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

[fury101]

Hi guys. I have been experimenting with jesmonite (the uk equivalent of aquaresin) now for a while and am having great success on my armour parts.
I noticed that you can buy colour to add to the mix but didnt really want to pay for an extra (just to get a green basecoat finish) so i had a bit of a brainwave. Went to talk to my mum and deep within the recesses of her kitchen cupboard we found 11 year old food dye.
I added it to one of my mixes and it comes out a perfect colour.
Just an idea for anyone who is using a water based substitute for fibreglass resin

 

[cobe656]

Good idea with the food dye Fury101! I've wanted to work with aqua resin but I passed just for the simple reason I can't buy it at the local walmart. It's good to hear that aqua resin (or jesmonite) works well though!

 

[Chambs007]

I've seen a lot of pictures where the resin is very well liquidy is that what resin is supposed to look like and bondo is the like goopy stuff right.(sorry I am just at the resin stage and I just want to make sure I get the right stuff I'm trying to finish an entire suit by next thursday so yeah I'm rushing around and fairly screwed lol.) My dad used what I believe to be bondo on my first project(nothing I needed for my armor so I let him but he skipped what I think is the resin stage is that okay or should I make sure to do resin first?(or "rondo" it when I get resin)

 

[SnakeFang]

Hello, I'm a noob at armor making and I have some questions about fiberglass, resin, and bondo.
1st. So I have to resin the outside first right, so at my hardware store or walmart I have to look for a can that says Resin.
2nd. To fiberglass the inside I need fiberglass matt.
3rd. Do I really need bondo, how do I apply bondo to my armor.
Sorry about this, I really need help with this I don't want to screw up. BTW I do know the safety precautions.

 

[cab]

Well I know you need bondo or some shapable media to hide the folds and to add the detales.the paper is like the skelatin and the bondo the muscle and paint the skin.the bondo will make it smooth and rounded and you can carve the seems of the suit into the bondo where the plates of real armor wouldve come together.And it makes it strong.

 

[darkendbeing]

does fiberglass resin jelly work good or should i buy something else

 

[lasner12]

Tutorials that involve this thread's subject matter and are approved by the site staff will be linked in this post. Please review them as they may already contain the answers you seek.

 

[ventrue]

I've seen a lot of pictures where the resin is very well liquidy is that what resin is supposed to look like and bondo is the like goopy stuff right.(sorry I am just at the resin stage and I just want to make sure I get the right stuff I'm trying to finish an entire suit by next thursday so yeah I'm rushing around and fairly screwed lol.) My dad used what I believe to be bondo on my first project(nothing I needed for my armor so I let him but he skipped what I think is the resin stage is that okay or should I make sure to do resin first?(or "rondo" it when I get resin)

If you want to make sure to buy the right product, read the label

Resin is liquid, yes, but it's got a very high viscosity (i.e. doesn't flow as easily as water) and sometimes there's also stuff in there to change its properties even further (for example to make it thixotrope, so you can apply it to vertical surfaces). You could maybe compare it to oil.
Body filler is also a liquid, scientifically speaking, but its viscosity is so high that it hardly flows at all.

If you are in a rush, rondo might be the faster alternative, but you have to resin the model nevertheless, or it will lose its shape in the process. Don't mix these things up: Rondo is an alternative for glassing the model, not for resining it.

Hello, I'm a noob at armor making and I have some questions about fiberglass, resin, and bondo.
1st. So I have to resin the outside first right, so at my hardware store or walmart I have to look for a can that says Resin.
2nd. To fiberglass the inside I need fiberglass matt.
3rd. Do I really need bondo, how do I apply bondo to my armor.
Sorry about this, I really need help with this I don't want to screw up. BTW I do know the safety precautions.

1. Yes, but product names can vary depending on your country. In the US, it seems to be called "fiberglass resin" most of the time, at least from what I've gathered here. Where I live, it's called polyester resin.

2. Yes, or fiberglass textile, or chopped glass fibres. Depends on your preferences.

3. Bondo is used on the outside of the reinforced model to simply fill holes or even to add detail. Maybe watch a few videos on that, they might help.

