Array of Questions

[IceTray]

Magic. :3

#1 - The Chest peice
The cardstock is complete, inside is hot-glued for a small amount of durability. While assembling the chest, I tried it on, fits very well. Now that its done, my head no longer fits through the top peice.
So I've decided to cut the suit in half, and connect it with snaps (...while hiding them) I'm wondering though, would it be wise to resin/fiberglass/complete the entire peice before cutting it in half?

#2 - Simple List and Order
Basically, I need to explain to store personell, what I'm looking for. And I really don't know how to explain it when I ask for fiberglass and they say "what kind of fiberglass?"
So basically Im looking for a really simple list of the things needed, and a small one sentance description of what it is, and what part of the armor its used for.

#3 - The Shin
For proper scale in Pepakura, the shin peices are too long for one sheet of cardstock. So, sounds quite dumb, but what exactly do I do here? Tape will dissolve.

#4 - Helmet
The helmet and chest scale perfectly to each other, they look wonderful sitting in the formation of a body. Thing is, the chest fits wonderfully, whereas the helmet is too snug.
Should I just make the helmet one size larger? (consider the chest peice doesnt fit over my head, if that means its too small) Consider it could start making things look unproportioned.

Think thats it >.>

 

[QuPloid]

a can answer some. You should definitely glass the piece before you cut it. The glass makes the material much stiffer so you can cut it with a saw and create a hard line.

From the store, you will need fiberglass resin and fiberglass cloth. The resin comes with a hardener which you mix in to start the hardening and it basically becomes super hard stiff glue for the fiberglass. The fiberglass sheets come in various weights and weaves. You probably want a 6 or 8.7 oz fabric with a plain weave for this kind of thing.

These are only my opinions as i haven't tried it on my pepakura yet but i have glassed in the past and thats what has worked for me.

see also for fiberglass help:
http://mjolnirarmor.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2287

 

[IceTray]

Well, I did fnally get ahold of a can of Bondo - Polyester Fiberglass Resin with the hardener.

Gotta ask though, because I wasn't really informed. Whats the fiberglass sheet? I assume its possibly another Bondo product, but exactly whats the purpose of it?

And another somewhat decent question to organize myself;
Just wondering the order of operations here
Correct me or suggest the proper order if I'm wrong
-Assembly
-Using hot-glue along inside seems to add strenght
-Fiberglass resin
-Fiberlgass sheets(?)
Haven't gotten past that point of information.

 

[TheBlue]

Acutally its fiberglass cloth, which can be found at lowes. look in the paint section. its Elmers brand(like the glue) and its about 6 bucks for a 3' by 3'
sheet.

 

[IceTray]

Lowes doesnt exist in Canada.

 

[TheBlue]

shiz. then try a hardware store or paint store. they should have some.

 

[IceTray]

True.
Consequentially, it takes very long time to locate things like that here.
Mind you if worst comes to worst, I'll take a nice trip over the bridge to Detroit and check there.

 

[TheBlue]

Really? Is it that bad or do you just live far from any cities?

o and i know somebody from canada. He hate sweet tea. Which is a big staple where i live.

 

[Damien]

automotive stores also have it. some paint stores have it. you can also make a purchase on the internet.


look and you will find(eventually)

 

[IceTray]

TheBlue: Actually, I border Michigan of Detroit (USA). We're actually the most Americanized Canadian City. And polluted too.

Damien: Yea, I got the Bondo Fiberglass resin from an automotive store. Haven't checked paintstores. I'm also not up for using the internet, online purchasing isn't my closest friend right now.

 

[TheBlue]

:agree: i know what you mean

 

[Damien]

paypal is always you r friens :dee:

 

[QuPloid]

fiberglass is just what it sounds like. its strands of really thin glass woven into thread then into a cloth. when you add the resin to it it absorbs the resin and holds shape under a lot of force. Its mainly used in boats, surfboards, and aircraft but also is used in high performance cars.

 

[IceTray]

Alright, but say I don't use those cloths. What happens if I skip that, fiberglass-resin everything, what happens then?

 

[QuPloid]

everything will be brittle and if you sand you will sand through the paper. it would jsut crack and break. its like if you put glue all over everything. The resin is applied to the outside (see tutorial) to maintain a nice surface. the actual cloth is the only thing adding rigidity and strength (after loading it with resin of course).

 

[IceTray]

Ok, so to clear this up for myself,
You first apply the fiberglass resin to the cardstock, and after its all dry and done, you goto a local craft store(?) to get fiberglass cloth?
Might be a little easier to find it, going by a brand name or something

 

[TheBlue]

Elmers brand was at my store, and it was about 15 bucks for a can of resin and a large pack of cloth.

 

[QuPloid]

Yeah. you probably want to have the cloth there allready. the resin sets is 5 - 10 minutes depending on the type. once you resin the outside you use the cloth inside.

This could answer a lot of questions. check out the first link.

http://www.fiberlay.com/howto/

 

[starfox64]

holy sh** blue did you try walmart?
you can get a can of bondo resin for $10 and a mat for $4

 

[TheBlue]

Nope i went to Lowes!