How do I make my Pepakura look "Clean"

Deceitful Echo · Nov 27, 2014

Ive been messing around with this stuff for a while and usually get it looking ok, but never amazing. Is there any way to smooth out my pepakura and retain detail? I find that using bondo I end up with tons of sanding and it never applies smoothly like people get it to in videos (theirs looks like putty mine is very thick and never applies smooth). I started to use resin + bondo and it looked better but was harder to apply to certain areas and took forever to sand. Any tips?

Bob Rosland · Nov 28, 2014

Prop-making is about 75% sanding. When you first start out, you're going to end up sanding away more Bondo than you apply until you get the feel of how much to mix for different applications and how to apply it correctly. The best tools are large flexible spreaders that will help you get the smooth application you see in videos and whatnot. Bondo actually sells a set, but I also like to use cheap silicone spatulas.

It really is a 'practice makes perfect' kind of thing.

m00sem4n · Nov 28, 2014

^ Agreed, there's not much getting around it when it comes to sanding.
My personal disdain for sanding has made me lean more towards additive sculpture and scratch building over the years. I find it's easier to build towards the desired shape as close as possible to mitigate sanding. It's not for everyone but maybe worth exploring, especially for those finicky details.

RobTC · Nov 28, 2014

Step 1: Buy a bench sander and 60 grit sticky disks.

Step 2: Stock up on 60 grit Dremel sanding drums

Step 3: Buy heavy-duty cloth-backed resin-coated 60 grit sanding sheets

Step 4: Buy an assorted file set

Step 5: Buy a shopvac.

Step 6: Laugh maniacally as your props turn to dust before your very eyes.

Step 7: Use shop vac.

Step 8: Buy 120, 220 and 400 grit wet'n'dry papers to clean up your 60 grit mess.

DMGreg · Nov 29, 2014

Bob Rosland said:
..The best tools are large flexible spreaders that will help you get the smooth application you see in videos and whatnot. Bondo actually sells a set, but I also like to use cheap silicone spatulas...

Do you mean like dollar store kitchen spatulas that are made for baking, or do you mean more like a smaller squeegee for cleaning a window?

Chernobyl · Nov 29, 2014

DMGreg said:
Do you mean like dollar store kitchen spatulas that are made for baking, or do you mean more like a smaller squeegee for cleaning a window?

Bondo tubs -should- come with their own spatulas - essentially, it's just a square of plastic with a tapered edge for smooth spreading.

My suggestion - something I haven't seen posted here in this thread yet - would be to start with small batches of bondo. Slapping a large amount on at once means you've got more work to do with sanding later on, so save yourself the time and effort in the beginning.

Bob Rosland · Nov 29, 2014

Kitchen spatulas! Just make sure that they are silicone. Nothing sticks to silicone but silicone, so when the Bondo is dry, cleanup is as easy as bending the tool to crack the Bondo and peeling it off.

Also, they're super-cheap and come in all shapes and sizes.

DMGreg · Nov 29, 2014

Re: How do I make my Pepakura look "Clean"

Arcanine said:
Bondo tubs -should- come with their own spatulas - essentially, it's just a square of plastic with a tapered edge for smooth spreading.

My suggestion - something I haven't seen posted here in this thread yet - would be to start with small batches of bondo. Slapping a large amount on at once means you've got more work to do with sanding later on, so save yourself the time and effort in the beginning.

Thanks! We're going to be building 3 sets as a group, and I'm just trying to gather up what tipsI can. So more of a flexible plastic, similar to a credit card or putty knife.. bendable, but not as soft as a kitchen spatula.

Have another question about stages, but I don't think it is related to this thread..

- - - Updated - - -

Bob Rosland said:
Kitchen spatulas! Just make sure that they are silicone. Nothing sticks to silicone but silicone, so when the Bondo is dry, cleanup is as easy as bending the tool to crack the Bondo and peeling it off.

Also, they're super-cheap and come in all shapes and sizes.

Thanks! We'll probably do some testing with this. Easy reuse is a good thing!

RobTC · Nov 29, 2014

I'm currently using scraps of 0.040" styrene. I'm going to look into the kitchen spatulas today!

I've also found in terms of Bondo application, it helps to do it in three distinct stages:

1) Skim coat for purchase on the material. Go thin and light here, just a rough coating.

2) Blocking. Big dollops, smoothed pretty close to the shape you're going for, but not necessarily larger than the final shape. May require a little sanding/filing.

3) Second skim coat. Fills in larger voids and generally smooths everything out. Take the time here for surface finish.

That second skim coat still won't get you a ready-to-prime surface, but those three steps can be completed in about 30 minutes per section if your build area is warm enough.

Seems to me that there's very little difference between sculpting with Bondo and sculpting with anything else; prep, block, finish.

SIKAXIS · Nov 29, 2014

I followed Cereal Kill3r's Bondo tutoiral on youtube and I definitely saw some improvement in my builds. Especially because I was grinding down those sharp edges with a file I had to use less bondo and there were no semi-Jagged parts at the end of sanding.

Noble 10 · Dec 2, 2014

no i donot i though u were talking about the pep when u cut and fold

ErMaC · Dec 4, 2014

RobTC said:
Step 1: Buy a bench sander and 60 grit sticky disks.

Step 2: Stock up on 60 grit Dremel sanding drums

Step 3: Buy heavy-duty cloth-backed resin-coated 60 grit sanding sheets

Step 4: Buy an assorted file set

Step 5: Buy a shopvac.

Step 6: Laugh maniacally as your props turn to dust before your very eyes.

Step 7: Use shop vac.

Step 8: Buy 120, 220 and 400 grit wet'n'dry papers to clean up your 60 grit mess.

and repeat step 6

BuildsByBaz · Dec 5, 2014

If you want cheap spatulas by the hundreds, just cut open a heap of plastic milk cartons and ice-cream containers and cut yourself a heap of playing-card sized rectangles.

Some people use plastic playing cards. Cheap enough.

SB.

Gilmortar · Dec 5, 2014

I have found that using the left over EVA foam scraps make great "spatulas" you can easily bend them to curve to any surface your bondoing.

To break it down, if you are bondoing the curved part of Chief's chest plate, it will form to the curvature and you will have a super smooth coat of bondo instead of big lumps and globs of bondo, or have to go back using plastic or straigtedges trying to smooth it out. One shot one kill more or less...

DMGreg · Dec 8, 2014

Gilmortar Thanks for that. Since I haven't gotten anything with resin and fiberglass yet, I haven't played with bondo yet. For some reason I wasn't making the connection that something more flexible might be advantageous.

For detailed pieces, is it wise to incorporate some foam that can be pulled away, to prevent filling details up and needing to dremel them as much? The pep sometimes already has considerable detail, but would that prevent overcovering the detail from the pep?

How do I make my Pepakura look "Clean"

Deceitful Echo

New Member

Bob Rosland

Jr Member

m00sem4n

Active Member

RobTC

Member

DMGreg

New Member

Chernobyl

Sr Member

Bob Rosland

Jr Member

DMGreg

New Member

RobTC

Member

SIKAXIS

Active Member

Noble 10

Well-Known Member

ErMaC

Well-Known Member

BuildsByBaz

Sr Member

Gilmortar

Member

DMGreg

New Member

Similar threads

Similar threads