Dyeing Worbla’s Pearly Art, TranspArt, Crystal Art and Deco Art with Rit Dyes

Posted on July 25, 2018January 26, 2019 by Amanda

Worbla was at USITT a few months ago and spoke with RIT about their Polyester DyeMore line and their new Proline series. We’d discussed how these dyes might work on Worbla products – and Rit set us up with dye to test ourselves.

This ended up being a pretty in-depth test over a few weeks, so below is a LOT of information. If you’d like the TLDR: Rit Dyes Are Pretty Awesome and we’re very happy with the results.

For more detailed information, continue below!

To start with – dyeing Worbla?
Dyes traditionally came in two types – dyes for plant fibers and dyes for protein fibers. Neither of these tend to work on plastics, giving at best a vague tint if they left any color at all.

Polyester dyes for home use are rather new, and are designed to dye plastics. While originally made for fabrics, folks have turned to using them to color plastic like Lego, acrylic sheeting, wig fiber and of course, Worbla!

We’ve used other polyester dyes in the past, specifically iDyePoly by Jacquard, so we wanted to run the Rit dyes through the tests and see how they held up.

Rit Dyes are also non-toxic and safe for septic and sewer systems – which makes for easy disposal when you are done.

The Rit Dyes

Rit’s DyeMore is a bottled, liquid dye. It is formulated for synthetics and easily dissolves in water and comes in a wide range of shades.

Rit’s ProLine is a powdered dye that “contains an advanced mix of direct, acid and disperse dyes enabling you to dye a wide range of fabrics and materials at scale”. These are large re-sealable packages in 1 and 5lb amounts that come with a scoop for measuring and can dye synthetic and natural fibers.

Both these dyes require heat, so you need to make sure that anything you are dyeing is heat safe, and that you use the right safety gear to avoid injury (or staining).

Important Notes:

These are both general safety tips and things we have learned in the process of these tests.

Always follow the instructions on the package.

Always use the correct safety equipment when dyeing.

Always do a small test first to see how your dye will react.

Do not dye in or use tools you then use for food.

Always have enough room in your container to be able to stir the material for an even color.

Work one piece at a time for sheet Worbla, or make sure that the pieces will not touch in the dyebath or they may stick.

Stir or agitate gently or Pearly may deform and stick to itself.

If Pearly or TranspArt touch the bottom of your pot, they may get darker ‘spots’.

It is really hard to remember the e in dyeing every time you type it in a doc this long.

Fun Fact:

Rit has a color guide for their DyeMore line, giving you formulas to create a very wide range of colors. You can also contact them to ask for advice on creating a specific color for your purposes!

Dyeing TranspArt

TranspArt is the most commonly dyed of our plastics – dyeing TranspArt to create flames, ice, and water effects has been part of using TranspArt since its inception.

Rit Dyemore:
We dyed the TranspArt in a large stainless steel pot on the stove, over medium heat. We used roughly 10 cups of water and 1/4 cup of dye, because we needed enough water in the dyeing vessel to keep the plastic from touching the bottom of the pot while being stirred.

(Apologies that this is a cellphone pic, the cat has hidden the samples before I got to photograph them with my real camera)

DyeMore worked very well, giving an even result so long as the TranspArt was agitated/stirred. If left in the pot without movement, the dye could become uneven or splotchy.
We also noticed that having the heat be consistent helped the TranspArt absorb the dye. When placed in hot water that was removed from heat, the color was less intense.

Rit Proline
We dyed the TranspArt in a the same pot with roughly the same amount of water. We started with 1 scoop of dye, but found that the scarlet color was not quite rich enough and added a second scoop to see if that would improve the intensity. All of these pieces were stirred to prevent the color from becoming uneven.

For the TranspArt the red became a much more orange tone, and also seemed to hit ‘max’ intensity at the 5 minute mark.

Because we weren’t sure if the color intensity was more a matter of the Scarlet color itself, we did the same test with ProLine purple.

There is a much clearer difference between the timed samples here. You can see the 5 minute sample is more uneven – that piece was not stirred as often. The darker your desired color, the more apparent this will be, so make sure you have time to stir!

General notes:
We expected these dyes to have a strong chemical smell, as the iDyePoly line does, but Rit surprised us: the DyeMore liquid line has no perceptible scent, so much so that we forgot to check for a scent until someone asked. The ProLine smells out of the bag, but once dissolved in water it is a very mild scent that did not linger. For this reason alone we’d use the Rit dyes instead of the Jacquard line going forward.

In addition, the Rit dyes left very little residue. There was no residue left whatsoever on the TranspArt with the DyeMore liquid dye, and the residue from the ProLine was minimal.

Dying Crystal Art or Deco Art

Worbla’s pellet plastics are used for a variety of hand formed and molded shapes. Being able to add color in advance allows you to create pieces that don’t need paint, and surfaces that can’t have the color chipped or worn away, as well as keeping the transparency of Crystal Art. While you are most likely to dye TranspArt or Crystal Art with these dyes, they are handy for Deco Art as well.

Rit Dyemore process
We dyed small batches of plastic and so used 1/8th a cup of water and a few drops of dye in a small ramekin. The Deco Art or Crystal Art was added, stirred, and then microwaved for 30 seconds, then for short bursts of 5-10 seconds each until the water had boiled (your microwave times may vary). This allowed a quick way to heat the pellets and have them absorb the dye.

Please Note:
Only use the microwave method if you a) own your microwave b) will watch the entire process.
Do not microwave plastic unattended. Do not microwave without enough water to cover the plastic. Do not use a dish you will eat out of later.

If microwaving isn’t an option (we did it because it allowed us to run 2 tests at once, since the stove was occupied with a giant steel pot)
For Deco Art: heat water in the microwave or a kettle, pour into a container you WILL NOT use for food. Add dye, then pellets. Stir occasionally until pellets have absorbed dye.
For Crystal Art: use a pot for dying, heat water first then add dye. Place pellets in a metal strainer to keep them together and allow them to soak in the water.

