#Help With Vault Suit Weathering

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

west chasm
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Long story short I am a HUGE fallout nerd and recently got my fiancé into the show and convinced her to dress up as Vault Dwellers for my local Ren Fair for Time Travelers Weekend. I have most of our costumes done but I'm having a hard time finding a semi permanent way to weather our vault suits.

They are the basic ones you can buy off of Amazon from Miccostumes (for now, i have a later plan to make them from scratch in the future. Since I don't have the money for it at the moment this was my best option). I am going to replace the numbers on the backs of the suits to match the specific vault we are going for since we are in a state that (canonically) only has 1 vault.

I want the suits to looks like they are somewhat motor oil, engine/mechanical grease, car/axle grease, and other engine fluids with having the option of giving them a thorough wash to get everything out if it doesn't look very good or i decide to go with a somewhat clean look. Any advice and options would be greatly appreciated.

opaque fog
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maybe a washable paints until you like the look of it then coat it in a sealable top clear coat?

sterile canyon
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The washabilty part is a kicker. I would think about products that are meant to be washed out. Spray on hair color, kid friendly paint, chalk, etc.

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You can also use certain products to water-proof or stain-proof fabrics, then apply weathering. Probably want to do a bunch of testing for that route.

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There is also some physics and chemistry behind the interaction between certain types of fabric materials and stains, dyes, or paints. Worth some reading unless an textile expert enters the chat.

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Last suggestion: makeup 💄

opaque fog
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obvious answer is actually use the real materials, oil, grease, dirt, etc. let it bake for a few days then wash to see what remains. but that seems less acceptable

west chasm
# sterile canyon Last suggestion: makeup 💄

ive thought of using makeup, ive seen some materials that have been referenced from Adam Savage and Frank Ippolito where it is basically deoderant sticks that look oily but are washable from clothing using in the costume and prop industry but i havent been able to find some that are reasonably priced or that will sell to a random person that is not in the prop making industry. Thanks for the suggestion, im going to try and look into different makeups and how they will look on the suits. ill probably start on the bottom of the legs incase I cant wash them out so they are covered by the boots.

west chasm
slender urchin
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I hope this helps it has a few weathering techniques