PEPAKURA TURTLE
Member
do you guys know any really cheap stores I can get all the supplies at?(I don't have lots of money; I'm 13)
Cardstock
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CEMETERY WIND
Member
Sure do, WalMart has a package around $5.00-$6.00 for card stock.
PEPAKURA TURTLE
Member
do you think target is cheaper?
do you know any stores that sells cheap resin and bondo?
do you know any stores that sells cheap resin and bondo?
Underdog410
New Member
Resin and bondo is usually gonna be a bit pricey. However if you go to Ace Hardware you can get it in smaller amounts. Maybe just enough for what your building.
PEPAKURA TURTLE
Member
do you know which kind of bondo to buy? I seen resin, but don't know which ones to buy
JustKeepGoing
New Member
Perhaps I was or am lucky but last time I hit up the 99 cent store for some experimental supplies I found out that they carried 110 lb 75 page packets of card stock. Needlessly said I grabbed twenty of them and booked it out of the store back to my house while thinking of all the things I could build. I find its pretty common around where I live so places like that are a fairly good place to look.
I buy packs of 110lb cardstock 150 pages for $5 at walmart in the printer paper section. I use Bondo brand fiberglass resin and bondo. You could probably find those at walmart too in the automotive repair section. I get mine at Home Depot. About $16 for resin, $12 for bondo. You should get several projects out of each, give or take. Also, resin is in a large tin carton, bondo is in a metal can, Bondo brand has a red muscle car on it and has black and grey background. Hope this helps.
PEPAKURA TURTLE
Member
5$ only?
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damn, I found some that are 40+$
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damn, I found some that are 40+$
RobotChicken
Well-Known Member
Yes, you can get a pack of 150 sheets of 110 lb letter-size cardstock at Walmart for only $5. That's what I've been using so far on my build. (I'll be switching to larger 12"x12" cardstock that I got on clearance at Craft Warehouse when I start on larger armor pieces.)
The exact brand I use is Georgia-Pacific. It has white and yellow plastic wrap around it. Im sure they have more than that, but its the best deal at my walmart. And also, the higher priced once may have been larger size, or heavier weight, but letter size (8.5x11") 110lb shouldn't be more than $5-6.
BuildsByBaz
Sr Member
It would help if I knew what country you live in. Then I could point you in the right direction.
SB
SB
If you can find a Car Quest store, you can get some bondo that is around 14 a gallon. Its in a white and grey can. I believe it's called Everlast but I would have to go look. We use it in our body shop and other than getting pinholes from not mixing it properly, it does good and is easy to sand. You don't need to get expensive bondo to make something. Bondo that says it is "easier to sand" is just a waist of money. Also, buying the quart cans is wasting money too. The bondo I mentioned is 14 a gallon or 12 a quart. Doesn't make sense why but that's how it is haha. For the resin, I get mine at walmart as they're cheaper than anywhere else I have found it. A quart can runs around 13-15 there. If you want me to go look at what I have just send me a message and I can help a brotha out.
PEPAKURA TURTLE
Member
What styles do we use for fiberglassing? (strokes, jags) (how to brush, etc) need help on fiberglassing and epoxying
FlyinPhil
Well-Known Member
Alright, this will be a bit of a lengthy post, and I don't have a clue what you mean by "strokes and jags", but this should walk you right through how to lay up your fiberglass and do your resin (in your case, epoxy) stages.
Now you mentioned at the beginning of this thread that you don't have a ton of cash.... epoxy is gonna be expensive... quite a bit more than fiberglass (polyester) resin, just to let you know. Two part epoxy adhesives and glues at the hardware store are NOT the same as epoxy resin. They have similar properties in the way of needing a catalyst to start their chemical reaction and cure, but they are far thicker than what you need for armor making (unless you are glueing finished/solid parts together, in which case they are exactly what you need haha)
So first off, I would hit up youtube. There are tons of videos on it that will give you great visuals on how to do stuff, but the following instructions are just my methods.