Deco Art and Dyemore:

The pellets were activated from the hot water enough that we could remove them, let them dry for a moment and then press them into a mold right away without reheating. One thing we noted was that this gave us a somewhat mottled effect. Our second attempt we kneaded the pellets together first into one fluid bit of plastic, and then pressed it into our mold, which created less of a mottled effect – but it was still noticeable.
Our last attempt, we blended the dyed pellets together and pressed it into a flat shape, then put that back into the warm dye bath for another 2 minutes. When removed we pressed that into our mold – which gave us a very even color.

In short: if you want an even color, you will want to plan to blend your pellets to unify everything, then redye the piece for a minute or two before shaping.

Crystal Art and Dyemore:

Depending on your microwave power, your pellets might be hot enough to shape or you may need to remove them and hit them with a heat gun for a bit before shaping. With Crystal Art it is important to blend the pellets together (check out our page on Crystal Art for more info here) in order to get a smooth translucent effect. You can see we didn’t quite knead the pellets perfectly on the second piece to the right.

Crystal Art takes the dye exceptionally well – so much so that you will want to work with very little dye to keep a more translucent effect. You can see on our left example just how deep the color can be with only a small amount of dye. The Crystal Art also absorbs the dye from the water more noticeably, meaning when we dyed the second piece in the same container/water it came out lighter, as there was less dye to absorb.

Rit ProLine Process
We mixed the ProLine with some warm water to fully dissolve, using 1/8th a cup of water and a tiny 1/8th of a teaspoon of the powdered dye in a ramekin. We then added the pellets. We used a microwave as we did for the DyeMore above.

Deco Art and ProLine:

The pellets were activated from the hot water enough that we could remove them, let them dry for a moment and then press them into a mold right away without reheating. Learning from the DyeMore experiment, we kneaded these pellets together, pressed them flat and put them back in the dyebath for another 30 seconds, then kneaded again before pressing into our mold.

Crystal Art and ProLine:

Our microwave wasn’t strong enough to activate the pellets, so while they were dyed they needed to be heated further to shape. Keep this in mind when doing your own tests and plan to have something to drain into! The pellets were heated and blended into a putty, then pressed into the mold.

You can see from the above examples that because we took more care with blending, the individual pellets were less noticeable.

You can also see how deep the color is here. You need very very little dye for this depth of color – so consider doing serious testing if you want only a tint!
One thing about this method – we did notice some residue ended up on our fingers because we didn’t rinse the pellets before getting to work. So make sure you use gloves or rinse the pellets before shaping.

Dyeing Worbla’s Pearly Art

This probably won’t be your first method of choice for coloring Worbla’s Pearly Art, but we wanted to see if it could be done – and absolutely Rit dyes work on Pearly.

We dyed the Pearly in our large stainless steel pot on the stove, over medium heat. We used roughly 10 cups of water and 1/4 cup of dye for the DyeMore, and 1 scoop of dye for the ProLine. We needed enough water in the dyeing vessel to keep the plastic from touching the bottom of the pot while being stirred: if the Pearly sat on the bottom of the pot for any extended period of time, it would get a mark where the plastic had melted and become darker.

With Rit Dyemore:
We found there was a more clear progression of color intensity over a period of time.

With Rit ProLine:
The ProLine absorbed quickly – so much so that there was nearly no difference between 5 and 10 minutes.

The result is not a fully opaque color as there is still a hint of the Pearly white grain to the piece, but that does not become more pronnounced as it is worked (which we expected would happen). Instead the color remains strong even when stretched or blended.

And we do think it has interesting possibilities for doing small detail work….

Can you dye Kobracast Art?

Worbla’s Kobracast Art is also white, and we thought it could potentially be dyed for pieces such as leaves for hats. Unfortunately Kobracast Art activates in the hot water and sticks to itself very easily, so we would not recommend this process unless you were working somewhere the pieces could be kept completely flat – and we suspect you would not be able to agitate the water so that might result in uneven color.

But wait! There’s more!

Of course you won’t always be dying Worbla for your next cosplay – what about wigs?

Both Rit Proline and Dyemore dyed wigs beautifully, and were easy to rinse to leave zero residue. One thing I loved was the idea of combining one colorway to tie everything together – making accessories out of Worbla dyed with the same color as you colored your wig, for example.

Rit Proline Scarlet examples

Guess who forgot to take before pictures….

Both of these wigs haven’t been flat ironed or styled, so this is the color right out of the pot, so to speak.

We don’t have a full writeup about how to best dye your wigs with the Rit line, because there are fantastic resources to be found on the subject here and here and here.

IN CONCLUSION

Rit’s synthetic line of dyes are a fantastic resource for dying Worbla products. Personally we’ll be using the DyeMore line for the convenience and complete lack of scent, but we absolutely suggest you experiment with these dyes for your next project, not only because they will help you color your Worbla, but because they are a genuinely useful tool to have in your cosplay kit! As always though: test test test! The scarlet for example turned more orange for our TranspArt tests, and the Peacock Green we tried on the Kobracast (not pictured) showed up far more blue. Plastics can be odd, so ALWAYS test before starting a large project!

The Complete and Utter Beginner’s Guide to Worbla.

Posted on November 14, 2016April 13, 2022 by Amanda

Have you been told by someone that ‘you should try Worbla’ when you asked for advice on a project? Or have you seen something awesome that was made from Worbla and you want to see what the fuss is about? Did your school, wardrobe manager or designer tell you to ‘look into Worbla’ and you have no idea where to even start? Do you want to make durable props and costumes that take less time to construct, with less noxious chemicals?

This was designed for you.

I’m Amanda, I’m known as Elemental Photography and I have been working with and teaching Worbla for the last two years for Worbla.com, and as a result I field a LOT of beginners questions. This page isn’t designed to be an in-depth breakdown on how to build any one specific thing, and it won’t go into the history of Worbla or even tips and tricks: This is a primer for the completely uninitiated, to help you figure out if Worbla is Right For You and How It Works. I will also try to break down some of the common terms used when looking at Worbla writeups, blogs and tutorials so you can better understand those if you search for additional information.

Worbla used in Corsetry by Royal Black Couture.

First things First: What is Worbla?

