Walking past the Goodwill bin gave me a cheap armor idea

I was dropping off old clothes last Saturday and saw a plastic laundry basket someone tossed. It had this curved, ribbed shape that instantly reminded me of a shin guard from a fantasy game. I grabbed it, cut it down with my box cutter, and painted it silver with some spray paint I had from a garage sale find for $3. Strapped it to my leg with an old belt and it looked solid for my convention next month. Nobody at the shop believes I spent under $5 on that piece. Has anyone else repurposed random plastic stuff like bins or containers into costume parts? I need more ideas like that for my chest piece.

2 comments

2 Comments

jordan18416d ago

Check how that spray paint holds up if you're gonna be sweating in it for hours. Some cheap paints get sticky and weird on plastic once body heat hits 'em. A clear coat from the dollar store could save the whole look from getting ruined.

ivan_schmidt8d ago

Yeah, I totally thought cheap spray paint would just hold up no problem. But my buddy did the same thing with a bin and it got all tacky and peeled after an hour at a con, so you're probably right about that clear coat. I'll grab one before I wear it out.