Here’s a super simple way to make pouches out of EVA foam for your next cosplay!

Materials/Tools

• EVA Foam
• Paper
• Pencils, Markers, etc.
• X-acto Knife
• Ruler
• Plastidip
• Paint
• Paint Brushes
• Magnets
• Super Glue
• Contact Cement
• Dremel with Sanding Wheel
• Heat Gun

 

Step 1: Make your pattern

If you already have a pattern, skip to step 2!

Start out with a paper pattern.  When I drew out my pattern, I started by deciding how tall and wide I wanted my pouch to be, and drew out the shape for the front section.  Then I decided how deep I wanted my pouch to be, and added that to the bottom.  Then, I added the back (which will be the same as the front section).  Next, I added the flap that went over the front.  All of this made up one solid piece for the base of the pouch.  Then I measured out the sides, the loops, and the button and drew those as well.  How you want your final pouch to look will determine how you draw your pattern, so do whatever suits your project!

Step 2: Cut out Foam 

Transfer your pattern pieces over to your EVA foam.  I use a sharpie to trace and a sharp X-Acto knife to cut.  A sharp blade is important if you want nice looking cuts!

Step 3: Dremel the Edges

Next, sand all the edges of your foam pieces using a Dremel with a sanding wheel.  This isn’t 100% necessary, but it will make your final product look much cleaner.

Step 4: Add Details

If you want to add some details, now is the time!  I added a detail line along the edges of the base of the pouch by cutting a line into the foam with my X-Acto knife, then heating it with my heat gun to open the cut line.  Add whatever details you want in this step!

Step 5: Heat Form

For this particular pouch style, I heat formed the base piece to make it easer to glue together.  My pouch has a rounded bottom and top, so I heat formed the curve into the base piece before gluing.  Just heat it with your heat gun and hold it in place until it cools.

Step 6: Glue

Contact cement is the best kind of glue to use on EVA foam.  Its very harmful to breathe in though, so wear a respirator when you use it.  Just spread some contact cement on each piece where you’ll be sticking things together and let it dry.  Once its dry, then you can stick them together.  I’m using a scrap piece of foam to spread the contact cement, but you can use a brush as well.

When you stick your pieces together, it should look something like this:

Also add on your button to the front and loops to the back at this time.

Step 7: Magnets

You’ll need something to actually hold the flap down.  I chose to use magnets, but you can use a number of different things.  Buckles, snaps, and Velcro are all good options as well. Use whatever you like best!

If you are using magnets like I did, its easy to just use super glue to glue them on.  The magnets I used were just thick enough to fill in the space between the pouch and the button.  If you’re not so lucky though you may have to compensate by adding more foam if there’s too much space or imbedding the magnet into the foam if there isn’t enough.

With all these steps done, you can test it out! String your pouch onto a belt and try it on to see how it looks!

Step 8: Plastidip

With the pouch fully contructed, its time to Plastidip!  Plastidip, like contact cement, is very harmful to breathe in.  Always wear your respirator while using it.  I like to use 3-5 coats of Plastidip, depending on how rigid I want the final product to be.  for this pouch I used 3.  One thin coat to start and two thicker coats after that.

Plastidip comes in a few different color options.  I just happened to use white for this project.

Step 9: Paint and Finish

Lastly, you’ll need to paint it!  I used brown spray paint and black acrylic paint to mimic the look of leather.  I also added some metal jewelry bits and gems to decorate it.  Finish off your pouch with whatever you want!

And with that, you have a shiny new EVA foam pouch!