Good to hear you know about safety.

does fiberglass resin jelly work good or should i buy something else

I haven't worked with that, but I can imagine that it might be a little more difficult to brush on than "normal" resin.

 

[Chambs007]

How many coats of resin should I do before "rondo"?

 

[evaDe]

ok so im new here but have been reading a lot and i have some questions about fiberglass. Primarily what fiberglass is optimal for ease of use, durability and cost? I will be buying my stuff from industrial plastics and paints.
http://www.ippnet.com/home.html
Let me know. Thanks

 

[War Machine]

Hi can anyone help me out i have just made the full war machine suit from Pepakura and i want to know how to make it hard not soft. any question answer's out there.
any help would be appreciated.
War-Machine

 

[ventrue]

i have just made the full war machine suit from Pepakura and i want to know how to make it hard not soft. any question answer's out there.

In fact, there are, they're called stickies

Read some about resining, glassing and rondo, they will put you on the right track.

 

[Dark Star]

If I resin a pepakura helmet do I still need to reinforce it with fiberglass or hot glue?

 

[Nintendude]

You can resin it on the outside, and I've had a couple helmets that I did'nt fiberglass the inside but instead I slushcasted the inside basically by mixing up about 3 ounces of resin pouring it inside the helmet and just rotating the helmet around until I got a good coating everywhere inside, make sure the outside is fully hardened before you do that part though.

 

[Snyper]

Hey Guys

I know i'm a noob here but just thought i would stop by here and give a little information that i have accumulated over the years that might solve some of the same questions being asked over and OVER again...... i'd also appreciate if anyone could give me tips and opinions about my set up.
FYI: i've never built halo armor before but i was a small parts manufacturer for a boat building company.

Safety:
- MSDS: Material Safety Data Sheet, one exists for every chemical. It tells you everything you need to know about what your using. Google is your friend

- How much is your health important to you? i know that money can be an issue, but i've seen a lot of guys not get compensation because they didn't have great safety equipment (Especially respirators).

- i am setting up my own "Spray Booth" in my garage. All you have to do is get some black plastic (from Bunnings in Aus and i'm guessing from home depot in the US) and taping the corners to the wall and roof. I am lucky that i have a back door that is on the corner directly opposite the garage door, which allows me to have a "thoroughfare" which maintains good ventilation. In Winter when it gets too cold for resin to harden correctly i will be closing the roller door and using an air purifier as an extra added precaution. (i just don't want my home to smell like a boat building factory (where i learnt most of the stuff i'll be writing in this post))

- When doing mold prep. i double up on gloves as the release agent i use eats through the gloves quite easily.

- Your skin is an organ as well! think of these chemicals as the sun. too much exposure can be a bad thing. i use a barrier cream on my arms just so that no dust or anything can get into my pores and cause irritation. Pro tip: if you get a rash after you've been sanding fiberglass; once you finish go and have a shower and get it as hot as you can stand it, then turn the hot tap off completely and stay there for as long as you can stand it (a minute should be sufficient). this basically opens up the pores in your skin and then closes them really quickly which forces all of the dust and detritus out of them.

- I currently own a Sundstrom Basic respirator but will be getting a full face shield respirator from 3M with; particle, hepa, and an activated carbon filter (over the top?)

Remember that the more you spend on safety equipment the safer you will be.


Fiberglass:
- My personal preference is to FGI (Fiber Glass International), they have this Polyester resin that is a translucent dark blue, it's the best one i've ever worked with and wont be changing from it anytime soon.
- If money is not really an option then get Pro-bond its basically resin with Q-cells (glass micro-bubbles) (you can buy Q-cells separately as well) that sands really well and is easy to use (same mix ratio as the resin, and same catalyst too).
- Preval Spray Packs: these are miniature spray guns that are perfect for spraying resin onto card stock. They create a very thin layer of resin and are perfect for delicate work, i think it could be especially good for getting into the mark VI visor from the inside.


Anyway guys that's my two cents, i hope this helps a lot, and i'm sorry if i have offended anyone that was not my intention.

 

[ventrue]

- When doing mold prep. i double up on gloves as the release agent i use eats through the gloves quite easily.

