due to how my foam was rolled when it was stored. If you take a hot blowdryer and heat your foam, you can bend it back the other way and hold it until it cools to help train it to stay in place.

Adding the neck guard helps keep the shoulder section of the torso piece curved properly across the shoulder.

Line up the centre of the neck guard (piece 6) with the seam that runs along the top of the shoulder on the torso piece. Glue it to the side of the torso piece, not on top, keeping the bottom edge of the neck guard flush with the inside edge of the torso piece.

Use the sandpaper to roughen the foam on the lower inside section of the torso piece.

Position piece 4, overlapping the torso on the inside and centering it so that there is approximately the same amount of torso piece extending beyond the front and back of piece 4.

Glue it into place, with about 51mm (size S) / 60mm (size M) / 68mm (size L) of piece 4 extending below the bottom edge of the main torso.

Glue the darts together on pieces 3 and 3a. You might need to pull a little bit on the top section as you are gluing so that the endpoint of the two sides of the dart meet up accurately.

Make sure you have the 4 mm holes punched because it will be much harder if you wait until the two halves are glued together.

Glue the two halves of the pauldron together, lining up alignment marks H, I, J, and K. I find it easier to glue the two halves together with the pauldron inside out and the smooth side facing me. Once the centre seam is glued, carefully turn the pauldron right side out.

Using your gift card, make the recesses marked on piece 5 (the flappy piece) . Also punch the holes if you haven’t already.

** The measurements here are what worked for me, however if you have really wide or narrow shoulders, feel free to change the spacing.**

Make a mark 65mm (size S) / 70mm (size M) / 80mm (size L) in from the outside edge of the torso piece that is perpendicular to the top seam.

Cut a slot through the shoulder, the width of your webbing along that line.

**Make sure your fingers are not under the blade when cutting through.**

Cut a piece of webbing 11cm long. Fold it back on itself with the D-ring in the centre and glue it to itself. Make sure you don’t glue too close to the D-ring because you want it to be able to move freely.

Sand the inside of the pauldron along the top centre line, and glue the webbing and D-ring in place where you just sanded. The outside tip of the D-ring should be about 10mm in from the edge of the pauldron.

Another piece of webbing will go through the D-ring and into the slot in the shoulder to hold the pauldron to the shoulder and allow for a range of motion, but it won’t be glued in until the end.

Glue each of the two piece 38s onto the bottom corners of piece 4. They are made a little extra long to allow for some variation in how piece 4 is glued to the torso piece. Mark and cut any excess from the top of them so that they end up flush where the torso overlaps piece 4.

Cut:

Size S: 5 strips of 2mm foam 10mm wide by 760mm long.

Size M: 5 strips of 2mm foam 12mm wide by 760mm long.

Size L: 6 strips of 2mm foam 15mm wide by 760mm long.

If you don’t have access to sheets of foam this large, you can cut multiple shorter strips.

Glue these strips all the way around the outside edges of the torso, pauldron, and flappy bit. I do not glue a strip around the armhole as that will get a lot of rubbing and could start looking worn too quickly.

I tend to leave each strip a bit longer than it needs to be and then trim it flush with the foam after it is glued.

At each corner there will be an intersection of two strips. When I glue the second one, I allow some extra length and then trim it so that it will end up flush with the previous strip.

The strip along the bottom of piece 4 is slightly different in that it actually overlaps a bit of the ends of piece 38.

Also glue a 12mm wide strip along the top edge of the neck guard to cover up where the two pieces are glued together. If you are making size M, you will already have a 12mm strip to cover it, but for size S cut a 12mm x 380mm strip, and for size L cut a 12mm x 540mm strip.

In order to conceal all the places where the strips join, glue the appropriate corner pieces over each one.

• Piece 33: upper front corner of torso
• Piece 32: lower front corner and both back corners of torso
• Piece 34, 35, 36: on the pauldron, in that order, working from the arm toward the shoulder
• Piece 34: on all 4 corners of the flappy bit (piece 4)

Use your 1/4 inch outside diameter vinyl tubing. Heat the end up with your glue gun and then press it down against a non stick surface such as a silicone baking mat. As you press it down, try to get the end to flare out and flatten against the mat. Hold it in this position until it cools. If it doesn’t work for you, just heat it up and try again.

Cut the tubing about 4cm long for now. We will cut it shorter when we make the rivets permanent.

You can now insert the rivets through the holes in the pauldron and the flappy bit so that you can try on the shoulder armour.

You can see my complete hinge rivet tutorial here

It may be that some parts of your armour are not holding the shape you want them to at this point. It is important that they are formed to the correct curvature now rather than waiting until later because any additional pieces or layers of paint will reinforce whatever position it is currently in.

You will likely want both the pauldron and the flappy bit to have a greater curvature than they naturally have.

