Skullptura
Member
Excellent work. It's people like you that give the rest of us something to aspire to
another noob with an HD MKVI build
- Thread starter agordon117
- Start date
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agordon117
Member
oh stawp it guys, you're making me blush. besides, I'm still a noob at this. sure I know the process and I have skill in the area (which comes by actually doing the process), but that doesn't make me more than a noob. anyway, I had a pretty good day building this. finshed the right forearm's bondo stage (I usually call it finished when all that stands between the current stage and paint is a 220 grit sanding of the glazing putty) and got to about 25% on the left forearm. so 5 pieces left to bondo including the left forearm. it's kind of scary to think about it that way because it seems like I'm so close to finishing but I know I'll need every bit of the 15 days to halloween to finish. I'm saving the chest and helmet till dead last (and in that order too) because they are the most important parts. so to recap the day
Boots: through base green coat
shins: through base green coat
thighs: through base green coat
codpiece: primed
right forearm: bondoed
Left forearm: 25% bondoed.
okay, enough of the daily rant, and on to pics
so after tonight, I should be started on the final four pieces, and IMO, the most important. the shoulders complete the look of the armor that the helmet and the chest start. you could take everything else away and it would still look good. time to go to class yet again. more to come tonight.
I'm also going to be making a parts list for everything I need to totally finish the build. so I'll keep it here as I can go in an edit it yet still view it on the go
2 packs of 60 grit sand paper
3 cans of primer
1 box of razor blades
1 gallon of bondo
1 extra tube of bondo activator
1 quart of fiberglass resin
1 extra tube of resin harderner
4 cans (minimum) matte clear coat
2 packs of 80 grit hand sander pads
more spot putty
15 single AA holders (for my 3.7v li-ion batteries to power the 3.1ish volt leds)
2 custom li-ion packs (7.4v for the helmet and 11.1v for the chest hooked up to recharge ports) which I will make
e-6000 or shoe goo depending on what I can find.
Boots: through base green coat
shins: through base green coat
thighs: through base green coat
codpiece: primed
right forearm: bondoed
Left forearm: 25% bondoed.
okay, enough of the daily rant, and on to pics
so after tonight, I should be started on the final four pieces, and IMO, the most important. the shoulders complete the look of the armor that the helmet and the chest start. you could take everything else away and it would still look good. time to go to class yet again. more to come tonight.
I'm also going to be making a parts list for everything I need to totally finish the build. so I'll keep it here as I can go in an edit it yet still view it on the go
2 packs of 60 grit sand paper
3 cans of primer
1 box of razor blades
1 gallon of bondo
1 extra tube of bondo activator
1 quart of fiberglass resin
1 extra tube of resin harderner
4 cans (minimum) matte clear coat
2 packs of 80 grit hand sander pads
more spot putty
15 single AA holders (for my 3.7v li-ion batteries to power the 3.1ish volt leds)
2 custom li-ion packs (7.4v for the helmet and 11.1v for the chest hooked up to recharge ports) which I will make
e-6000 or shoe goo depending on what I can find.
thorn696
Sr Member
Looking great. You're part's are smoothing out nicely.
And I would add one small bottle of black acrylic black paint to you're list. Then try out the 2 different black wash methods on a scrap piece and see what one works for you. The black wash really makes a part stand out.:cool
And I would add one small bottle of black acrylic black paint to you're list. Then try out the 2 different black wash methods on a scrap piece and see what one works for you. The black wash really makes a part stand out.:cool
agordon117
Member
I have some black acrylic paint so i'll be able to test it either way. I should add some flat black paint without primer to the list though shouldn't i? I have satin black with primer but won't that react differently than the stuff without?
Carpathia
Sr Member
You may also want to add in some finer grit sand paper. 80 is still pretty course. 120 or even 200 grit would give you a great final sanding finish. Judging by your bondo work, I can tell that you've got a great handle on this, and you're doing a great job, but that extra bit of smoothness adds a lot to an otherwise mundane piece.
Keep up the great work!
Keep up the great work!
agordon117
Member
I have plenty of finer grit paper. I haven't noticed a difference in a piece stopping at 220 or going 220, 320, 400 wet. Once it's painted it looks pretty much the same. I'm just going through the 60 grit faster. I have almost a whole pack left of each 220, 320, 400, and 600.
agordon117
Member
Yeah i figured. Usually my process is 60 grit by hand while the bondo is still hot (and that doesn't ruin my paper since i clean it with a wire brush), 80 grit with the hand sander, glazing putty everywhere, and then 220 grit smoothing of the glazing putty. And it looks just as good as if i added 120 or 180 grit in between.
On a side note, i'm hoping to start mounting pieces pretty soon (the thighs are already done) but i really want to wait until i'm done with bondo completely and can have a totally clean work area to start with. Even cleaning up and starting fresh before i start bondoing each piece isn't enough. Plus, i can't do the led panels until after everything is blackwashed and i want those to be done before i mount everything.