Worbla is the brand name for a line of thermoplastics. There are (at this moment) 9 Worbla products:
Worbla’s Finest Art (the first one)
Worbla’s TranspArt (the clear one)
Worbla’s Black Art (the smoother black one)
Worbla’s Mesh Art (the stronger one)
Worbla’s FlameRed Art (the fire retardant one)
Worbla’s Deco Art (moldable hard white plastic pellets)
Worbla’s Crystal Art (moldable rubbery translucent plastic pellets)
Worbla’s Kobracast Art (the fabric-like, interfacing one)

Examples of Worbla used for Costumes by Kamui Cosplay — Examples of Worbla’s Finest Art for costume purposes by Kamui Cosplay

What is a Thermoplastic?
In very short, it is a plastic that you can heat and shape to your desire and it will hold that shape when it is cool. It can be a lot more complicated, but we aren’t here for complicated today.

I am still confused:
Imagine you had a thin sheet of plastic that you could easily heat up, and when heated up it acted like a sheet of warm clay or beeswax. You take that sheet and drape it over a bowl and let it cool. Take it off, and suddenly you have a copy of that bowl for a hat. You heat that bowl up again and mush it into a ball, then shape that ball into a heart. Now you have a solid plastic heart. Heat it up again and you can carve your name in it. Heat it up again and you can roll it out flat and make something else completely. And each time, it is solid and fairly durable when cool. That is the basic idea of the Worbla product line.

Left, Mesh Art shaped over a bowl for a pillbox hat by Isabella Josie. Right, Finest Art scraps being sculpted into bangles by Kamui Cosplay.

Why is Worbla ‘Special’

Worbla is often considered special in comparison to other thermoplastics that have been on the market for ages for various reasons:

It’s non toxic, which is fantastic for those who are working indoors or with younger artists or who have health complications.
It doesn’t require much in specialized tools – a heat gun regularly retails for less than $30 pretty much everywhere.
It’s self adhesive – you heat up two pieces and they will stick together, no glue needed. (This does not include TranspArt)
It can be heated endlessly.
There is no ‘shelf life’.
You never have any waste, as the scraps can be mushed together and reused – and that means Worbla is much more forgiving for mistakes for the new artist.
Worbla takes deep complex curves without requiring a vacuform, something very few plastics can do.

Important Note:
Worbla can be divided up into three categories: Standard Sheet Plastics, Specialized Sheet Plastics, and Pellet Products.
As a beginner’s guide, we won’t be focusing too heavily on the specialized plastics, so be warned that they can be slightly different. Their differences are outlined on their product pages, but we will also touch on them briefly here.

How is Worbla used?

Worbla has been used in just about everything at this point:

• couture clothing
• props
• costumes
• mold making
• jewelry

• set design
• industrial use
• home repair
• shoes
• and we find more every day!

From Left to Right: Madonna's Rebel heart Tour. Puppetry by The Workshop of Natacha Belova, Dani Moonstar Costume by Kamui Cosplay. — From Left to Right: Madonna’s Rebel heart Tour. Puppetry by The Workshop of Natacha Belova, Dani Moonstar Costume by Kamui Cosplay.

Left, Action Figure Playset (1/6 scale) by Accessories for the Universe. Right, Detailed Helmets by Erza Cosplay

How does it work?

Tricky question – let’s break that down into something easier.

Worbla is generally used in two forms: Flat and Sculpted.

Working with Flat(ish) Shapes:
For armor, helmets, building props or wings or corsets – Worbla is often used in small to large flat pieces that are shaped as needed. When you receive Worbla it’s a thin sheet of plastic in a roll. It’s around 1mm thick, can be cut with scissors, and when heated has the consistency of fruit leather.

Our customers heat their pieces and shape them – by hand, over forms such as acrylic spheres, bottles or molds, or (carefully) directly onto body parts or life casts. For domes and curves, Worbla can be stretched into shape. For layers, depth and dimension, Worbla can be layered over itself (it is self adhesive) or wrapped around a ‘fill’ material which will be explained below.

Worbla being shaped, examples by Kamui Cosplay. Click to enlarge.

How does using a filler material work, and why would you do that?
One of the most common ways Worbla is used in ‘sheet’ form is for artists to create a shape out of another material – I’ve seen cardstock, various thicknesses and types of foams, aluminum foil and paper mache – and wrap that with Worbla.

Why you do so is twofold:
1: Covering something with Worbla means that the final product will be durable – very durable. Falls, travel in luggage, mock battles and public display are no issue for Worbla products.
2: Using a filler gives Worbla more ‘body’ and strength than on its own, and is far less expensive and lighter than simply layering Worbla to the required thickness. It also allows you to build up ‘levels’ or layers of detail with inexpensive foam first,

A very simplified example of one piece of Worbla vs a Worbla sandwiched over a piece of 2mm EVA foam.

Worbla 'folded' over foam compared to the same bracelet without backing. — Worbla ‘folded’ over foam compared to the same bracelet without backing.

Multiple layers of craft/EVA foam used to create dimension, then covered with Worbla for strength to create the final crown by Elemental Photography.

How it is done is also simple: Worbla Products (excepting TranspArt) are self adhesive and will ‘stick’ to most materials as well as to itself. Worbla can be wrapped around a filler material where it will adhere, or be ‘sandwiched’ with a filler material in the middle.

Worbla wrapped around insulation foam and wood, by Kamui Cosplay — Worbla sandwiched around insulation foam and wood, by Kamui Cosplay

Working with Sculpted Shapes:
Worbla’s Finest Art, Black Art, and FlameRed Art are specifically suited to sculpting details. Mesh Art scraps can absolutely be used for similar purposes, but the mesh means I usually suggest you don’t plan that to be the ‘main’ purpose of the material. TranspArt can be sculpted, but is more limited in how it can be worked especially as it becomes cloudy as it is ‘mashed’ together and that must be the effect you want.

Left: FlameRed sculpted into an opium pipe prop. Right, Black Art sculpted into a Cheshire Cat Teapot. By Elemental Photography.

Sculpted details by Erza Cosplay, added to Worbla armor.

If you have ever worked with any clay, even just Play-Doh or Plasticine, you can sculpt with Worbla. I’ve seen jewelry, puppets, props, scale models, fine art, figures – the list goes on, and there is little it can’t do – though don’t use it for food! Non Toxic doesn’t mean food grade!