Roll the pieces up to over-exaggerate the curve you would like to put in them, and hold them in that position by wrapping plastic wrap around them. Heat them up with a hot blowdryer and then leave them to cool down.

Stop here if you are planning to create your own shoulder armour style.

For the steampunk style, continue on!

Take the corrugated hose and cut 3 sections:
Size S: 23mm long

Size M: 25mm long

Size L: 34mm long

Cut each section in half, giving you 6 halves.

Position five of these pieces around the nut (piece 25) which hasn’t been glued yet. It is important that it is lined up properly with the rest of the torso for putting the wires on later. One of the tubes should create a line that, if extended, would run parallel to the almost rectangular cutout beside it.

Once you have positioned the tubes you can glue them in. If you are using hot glue, try to keep it to the inside of the tube as it is hard to clean up any glue that squeezes out beside the corrugations.

Glue the nut in the centre of the Power Station.

Cut:

• Size S: eight 23mm sections of tubing
• Size M: eight 25mm sections of tubing
• Size L: eight 30mm sections of tubing

I used some old pens that had run out of ink, but you could also use the same 1/4 inch tubing you used to make the pivoting rivets.

I used a tubing cutter for cutting the pens I had because they were too hard to cut with a knife. It also leaves a nice rounded edge where it cuts. Push one pen piece into each of the corrugated tubes, leaving 20mm sticking out.

Glue the pen pieces to the foam using super glue.

Piece 24 will be glued around the outside of the circle. This piece is made so that it will fit perfectly without the pen pieces, so if you are including the pen pieces on your design, it will need to be a bit longer. It is easy to stretch the foam longer, just stretch it section by section with your hands.

Glue piece 24 around the outside of the circle, going over each of the pen pieces.

Glue the remaining pen pieces equally spaced inside the almost rectangular box. Piece 37 is glued overtop of the pen pieces in the box, using a ruler to push the strap down in between the pens

I used some old telephone wire I had lying around, but whatever you can find should work as long as it is relatively easy to bend.

It is difficult to explain where the wires go, so I would encourage you to follow along with the video.

It is helpful to draw the lines on your foam before bending the wire, then you can just follow the lines as you bend.

Use super glue to attach the wire to the foam as you go.

Glue piece 29 over the end of the wire that runs down onto piece 4.

Glue piece 30 over that same wire a little further down, and another piece 30 over the long wire around the power station.

Cut two 12mm discs, stack them up and glue them together. That stack gets glued in the centre of the Power Station Device nut.

Cut two parallel vertical slots partway down through that foam disc, and then join the cuts horizontally at the bottom until you can remove the little strip of foam in the centre. That should make your foam disc look like a screw head.

Cut ten 12mm discs from 2mm foam.

Glue each of those discs in the centre of the piece 23s.

Punch a 6mm hole in the centre of each of those discs.

Glue one of those discs over each hole that was previously punched in the neck guard.

Glue the other 5 discs on the shoulder, directly across from each disc on the neck guard, with about 3-4mm gap from the rim.

Glue piece 31 to the back of the torso piece, about 5mm in from the rim.

I cut up an old computer power cord to use as the wire that goes from each foam disc on the neck to the corresponding disk on the shoulder.

**Safety tip**

If you cut up an old power cord, make sure you cut off and discard the end that plugs into the wall so that no one can accidentally plug it in and get electrocuted.

Cut 5 pieces from the cord 5cm long each.

Bend each piece in half with your fingers so that it will maintain a curved shape.

Glue the cord between each set of discs with super glue.

Using the tip of your pen, press it into the foam to create indentations in order to simulate rivets. Do this on both sides of all the lines that you recessed into the foam earlier. I spaced mine about 2cm apart.

Do this along the entire rim and around piece 29.

I used the back of my pen to create some ring-like indentations on the corners of piece 31.

The previous rivets are quick and easy, so if you want to do all the rest the same way, it will definitely save you some time, but I do really prefer the look of rivets that actually bump out from the surface, so I will use that style for the rest of the rivets.

Using 2-part 5 minute epoxy, squeeze out equal parts and mix them thoroughly. You only want a very small amount of epoxy as it will start to harden in a few minutes.

Dip the head of a wooden match or something similar into the epoxy and lightly touch it against the place where you want your rivet.

Slowly lift the match head away, leaving behind a small blob of epoxy.

As the epoxy cures it will get thicker until it is leaving long strings behind when you make your dots. This means it is time to make another little batch of epoxy.

As you are working, stay aware of how you are holding the armour and that you aren’t touching rivets that aren’t fully cured.

I used these rivets on the top of the neck guard, on pieces 30, 32, 33, 37, and on the spot where the bottom rim overlaps piece 35.