On a side note, i'm hoping to start mounting pieces pretty soon (the thighs are already done) but i really want to wait until i'm done with bondo completely and can have a totally clean work area to start with. Even cleaning up and starting fresh before i start bondoing each piece isn't enough. Plus, i can't do the led panels until after everything is blackwashed and i want those to be done before i mount everything.
agordon117
Member
well, I was getting ready to mark up my visor to get ready for cutting the pattern out of the top layer but I'm having some serious doubts about lining everything up. I printed up a template and didn't take long to figure out that my visor can't fit a normal piece of paper. so I'm gonna have to do it the hard way and mask off the whole visor and then draw a perfect grid on it and pretty much freehand the whole template. so I'll save that for a later date. I am getting ready to foam the visor though and I'm headed outside to get started right now. late start tonight but I'll still finish the forearm I was working on.
agordon117
Member
Alright guys, pic time. i have been working very hard but haven't taken much time to update this. right now i'm about to start physics class and i'm freaking out a little because i only have 17 days left. the right bicep is at about 25% bondo and after that it's just the left bicep, chest, and helmet. in these pics i don't have ones from last night of the right bicep but it is further along the process. i'll be okay if i finish the right bicep tonight and finish the left one tomorrow. on paper that's all fine and dandy but i have to calm down and just do it.
agordon117
Member
More pics
And my trip to home depot
And my trip to home depot
agordon117
Member
Are you talking about the plates i've done so far or what i bought from home depot? I have at least enough bondo in the current can to finish the biceps and that leaves just the chest and helm for that last gallon. I should add that the pics above are continued from the post on the previous page.
agordon117
Member
Well, not much bondo progress (in reality there is but just perfecting places i've already done on the right bicep) but i'm still satisfied enough with my progress to post. After cutting, test fitting, cussing, cutting, test fitting, cussing, more cussing, being creative with my dremel for some more cutting, some more test fitting and lots more cutting and cussing, i'm happy to say that not only does my chest piece just fit, but it is the PERFECT scale. I'm sorting through my pics to upload now and i'll be posting them after a few more batches of bondo.
agordon117
Member
Here's a few pics. I don't really have the time to sort through and post all of the ones i took before i get back to work on the suit.
As i may or may not have mentioned before, i don't really need any help filling the suit and as a result i cannot wear a pressure suit underneath the armor.
As i may or may not have mentioned before, i don't really need any help filling the suit and as a result i cannot wear a pressure suit underneath the armor.
SpartanT117
Well-Known Member
Looking good Spartan!
Last edited by a moderator:
agordon117
Member
alright guys, here comes the update I'm the most proud of so far.
following in C3R3AL_K1LL3R's footsteps, I made a mold for the left "armor latch" out of playing cards and hot glue and poured in a 50:50 mix of resin and bondo (while being sure to hold the chest at the right angle so the shape of the piece would be right). Then I sanded the top flat after removing the mold and added the top lip to it. after that, I added the lip around the armor latch slot and that's currently where I am now. I just can't believe that I made that by hand. quite honestly I only touched the chest twice with the power sander too. once was when the bondo prematurely cured on me so I had no choice and the second time was when I was smoothing out the surface of the freshly molded armor latch. well, here's the pics so enjoy. I'm headed back out to finish the fight on the left bicep and probably smooth out the right pec before bed. I don't dare attempt the second armor latch this late at night.
if you look closely in the last picture you can see where my hot glue seal wasn't perfect and the rondo leaked through a little bit. not a problem to clean up but I'll be extra careful on the second one.
I did do some smoothing of the pec after the pour so it's much smoother now than it was at that point in time. I'm going to build up the lip around the latch recess a bit more too. it's hard to get bondo all the way to the edges of a section and build it up at the same time so you have to do it little by little.
following in C3R3AL_K1LL3R's footsteps, I made a mold for the left "armor latch" out of playing cards and hot glue and poured in a 50:50 mix of resin and bondo (while being sure to hold the chest at the right angle so the shape of the piece would be right). Then I sanded the top flat after removing the mold and added the top lip to it. after that, I added the lip around the armor latch slot and that's currently where I am now. I just can't believe that I made that by hand. quite honestly I only touched the chest twice with the power sander too. once was when the bondo prematurely cured on me so I had no choice and the second time was when I was smoothing out the surface of the freshly molded armor latch. well, here's the pics so enjoy. I'm headed back out to finish the fight on the left bicep and probably smooth out the right pec before bed. I don't dare attempt the second armor latch this late at night.
if you look closely in the last picture you can see where my hot glue seal wasn't perfect and the rondo leaked through a little bit. not a problem to clean up but I'll be extra careful on the second one.
I did do some smoothing of the pec after the pour so it's much smoother now than it was at that point in time. I'm going to build up the lip around the latch recess a bit more too. it's hard to get bondo all the way to the edges of a section and build it up at the same time so you have to do it little by little.
