Repairing LARP weapons or armour
LARP weapons and armour are built to take some hits, as that is their purpose after all. This doesn’t mean that they can endlessly be used without sustaining some damage.
Luckily, most surface damage is easy to repair. If the fiberglass core or the foam is structurally damaged, any surface repairs won’t be enough. So do check your LARP items properly for damage and how bad the damage is.
What do you need?
-Fine black sandpaper
-Glue
-Latex
-Water soluble paint
-Brushes
-Talcum powder
-Cloth
-Silicone spray
How to repair your LARP weapon or armour?
Step 1:
Use the black sandpaper to sand the damaged part of the item. If the latex layer is too damaged for a bit of sanding to be enough, you would have to strip the latex layer off completely. Wipe the dust from sanding off with a cloth when you’re done.
Step 2:
Use glue to repair the damage on your item. We recommend that you use LARP latex repair glue for this, as this glue is specifically made for these types of repairs. Let the glue cure fully.
Step 3:
Lightly sand the dried glue to remove any bumps and bulges. Wipe the dust from sanding off with a cloth when you’re done.
Step 4:
When choosing your paints, please make sure they are water soluble and flexible! Acrylic paints, for example, fall in this category. Oil based paints and paints with copper particles will ruin your latex and should not be used.
Mix your paint of choice with latex. Be careful not to use a too high ratio of paint to latex as this will make your latex grainy. If your latex is a bit too thick to apply evenly, you can mix in a small amount of water or ammonia solution. Don’t add too much though, or the latex/paint mixture will be too runny.
Step 5:
Grab your brushes and start painting the part of your item that you’ve repaired. Paint several layers, not too thick, for a better latex coating. If the repair was made on an edge, pay some extra attention to the edge as the edge has to endure the most blows.
If you want to add some extra metallic shine to your item, you can dry brush some more metallic paint/latex mixture after the base colour has dried. To dry brush, you need a brush with fully dry bristles and only a small amount of paint. Brush some of the paint off again on a paper towel or a piece of paper. Lightly brush along edges and ridges to add some highlights.
Step 6:
Once the paint and latex is fully dry, give your item a dusting of talcum powder to seal the pores of the latex. Wipe off the excess talcum powder with a cloth. Give the weapon or armour a good coat of silicone spray to make sure the latex doesn’t dry out.
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