Punch some 6mm discs and glue them around the ring on the power station device. Cut slots in them so they look like screw heads.

Line up piece 13, piece 7 and piece 15 on the front of the pauldron, just to make sure you have the placement correct. The grill (piece 15) will end up at least 7mm below the seam at the top of the shoulder. There should be a gap of approx 5-7 mm between each of those pieces. Once you are happy with their placement you can glue them down.

Glue piece 14 centred on piece 13

Glue piece 8 on top of piece 7

Glue piece 9 on top of piece 8

Glue piece 10 and 11 on top of piece 7

Glue piece 12 spanning pieces 8 and 11

Find piece 22 - the large triangular-ish piece with all the holes punched in it. Stretch the centre section so that it will fit the contours of the shoulder when it is glued down. You can stretch it with just your hands or use a round object to stretch it over. I used my knee.

The triangle does have a top and bottom, and it is important that it is glued on the right way, so make sure to line it up properly before applying glue. If you look at the holes, the bottom edge has holes that are spaced farther apart than the other two sides.

Once it has a slight dome shape you can start to glue it down. Apply glue in the centre vertical section of the triangle and glue it so that it is centred on the shoulder seam, and about 10mm up from the bottom rim. It may help to stretch the piece vertically a little bit while you are placing it.

Now glue the front and back sections, trying to smooth the foam as much as possible as you do.

Glue piece 16 to the back of the pauldron, leaving a gap of about 10mm between it and the rim.

Glue pieces 17, 18, and 20 on top of piece 16.

Glue piece 19 on top of piece 18.

Bend the fan (piece 21) so that it domes outward and place it inside the recess made by piece 20. Once it is in, apply a little super glue on each blade to hold it. If it seems more pointy than domed, just press it down gently in the centre until it is a pleasing shape.

Glue the three piece 39s about 15mm up from the bottom rim, with the first one positioned 3-4 mm from the edge of the triangle piece. Space the pieces 4mm from each other.

Use a short piece of the foam strips you used for the rim to cover up the top shoulder seam. Cut a triangle out of one end so that it will match the top corner of the triangular piece. Glue it down and trim it flush with the other edge.

The look I am aiming for here is a tube with a cap that is crimped over the top, so I am happy with a bit of a wrinkled effect around the cap. This will make the housing for the burner coil.

Glue the ends of piece 26 together to make a short tube.

Glue the flat edge of that tube to piece 27, centering it as best as possible.

Use just a little glue to tack the cover piece (27) to the edges of the tube in four spots, equally spaced around the tube.

Apply glue to one of the gaps in between the tacked down spots. This time give it enough glue to cover the whole area. Press that section down with your hands, trying to work out most of the ripples created by compressing the foam. Repeat on the remaining 3 sides.

Hot tip- after you apply the glue to the inside edge of the cap and before you press it down, spend a little time just rubbing the tip of the glue gun against the inside surface of the cap. This heats up the foam and allows it to compress a little more easily as you press it down over the edge.

Hotter tip- I highly recommend a glue gun with a temperature control. Your hands are going to be very near the glue and if it is too hot, you have a good chance of getting burnt.

Cut two strips of foam:

Size S: one 390mm x 17mm and one 390mm x 9mm

Size M: one 455mm x 17mm and one 455mm x 9mm

Size L: one 650mm x 17mm and one 650mm x 9mm

Glue the narrower strip on top of the wider strip, lining up one set of the long edges.

If you want the burner coil a different colour than the foam you are using, now is the time to paint it, as it will be tricky to paint once it is all rolled up. Just make sure to leave a strip unpainted along the bottom edge on both sides for the glue. I painted mine red with a little bit of black along the top edge, though you can hardly see the red, so it might be worth leaving out the black.

While you are painting, paint the front of the housing black, especially along the inside edge of the hole in the front. It would be hard to paint there after the roll is in place without getting paint on the coil.

Once the paint is dry, roll up the strip, gluing it as you go. It is smart not to glue it all the way to the end, just in case it is not rolled tight enough to fit in the casing. If that happens, just trim some of the strip so that the roll will fit in the casing.

Glue a 12mm disc (9mm for size S) over the centre of the coil.

Push the coil into the housing.

Glue the housing to the pauldron. Note that the housing is positioned forward of the centreline of the shoulder. There should only be one row of holes visible in front of it.

This is a brief description of where they go, but I would definitely recommend watching the video for the exact placements.
Grab five of the 9mm discs (yellow in photos) made from punching out the triangular piece and glue them:

2: on both ends of piece 14

1: on the upper corner of piece 10

2: on both upper corners of piece 17

Cut 10 x 6mm discs (blue in photos) to go:

2: on both ends of piece 12

2: near the points on piece 19

6: equally spaced around the front of the burner housing

Cut these all to look like screw heads.

