Casting Supplies?

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Aiden26

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Hey guys, I'm a little new to Costume making and I was wonder if the lovely members of the 405th can share their knowledge about Slush Casting Helmets? Let's go over some stuff. I know there's a Brand called Smooth-On. I don't like those products because their a bit pricey for my taste. I heard when slush casting, to make the cast stronger you an add some Fiber Glass resin in. Do you just dump that in with Part A and B at the same time? And is it for only one layer or for all of the layers? Also I would like to talk about Rondo. I know lots of people hear use rondo to harden the inside of helmets. Would Rondo work for slush casting? One person said it would be to brittle another said it could work. I don't know. And is there other supplies to use for casting besides liquid plastic? If anyone can help out with these questions that will be very helpful. Thanks! :)
 
You can indeed strengthen a cast by adding fiber glass, it's the same principle as concrete with added steel wire.

Also, I wouldn't suggest using rondo for casting, if it were to fall it might break.

I would just use resin with fiberglass to cast if you want to keep it cheap. you do need a silicone mold then though. This is tricky to do without getting bubbles, unless you vacuumbag it.
 
You can indeed strengthen a cast by adding fiber glass, it's the same principle as concrete with added steel wire.

Also, I wouldn't suggest using rondo for casting, if it were to fall it might break.

I would just use resin with fiberglass to cast if you want to keep it cheap. you do need a silicone mold then though. This is tricky to do without getting bubbles, unless you vacuumbag it.

I'm fine with bubbles. I can just give it a light sanding. Also would I add Fiberglass to every layer or just one?
 
I have made 4 helmets slush casting with casting resin, but only added fiberglass cloth once. I only did it on the large, smooth areas. What I did was use a few spots of glue to keep the cloth in place until the first layer of resin was in. I don't think it's necessary to do it on any layers after that. I would also suggest making sure there aren't any holes or gaps around the flaps because that allows the resin to leak through. I just put a dab of glue at the corner of each flap to prevent this.

Before today I have only used Smooth On products, but today I used some "Amazing Casting Resin" (which I believe is an Alumilite product) that is essentially the same. I didn't realize it was half the size of the Smooth On kit (it's been a long time since I worked on a helmet) so I barely got the inside of my helmet coated, but it was enough to do some sanding on the seams. It was around $15 at Hobby Lobby, so buying the Smooth On kit would actually have given me more for my money.

I have never used rondo but I would imagine it is somewhat more brittle than casting resin but fine as long as you don't drop your helmet too much. I never used it because there is not exact recipe for it and I wouldn't want to use too much of either part. Rondo works on the same principle as casting resin; pour it into your helmet and coat the inside.
 
I have made 4 helmets slush casting with casting resin, but only added fiberglass cloth once. I only did it on the large, smooth areas. What I did was use a few spots of glue to keep the cloth in place until the first layer of resin was in. I don't think it's necessary to do it on any layers after that. I would also suggest making sure there aren't any holes or gaps around the flaps because that allows the resin to leak through. I just put a dab of glue at the corner of each flap to prevent this.

Before today I have only used Smooth On products, but today I used some "Amazing Casting Resin" (which I believe is an Alumilite product) that is essentially the same. I didn't realize it was half the size of the Smooth On kit (it's been a long time since I worked on a helmet) so I barely got the inside of my helmet coated, but it was enough to do some sanding on the seams. It was around $15 at Hobby Lobby, so buying the Smooth On kit would actually have given me more for my money.

I have never used rondo but I would imagine it is somewhat more brittle than casting resin but fine as long as you don't drop your helmet too much. I never used it because there is not exact recipe for it and I wouldn't want to use too much of either part. Rondo works on the same principle as casting resin; pour it into your helmet and coat the inside.

Wouldn't you add fiberglass resin instead of fiberglass cloth? Also I was thinking about getting a 2 Gallon kit of casting material on Amazon. And how many ounces should I do for each layer and how many layers should I do?
 
Wouldn't you add fiberglass resin instead of fiberglass cloth? Also I was thinking about getting a 2 Gallon kit of casting material on Amazon. And how many ounces should I do for each layer and how many layers should I do?
No, there is no point in mixing two different types of resin when casting the helmet. They are two different chemicals and could have unwanted reactions when mixing them in liquid form. Using fiberglass cloth to add some strength to casting resin is an option, but in my to experience it is fairly strong on its own.

That being said, some people may prefer BRUSHING on a coat of fiberglass resin, letting it dry, and then slush with casting resin. This may prevent warping issues because it makes the pep stiffer and easier to handle. I have not done this on my last two helmets because the model has been inherently sturdy enough for me to hold and rotate round to get the casting resin to cover the inside. If you are worried about warping, this is an option.

In the past I have used an entire 32 ounce kit for one helmet, putting in one or two ounces at a time. This was probably overkill. However, I also know that only using 16 ounces is BARELY enough. You want a thickness of 1-4 mm. Using fiberglass cloth can probably help you achieve that thickness while using less resin.

This is thread is the tutorial I started with, if you haven't seen it yet:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...-Build/page2?highlight=Slush+casting+tutorial
 
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