Sculpting with Worbla is simple:
Heat a piece – or heat the scraps saved from another project – and mush them together. Now you have a ball of plastic ‘clay’ that will stay warm and shapeable for 3-5 minutes. You can heat areas as you need to work on them, shape with your hands and sculpting tools, easily add more material and when you need to stop for the day or week, your project does not need any protective care. The cat can knock it over and it will be fine. You can set it aside for a year and the material will be just the same as you have left it, ready to continue – or be scrapped and reworked. It does not need to be baked to ‘finish’ it. When you are done, you can move onto painting as soon as it is cool, eliminating the wait time inherent in most clay.
You can see a video of the process of heating scraps and how they can be shaped, created by Atashi Cosplay.

You can also still use a filler material to make large projects without a large expense, and to keep weight down.

Toothless head by Nightshift Cosplay. Groot by Coregeek Cosplay.

A note about foam:
Use of foam with Worbla could be its own page (and might be one day). For simplicity’s sake, the types of foam most commonly used are craft foam (also known as eva foam, foamies, fun foam), anti-stress floor matting (that comes either as a roll, or in ‘puzzle pieces’ for children’s playrooms), expanding foam (a canned foam that is sprayed into general shape and expands and then cures hard, and is then carved into a final shape), pink insulation foam, and sometimes L200 or Cross-Link Polyethylene 2lbs density foam, though those are harder to come across. Type of foam depends largely on your project and what you have available. Check out the suggested links at the bottom of the page for more examples of foam as a filler for Worbla projects.

What Sort Of Worbla Should I Use (and what makes TranspArt and Deco Art different?)

If you read or watch tutorials, Worbla can sometimes be used as a catchall phrase for several Worbla products, and that gets confusing. Plus, when the first Worbla came out – Worbla’s Finest Art – no one knew it was going to be part of a whole line and so many early tutorials just say ‘Worbla’ because there was only one when it was written.

In truth, the differences between Finest Art, Black Art, Mesh Art and FlameRed Art are all small, and one can be used in place of the other for a similar to near-identical result. This creates confusion on what product you ‘should’ use, and I get asked often ‘What should I use for X project?’

Generally Speaking: Start With Worbla’s Finest Art or Black Art
Worbla’s Finest Art and Black Art are sister products. There are many differences between them technically, but for the first time user all you need to know are these points:
Worbla’s Finest Art is ‘stickier’ and less prone to tearing when stretched over shapes. It is very slightly more user friendly as a result. Many cosplayers like this product best.
Worbla’s Black Art is smoother, meaning it will take less time to prime before painting, and it takes fine detail exceptionally well – it can be sculpted into very very fine detail without crumbling. It is a bit less ‘sticky’ so joining pieces means you need to pay a bit more attention to ensure a good bond.

That’s it. Once you’ve used both, you may find you like one more than the other, or that you’ll use both depending on your needs. I know people who only use Black Art, only use Finest Art, and myself? I absolutely mix both as I need. Finest Art for bigger shapes and lots of curves, Black Art for quick builds that need to be painted quickly and any small details I want made.

Worbla's Finest Art and Worbla's Black Art - working well together or alone. By Erza Cosplay. — Worbla’s Finest Art and Worbla’s Black Art – working well together or alone. By Erza Cosplay.

Use Mesh Art when it needs to be stronger:
Worbla’s Mesh Art is meant to be used when you need strength, especially when creating something that will be pulled, twisted or potentially crushed. There is a harder plastic mesh that runs through the sheet to help reinforce it. It is also noticeably more ‘sticky’, and joins can be blended to almost invisible seams. In tutorials that suggest you use Wonderflex to reinforce things, Mesh Art works even better, especially as the scraps can still be recycled.

Mesh Art showing the strength and durability.

Use FlameRed when it has to meet fire code:
Worbla’s FlameRed art is the best properties of Finest Art and Black Art, but is not aimed at consumer level use – you absolutely can use it for your projects, but the higher price means we suggest it only for those who actually need to meet a fire code rating, as it is specifically formulated to be Certified DIN (German Industry Norms) 4102-1 as B1. If you don’t know what that means, you probably don’t need to use FlameRed.

TranspArt: Fire, Ice, Water, and when it needs to be REALLY hard to break:
Worbla’s TranspArt is quite different than the other Worbla products, which can be confusing to many! It is a clear plastic sheet that has very noticeable lines from manufacture through it. It is meant to be heated and shaped more than used as a flat piece, and those lines disappear when it is stretched. It makes fantastic water, ice and fire effects and unlike traditional acrylics TranspArt is not brittle – it can be bent, struck, even crushed – all without damage. It doesn’t have the same self-adhesive properties, so glue is needed to join pieces, and it does require a higher working temperature to activate. This means TranspArt needs more patience to get the hang of using. In other words: give yourself time, extra material and do some research in advance of using TranspArt for the first time!

TranspArt examples: Left, sword by Valkyrie Studios; middle, sword and flail by Kazzy Cosplay; right, rose by Calypsen Cosplay. — TranspArt examples:
Left, sword by Valkyrie Studios; middle, sword and flail by Kazzy Cosplay; right, rose by Calypsen Cosplay.

Transpart Examples: Left, flame headdress by Gothichamlet. Right, crystal skull by Naruvien Art&Design — Transpart Examples:
Left, flame headdress by Gothichamlet. Right, crystal skull by Naruvien Art&Design

What about Deco Art?
Worbla’s Deco Art is only really referenced from European artists, as it is not carried in North America. The reason is Deco Art is very similar to Friendly Plastic, which is readily available in North America – importing Deco Art would be too expensive, and so you can easily replace Friendly Plastic for any project that calls for Deco Art.
For those who don’t know Friendly Plastic: white plastic pellets that when heated turn clear, can be sculpted and shaped, and then cool back to a solid white. It can be worked on its own, or added to Worbla for detail work, and Friendly Plastic is also used for tooth appliances such as fangs. Friendly plastic is much more commonly known and has great primers available if you need more information on working with it.

Top left: Deco Art details by Vera Ikonia. Bottom and right: Deco Art on Worbla by Lightning Cosplay.

Want to know more about each specific product? Check out this product page here.

Painting Worbla

Worbla can be painted with acrylics, spray paint, paint markers, wax finishes, airbrush paints – you should always test your paint in advance, but generally most paints that are formulated for plastic or wood work well.
TranspArt can be painted with alcohol markers, glass paints, and also dyed with polyester dyes as well as taking most other paints well. Again, always test in advance.