Cut 12 x 12mm discs

Glue 12 of your 9mm discs on top of the 12mm discs.

Glue them:

3: equally spaced on piece 14

1: in the centre of piece 9, and on piece 10, 17, 18, on the side of the burner housing, and in-between piece 7 and 22

3: on the lower half of piece 7

Punch holes in the centre of these discs with the tip of your pen to make it easier to push the wire in.

Using the telephone wire, cutters, pliers, and super glue, follow along with the video and bend the wires as shown.

Cover the ends of the three wires at the top rear of the pauldron with three piece 28s.

Glue piece 40 spanning across those 3 wires as well.

Glue three piece 30s over some of the open sections of wire as shown in the video.

Make rivets with your pen tip along the rim around the pauldron.

Make epoxy rivets:

Around the grill (piece 15), the fan (piece 20) and the holey triangle (piece 22)

On the corners of pieces 9 and 10

On the ends of pieces 30 and 40

On the piece 28s

On the corner pieces 34, 35, 36

All that is needed to finish the flappy bit is to add some pen tip rivets along the recessed lines and some epoxy rivets on the corner pieces.

Get out your artists acrylic paints. I find that artists acrylics have a little bit more flexibility in them when they are dry. I don’t use any primer on my foam, but I do encourage putting at least 3 good coats of paint to seal all the pores as well as give a nice solid surface for applying the metallic colours.

My favourite metallic paints tend to change over time, but right now I am liking Liquitex Bronze for the copper colour, DecoArt Americana Decor Metallics Vintage Brass for the brass, and a 50/50 mixture of DecoArt Americana Decor Metallics Pewter and Silver for the silver colour.

My technique for creating an antique metal look is as follows:

Put on a tight fitting rubber glove. This keeps your hands clean as well as preventing fingerprint smears in your metallic coating.

Put a small blob of metallic paint onto a piece of scrap cardboard.

Dip your fingertip lightly into the paint and then rub it onto a clean section of cardboard. Rub in a circular motion until almost all the paint is off your finger. It is especially important to watch the tip of your finger because paint can build up there, so you want to rub off any accumulation that occurs.

Rub your finger on the foam that you want to paint. Slowly build up the metallic colour, repeatedly going back and getting more paint on your finger.

If there are places your finger can’t reach, you can use a small, dry paintbrush. Dip the brush in the paint and then dab most of it off on the cardboard. Then use a vertical dabbing motion to apply the paint, again building it up slowly. It is good to stay away from inside edges as the antique look requires sections that would get less wear to look darker.

You will end up getting paint on places that you want to have a different colour. That’s fine, just go back over them with some black paint before using the next colour.

I used bronze for all the background.

I used silver for the top rim of the neck guard, the front grill (piece 15), piece 12, the holey triangle (piece 22), the ribbed tubing and all the pen tubes, the burner coil cover, the three 9mm screw heads on the front of the pauldron, and all the tabs that hold down the wires (pieces 30, 37, 40)

Everything else was painted brass.

* The silver I used was a 50/50 mixture of DecoArt Metallics silver, and pewter.

Find an old belt and try it on with the shoulder. You need to figure out where you want the buckle to end up, so think about what type of clothing you will be wearing it with. If you want the buckle out of the way, you might want to consider placing the buckle at the back, however you will likely need help whenever you want to put the shoulder on or off.

I chose to have the buckle at the front with the buckle attached to the longer back strap. That way, when the belt is done up, the extra strap hangs down rather than going up and covering some of the shoulder piece.

I found that the front piece worked well being attached at the same angle as the line of the neck. For the back I found that the angle of the strap needed to be a lot more horizontal. Again, you will need to find what fits your body type the best.

Sand the foam where you will be gluing the strap as well as the portion of the strap that will be glued in order to get the best bond possible. Once you are really happy with the placement, you can build up some hot glue around the edges and slightly overtop the back of the strap, just for some more holding power.

Glue a piece of elastic to the inside of the flappy bit in order to keep it attached to your arm while wearing it.

Attach the flappy bit to the pauldron by using the two hinge rivets you created already. Insert the tubing from the outside towards the inside.

Cut the excess off the tubing, leaving the tube protruding about 3mm from the foam.

Use your glue gun to heat the end of the tube and flare it with the back of a pen or other slightly rounded object. You can find my complete hinge rivet tutorial video here for more complete information.

Thread your webbing through the D-ring on the pauldron, and then feed both ends through the slot in the top of the shoulder. Cut the webbing so that it doesn’t extend past the edge of the foam. Now glue the webbing to itself and then down to the foam.

Finally, you are done! You have every reason in the world to be really proud of yourself. You just made something amazing.

Thanks for hanging out with me!
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