Worbla offers an ever-evolving line of thermoplastics with a variety of properties to meet every need.
What is Worbla?
Worbla is a German brand of non-toxic thermoplastics that come in sheet and pellet forms. Each product in the Worbla’s Art Line has a specific use, color coded to help differentiate them at a glance. From armor builds to fabric manipulation to gemstones, Worbla products are designed to help you build faster than traditional materials might allow, with a far more forgiving margin of error.
When heated, Worbla plastics become pliable, adhesive and moldable – simply mold into the desired shape and allow to cool. Worbla plastics can be heated endlessly and have no shelf or pot life, require no specialized tools or ventilation, and can be used in small workspaces and classrooms without extensive safety gear.
Our Standard Sheet Plastics
Of our sheet plastics, the most commonly used are Worbla’s Finest Art (brown), Worbla’s Black Art (black), Worbla’s Pearly Art (white). These plastics all activate at 90°C or 195°F, and are self adhesive. These plastics have slight differences, but can often be used interchangeably based on what you have on hand.
Worbla’s Finest Art
The original formula, Worbla’s Finest Art was the first of our products and is still an industry favorite. This product has great self-adhesion, excellent stretch over curves, and an orange-peel-like texture. Finest Art is often used for large builds such as the base of armor, as well as for more organic shapes. It is a favorite for classroom use with the easiest learning curve.
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Worbla’s Black Art and Worbla’s Pearly Art
Sister products to Finest Art; these have slightly less adhesive and stretch compared to Finest Art, while offering a much finer texture and a black or white base. Black Art and Pearly Art are often used for fine filigree work and detailing, and for projects that require a more metallic finish as their smoother surface requires less priming before metallic paint is applied.
You can learn more about Worbla’s Black Art here or Worbla’s Pearly Art here.
Our Specialty Sheet Plastics
We offer additional products in sheet form for more specialized use. These include Worbla’s TranspArt (clear), Worbla’s Mesh Art (tan with mesh), and Worbla’s Kobracast Art (white). These products have specific properties and activation ranges,
Worbla’s Mesh Art
Designed when strength is needed, especially over curves, Mesh Art blends our thermoplastic base with a structural plastic mesh. Still capable of taking domes and complex shapes, Mesh Art is the most adhesive of all of our products, making it useful not only as a build product but also as something that can be used to create on-site repairs to props and scenery or to reinforce rigging and attachments. Activates at 90°C or 195°F.
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Worbla’s TranspArt (Transpa Art)
Designed to avoid the pitfalls of PET and acrylic plastics, TranspArt offers a translucent, flexible, resilient plastic that stays workable for minutes instead of seconds and cannot be shattered. TranspArt is solvent stable and can be dyed and glued, and has some self adhesive properties. It’s often used to create water, ice, and flame effects. TranspArt activates at 120° C or 250° F and requires gloves to be worked safely.
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Worbla’s Kobracast Art
The thinnest and lightest of our materials, Kobracast is an open-weave fabric gauze impregnated with our thermoplastic base. Kobracast is exceptionally flexible and can be molded around extreme curves and shapes and simply ‘peeled’ off to create under-structures, or laminated to fabrics to allow for complex fabric manipulation far more durable than traditional methods.
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Our Pellet Products
We have two plastic products that come in pellet form: Worbla’s Deco Art and Worbla’s Crystal Art. It’s important to note that these plastics are not simply pellet forms of our sheet plastics, but rather their own specific products with different properties. Our pellet products can be tinted or dyed with Polyester dyes and are solvent stable. Just like the rest of our line, these plastics are self adhesive, can be activated endlessly, and have no shelf life.
Worbla’s DecoArt
Opaque white pellets that when heated blend into a fluid smooth plastic, you can use Deco Art for quick casting and molding or sculpted details, custom made hand grips, and quick repairs. Deco Art sets up as a super smooth plastic that makes excellent mascot teeth and eyes, and can be used to fill voids or smooth joins on other Worbla sheet builds. Deco Art has a low thermal transfer, meaning it is easier to handle and sculpt for those sensitive to heat. Activates at 65°C or 150°F.
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Worbla’s Crystal Art
Translucent, rubber-like pellets designed to be an alternative to casting for translucent results. These pellets need to be blended by hand when heated, then shaped or pushed into a mold. Crystal Art cools quickly and ‘sets up’ in a matter of minutes, allowing you to create crystals and gems and other translucent looks with speed and ease. Finished pieces are flexible and can be used for various lighting effects with LEDs. Activates at 110°C 230°F and requires gloves to be worked safely.
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Companion Products
Flexbond for Worbla
Priming Worbla is the standard process to create the smoothest surface before paint application, and one of the best products we tested over the years has been Rosco’s Flexbond. As a result we partnered with Flexbond to sell both their standard 1 gallon jugs, as well as smaller, consumer-friendly 16oz bottles. Flexbond is a scenic adhesive and coating that works both for plastics and foams, and is phenomenally resilient against damage.
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Books on Worbla
Kamui Cosplay has created a series of books covering both the introductions to Worbla for various projects and advanced techniques in painting, construction and lighting. If you’re looking for a guide that can be referenced in person or a cohesive grouping of tutorials, her books are a fantastic way resource.
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