Priming Worbla

Priming Worbla can be a very important step for pieces that will be seen close up, or items that require a glossy metallic finish. Worbla products in general have a textured surface, from leather-like to orange peel, and this can show through paint. If you need a smoother finish there are a wide range of primers that can be used before applying paint. You can see a more detailed writeup about primers here, at the ultimate smoothing Worbla guide.

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I heat it up? And will it melt in the sun?
Using a heat gun is the most suggested way to heat Worbla. Working over a heat-proof work surface, you heat Worbla by pointing the heatgun (which looks like a beefed-up hair dryer) at your piece, moving back and forth. Worbla is ready to use when it is pliable and tacky to the touch.
Worbla’s Finest Art, Black Art, Mesh Art and FlameRed Art all activate between 80-90C – that’s 175-195F.
Worbla’s Deco Art activates at 60C or 140F.
Worbla’s TranspArt activates at 120C or 250F.
Worbla will not melt in the sun, however it can get ‘soft’ and large unsupported pieces (such as spikes or floating straps) may sag if you are standing in direct sunlight for extended periods of time in extreme weather – if you have known your hot glue to melt off, you should take precautions regarding worbla in the same situation.

Importantly Worbla cannot be left in your car, the shed, or stored next to your radiator. (A car can reach an indoor temp of 80C in the sun, for example.)

Where do I buy Worbla?
There is a where to buy page on Worbla.com. If you are looking for Worbla in your country, type “Worbla Your Country Name Here” into Google.

What do I cut it with? Can it be lasercut? Die Cut?
Worbla cuts with regular craft scissors as well as craft knives. Worbla can be sent through Die Cut machines, though results depend on your specific dies. Worbla can be lasercut. There are pages dedicated to both questions: Die Cutting Worbla. Lasercutting Worbla.

Does Worbla have Latex? I am allergic to everything.
Worbla is Latex-Free and I have not heard a single case of an allergic reaction to Worbla.

Can I use Worbla for food displays, chocolate molds, etc?
No. Worbla has not been tested for food safety and does not have a food-grade rating.

Okay, well how do I make ________________?
Do your research. Look at the tutorials on Worbla.com. Find people who have made similar things and written about their process. Look at the list of suggested links at the bottom of this page. Experiment. Like all materials and skillsets, the more you work with Worbla the easier it will be to create things exactly as you imagine them.

If you have additional questions, there is a larger FAQ to be found here.

Couture designs: Left, middle by CKFilmDesign, right by Fairytas

What are the downsides of Worbla? It can’t all be roses and butterflies.

Well personally I do think it’s pretty awesome and one of my main go-to materials, but nothing is perfect! Here’s a short list of Worbla’s potential failings I can think of:
Finishing Worbla (ie: priming before paint) to get a really smooth surface can be time consuming.
Worbla is more expensive than many other materials commonly used, like foam.
You can’t store it in a hot car.
A costume made of several jumbo sheets of Worbla can be pretty heavy compared to foam.
Worbla can only be bought online or at specialty retailers, so you can’t just pick some up at a WalMart when you’re in a hurry.
If you have a large molded ‘chunk’ of Worbla, you need to heat it all the way through to cut it down. (The fix for this is to add as you build, not subtract, and if you have to really break down a project or reshape something thick, I will let it sit in hot water until soft.)

—————-That’s it for this write-up. If you have additional questions you can direct them to Lenore@worbla.com but please do check that your question isn’t already answered in these fantastic links of additional information below:

Worbla Resources:
Worbla FAQ
Kamui’s Books on Worbla
Worbla.com Tutorial List

Costume/Cosplay Resources:
CosplayTutorial.Com

Foam Information:
FoamSmithing by Punished Props
Expanding Foam by Kamui Cosplay
Craft foam tutorials
EVA foam tutorials
Expanding Foam Tutorial

A Hybrid Method – Folding and Sandwiching Worbla

Posted on January 7, 2015December 5, 2017 by Amanda

Nimbus Cosplay shared this method of using both the folding and sandwich method together for a smooth application without air bubbles and less Worbla used.

Tips for getting the most out of your worbla, and for smooth application without pesky air bubbles!

Don’t overheat it. As soon as you start to see it get malformed, that’s good enough for basic manipulation.

I generally prefer to do the outer worbla piece first and work with it completely before sandwiching it. I find it gets neater edges and generally wastes less material.

Take your scissors and just snip lines every so often in the inner circles of your armor, and cut out triangles in the outer circles of your armor.

It’ll allow for easier folding around the edges and if you cut out the triangles on the outer edges, it gets rid of that obnoxious overlap and folding.
You’ll end up with more tiny scraps that you can heat up again later for detail sculpting, and the insides of your armor will look a bit neater, and be less bulky around those edges.

After the outside is nice and neat, I cut the inside sandwich piece actually a bit smaller than the shape of the armor, heat it up separately (doesn’t really matter if you overheat that one) and then just lay it over the inside (more pics later). This alteration to the sandwich method also makes it easier to more precisely apply any connections inside the armor (D-rings, clasps, etc…)

It should be noted that this will take more time since it’s a more tedious process than straight sandwiching. So if you’re in a rush to finish something before a con, you’ll probably just go with the traditional sandwich method.

The Sandwich Method

Posted on September 24, 2014March 16, 2022 by Amanda

Worbla is amazing and great for many things, but it’s very thin and flimsy when heated and shaped on its own. As such, when making armor and other pieces that need to have a smooth look, Worbla is often backed with foam. The sandwich method is the most commonly used and is mentioned in many tutorials. It can be sometimes replaced with the folding method, especially for pieces that do not need as much strength.

For everyone just starting out, we’ve broken down the steps here.

1) Have your pattern.
(Not sure how to make a pattern? We have a video tutorial for that, and you can also check out Kamui’s books!)
2) Trace it onto your foam and cut it out.

Elemental-9793 — Not the most imaginative design, I know.

3) Trace it out onto your Worbla, about ¼ an inch bigger all around. Cut it out twice, flipping the pattern for the second time. Remember that Worbla has a shiny side that has glue – you want to have those on the inside around the foam, so they need to mirror one another.

