"Help!" for: Fiberglassing, Resin, & Bondo

[Carpathia]

Hello all, I am getting ready to harden my armor and am using smoothcast 320 on the interior, do I still need to resin the exterior first? I did a very detailed torso, and don't want the resin to build up in tight areas where I can't smooth it out...
Also, if its cold outside, can I help the resin cure with a heat gun?
Thanks

You could resin the interior first, but, assuming you've put any kind of supports in the torso, this would be difficult. I suggest resining the exterior first. When you do, to avoid build-up in high-detail areas, don't slop it on. Apply very thin and controlled coats, and if you see it start to build up, remove as much excess resin from your brush that you can and brush it out of the detail until the resin stops seeping in.

And, yes, if the temp is a little low, you can use a heat gun (or even a hair dryer) to help the curing process along. Just don't let the heat gun sit in one place for too long, you don't want to run the risk of burning your pep.

What kind of resin are you guys using and where would the best place to purchase be

It all depends on where you are from. If you're from the US, most use Bondo brand resin and filler you can find at just about any automotive supply store or any good hardware store. If you're from outside the US, someone else will have to answer since my knowledge is limited in that.

 

[BuildsByBaz]

I just buy the 500ml tin from my local Bunnings Hardware store. I'm sure I could get it cheaper if I went to a fibreglass supplier though.

 

[TheSlammerss]

Quick question: on my recon helm I have added this wooden pieces on the top. I was wondering if I should just put some bondo over it to smooth it out or make a damm setup for rondo? Pics on my thread, thanks

 

[SergantTinkers]

If you wish the wooden pieces to appear to be merged with the helmet, then yes you could do that. I did similar work with detail pieces with my first costume. You just have to make sure you cannot tell the difference between where the helmet ends and the wood begins. If it's not very smooth wood, it may end up not looking too good. The idea would be that the wood and the rest of the helmet are one single item rather than multiple items attached together. Also, you may or may not want to put the bondo anywhere but where the wood connects to the helmet. If your type of wood can keep a good appearance, then it would merely be extra work.

 

[TheSlammerss]

if i cover the entirey of the wood with bondo on the top, what about the edges? wouldnt you see the two materials stacked?

 

[Skullptura]

You shouldn't... Depends on ones skill I guess. I use plastic, metal and bondo and can't tell the difference. If the surface is different just put a coat of resin to match up the surfaces. That's all I've done so far. My helmet has some different pieces in it. All looks the same.

 

[Hells Badass]

Question: I've watched a bunch of tutorials and read up and I was under the impression that it is possible to use just fiberglass or just rondo for hardening, so I decided I was going to fiberglass the inside of the helmet instead of rondo. After the fiberglass was all dried and finished though I found a lot of small bubbles of unenforced space, especially in the small details and such in the pep. I looked around a little bit and learned that Rondo is generally applied before fiberglass to avoid this problem, so I was wondering, now that I have already fiberglassed, is it still possible to apply rondo that will seep through the fiberglass and fix this problem or would it get caught up in the fiberglass and accomplish nothing?

 

[Carpathia]

Question: I've watched a bunch of tutorials and read up and I was under the impression that it is possible to use just fiberglass or just rondo for hardening, so I decided I was going to fiberglass the inside of the helmet instead of rondo. After the fiberglass was all dried and finished though I found a lot of small bubbles of unenforced space, especially in the small details and such in the pep. I looked around a little bit and learned that Rondo is generally applied before fiberglass to avoid this problem, so I was wondering, now that I have already fiberglassed, is it still possible to apply rondo that will seep through the fiberglass and fix this problem or would it get caught up in the fiberglass and accomplish nothing?

The rondo will not seep through the fiberglass. If it was soaked in resin properly, it's now a hard, impermeable shell. But, there are things you can do. For the small air pockets, work at them from the outside. Cut away the paper/resin layer on the outside and when you bondo, make sure that the bondo enters the cavity. If it's a detail piece, you can cut small portions of the detail away and fill the air pocket from the outside with a bit of resin, or even some epoxy or something you can inject into the cavity, then clean it up later. For the larger air pockets, the ones you can blatantly see from the inside, you can grind away the fiberglass/resin on the inside and fill with either straight resin or rondo.

