Plasti Dip

Plasti Dip is a finishing solution that allows for much more control over the look and feel of surfaces where it is allowed to be used. For foamsmithing, it can be used on any non-striking surface, such as haft padding, cross guards, handles, pommels, and across the entire surface of shields. It is not void filling and will show any surface texture that exists when applied to a surface, so using a foam with smaller cells or a more-uniform skin is ideal so that the cell texture and pores do not distract from how you are intending it to look.

It comes in both a spray and, as the name would suggest, dip form, and has been a product since 1972. A single spray can will cover about 6 square feet of area at 5 mils thickess (0.005"). The liquid "dip" cans will only cover about 5 square feet, but at 10 mils thickness, because it does not apply as thinly as the spray is able to. The finish it creates is able to be painted with acrylic paints, which can then be sealed with a basic enamel spray.

Here is an example of the basic process of using it to create a faux wood-and-metal shield, as well as some tricks for transposing designs from a computer to your shield.