Some good tips in there

What's that release agent you're using and what material are your gloves made from?

One more thing though:

Remember that the more you spend on safety equipment the safer you will be.

That sentence is wrong. Better safety equipment is more expensive, that's certainly true. But knowing what protection you need and then getting precisely that protection and applying it correctly (very important step!) is important, not just buying what's most expensive and hoping it'll work.

From the questions I've seen regarding safety, many people seem to have no idea about how respirators work, about the difference between gas and dust or even about what substances they actually need protection against when working on their armour. I think that is a far bigger problem than money.

 

[Dark Star]

You can resin it on the outside, and I've had a couple helmets that I did'nt fiberglass the inside but instead I slushcasted the inside basically by mixing up about 3 ounces of resin pouring it inside the helmet and just rotating the helmet around until I got a good coating everywhere inside, make sure the outside is fully hardened before you do that part though.

And these helmets held up fine... right? o_0

 

[hats]

Hey guys, I'm new here. I have a series of separate questions. Bear with me, if you can. I'm having some trouble understanding the process of making the armor. Here's what I know:

1. Pep the base model with cardstock paper.
2. Resin the outer side of the armor
3. Fiberglass the inside of the armor
4. Apply Bondo to fill in accidental holes in the armor
5. Apply some sort of Primer
6. Paint the armor

I've read somewhere that fiberglass resin contains a percentage of resin and fiberglass. Why not use this instead of separating the work into steps 2 and 3? Will primers really help with painting the armor? How much more weight will be added after all the coats are done?

On a separate note, I've been wanting to start a Halo project for a while now. However, I embarked on another project since the opportunity came up. I've built a hat using cardboard. The base of the hat is thick cardboard (forget hacksaws, you have to use auto cutters for this). The other parts of the hat extend upwards are made of a mix of thick cardboard and thin cardboard. There are also holes in the cardboard, some of which requires a full piece of cardboard to fix... But I don't suppose Bondo would fix the smaller holes? The hat itself is surprisingly heavy. I also made myself a beard and glasses using cardboard. The hat and beard is currently held together with clear tape.

I am hoping you guys could help me with the painting/resin/bondo... etc since you guys seem pretty adept in building custom costumes. I'm not sure how to reinforce or paint the hat. Should I use resin on the outside of the thin cardboard? Should I fiberglass the inside of the cardboard so that one day my head won't punch through the top? What safe paint is good? I want to paint everything black, including the mustache. I'm not sure if sniffing dry paint is good at all, or if placing dry paint near the eyes for the custom glasses is safe...

 

[Dark Star]

Im actually a newb here, so Im by no means an expert, but I can actually answer your first question. First off, fiberglass resin IS used on the outside. Second, fiberglass IS stronger than fiberglass resin to my knowledge, and since people put a lot of time and their souls into their armor, call it, "protecting your investment."

As for the second question, I wore a spraypainted jason mask covered in foamie that I couldnt breathe out of and I didnt pass out or anything, doesnt mean its absolutely fine but it cant be deadly cause Im still here. I cant help you with the patching, reinforcement, or bonding though, sorry :/ Best of luck

 

[WandererTJ]

In fact, there are, they're called stickies
Read some about resining, glassing and rondo, they will put you on the right track

I know the guy probably hasnt read the thread, but isnt this at least the right thread he should be reading? It is titled "fiberglassing, resin, and bondo"....

I've read somewhere that fiberglass resin contains a percentage of resin and fiberglass. Why not use this instead of separating the work into steps 2 and 3? Will primers really help with painting the armor? How much more weight will be added after all the coats are done?

Will primers really help with painting?
Simply, Yes. Watch some youtube videos and just look at the end products they get from painting. Personally I love the warn look they achieve.

How much more weight will be added after all the coats are done?
Srsly? A fully armored spartan weighed 1 Ton. Also, this is "armor", you arent suppose to expect armor to be light, so I wouldnt worry about how much more it'll weight. If I had the skills, time, tools, and money, I would make all this out of metal.


....It would kind of be cool to make armor out of bronze, like Spartans did historically, kind of merging the themes of old and new spartans... Just a thought. I'm still totally making a plasma shield for my spartan build lol