Bmw Ownage
New Member
This looks really good and I have been lurking for a while a now always wondering what it would be like to try out a suit so this finally got me interested in joining. Thank you!
agordon117
Member
lots of work got done today as well. really excited to show off these pics. now I didn't get to finish the chest completely before I moved onto the helmet but that's been the entire bondo process. work on one piece as much as possible without stopping until you can't avoid waiting for bondo to cure before moving on and then start your next piece. so anyway, I figured out the bottom latches for the chest plate (I'm still working on the top ones but as always I have several ideas) and the whole front is at the stage I'd consider finished after a 10 minute sanding off of the spot putty with 220 grit. the ab plate is also done with bondo so after spot putty and sanding (5 minutes of actual work) it's ready for paint. I started the back piece but it's just so much surface area to cover so I didn't really get much done. had I known in the resin/fiberglass process that I could have saved myself 90% of this hassle by forcing the paper to hold its shape I wouldn't have hesitated to do so. 2.5 gallons of bondo later I realize I could have done the entire suit in 1 gallon. anyway, I have been working on the helmet for a total of about 2 hours and already I can't believe how good it looks. I haven't even touched it with anything over 60 grit yet and I haven't had to add spots of bondo (or whole layers for that matter) anywhere. it's far from done, but still. Compared to everything else I've done so far, this seems like it's too easy. I'm glad I saved it for last because I was expecting it to be way harder than it is and as a result, I'm exceeding my expectations in a shorter amount of time than I would have thought it would have taken.
below is my solution to the attaching of the chest plate to the back plate with the limited width I'm left with after trimming the "straps". both magnets are epoxied and rondoed into place and then I use one of the original hard drive brackets to hold them together. by using two magnets instead of one magnet and a bracket, the metal bracket is magnetized from the first magnet thus making the bond stronger when it's attached to the second one.
not sure if you can see it but that's the ab plate sitting on top of the bondo can
that's all for now. I'm pushing hard to be done with bondo 100% by tuesday night so I have wednesday and thursday (both perfect weather) for painting everything. apparently I didn't take pics of the finalized breastplate (straps bondoed and smoothed except for right at the joint until after I have the pieces attached) but I will do so tomorrow morning. rest assured I didn't skip that part. I just forgot about taking a pic. after thursday I will not be able to paint anything at home for a looooong time. So wish me luck. I'll need it.
Shotgunsfury-117 over and out.
below is my solution to the attaching of the chest plate to the back plate with the limited width I'm left with after trimming the "straps". both magnets are epoxied and rondoed into place and then I use one of the original hard drive brackets to hold them together. by using two magnets instead of one magnet and a bracket, the metal bracket is magnetized from the first magnet thus making the bond stronger when it's attached to the second one.
not sure if you can see it but that's the ab plate sitting on top of the bondo can
that's all for now. I'm pushing hard to be done with bondo 100% by tuesday night so I have wednesday and thursday (both perfect weather) for painting everything. apparently I didn't take pics of the finalized breastplate (straps bondoed and smoothed except for right at the joint until after I have the pieces attached) but I will do so tomorrow morning. rest assured I didn't skip that part. I just forgot about taking a pic. after thursday I will not be able to paint anything at home for a looooong time. So wish me luck. I'll need it.
Shotgunsfury-117 over and out.
thorn696
Sr Member
You're parts look awesome. Nice and smooth looking from here and should paint up nicely. All you're paint seem to be the same type (good). The hardest part will be the waiting between coats. but with you're time frame that's ok if you rush it just a little just read the wait time on the back of the cans for cure.
As to the black primer, NP there. The reason why we don't normally use primer as a finish coat is the it absorbs moister. You are using a clear coat which will seal it, Problem aborted. :cool
I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like all painted up.
Side note on the acrylic paint. the reason why some SF/X artist like to use it is, when you're painting with it you can hit it with water and rinse parts away to give a item a dirty look (water runs and all) you will have a 2-5 min. work time to wipe it on and off so no rush. BUT you do have to give it a 24 HR cure time before clear coat. You can speed this time up a little by putting a light on it, to lightly warm it (baking). :cool
Nice and smooth looking from here and should paint up nicely. All you're paint seem to be the same type (good). The hardest part will be the waiting between coats. but with you're time frame that's ok if you rush it just a little just read the wait time on the back of the cans for cure.As to the black primer, NP there. The reason why we don't normally use primer as a finish coat is the it absorbs moister. You are using a clear coat which will seal it, Problem aborted. :cool
I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like all painted up.
Side note on the acrylic paint. the reason why some SF/X artist like to use it is, when you're painting with it you can hit it with water and rinse parts away to give a item a dirty look (water runs and all) you will have a 2-5 min. work time to wipe it on and off so no rush. BUT you do have to give it a 24 HR cure time before clear coat. You can speed this time up a little by putting a light on it, to lightly warm it (baking). :cool
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