Make: Props and Costume Armor

1 Building with Sheets and Tubes

Starting Off Easy

A lot of the things we need to make are just plain flat. When early cavemen were making theatrical props, this would cause all sorts of problems because building a perfectly flat surface from scratch can be difficult. Fortunately for modern-day prop builders, it’s just a matter of buying flat stock and cutting out the necessary pieces. By stacking multiple layers, often in different thicknesses, you can make all manner of things. It’s only a matter of identifying the different layers needed and getting started.

But that’s not all. Somewhere along the way, the ancient Romans were struggling to build their own replica prop rifles and thought, “It’s awfully tough to carve marble into the shape ...