4) Heat your bottom piece thoroughly. It’s important to heat it completely so that it sticks to the foam evenly. If you’ve never heated Worbla before, it’s a good idea to practice this on a small test piece to get the feel for it. Worbla will change in colour and get a bit darker as it heats and activates. It will be ready when it’s completely floppy and tacky to the touch.

Elemental-9797 — The darker piece has been heated and is ready to use.

Once heated, press your foam securely into the Worbla, leaving that ¼ inch excess visible. Go slowly, and don’t be afraid to reheat if you’re working with a big piece.

5) Once your bottom piece of Worbla is attached, time to heat the top. Heat your second Worbla piece completely and press it over the foam and Worbla ‘bottom’, working from one side to another, making sure the Worbla is pressed firmly to the foam all over.

Now you can press the edges of Worbla together to seal everything together, then trim them. You can use tools to make this easier – wooden or metal tools for sculpting work well, but I find a plastic keycard from an old con hotel is a great multitool.

Elemental-9818 — I forgot to document this on the first piece, so here’s an example from another.

Elemental-9800 — All those edges get mushed together and the seam disappears.

Elemental-9801 — Trim the excess, leaving a few millimeters around the outside edge. If you cut too close to the foam there’ll be nothing to hold the edges together and you’ll have to patch it.

6) The reason you need to make sure everything is well and fully stuck is because now you can now heat your whole piece and shape it. If everything isn’t stuck down, you’ll get air bubbles. If you get air bubbles, follow this process to get rid of them.

Small pieces can be heated with your heat gun, but large pieces (such as armor) may be best to heat in the oven to heat evenly. Turn your oven to the lowest setting and lay the Worbla on a baking sheet on some baking paper. If the oven is preheated, you’ll only need a few minute – keep an eye on your Worbla!

7) Curious to the difference between straight Worbla and Worbla+foam? Look at the picture below. The right is a single piece of Worbla cut from the same pattern. This look works well for thin pieces that need an organic look – feathers and leaves for instance – but makes armor incredibly difficult.

If you need to create depth in a piece you can layer individual pieces of sandwiched Worbla ontop of one another, but that can consume a LOT of worbla. Another way to add depth is to layer your foam first, and then sandwich ontop of it.

Elemental-9647 — You can see I decided to add the center pieces separately, to help emphasize their lines. Foam and Worbla layered like this can look ‘soft’.

Voila! You have now mastered the sandwich method of Worbla use.

Attaching Straps for Armor

Posted on September 16, 2014March 16, 2022 by Amanda

The awesome Black & Nobo Cosplay shared with us this handy tutorial on how to add straps to your armor for a snug, secure fit. You can find them on Deviantart to see their great work!

Attaching Straps

I really wanted to create this tutorial because after I made the Worbla armor for my Dante’s Inferno Cosplay I had a really hard time figuring out how to attach the straps and I couldn’t find any information out there to help me.

In the end I figured it out and I hope I can save people the trouble that I went through :D

Required Materials

wire
pliers
Worbla
heat gun
utility knife
vinyl faux leather or other fabric for strapping
sewing machine
belt buckle
eyelet gun or tool
eyelets

Step 1

Think about how wide you would like your straps to be

Take your pliers and bend a length of wire into a thin rectangular shape. Your straps will be passing through this wire loop, so make sure the inside height is slightly larger than the width of your straps.

Don’t have any wire around the house? I cut up a coat hanger to make my wire loops.

(Worbla.com note: you can also use the D or rectangular rings from the notion section of your local fabric store.)

Step 2

Place your wire loop where you would like to attach your strap

Cut two identical squares of Worbla, making them slightly smaller than the width of your straps. With your heat gun, heat them up and sandwich them together. (Worbla.com note: Worbla’s Mesh Art is especially good for this and can be done with one layer!)

Now place your improved Worbla square over the inside edge of the wire loop. It is best to use your Worbla to cover the seam in your wire loop. Continue to apply heat to the Worbla square and the surrounding area.

On either side, repeatedly sink your utility knife down through your Worbla square and into your armor. This will ensure that the Worbla square won’t pop off. (Worbla.com note: you can also apply heavy pressure and ‘blend’ the Worbla square into the armor if using the utility knife is not an option.)

Step 3

It’s time to start making the straps. For my straps I used a vinyl fake leather that’s made for upholstery, but you can use whatever fabric you wish.

Cut a generous length of fabric that is the desired width of your straps, with an additional ½ added to either side (of width). Fold over the half inch margin on one side and hem the edge. Do this for both sides.

Take the end of your newly created strap and pass it through your wire loop attached to your armor and fold it over itself. Make sure the presentable side of your strap is facing outwards. Now, sew back and forth several times along the dotted line as you see in the picture.

Step 4

Note: this isn’t necessary for your straps to function, but after several days of wearing my armor I found it sliding off and wished I had added an elastic that would make for a nice snug fit.

Cut a length of elastic, then make it bite into your strap, so that it makes an arch like you see in the picture and pin it in place. Give it a test: when you pull on your strap, the arch should flatten while the elastic creates tension that will keep your strap nice and tight

Experiment with the right ratio between the length of your bite and the length of your elastic before you go ahead and stitch along the dotted lines, keep in mind the straps you will be creating are adjustable so you don’t have to be too exact in this step.

Step 5

Note: in this step we are working with your strap with the presentable side facing up

Take some measurements and determine the length of your strap and make a mark but do not cut. Feed the end of your strap through your belt buckle and fold it under as you see in the picture. The mark you made should be at the apex of the fold (the white line in the picture).

Sew back and forth several times along the dotted line, and trim excess.

Step 6

Repeat steps 1 through 5 for the direct opposite side of your armor. After all, what good is one strap?

Before you cut the fabric for your strap, make sure to add a ½” margin on the top, so you can hem the top edge.

Once you’ve created and attached your second strap, feed it through your belt buckle and see how it fits and make some marks where you think you need to create some holes for the buckle.

With an eyelet gun (or tool) punch holes in the desired places and then press your eyelets into place. You can add as many as you need.

There you have it!

I couldn’t find silver eyelets, so I spray painted them before I punched them into place

You can adjust your belt so that it pulls the elastic taught and so that the bite in your strap falls flat

Some belt buckles allow you to pass the loose end through a slot in the buckle itself, others have a built in belt loop. If your belt buckle doesn’t have either of these, then you can create a belt loop for yourself out of Worbla!

