Fibreglass Resin Without Fibreglass Mat/cloth

Hi 405th,

Just wondering if it's possible to use only fibreglass resin, and not use the mat/cloth?
I know it's recommended to use Mat/Cloth, but I thought I'd check this method first.

Thanks,
Leyton

I'm using only resin on my gun, but because i filled the inside with expanding foam that gives it more strength on top.
Using just resin would leave it kind of weak i would imagin, but if you put like, 5-10 layers on maybe idk you could get away with it.

if you just use resin it will end up brittle, the matt provides the resin a skeleton that strengthens the overall piece. seriously though, not using the matting/cloth is the worst kind of money saving in the costme building

SpartanG said:

if you just use resin it will end up brittle, the matt provides the resin a skeleton that strengthens the overall piece. seriously though, not using the matting/cloth is the worst kind of money saving in the costume building

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yah im only using resin but because using mat/cloth is too hard i mean when i go to put it in the tub of resin to soak it it ends up all stuck to get here ans stuff as if i was working with scotch tape

It may seem strange, but two-layered packing cardboard work perfect too instead of fiberglass mat/cloth.
Can say, it is papier-mache, where instead of glue you use resin
In the not so distant past I made one part of pepakura, then just glued in sheets of crumbly cardboard, then saturated it with polyester resin, now it is strong as regular thick plastic sheet, but I think that under pressure such a construction will crack more easily than mat/cloth fiberglass sheet with resin.
Sangyaverymuch for your attention

If you're having trouble with the fiberglass, try using double sided sticky tape to attach the dry fiberglass to the interior of the piece and then use a paint brush to apply the resin. Press the paint brush firmly against the mat to help the resin soak into the mat. This process is a little more time consuming that just dunking the fiberglass mat, but it is a heck of lot easier in my opinion.

Using resin without Fiberglass is like a body without bones, or concrete without rebars.

Ths is how I do it.
First, I create the pepakura model completely. Do not Remove visor until I say.
Second, I resin it using ONLY the resin mixed with about half the hardener tube. The small tube. It will harden to a semi-decent peice of armor, like you cant really throw it, because it will dent, but not collapse.
Then I use Smooth-Cast 300 inside it. You leave the pepakura visor in and it will also harden too.
The more plastic mix (SC300), the harder it will be. Just dont go over board. It will take from 12-23 minutes to dry in cld weather, my experience.
Now you can remove the visor, use scissors. Exacto knives just won't CUT it, heh heh
Bondo, Sand, then paint, pad the inside, add LEDs or whatever and wear it to wallmart.
Thats what i do.
The helmet is plenty-hard after the SC 300.

godsarmor said:

yah im only using resin but because using mat/cloth is too hard i mean when i go to put it in the tub of resin to soak it it ends up all stuck to get here ans stuff as if i was working with scotch tape

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Ya know, you can take the fiberglass mat, glue strips into the helmet with super glue, then slap the resin on with a paint brush. Very easy to do, Spartan161 and I are using that method.

Heres a pic from spartan161's High def mark V build.

Spartan857 said:

Ya know, you can take the fiberglass mat, glue strips into the helmet with super glue, then slap the resin on with a paint brush. Very easy to do, Spartan161 and I are using that method.

Heres a pic from spartan161's High def mark V build.

Click to expand...

ah thanks man i will try this maybe today if its not so cold later on thanks again and to the other gut who recommended the same except he said to use tape

Use 3M Spray-adhesive on the inside of the helmet, then all you have to do is lay in cut sheets of fiberglass before resining them. Before I did that I just Hot-glued the fiberglass in there like 857 did with superglue.

Thanks so much for this amazing response!
I like the idea of glueing/taping it to the inside before resining it. That's an amazing idea that I'd never have thought of.
THANKS SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!
I'm gonna start Fibreglassing next week as a test, so I'll post pics to show my result.

Thanks!

=Ω24= Leyton

Sigma-LS said:

Use 3M Spray-adhesive on the inside of the helmet, then all you have to do is lay in cut sheets of fiberglass before resining them. Before I did that I just Hot-glued the fiberglass in there like 857 did with superglue.

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thanks man im going to walmart 2morrow to buy some brushes and some 3m spray adhesive

Spartan857 said:

Ya know, you can take the fiberglass mat, glue strips into the helmet with super glue, then slap the resin on with a paint brush. Very easy to do, Spartan161 and I are using that method.

Heres a pic from spartan161's High def mark V build.

Click to expand...

just so you know what was used in this pic by 161 is fibreglass 'Cloth'

adventSpartanMatrix said:

just so you know what was used in this pic by 161 is fibreglass 'Cloth'

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oh thanks

S1l3nt V1p3r said:

Using resin without Fiberglass is like a body without bones, or concrete without rebars.

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Umm...Viper. Concrete with rebars is actually called Reinforced Concrete, but we got your meaning.

You may be tempted to use resin without some kind of backing like matting or fiberglass cloth. DON'T USE JUST RESIN!

You will definitely want to use at the very least matting (easy, thicker matrix, soaks up resin fast!) which significantly hardens your armor. The first suit that I did used just resin with bondo over the top. I wore it to a Halloween party and to make a long story short, one drunk friend of mine messed up the right shoulder (basically tore in half) and another one of my friends decided to punch through the torso. If I would've used matting on either of these parts they would not have failed so miserably and my friend would've f*cked up his hand punching the chest instead of punching through it. My advice is that you should use matting. Cloth is a pain in the ass to work with and has too much flex which leads to breakage.

To give you an example of how strong the matting is when the resin is cured, look at the bottom of a hot tub. Hot tubs are thin enough often times that you can see daylight through them when you look at the sun through them, however the matting's crisscrossed fiber pattern makes for exceptional omnidirectional strength. The matting that they use is actually blown onto a layer of resin and then sprayed over with another layer. They do this about 3-4 times but for our armoring purposes one layer should be enough. You can then add patch layers to areas that you think require extra strength & rigidity (i.e.: where the MKVI jaw meets the rest of the helm, the torso gutplate, the boot tips, the wrists of the bracers, where the bicep cover meets the rest of the shoulder, etc.).

Besides, it's like $6.50 for a 3'x4' sheet of matting and I've used maybe less than a quarter of that on the helm. Matting does the job quickly and efficiently. You can even speed up the curing process of the resin if you have an electric stove element. Just set it to high and hover the piece 6-10 inches above the element for about 10 seconds after it's glowing red. You'll want the heated area around something that feels roughly 115°F. Because of the combined thickness of the matting and cardstock, the heated area will retain the heat for about 5 minutes, enough to harden the resin. Then you'll just have to wait 1-2 hours for full cure to trim the overhangs down which can be done with a utility knife. Just make sure that you DO NOT set your piece on fire when you do this!

adventSpartanMatrix said:

just so you know what was used in this pic by 161 is fibreglass 'Cloth'

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My bad........when I think "mat" I think sheet......like a rubber mat.........lol

godsarmor said:

yah im only using resin but because using mat/cloth is too hard i mean when i go to put it in the tub of resin to soak it it ends up all stuck to get here ans stuff as if i was working with scotch tape

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That's why. You're not supposed to "soak" it in resin then apply it. You set it on where you want, then add the resin OVER it and spread it around.

or instead of using cloth you do like pooper i believe and do the hot glue method on the inside