Snap buttons to fit 1/2 in foam?

[Oramac]

So I'm thinking about adding some shoulders and a cape to my armor from last halloween on the cheap.  I found these snap buttons that are heavy duty, but they're designed for shirts. 

I need something similar that I can attach to EVA foam on the male side and cloth on the female side.  Anyone have any idea how I could do this?

[Darth Kitsune]

Perhaps use them, and use superglue to hold them onto the material?

[chicago.jedi]

So I'm thinking about adding some shoulders and a cape to my armor from last halloween on the cheap.  I found these snap buttons that are heavy duty, but they're designed for shirts.  

I need something similar that I can attach to EVA foam on the male side and cloth on the female side.  Anyone have any idea how I could do this?

OK, I have some experience with snaps...

For the cloth side, the trick is to make sure you have a few layers there to go through. Snaps do not like to be set in on single layer of fabric. If your cape has a few layers folded on itself where you will put the snaps, then you should be fine. Otherwise, cut a few small squares about 1" and put them on the understide of the cape where they will not be seen. If you use pinking shears (those are the scissors that cut in a zig zag pattern) you do not need to worry about stitching them to anything because the pinking shears will keep the pieces from unraveling.

For the foam piece, I would cut a few pieces of thin plastic to use as backing for the snaps.

The idea for both the foam and the cloth is to create a sort of flange that will keep the snap from pullling through whatever you are attaching then to. And make sure you use the propper setting tool. Snaps can be a pain in the rear to remove if you screw them up. Good luck.

[Jabari]

Yeah, you may need something on the back of both foam and fabric pieces to keep the snaps from pulling through.  Heavy fabric might work.

[Oramac]

That all makes sense, but how do I actually attach the snap base to the foam in a way it won't fall off?  The super glue idea probably won't work.  If I get hit or something with another lightsaber (improv sparring) I need something that's going to be tough and not break or fall off. 

[Darth Kitsune]

Well I mean, if you get a strong superglue it could work. I mean, blade tips are attached to the blades with superglue. In fact, when my blade tip fell off, the superglue I used to fix it was pretty much SUPER GLUE. I'm never getting that sucker knocked off again, and I'm sure it could work for attaching your buttons. Give it a try, research a little?

You could sew them on if you were using fabric, but since you're using foam I'd use some sort of superglue or epoxy that won't damage the foam.

[chicago.jedi]

That all makes sense, but how do I actually attach the snap base to the foam in a way it won't fall off?  The super glue idea probably won't work.  If I get hit or something with another lightsaber (improv sparring) I need something that's going to be tough and not break or fall off. 

The snaps attach like rivets. There are two parts to them with a post in the middle. The two parts sandwich the fabric in between and the post goes through the fabric. The setting tool is used to crushed the post and hold it all together. Glue is not necessary. It is a mechanical fastening that hold the snap in place.

By putting something stiff like thin plastic (think milk jug thickness) or leather, it will act like a washer and give the snap more stability. Cut your "washers" and sandwich them between the snap and the fabric. It should go- female snap part, "washer", fabric, "washer", male part of snap. You would be surprised how easy you can pull a poorly set snap out of fabric. And glue is not going to work. Snaps will not glue to fabric with any kind of strength... and the foam, I have always found the glue tends to "melt" foam. Put a little dab of super glue on Styrofoam and see what happens.

Fabric stores sell a setting tool that is like a pair of pliers but you do not need that. A hobby shop will have a setting tool you use with a hammer and anvil to crush the post. Look in the leather section.

[chicago.jedi]

Sorry for the double post. In looking back at this, I think you are looking for ideas about how to attach the snaps to the foam armor and I think I got a little off topic.

As long as the post of the snap is long enough to poke throught the foam on the other side when inserted, you should be able to attach the snaps just like you would in fabric. However, 1/2" thick foam might be pushing the limit. One thing that will certainly happen is the foam is going to compress as you set the snap. If it is under the cape, this may not be seem too much. However, it may distort the armor piece. Also, the foam is going to want to expand and if no "washer" is sandwiched in there, the foam will pull the back half of the snap through the other side and the snap will fall out, leaving you with a hole in your armor. You would have to experiment a little to see how the snaps behave with the type of foam your armor is made of.

Another idea is not to use snaps but rather some sort of knob or post. Something like what is called a "Sam Brown" stud. These are on a lot of old military holsters. If you put a stud on the armor and a button hole in the cape, that might work. An added advantage of this set up would be that the cape has a better chance of breaking away if stepped on during sparring.

One way or another, you will need a stiffener to support your armor and/ or attach the fastener to. The foam itself is not going to be a good platform to attach a snap or post to. I am not really sure what kind of look you are going for here but it may be easier to attach the cape to the costume under the armor, rather than the armor itself.

Hope any of this helps you. A picture of your armor and costume  might help me or other forum people come up with other ideas.

[Oramac]

That Sam Brown stud thing might just work, if I can find a backing screw that's long enough. 

And for this particular setup, the foam armor is the costume.  Everything else is just black shirts/pants, etc.  This is my "super cheap while I save for better stuff" costume. 

[chicago.jedi]

That Sam Brown stud thing might just work, if I can find a backing screw that's long enough. 

And for this particular setup, the foam armor is the costume.  Everything else is just black shirts/pants, etc.  This is my "super cheap while I save for better stuff" costume. 

You might be able to Mickey Mouse something together similar to a Sam Brown stub using nuts and longer bolts from the hardware store. I would think you could get the same effect using say, 8-32 button head screws and some sort of a cap nut. With large fender washers under the heads, you should have no worries about the studs pulling out of the foam. And when your cape is removed, you will have cool little spikes on your shoulders, or you could just unscrew the studs completely (an option you would not have with snaps).

If you are planning on upgrading your costume later, you might want to sew little loops or tabs to the cape to attach to the studs. This way you are not making holes in the cape itself. Once you make holes, you can't un-make them and if they do not work with your new armor set up, then you are making a new cape, too. When making costume stuff that is experimental (ie, not something I am sure will work) I like to leave myself an escape route, if you know what I mean. I try not to do anything that cannot be un-done easily.

Good luck and I hope you post pictures of your complete costume. I love capes. I wish they would make a come-back into modern fashion!

[Oramac]

You might be able to Mickey Mouse something together similar to a Sam Brown stub using nuts and longer bolts from the hardware store. I would think you could get the same effect using say, 8-32 button head screws and some sort of a cap nut. With large fender washers under the heads, you should have no worries about the studs pulling out of the foam. And when your cape is removed, you will have cool little spikes on your shoulders, or you could just unscrew the studs completely (an option you would not have with snaps).

If you are planning on upgrading your costume later, you might want to sew little loops or tabs to the cape to attach to the studs. This way you are not making holes in the cape itself. Once you make holes, you can't un-make them and if they do not work with your new armor set up, then you are making a new cape, too. When making costume stuff that is experimental (ie, not something I am sure will work) I like to leave myself an escape route, if you know what I mean. I try not to do anything that cannot be un-done easily.

Good luck and I hope you post pictures of your complete costume. I love capes. I wish they would make a come-back into modern fashion!

Thanks!  That idea with the studs is basically exactly what I had in mind when you mentioned them.   As for my "real" costume, I'm still debating on whether to use a cape or cloak, and I'll probably remake the cape anyway if I go that route.   

There might be some rush building going on here too.  I just found out the St Louis Cardinals (baseball) is having a Star Wars day at the ballpark!  I need to call them on monday to see if they allow costumes, but if they do I might try to make it happen.  Plus Ashley Eckstein is going to be there.  Never was a huge fan of TCW, but it's tough to pass up the opportunity.