tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488782698332794714.post9178885002098095365..comments2024-03-22T10:28:52.319-07:00Comments on KostumeGirl's Closet: Black & Light Ball 2017: Guide to all things glowingKostumeGirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885303251159398377noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488782698332794714.post-52315617515868584112016-05-17T19:02:04.516-07:002016-05-17T19:02:04.516-07:00You can buy all the color of gaffers tape at The S...You can buy all the color of gaffers tape at The Set Shop on 20th street. http://setshop.com Also Barbizon Electric on 55th street, http://www.barbizon.com and probably B&H photo.Jendra Jarnaginhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11512151424112158344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488782698332794714.post-65949255944214158602016-05-13T07:05:17.952-07:002016-05-13T07:05:17.952-07:00Here's another suggestion for fluorescent deco...Here's another suggestion for fluorescent decoration for costumes. Probably the easiest one of all: *** Fluorescent duct tape ***.<br /><br />Actually most fluorescent tape is gaffers tape, which is much better because it doesn't leave a sticky mess. Gaffers tape is more expensive than duct tape and worth every penny.<br /><br />I don't know where to buy neon tape because I still have Pearl Paint rolls. I would try Blick first. I know Michael's doesn't have it.<br /><br />You just put on your undecorated outfit -- maybe even jeans. Then have one of your friends decorate your body with tape. Word of caution: This tape really sticks in your hair. I'm sure that cute girl still hates me ....Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05476896799015681612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488782698332794714.post-4135806769209507842016-05-13T06:53:17.080-07:002016-05-13T06:53:17.080-07:00Attaching Elwire To Your Costume
Attaching elwire...Attaching Elwire To Your Costume<br /><br />Attaching elwire to your costume is not trivial. Elwire is unwieldy as it is not very flexible. Glue doesn’t adhere well to elwire’s PVC jacket. Always start attaching the wire on the driver end. That way, you control where the driver is located.<br /><br />Sewing<br />Most people attach elwire to their costumes by sewing it to the fabric. Single, tied off loops looks and works the best. Because of its strength and clarity, I use very thin Nylon fishing line (10 lbs. test). I bought my reel at http://www.westmarine.com/ 32 West 37th Street.<br /><br />Buttoneer<br />The Buttoneer is a convenient tool to attach standard-thickness elwire to fabric. All the New York retailers that used to carry the Buttoneer no longer do. You can still buy them from Coolight: http://www.coolight.com/product-p/buttoneer.htm<br />You will need lots of refills, and they're not cheap. When you start working with a Buttoneer for the first time, it is awkward. One you get the hang of it, you can attach elwire to clothing very quickly. Kostume Kultist http://www.electricbubble.org Christopher Hardwick is a big Buttoneer user and buys at CooLight. Tip: The Buttoneer only works on sturdy materials. For thin fabrics, hold some trim between your fingers to back up the thin fabric. “Buttoneer” the wire and both fabrics together. Cut the trim and leave some backing material behind..<br /><br />Tape<br />Attaching Elwire to non-fabric surfaces has been quite a struggle for me. I’m getting surprisingly good results with Scotch clear, tear-by-hand packing tape. This tape is also great on the Playa for last minute elwiring, or for elwire re-attachment. You don’t even need scissors or your teeth. Buy this tape at the crafting stores like Michael’s, Blick, etc.<br /><br />Glue<br />You really want to be able to glue elwire to anything. Problem is, few glues adhere to the PVC elwire. Hot glue and fabric glue are quick and convenient. The results, however, are poor. It really sucks if after all your hard work and considerable expense, your elwire doesn’t stay put. I have tried a lot of glues. The best one I found so far is E-6000 http://eclecticproducts.com/e6000/craft.asp . It’s an industrial adhesive that has been adopted by the crafts community. It’s not in hardware stores, you have to buy it in a craft store or in the Garment District.<br /><br />E-6000 isn’t perfect. It dries slowly – it doesn’t reach full strength until the next day. But then it really holds the elwire. And stays flexible and clear. Also, find a ventilated place to dry your E-6000 project overnight. In a City apartment, this may be your bathroom with the door closed. PERC, the solvent, is not healthy. Incidental exposure is no big deal, though, and you can easily avoid making it an all night affair.<br /><br />E-6000 comes out of the tube as a viscous blob. Viscous is good. But it’s a big blob. For small projects, I use a cable tie as spatula. When I’m gluing a sizeable stretch of elwire, I fill a syringe with E-6000. You can get syringes at the polyester repair section of http://www.westmarine.com/ 32 West 37th Street. Be generous with the glue. You really want to embed half the wire. Seeing some (clear) glue is not as bad as having the elwire come off. Unfortunately, E-6000 dries slowly (overnight). Use masking tape to keep everything in place. Masking tape is the blue stuff you use when painting. E-6000 doesn’t stick to it that much. For intricate curves, I put fishing line stitches into the costume, and insert a glue bead before tying down.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05476896799015681612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488782698332794714.post-53620144150736396292016-05-13T06:52:29.158-07:002016-05-13T06:52:29.158-07:00Eliza, great stuff. I see that the Kostume Kult Wi...Eliza, great stuff. I see that the Kostume Kult Wiki is no longer on the web.<br /><br />These are my recommendations for getting started with elwire. This guide is in two separate sections, Buying and Attaching:<br /><br />Resource Guide For Elwire Costumes<br />britelite, Kostume Kult, April 2016<br /><br />Where To Shop<br />Elwire is not sold retail. I buy elwire from two places: CoolNeon (Oakland, CA), and Coolight (FL). Both companies are run by Burners. They both charge $1.20/foot for standard elwire. At this time, Coolight has the best driver for use with costumes. Unlike Coolneon, Coolight also sells the Buttoneer, a very useful gizmo for attaching elwire to sturdy clothing. More details follow below.<br />http://www.coolight.com/<br />http://www.coolneon.com/<br /><br />Drivers<br />Elwire requires a driver (or “inverter”). Longer elwire requires a stronger driver.<br />The best driver for costumes is:<br />http://www.coolight.com/product-p/cl-ipsf5-l%209v.htm<br />It is nice and small, and can light up to 30 feet of elwire. Costumes always look better with more elwire.<br />If the elwire is less than 16 feet long, this is a good one:<br />http://www.coolight.com/product-p/cl-ipsf1.htm<br />CoolNeon currently has this smaller driver, but not the larger one, which is the most useful one.<br /><br />Connecters<br />It is common to put a connecter between the driver and elwire. The driver can then be disconnected and used for another wire. <br /><br />Soldering<br />Don’t bother with soldering. I recommend you have the vendor solder connectors to the elwire for you. The vendors discuss their soldering services on their websites. To get a better estimate of how much elwire you’ll need, try-out your design on your costume with wool yarn. If you want to do your own soldering, you can buy one of the vendor’s soldering kits. The soldering kit already includes one good, small driver. It’s 10 times easier to have someone demonstrate elwire soldering for you, though. There are some good tutorials on YouTube.<br /><br />Color<br />Just buy the elwire colors you think you like. Color charts are not very helpful. You need to see - and try combinations with - the real thing.. “Aqua” blue is elwire’s “base” color. Get aqua instead of regular blue. Also, get lime green instead of green. Purple is pretty, but not very bright. At different thickness (e.g. angel hair) the same color may be very different. I feel that elwire usually looks better on dark than on light backgrounds. Orange elwire on white is nice, though.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05476896799015681612noreply@blogger.com