Dining Hall: Decomposing Armor

Armor doesn’t really rot. But if you want to give armor a decomposed, organic texture befitting a ghast from another plane, then give this a shot.

After you have made your armor but before giving it a finish (I used the craft foam method for this), take a bag of cotton balls, a bottle or two of Fabric-Tac, and find somewhere very well ventilated.

Working on one piece at a time, coat each surface liberally with Fabric-Tac. It does not have to be an even coat, as long as the surface is covered. However, it’s important not to use so much that the Fabric-Tac is dripping off.

Cotton balls tend to peel apart into long strands of cotton if you find the right place to start pulling. Do not pull the cotton ball apart beforehand, but keeping this face in mind, drag the cotton ball across the Fabric-Tac. The Fabric-Tac should catch onto the cotton ball and the fibers should stick, giving the armor a very uneven surface. There should be some cotton on every visible space, but the thickness should not be more than a quarter of an inch or so.

When the surface is covered, go over with a lighter top coat of Fabric-Tac or Tacky Glue. Allow this to dry. Afterwards, use the paint or finishing product of your choice to give your armor a metal-like or, conversely, organic appearance. I used spray paint, allowed it to dry, and followed up with rub’n’buff before giving it a final protective coat. Since it’s Halloween, don’t forget to take advantage of the uneven surface to show wear and age!