[wip] Haruhi Stockings

I've been asked a few times about how I did the Haruhi stockings, so I thought I would post about it.


Surfing the web for advice on how to do these stockings will show a lot of different methods, requiring various levels of skill (sewing, carving, completely breaking off the shoe and reattaching it, etc). Since this was the first kit I was building, none of those would do, as I have none of those skills. Also, some of the photos weren't very inspiring since I could still see ugly seam lines, pinched fabric at joints, uneven stretching, fabric lift on curves and even tears and runs. I wanted Haruhi to have better stockings (and this sculpt deserves better stockings), so I thought it over to come up with a way that would look good using only the skills I had.

First, since the shoes are molded onto the legs, there is a clear problem on how to make the stocking blend into the shoes. It seemed to me whatever solution to make this look right would also apply to the seam lines. Those lines are also molded into the legs, so there is no doubt where they should be. All that's needed is some way to keep the fabric in shape when hardened, allowing you to make the appropriate clean cuts. Ah, it's kind of like paper mache. The nylon fabric is porous and will absorb a liquid, but since the layer underneath will already be painted, it's important to not ruin the paint. Also, since you want the painted layer to show through, it's important that the liquid be absolutely clear. This is the same as sealing a layer of paint, but the layer now is fabric.

The solution: Johnson's Future Floor Wax. It's a liquid acrylic that can be brushed on, cures hard and encases the nylon in acrylic which can be easily cut with an Xacto knife.

To start, I completely painted the leg, with all the shading, as if it were to be displayed without stockings. Once you put on the stockings, you can't change the paint underneath, so this paint job has to be as perfect as possible before continuing. The molded seam on the back of the leg is painted black, then the whole thing is sprayed with a few layers of Future to protect the paint.



I used masking tape on the seam line, but if your hand is steady, it's not necessary at all. Now, here's where this process becomes lengthy. Future takes 24-48 hours to cure and you have to let it cure. I allowed for 24 hours after applying Future, so go work on other parts, play a game or watch TV and come back to it the next day.

The nylon comes in a sheet of fabric, so I cut enough to fully wrap around the part with about 1/2" edges. Real stockings are elastic and form fitting, so loose fabric won't do. I need a way to hold the fabric stretched in place before I can continue. Easily done with fingers, but I'm not willing hold the fabric in place for 24 hours. A perfect use for strong hobby (NeFdB) magnets. I got these tiny ones from Amazing Magnets, and they are easily applied with metal tweezers.

Open the tweezers, stick one magnet on each tip, position the magnets on each side of the fabric and close the tweezers to deposit them in place. Then just slide the tweezers off. You can nudge the magnets with your thumb and finger to apply the proper amount of tension (red lines in the photo) on the fabric - note that the fabric is slightly warped around each magnet - this doesn't matter, what matters is what it looks like at the seam line.

I put on enough magnets to stretch the entire length of the leg (took about 2 minutes total) making sure the polarity of each pair is the same - these magnets are super strong and with them so close to each other, if the same sides are not repelling, they will pull the fabric into one big blob (don't ask how I know). Also, note that the magnets are all placed on one side of the seam - in order to get the seam cut perfectly, I'm going to work on this in two parts. What's important is that the fabric touches the seam on the top side, because that's the side I'm going to seal the Future on first.



Here's the last chance to make sure everything is right. I examine the part from all sides to make sure the nylon is oriented perfectly and stretched properly all around (look at the vertical and horizontal loop lines in the nylon). Think of brushing on the Future as locking it in place, it will harden and hold whatever shape it looks like now. I used a 1/2" stiff bristle brush to apply a wet coat of Future starting at the seam and brushing away from it toward the front, stopping there. This is repeated down the length of the leg. The same thing applies at the shoe, start at the seam and brush away.

As said earlier, I am doing this in two parts, so at this point the Future has been applied to only half of the leg. I set this aside and let it cure for 24 hours.

(one day later)

The nylon fabric has absorbed the Future and is now very hard whereever it was applied. It's now safe to take off all the magnets and I soak them in a jar with some windex (if any of the Future got on them, I don't want them sticking to each other). Taking an Xacto knife with a new blade, I cut each strand of nylon along the seam line while tugging on the loose end. The nylon is essentially hard acrylic now and will snap when cut, a light tug and the loose edge comes away cleanly. I forgot to take a picture of this, but you can see it in the picture below - there is a nice clean edge on the top half of the seam line. This is why I chose to do this in two parts, so each side can get a perfect edge on the seam.

Next pull the other half of the fabric around the seam. As before, I need to apply some tension to the fabric and hold it in place - this time magnets won't work, but masking tape will. Also as before, I make sure I am happy with the final placement of the fabric before applying the Future. Then it is a repeat of the previous step, starting at the seam and brush toward the front.



At this point, the rest of the part will have been sealed with Future and I leave it to cure again for 24 hours.

(one day later)

The nylon has absorbed the acrylic and turned hard, it's safe to remove the tape. What I have is a fully cured part with a loose edge of fabric.



And again, cut each nylon strand on the seam and tug the loose edge. Here's what it looks like now.



I then cut around the shoe in exactly the same way. When cutting around the shoe, it is safer to error on the side of leaving too much fabric on, as it is easier to remove excess fabric than to add it back. I left painting of the shoe to the very end, so once I am happy with the seam at the shoe, the leg is masked off and the shoe is finally painted.

Here is the test fit of the finished legs onto the torso. Notice that the legs are very shiny - this is the Future layer as it is very glossy. To cut down the gloss, the legs are sprayed with a flat matte finish before final assembly (see the finished figure in the Haruhi post).



And there you have it, a method of applying the stockings that requires only brushing and xacto knife skills that results in clean and straight seams. As they are essentially hard acrylic now, these stockings can be handled without concern - they won't shift, tear or run. Total amount of real work was about 20-30 minutes, with a few days of waiting for parts to cure. As the saying goes, "good things come to those who wait". Take your time and have fun!