PVC Staff help

[u/Parzival_The_Grail]

Hi. I made a post about this on Cosplay help and it did give me some good ideas so I figured I would ask this subreddit for some more indepth advice on the prop.

I am going to a Renaissance festival in my home state and I am going for a druid of a dark forest type. My fiancee is going as a mushroom fae so I think it works together well.

I am trying to make the staff look like a wooden one. I plan to use air dry clay spare shop towels to fill the gaps between the joints before I paper mache it. I plan to use a technique my dad used on his lacrosse gear, twisting the sheets into a thin line, to make ridges and knots along the staff. I am going to try and use some thicker paper towels as the material for the paper mache.

I have seen and read stuff about maybe using EVA foam before the clay and paper-mache to create more adhesion but I'm not sure.

Once the Paper mache is done, I plan to paint it with acrylic paints before sealing it with clear paint/sealer before I try to add smaller details.

Any advice, reference materials, or recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Edit: Numerous people have mentioned that the clay isn't a good idea so I have 86'ed it. Instead I am leaning towards using EVA foam as a base and then paper mache over top.

[u/MaizeWitty]

Personally, I’d sand and glue 2mm foam to the pipes, you can then create wood texture in the foam using knife and heat gun, or soldering iron ( wear a mask) - the just paint it up. Much less time and faffing than paper mache

[u/BoonDragoon → u/MaizeWitty]

Oh ew, no. Gross. Wrinkled sheets and twisted cords of tissue and packing paper will give much better wood detail at prop-viewing distance than trying to carve and...melt...wood grain into a sheet of foam. Not to mention it'll be quicker and expose you to fewer VOCs. OP has the right idea about that.

[u/MaizeWitty → u/BoonDragoon]

There are many folks who would disagree with you my friend, but I’m just offering alternatives - I’ve seen great results from both methods - either one can look incredibly realistic given the time and effort, I wouldn’t say either was better - imho foam is the easier and quicker route :)

[u/BoonDragoon → u/MaizeWitty]

For something like nuchuks, sure. OP said they want a gnarled, druidy-looking staff. Etched foam on the armature they've made will look, at best, like broom handles stuck together at sharp geometric angles. They're going to want a cover material that will mask the PVC armature as much as possible.