Image of finished costume and armor with strapping method — Photo by TheBigTog

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Thanks again to Black & Nobo Cosplay for sharing this with us! We broke this post down from their original giant DeviantArt Image (to make it more accessible to those using screen readers or translation services). You can see their original post here!

Removing Air Bubbles

Posted on August 3, 2014January 28, 2019 by Amanda

Tiff shared with us this great way of dealing with the air bubbles you get from sandwiching Worbla.

If I had a dime for every air bubble I made using the Worbla and craft foam sandwich method, I’d be retired by now. Worbla is a wonderful material to work with, but it’s so easy to form air bubbles even when you think you’re being really careful. Have no fear, there’s a really simple way to get rid of it by using just a needle!

Make sure to use a heat gun to warm the air bubbles so it’s nice and soft.
While it’s malleable, use a needle to poke a single hole in the annoying air bubble. You must poke it at an angle (see picture #2) so it can open the hole. Poking straight down wouldn’t be as effective I’ve noticed.
After poking the hole, use your finger to pat it down so the air gets released.
It should be a lot smoother and less bumpy. Sure, you can see subtle holes on the surface but it’ll disappear when you fill it with gesso or wood glue.

Thanks again to Tiff for sharing with us. Check out her tutorial on folding Worbla as an alternative to sandwiching it.

The Folding Method

Posted on July 12, 2014January 28, 2019 by Amanda

Tiff shared with us this great alternative to the sandwich method of layering Worbla for strength.

The majority of people who use worbla for their cosplays appear to be using the “sandwich” method which involves covering a piece of craft foam with a piece of Worbla on each side. This is what I used to do when I first started working on thermoplastics–and while this is a great method to stiffen a piece of armor, I die a little inside every time I have to cut four huge pieces of Worbla just to create TWO armor parts for my thighs. >_<

A great alternative to the sandwich method is the folding method. Here’s why:

Saving: You’re using a lot less Worbla so you’re saving a lot more compared to the sandwich method.
Reduced weight: Less Worbla means less weight. If anyone has ever used Worbla for armor sets and/or weapons, then they’d know the weight of it can be quite burdensome on the body.
No air bubbles: So far, I haven’t gotten ANY air bubbles when folding it. The sandwich method, in my experience, is a lot more prone to them. Air bubbles are my worst enemy.
More flexibility: The material remains sturdy but can still “give” at the same time. This is exceptionally important when making bracers, belts and anything else that wraps around the body.
Cleaner and sharper edges: Since you’re folding the Worbla over the edges of the foam, you won’t have to worry about cutting the excess around it ’cause there ain’t none!

Here’s how it’s done!

1. Cut the exact shape you need out of craft foam. Use the craft foam to outline the shape on Worbla. Cut about 1-2 inches around it (I actually could’ve used a lot less from the picture).

2. Color or draw a “padding” right outside of the lines. The padding has to be roughly the same size of the edge of the foam you are going to use to cover the Worbla with. This is exceptionally important and will act as your guide on where not to cut, if you want smooth edges.

3. Draw the rest of the lines that will show you what to cut out before folding it. Edges that are straight are pretty straight forward (heh), and edges that are curved or rounded would have to be cut into triangles or little “shark teeth” (as pictured).

4. This is what it should look like after cutting out the unnecessary pieces. Remember not to cut over the “padded” line!

5. Turn up the heat gun and fold away! If the “teeth” feels like it is loose and not sticking on to the craft foam, you can heat it up again and press it down. Edges can also be easily adjusted and fixed.

This is what I’ve been using for my current project and it’s been a lot more effective! Sure, it may not look very pretty on the inside but no one’s going to see it as long as I have it on!

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With thanks again to Tiff for sharing this tutorial with us!

Measuring how much Worbla you need

Posted on June 15, 2014March 9, 2022 by Amanda

Start by making a paper or foam pattern, and then lay your pieces out. Try to jigsaw them close together to leave as little space between them as possible. Once you have all of your pieces laid out, you can see just how large of a sheet of Worbla you will need. Remember if you are sandwiching foam between your Worbla pieces you will need to double your Worbla.

Example photos by Kamui Cosplay and Keesey Cosplay

Remember you can recycle all of your scraps, so don’t throw anything out!

Recycling Worbla Scraps

Posted on June 15, 2014January 29, 2019 by Amanda

Every bit of Worbla can be used, so make sure to never throw your scraps out! Below are a few ways to repurpose your Worbla scraps.

FC Cosplay gave us this quick tutorial on forming your scraps back into sheets with help from a pasta roller.

The Process:
Scrap Worbla: I keep everything from larger pieces that don’t fit smaller pieces to shavings that come off cleaning up edges.. Anything I can’t immediately reuse gets cut down and tossed in a plastic bag while I work.

Pasta Maker: Choose a pasta maker that is intended for actual regular use in a kitchen. It doesn’t have to be fancy and you don’t need extra attachments. Initially, I used a pasta maker packaged for use with polymer clay, but it turned out to be flimsy and a crucial part (that adjusts the thickness) wore out quickly. You can also get a far greater variance in thicknesses with kitchen-ready pasta makers.

2) On a heat-resistant surface (aluminum foil, cardboard), lay your scrap Worbla out flat but slightly overlapping so you have one big piece that would fit the horizontal limit of your pasta-maker. Avoid laying the scraps down too thick – i would say no more than 3 layers.

3) Heat the Worbla as per normal (it should have a fruit-roll-up tackiness to it) and run the Worbla through at a relatively thick setting (this varies from machine to machine – i’d say anywhere between 2-3mm thick is fine). It’s ok if there are holes; just reheat the sheet and fold the Worbla over, running it through again until you’re happy with the consistency.

4) Adjust the pasta maker to produce successively thinner pieces as needed.
This process may create some wrinkling in your sheets of scrap Worbla, but this can be mostly fixed by reheating where necessary. A bag of roughly 1-1.5kg in scrap tends to generate maybe five or six long strips of 1mm Worbla. If you use permanent marker on your Worbla like I do, you’ll probably also notice some streaking. This is normal and doesn’t affect use of the material at all.

