So, Worbla is like really cool. The coolest. You literally don’t need to waste any of it. Yeah, it’s really expensive, but you’ll use every cent of that investment as long as you prepare for it. Case and point.

Save that stuff. Save every last bit of it. Even the teeny tiny pieces. They’re all still usable. But first you gotta gather up a bunch and make a pile. 

Now that it’s in a pile, heat it up with your heat gun. Typically, I warm a little, flip it, and warm the other side. Lather, Rise, Repeat. 

It’s starting to look like a gross colored bit of chewed gum. Perfect! Keep heating it up. Also, cover your fingers with asbestos (Note: Don’t cover your fingers with asbestos. It’s real bad for you.)

I’m working on armor for my Warrior Squirrel Girl costume, so I’m gonna make some acorn tops. You can make other stuff, but you’ll have to suffer through my project too. Out of that long hot dog pile of worbla, I cut off a small piece for the acorn top and just shaped it up a little. Then things get fun because worbla can be pressed into and given texture!

Yes, I literally used a cheap plastic comb. I pressed it into the warm worbla. It leaves an awesome texture so make fun of my crappy tools if you will. Press it in one direction and then the opposite direction. Think of all the things you can use for texture. There’s lots of cool stuff that’ll make texture. Mesh and combs and bottle caps. Dead serious. Think outside the box. 

See? Cool looking. Use all the properties of worbla. Stop just sandwiching craft foam with it (I’m not knocking that; it’s a great technique. Just let yourself play more. These are scraps anyways!)

Ignore all my Sharpie marks, but there’s the finished little acorn. The scrap bits I used for the acorn tops not only allowed me to add texture, but it also allowed me to make them stick out a little further and depth is cool. 

There’s my finished leg and arm armor. If anyone is confused as to why the base of my armor is black and not worbla-colored, it’s because it’s not worbla. It’s another, cheaper thermoplastic called kydex. I’ll be writing up a tutorial about it eventually so check back with me. I’ll give you all the pros, cons and tips. But basically, what I want to say, is don’t let the price of worbla scare you away from trying new things. Sculpt that crap. Melt it down and start again. Make cool stuff. Always.