what can make fabric hard?

If you want it *really* hard, you’ll have to use epoxy resin (saturate, and perhaps build up layers curing between). I wouldn’t use polyester resin as for fiberglass unless you’ll be doing somethig to the side that cures next to the air since that won’t cure thoroughly without additional measures.

You don’t say exactly how large the fabric is or whether you need it to be freestanding at the end, but the cheapest you can buy epoxy resin would probably be at a hardware store (sold as “bartop resin”).

(There’s more on using resins on this page, if you’re interested:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/other_materials.htm )

You could also put something stiff under the fabric, then coat it with decoupage medium (or just thinned down permanent white glue), or with polyurethane, or epoxy resin, but using most of those things alone (including starch) won’t make the fabric as stiff and hard as you probably want it.

HTH,

Diane B.

How To Make Fabric Stiff

Dilute basic white or tacky glue and paint it over the shirt. You can also buy “stiffy stuff” (I think…I could be wrong) at some craft stores, which is pretty much diluted white glue so spending the extra money on a special product is pointless. Not pointless is the product called “Mod Podge” which is white glue mixed with a water based varnish. If you dilute with a bit of water it goes farther, be cheaper and will stiffen up your shirt. You can also use water based varnish. be sure you use water based latex varnish, oil and solvent based varnishes can melt some synthetic fabrics.

Plaid products make hundreds of inexpensive craft coatings, varnishes and glues including mod podge and fabric stiffeners. Here’s their website, you might find something better on it: http://www.plaidonline.com/home.asp

Starch does it. Or spray adhesive or spray fixative (they use it for charcoal drawings, but I’ve used it to stiffin a cotton fabric.) These things will all turn a fabric yellow over time, though, so beware.

Starch! Real starch, not spray starch. You mix it with water, and soak your item in it. You can repeat the process to stiffen it further. It’s water soluble, though. Resin would also make it super hard, but that can be more expensive.

Fabric stiffener, sold by brand name Stiffy, works great. You can find it in all JoAnn and Michaels stores.

go for the hard case ones. they dont break easily. I have 4 of those hard cases and they are still in amazing condition rain or shine.

a lot of glue (fabric) or there are certain things you can get or you could use lots of starch

liquid oxygen or nitrogen