Our Customer located in San Diego, CA needed a Texas style Cowboy hat and boots large scale oversize foam props for his customer's trade show taking place in Atlanta, GA in October 2024.
They were to be connected together, hanging from a crane or the ceiling on the stage, so they needed to be light enough - therefore, Styrofoam material was a great choice
We were provided with photos and sketches of the hat and boots, with dimensions of 7ft long, 6ft wide and 6ft tall
Here Are the Fabrication Stages and Methods We Used:
CAD File & Machining:
First, we created a 3D CAD file of the desired hat and boots props, in Rhino3D software
Once we had that CAD we CNC machined the props on our "Monster" large CNC router using EPS (Styrofoam) material.
The boots pair were routed in 2 pieces each, splitting each vertically down the middle.
The hat was split into 4 pieces - The brim and the top of the hat were each routed in 2 pieces.
We CNC machined all parts, then embedded a 3/4" plywood plate at the top of the hat for mountig points. All pieces were then glued together using 5min epoxy.
We sanded the hat and boots, well almost endlessly to achieve a smooth finish
Coating the Oversize Foam Props:
Next, we coated both the hat and the boots in Smooth-On brand "Habitat Cast N Coat".
It is a 2 components liquid epoxy coating that can be cast solid or thickened for being brushed on and cures to a rock hard solid without shrinking the surface.
It bonds to the surface without loosing any detail and bonds permanently to itself.
It is lightweight yet strong and durable.
We brushed out any excess material and as soon as we were happy with the finish, we placed primer to serve as the pre-paint coat.
Painting the Boots:
The boots were painted rustic look.
How was the rustic effect done?
First, we painted the boots with a dark cocolate base color.
Using a plastic bag as a sort of sponge brush, we applied a lighter brown color onto the boots by dabbing the bag. This gave the boots an old rustic leather type of texture.
We then used a template to paint the design at the top of the boots, using several types of brown and tan colors and blening them together
Painting the Hat:
How did we achieve the hat realistic natural-look?
After sanding and hand sculpting the hat to its desired shape, making it smooth, we covered it with the Smooth-On Habitat Cast N Coat material. This coating filled all the pores and gluelines in the foam.
We then painted the whole hat with a light tan base color.
The buckle and nits on the hat were painted dark sliver to give it a realistic finish.
We found a great looking colorful blanket with vivid colors and used it as the patterned ribbon around the hat
Assembling the Hat and Boots Together:
We embedded a T-section steel pipe into the boots, with a long pipe positioned vertically. This pipe was threaded through a hole in the hat and later capped.
The boots and hat were securely glued togethr with a 5min epoxy glue.
After everything was adhered, we filled the remaining space in the hat around the metal pipe going through it, using an expanding foam.
This locked the vertical pipe perfectly in place.
Hanging the Props:
As we embedded the 3/4" plywood in the top of the hat, we drilled four secured 6" long eyehooks into the wood, sticking out of the foam hat.
We placed these 4 eyehooks as spaced out as possibleto allow for the entire piece to be hung at a specific angle onsite.
The whole piece weighed about 75lbs.
The The attached hat and boots were then shipped in an extra large wooden crate that was 85" x 76" x 73" at 1000lbs. The props were secured inside the crate for safe transport, to arrive safe and sound in Atlanta.
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