Resin stage:
So your model is pep'd, it's time to harden it. Make sure to ado some renforcement to the inside of your model to prevent warping (popsicle sticks, cardstock struts, etc). Buy a cheap measuring cup to measure your resin (I think I got a glass one from the dollar store), but only use this to measure the bulk of your resin, do your mixing in a yogurt/other plastic container. This is simply because you will likely not always completely use up your batch/sometimes work to slowly, and your resin will harden in the bottom of it, and it's cheaper to use a throwaway container for a couple batches and then toss it, as opposed to throwing away a measuring device.
Can't stress this one enough; MIX SMALL BATCHES. laying up resin is always a race against time, and the smaller your batch is, the quicker you can lay it out, and the less you waste. Always mix to the manufacturers specifications ( though I generally add a little extra hardener to speed up the process).
Once you've begun mixing resin, you'll want to brush a light coat onto the outside of the model. You don't want any drips or excess resin hanging out in the cracks, just enough to cover it and start soaking into the cardstock. Do as many batches as you need to coat the outside, and then repeat the process for the inside. You now have a hard, but somewhat fragile shell.
Fiberglass layup:
There are a number of ways you can do this, but this is my personal al preference. Keep in mind that fiberglass cloth (I prefer it over mat) is fairly flexible, but will still resist tight curves and angles. So for my first layer, at the very least, I like to cut out my cloth to the rough shapes of the armor to best follow it's contours.
For example, on a classic mk. 6 chest, I would vut out two large pieces in the shape of the pecs, yada Yada Yada.
Once you have some rough shapes cut out, and some thinner steps for the areas in between , it's time to start laying up!
First, I like to throw down a coat of resin on the spot I intend to put the fiberglass in... this will give something for the cloth to adhere to. Place your piece of cloth onto the fresh resin, and use your fingers/popsicle sticks to work the cloth into any contours and corners, doing your bes to work out any bubbles underneath as you go. Now, working quickly as you want to do this all in one step with one batch of resin, brush more resin onto the top of the fiberglass you just put in. Make sure to fully soak the cloth, working the resin into it with light "jabs" from the tip of your brush. It is pretty visible when the resin is properly soaked, and bubbles are very visible at this point as well. If you have any stubborn bubbles that you can't seem to work out of the glass, take a razor blade and cut into the bubble, allowing the air to escape. Repeat all this for 2 or so layers, amd you will have a solid part!
For smaller armor pieces, or areas you can't reach with a brush, you can soak your strip of cloth in mixed resin, and then place them as needed.
I think I covered pretty much my entire process for laying up fiberglass, so good luck!
Also, always remember to wear proper safety equipment as recommended by the manufacturer of the products you use.
Now you mentioned at the beginning of this thread that you don't have a ton of cash.... epoxy is gonna be expensive... quite a bit more than fiberglass (polyester) resin, just to let you know. Two part epoxy adhesives and glues at the hardware store are NOT the same as epoxy resin. They have similar properties in the way of needing a catalyst to start their chemical reaction and cure, but they are far thicker than what you need for armor making (unless you are glueing finished/solid parts together, in which case they are exactly what you need haha)
So first off, I would hit up youtube. There are tons of videos on it that will give you great visuals on how to do stuff, but the following instructions are just my methods.
Resin stage:
So your model is pep'd, it's time to harden it. Make sure to ado some renforcement to the inside of your model to prevent warping (popsicle sticks, cardstock struts, etc). Buy a cheap measuring cup to measure your resin (I think I got a glass one from the dollar store), but only use this to measure the bulk of your resin, do your mixing in a yogurt/other plastic container. This is simply because you will likely not always completely use up your batch/sometimes work to slowly, and your resin will harden in the bottom of it, and it's cheaper to use a throwaway container for a couple batches and then toss it, as opposed to throwing away a measuring device.
Can't stress this one enough; MIX SMALL BATCHES. laying up resin is always a race against time, and the smaller your batch is, the quicker you can lay it out, and the less you waste. Always mix to the manufacturers specifications ( though I generally add a little extra hardener to speed up the process).