We also have a video from Rachelle Cosplay showing the process using small scraps and a clay roller. (We do suggest a pasta roller for this method if available, as we have heard from folks clay rollers break down quickly when used with Worbla!)

Kamui uses her scraps to make sculptural elements, and things like bracelets.

To help keep your fingers from getting burned while working with heated Worbla, try working with gloves, or dipping your fingers in water before handling the Worbla.

Raven Wei shows how she used scraps for her Lumina’s delicate heel and shoulder embellishments. Heat your scraps (carefully) and you can mold them together into a putty that can be wrapped around forms, carved, shaped and sanded.

Atashi Cosplay shared this video showing the process of recycling her scraps.

Valerei shared this method of making new Worbla sheets without needing a pasta roller.
step 1:
take all those scrap pieces you have, remember to never throw away even small pieces, because they can always be used for other things!
step 2:
Put them together in a way that they cover a big area and doesn’t have any gaps between them.

step 3:
put some wax paper both over and under the worbla(I used paper that you cut out patterns with, but I think wax paper is the right choice here), and then get your iron.
Try out what temperature works the best with your iron, I had to use the warmest setting on our iron.

step 4:
iron it heavily, make sure to also turn it over so you iron on both sides

step 5:
now get out that rolling pin of yours and start rolling!

Step 6:
Repeat step 4 and 5 until you get a result that you are pleased with. This might take some time depending on how picky you are with the result.
step 7:
let it cool down a bit, then remove the paper and VOILA! a kinda flat piece of worbla!

it IS more flat than it looks here, I promise!

Making a Thermoplastic Friendly Workspace

Posted on May 31, 2014March 16, 2022 by Amanda

How not to burn your stuff, yourself, and your home

by Katilist Cosplay

Armor made from Worbla — Armor pieces made from Worbla.

This guide is for making a work space for using Worbla’s Finest Craft in your home. In case you haven’t heard of it, Worbla is basically thermoplastic that comes in sheets. I’ve been using it a lot recently to craft cosplay armor. When heated, Worbla can be molded into whatever shape you want and becomes rigid when cool. It is really great, because it is easy to use and doesn’t put out toxins while heated like some of the other crafting materials, like foam or PVC sheets.

The easiest way to shape Worbla is using a heat gun (or hair dryer in a pinch) and heat knife. The drawback is that both these items create a lot of heat and heat BURNS things. Heat guns, in particular, can burn things without you even realizing it. This creates the problem of figuring out where to put your Worbla to heat it without setting things on fire.

Sheet of Worbla to cut out and heat up. — A sheet of Worbla ready to cut out.

Ever blow dry your hair too long and start smelling that burnt hair smell? Try hitting the carpet too long with a heat gun. You will inevitably end up toxic fumes and something that looks like this:

This is your carpet on Cosplay — How to make a costume cost an extra $2500 -basement carpet replacement!

I know this from very personal and painful experience! (Yes, that was Berber.) Clearly carpet makes a poor work surface and wood and vinyl are not any better. Cool metal or smooth stone work surfaces work best. Unfortunately, I don’t have a garage with a nice cool cement floor or metal table to work on, so I make my own aluminum workspace that I can move to wherever I am working that day!

To make it, I start with a foam display board from the craft store that is big enough for the Worbla pieces I’m working on. Then, I wrap it in metal insulation tape.

Aluminum Workspace — A slightly blurry craft board with duct insulation tape on it.

That’s all you need to do. Metal insulation tape is available at any hardware store and is used to seal ducts. Note: it is not duck tape. Duck tape sheds water like the skin of a duck. This is the shiny aluminum metallic tape used for heated HVAC ducts. Prices for this vary, and at $6-$15, it might seem expensive for a roll, but weighed against the damage you can create without it you are getting a bargain! If the tape is impossible for you to get, you can also wrap the board in aluminum foil. However, the tape is much better and much safer, because it stays securely in place.

heating worbla on aluminum workspace — Heating a piece of Worbla on my new board, keeping finger out of the way.

And Voila! You have a mobile workspace! The heated Worbla will not stick to the aluminum tape and the board will not catch on fire with the heat gun or knife. The aluminum will reflect heat when you hit it with a heat gun, but this actually helps you heat up your Worbla more evenly.

((Worbla.com Note: I’ve found it helps to use a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on top of the board to keep my Worbla from sticking to the aluminimum tape and tearing, especially for small pieces.))

Tips:

Watch out for your fingers! The board can get hot.
Make sure to heat things in the middle of the board to avoid inadvertently hitting what’s next to your work surface with the heat gun. It just takes a few seconds of even indirect heat gun heat to discolor most carpet, vinyl or wood.
The metal tip of your heat gun is REALLY hot! When you are done heating, don’t set it down anywhere but on the aluminum board. It will insta-burn through carpet. And for heaven’s sake do not touch it! This goes for heat knifes, too.
If your aluminum board is losing pieces of tape or looking a little worse for wear, there is no need to replace it, just add more aluminum tape.
Keep a bucket of cool water handy to dip your hands in when they start getting a little too warm and to treat burns with immediately.

Another item I find helpful is an aluminum cutting board:

The large board we just made is great for heating, but will not last long if you are cutting into it excessively. I make my cutting board out of a 4ml piece of foam. I wrap the foam first in duck tape to add rigidity.

Board covered with duck tape — You can tell I have used this foam for cutting before.

Then wrap the whole thing in Aluminum tape.

This gives me a surface with give that I can cut on multiple times. I usually set it on top of my rigid board, so if I accidentally cut through one board I will hit the other. It is also nice to use it as a heat gun holder while heating so you can set your heat gun farther from you while shaping your Worbla. When the tape starts getting too cut up to stay together, you will need to re-tape your cutting board. That happens a lot, which is why I like using a smaller board for cutting: less tape.

In an ideal world, I would have a giant aluminum work table and could luxuriously stretch out my Worbla, shaping it to my every desire, as I casually fling around my heat gun like Han Solo would a laser gun. That dream, however, would require a garage and possibly burn defying superpowers. In the meantime, I find this to be a good work around.

I hope this is helpful and if you have any questions or suggestions on avoiding burns or even your favorite home cosplay catastrophe stories, please post a comment!

To find out more about the author, visit Katilist Cosplay on Facebook.

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