CHAOTIC’S GUIDE TO EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS
A question I get frequently, both on social media and in my inbox, is what equipment I use and where I get my materials for making my fursuits, so here’s a quick guide to that! Please note that these are just what I personally like to use, and other makers might be different. I’m also UK-based, so please keep that in mind!
Some materials do not have links, either because I buy from multiple sellers, because my usual supplier has sold out, or because they’re commonly available and can be found easily! I may add to this as time goes on.
SAFETY FIRST
Press To Check half-face mask with P3 filters by JSP
The first thing I will preface when somebody expresses that they want to get into fursuit making is that they need to make their safety a priority! Above is the face mask that I use for when I’m working with fur. You don’t want to breathe those tiny plastic fibres in, so make sure you’re also working in a well-ventilated space and that you’re not sleeping in the same place that you work in. You can also use an air purifier or air ventilator!
EQUIPMENT
Sewing machine recommendation for beginners:
Brother AE2500 (though Brother sewing machines in general are absolute workhorses, I have upgraded to a Pfaff Ambition 1.0 machine (no longer produced) but I still use my old Brother for home sewing and repairs)
Hot Glue Gun:
TEC 305 12mm (I would recommend avoiding the small craft hot glue guns that you might find for under £10, as you will be using your glue gun HEAVILY. I have had multiple cheap hot glue guns explode or break, while I have been using this one for around 2.5 years without any issue!)
Clippers - please make sure you are getting PET CLIPPERS and not human-hair ones:
Rechargable dog clippers (cheap and best for beginners, I still use mine for pre-shaving and ear-making)
Rug clippers (great for pre-shaving but you need to be REALLY careful as they shave very closely)
Andis ultra-edge 2-speed clippers (My favourites, professional-grade clippers)
Fabric Scissors:
Fiskars Easy-Action micro-tip scissors (great for trimming and cutting small details out of fabric)
Fiskars Softgrip multi-purpose scissors, 26cm (my favourite for cutting no- or very-low-pile-fabrics)
Tip: Make sure you only use your fabric scissors for fabric, otherwise they may go blunt more quickly. Keep a collection of cheaper multipurpose scissors for cutting paper and other materials!
Airbrushing:
Airbrush (I tend to use cheaper gear as they are suitable for light use and the parts and airbrush as a whole are easily replaceable)
Miscellaneous Equipment
Boxcutters for cutting faux fur and cutting/carving foam
MATERIALS
Faux Fur and Minky
Howl Fabric - My personal favourite supplier of faux furs and minky, though they are often sold out of many colours! US-based company.
Big Z Fabric - NOTE: BIG Z FABRIC HAVE RECENTLY HAD QUALITY ISSUES AND ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON REPLACING THEIR ECOSHAG LINE WITH A NEW SUPPLIER, PLEASE CHECK THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS FOR UPDATES! I currently do really like using their Beaver/Halfshag, Gorilla and Tinsel faux furs! US-based company.
Stoffhummel - Big Z middleman for Europe, shipping costs to the UK are much fairer if you need a small amount of fabric! They supply both Shannon minky and their own lines of minky. Germany-based company.
Rooftop Fabrics - family-owned UK-based business supplying Shannon minky colours.
Hopen Textiles Mochi Minky (Aliexpress)
Other Fabrics
Scuba Neoprene (used for lining and padding)
Polar Fleece (used for the inner lining of mouths, can also be used for teeth/tongues/pawpads/noses etc but I don’t think it looks as nice as minky! Is also used for making things like kigurumis)
Felt - I don’t have a link as I get it from several places depending on what’s available, but I use 1-2mm thick craft felt.
Zippers
Zipperstation (You will need to use chunky zippers for fursuits, though you can also use regular nylon zippers with fabrics like fleece, neoprene and minky)
Foams
Upholstery Foam by the sheet on eBay (for my heads, I use medium-density upholstery foam in 0.5in, 1in, and 2in thicknesses. For feetpaws I use 1in and 3in thicknesses)
Poly-Props - EVA foams (including the 3mm EVA foams I use for eyes, and the 2mm EVA foams I use for ears and tongues)
EVA foam matting for footpaw soles (I prefer using matting to rolls of EVA for soles because it’s so sturdy and it’s made to be walked on!)
Adhesives
Hot Glue Sticks (make sure they are the right size for your gun. I buy mine in bulk - 5kg lasted me multiple years)
Alpha Thixofix Contact Adhesive (I use this for attaching shoes and rubber to soles)
Aleene’s Fabric Fusion (my favourite permanent fabric glue)
If you use superglue, make sure you’re using the gel kind!
Paints and Airbrushing
Pebeo Studio Acrylics High Viscosity (my favourite acrylic paint brand, you can water it down for airbrushing)
Vallejo Premium Colour Black (Airbrush paint)
Vallejo Premium Colour White (Airbrush paint, I use this for mixing and putting down a basecoat on ears)
Airbrush flow improver (prevents clogging)
Flexipaint (I mix the clear type with acrylic paint for painting eye bases)
LED eye circuit-making
22AWG multi-core wire, black and red
LED components, 5mm
Sandpaper (can be bought at any hardware store)
LEAD-FREE solder
Resistors (please use a resistor calculator to find which resistor you’ll need, I typically have to use 350 ohm ones for my 2-LED, 9-volt series circuits)
Shrink tubing
9V battery holders
Miscellaneous Materials
Eye mesh - PVC computer mesh with 5mm holes. I don’t have a link unfortunately as the seller I got mine from no longer sells it :(
Velcro - You can find this most places online, it’s called hook and loop tape! I use 25mm for tongues, and I get 50mm wide rolls for eyelids.
Magnets - You’re looking for N45 to N54 grade neodymium magnets! I typically buy thicknesses between 2mm and 5mm and diameters between 10mm and 25mm depending on the application.