Once you've begun mixing resin, you'll want to brush a light coat onto the outside of the model. You don't want any drips or excess resin hanging out in the cracks, just enough to cover it and start soaking into the cardstock. Do as many batches as you need to coat the outside, and then repeat the process for the inside. You now have a hard, but somewhat fragile shell.
Fiberglass layup:
There are a number of ways you can do this, but this is my personal al preference. Keep in mind that fiberglass cloth (I prefer it over mat) is fairly flexible, but will still resist tight curves and angles. So for my first layer, at the very least, I like to cut out my cloth to the rough shapes of the armor to best follow it's contours.
For example, on a classic mk. 6 chest, I would vut out two large pieces in the shape of the pecs, yada Yada Yada.
Once you have some rough shapes cut out, and some thinner steps for the areas in between , it's time to start laying up!
First, I like to throw down a coat of resin on the spot I intend to put the fiberglass in... this will give something for the cloth to adhere to. Place your piece of cloth onto the fresh resin, and use your fingers/popsicle sticks to work the cloth into any contours and corners, doing your bes to work out any bubbles underneath as you go. Now, working quickly as you want to do this all in one step with one batch of resin, brush more resin onto the top of the fiberglass you just put in. Make sure to fully soak the cloth, working the resin into it with light "jabs" from the tip of your brush. It is pretty visible when the resin is properly soaked, and bubbles are very visible at this point as well. If you have any stubborn bubbles that you can't seem to work out of the glass, take a razor blade and cut into the bubble, allowing the air to escape. Repeat all this for 2 or so layers, amd you will have a solid part!
For smaller armor pieces, or areas you can't reach with a brush, you can soak your strip of cloth in mixed resin, and then place them as needed.
I think I covered pretty much my entire process for laying up fiberglass, so good luck!
Also, always remember to wear proper safety equipment as recommended by the manufacturer of the products you use.
CommandoTNT
New Member
I'd also like to throw in that if you decide to buy some basic things at Hobby Lobby, they have sales going on every week for things like spray paint, card stock, modge podge, up to 50% off. However if they don't have a sale on what you need they have a free 40% off coupon on their website for any one item. So if you go in with your parents you could probably use it up to three times in one day. Just a tip to save some of your money 
(My reference is I actually work at Hobby Lobby). Not trying to promote them, as sometimes they won't have exactly what you need. For the other things they don't have I would say to check out Wal-Mart for some cheap prices. Good luck!!!
(My reference is I actually work at Hobby Lobby). Not trying to promote them, as sometimes they won't have exactly what you need. For the other things they don't have I would say to check out Wal-Mart for some cheap prices. Good luck!!!
PEPAKURA TURTLE
Member
Thx That really helped alot about how to do it; by strokes or jabs, I mean with a brush, when you paint it on, will it stay the way its brushed on or will it drip, swell, etc?
Is there a hobby lobby near ca-Westminster or Anaheim? I live near there I I think there is...maybe...I'd also like to throw in that if you decide to buy some basic things at Hobby Lobby, they have sales going on every week for things like spray paint, card stock, modge podge, up to 50% off. However if they don't have a sale on what you need they have a free 40% off coupon on their website for any one item. So if you go in with your parents you could probably use it up to three times in one day. Just a tip to save some of your money
CommandoTNT
New Member
Hey Buddy. I got 3 addresses for Hobby Lobbies near you, check them out.
Anaheim Hills Festival, 8100 Santa Ana Canyon Road, Anaheim, CA 92808
92705, 1975 E 17th St, Santa Ana, CA 92705
7202 Edinger Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Check them out and let me know if any are near you.
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FlyinPhil
Well-Known Member
As for the strokes and jabs, for the resin stage, just smooth strokes with a brush will do. If there is enough to drip, then you have put too much in that area and should spread it out more with a brush. Resin is a rather thick substance, and will level itself out for the most part. If there are any brush strokes left when it hardens, you will be sanding those out anyway when you get to the filler/finishing stage.
PEPAKURA TURTLE
Member
Which one do you work at?
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