In the future, just know that rondo is not necessary to get all the crevices covered when glassing. When I glass, I use quite a lot of resin. I brush some resin onto the inside of the piece, getting it down into the crevices, then lay a strip of fiberglass down, and use my brush to dab that down into the resin, adding more resin over top the fiberglass where necessary. By using a bit more resin, there is enough that it seeps into the crevices on its own, even though the glass does not get down into them.

 

[Hells Badass]

Thanks so much for the help; I'll try that and hopefully fix it up a bit.

 

[Deceitful1]

after resining, I failed to use enough hardening agent and the piece is still tacky I hot boxed it over night and it's still tacky, should I apply a second layer - taking into account that I mix it the right way this time? or is there another way to fix this?

 

[Carpathia]

Adding a second coat would probably be best. I would even go so far as to add in a few extra drops of hardener to be absolutely sure that the outermost coat will cure properly.

 

[Deceitful1]

I powdered the coat with talc powder and its not tacky, but i fully plan on adding a second coat and an internal coat

 

[cuse]

I live in New York and its getting very cold here. What do you guys do to resin in Winter? I could technically do it in the garage but I'm not the only one who goes in the garage...Not sure if it would be safe for others to go in there after I've been working?

 

[BuildsByBaz]

I live in New York and its getting very cold here. What do you guys do to resin in Winter? I could technically do it in the garage but I'm not the only one who goes in the garage...Not sure if it would be safe for others to go in there after I've been working?

I live in Canberra where my tin shed drops to around -5 degrees Celsius. I just put a small fan-heater in there to warm up the space, that way I don't have to waste so much catalyst to make the fibreglass cure. It's best to put the fan-heater next to the job AFTER you've finished, that way the cold gives you the advantage of not having to rush your work while you are working it, but will still cure once you're done.

 

[Katsu]

Hotboxing as mentioned is a good method. Some people will use a large container or bucket if they don't have a seperate enclosure. Garages are tricky. Some houses can draw in air from the garage, and there have been times on these forums of people saying they left a wet piece in their garage and stank the entire house with it. Some houses seperate their garages effectively (which is overall a good idea because of exhaust fumes), but try this method at your own risk.

 

[BuildsByBaz]

Hotboxing as mentioned is a good method. Some people will use a large container or bucket if they don't have a seperate enclosure. Garages are tricky. Some houses can draw in air from the garage, and there have been times on these forums of people saying they left a wet piece in their garage and stank the entire house with it. Some houses seperate their garages effectively (which is overall a good idea because of exhaust fumes), but try this method at your own risk.

Yeah my shed is separate from my house.

 

[SergantTinkers]

I have a question for you prop makers: I will soon begin making a hammer prop (not a gravity hammer, but a hammer still). Would merely using rondo on the inside be effective enough to create a really strong prop (providing I use enough, which will be a lot. I understand the weight issues.)? If so, would it also be good for securing the handle (PVC pipe or wood), providing I secure it well, and create a seal around the base of the handle, so none of it leaks?

My apologies if my post seems confusing.

 

[Skullptura]

It should be strong enough but it will add a fair amount of weight depending on its size. If expanding foam is out of your funds range im not sure what else you could use. Someone here will have an answer. Good luck with your build mate!

 

[SergantTinkers]

Expanding foam? I thought using it was a bad idea, since it expands, THEN shrinks, causing warping in the pep documents. In any case, I believe rondo is harder, which is what I really want. I am fine with the weight, and actually want it to be a bit heavy, to make it seem more realistic. Any other input, guys?

 

[Katsu]

Rondo is brittle, if you make the hammer out of rondo resist the urge to "tap" things with it, so to speak... I poured my needler to full with rondo in the "beak", and it still cracked in half when I dropped it last week (heartbroken!). I think the method depends on the design. If it's a simple hammer design (thor etc) you could go with wood. If you do have to pep and harden, and don't worry too much about longetivity, you could slush a layer of rondo inside, and then fill it the rest of the way with expanding foam. If you do a decent sized hammer and go ALL rondo, you will be wasting a ton of bondo and resin unnecessarily. It will be heavier than pvc could support, and not worth the "extra heft". Going 50/50 rondo and expanding will give you some good weight, and the rondo will keep the foam from doing shenanigens.

Just my two cents.