meagan-marie:

Spent the weekend planning/working on our Claymore cosplay! Linda Le (VampyBitMe) and I will debut the costumes at Katsucon 2012 in February. I’ll be dressing up as Clare and she is taking on Teresa of the Faint Smile. 

A friend of ours in Sacramento has a very impressive shop and is teaching us how to 3D model props for his various machines to mill. Here is the first sword we’ve collaborated on. The top of the sword was spun on a CNC (computer numerical controlled) lathe and the sides were CNC milled from giant aluminum blocks. So awesome. 

We still plan on changing the (spun carbon fiber!!) grip to red and blue for our characters, and will treat the aluminum on the guard and pommel through a process called alodining so it’s a light gold color. After that, lots of sanding and polishing to get it to a perfect shine.

We’re also working on the skirt pieces at the moment, attempting to cast them out of urethane with various degrees of malleability. Still working to find the perfect mixture so they aren’t too ridged but will till take paint without cracking when we move.

Next time we go up to Sacramento we’ll work on the rest of the armor with a focus on the pauldrons. Till then Linda and I are working on boots, body suits, and wig styling! 

I can’t wait for these costumes to pull together!