0
There no items in your cart.
Checkout
MJTRENDS
Forum
newbie

begginer that needs help!

Posted by foshosho on: Jul 10th 2015 3:11:32 am

hi everyone!

im new to the world of latex and trying to find information online is really tricky and im struggling really badly and kind of just need some guidance, im a cosplayer wanting to make some latex clothing like full body suits and shirts and skirts and leggings but a while back i bought some latex and finally attempted to give it a go i think the thickness was either .20mm or less so it is super thin and i know now to get thicker stuff for clothing buy ive ran into a problem with glueing! im not sure if its just because its a thin latex but when i apply glue it starts to curl up onto its self and makes a huge mess and starts sticking to itself, now im not sure if im just using the wrong glue (one i bought on ebay called torbot) or its the thin latex but im having such a hard time with it and almost feel like not even bothering since i live in Australia and just buying latex costs a fortune due to shipping and i dont want to blow all that money!!!! other tips are welcome i need all the help i can get lol thanks :D

9

Response by: Chloe, July 10th 2015 9:38:25 am

It's not uncommon for latex to curl when you initially put a solvent based glue on it.  The thinner the latex the more it will curl.  There are a couple ways to address this issue:

  • Use double sided tape to hold the edge of the latex down to your working table.  When the glue is tacky (after 3 or 4 minutes), pull it up and the curling will be greatly minimized and you can glue much easier.
  • Use MJTrends ammonia based adhesive - it does not cause curling at all.  The only caveat is you don't want to use it for items that will be submerged in water for long periods as long exposure to water submersion may cause the seam to fail.

https://mjtrends.com/products.Ammonia-based-latex,Adhesive,Notions

Response by: foshosho, July 10th 2015 10:30:23 am

oh cool wait would sweat count as water? we would be wearing it to a convention so there is a high chance it could get sweaty! also do you think its impossible for someone to make a body suit with no experience lol i must sound crazy but i will also be using a pattern? also just wondering how latex works since it is so stetchy is it kinda best to make it exactly to your size or a little bit smaller?

Response by: Chloe, July 10th 2015 11:01:05 am

No - sweat won't affect the ammonia based adhesive.  Problems would arise if you were swimming in a pool for an hour.  You can get it wet / sweat, just don't leave it totally submerged for long periods of time.


A catsuit is a very tough project for a beginner.  Beginners usually start off with a skirt or something simpler.  Not to say it isn't impossible, especially if you have prior sewing experience.


You'll want to adjust your pattern for a width reductions of 8% for .20mm latex, 6% for .30mm latex, and 4% for .50mm latex.  EG: if your waist is 30 inches, and you use .20mm latex, reduce the final measurement to be: 30 * .92 = 27.6 inches - an 8% reduction.


These are rough guidelines, but should get you close to the fit you want.

Response by: JP, July 13th 2015 7:56:57 pm

Another tip for working with thin latex and solvent-based glue:  Back the glued area with delicate-surface painters masking tape. 

It's stiff enough to keep the latex from curling, but flexible enough that you can leave it on the length of a seam and peel it off a few inches at a time while sticking the seam together.  No need to unstick the whole seam at once like double-sided tape on the work table.

Just make sure to peel far enough ahead of where you're sticking the seam together that you're not distorting the seam.

Response by: JP, July 13th 2015 8:03:58 pm

On sweat and seams -- earlier this summer I spent a very sunny day in a long-sleeved latex pirate shirt; when I took off the sash, it didn't drip, it poured.

It was wet enough for long enough that the surface was temporarily discolored like it gets when it's waterlogged, but zero seam damage.

Wear, sweat, and enjoy!

Response by: shinyskintight, July 30th 2015 6:15:42 pm

This is for Chloe- Thanks for the percentage breakdown for latex and pattern sizing. There isn't enough of this type of information around and for that I say thank you :) "Creating Patterns for Latex," would be a great how-to book!

Cheers,

Shiny

Response by: Andre , August 7th 2015 8:45:20 am

I have made quite a few garments and the thickness you use is very important. I know that latex is expensive. I stay in South Africa and the exchange rate is even worse for us (about R13 to $1) but for beginners I would not recommend going thinner than 0.3 mm. I have scrapped a few 0.2mm projects. Thin latex once glued is nearly impossible to loosen and adjust if you made a mistake or it turned and glued on itself. Best buy 0.3 for tops 0.4 or 0.5 for pants, jeans etc. if you can find masking tape that doesn't stick to much, use that on the back of the seems to prevent the curling. Put wax paper or the backing of DC fix on the glue side and peel it as you go to prevent you garment from accidently gluing itself in the wrong place. Hope it helps. Also Thanks Chloe for the % reductions. I also wear loose fitting latex so I have experimented a bit with the sizing.  

Response by: wickednavi, September 24th 2015 2:33:44 am

This was a good find here, saves me a few questions I was going to ask.

Response by: DCRubberGuy, December 11th 2015 5:34:40 am

The painters tape is what I use. It allows you to be able to move your pieces around if need be. Another thing I use on the glued side once the glue has set is cling wrap. It's thinner and more flexible than waxed paper so manuvering with it is a bit easier while seaming (pull the cling wrap off as you go so the glued edges won't touch each other - big mess - or pick up dust etc). Hope this helps.