Fiberglassing is messy D:

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So I got a fiberglass mat and cut it up. I placed the peice of the mat I was putting on my chestplate one at a time, and then held it down in a corner and brushed some resin on. The mat spreads everywhere o_O I find it very hard to use.
Sorry if this wasn't very clear and I don't have any pics to show what i'm doing.
I was just wondering if I was doing it right.
 
Ze Royal Viking said:
So I got a fiberglass mat and cut it up. I placed the peice of the mat I was putting on my chestplate one at a time, and then held it down in a corner and brushed some resin on. The mat spreads everywhere o_O I find it very hard to use.
Sorry if this wasn't very clear and I don't have any pics to show what i'm doing.
I was just wondering if I was doing it right.
You just have to live with it. With resin/fiberglass comes a mess. And yes it seems as though you are doing it right. Ummm check the resin/fiberglass sticky.
 
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Ze Royal Viking said:
So I got a fiberglass mat and cut it up. I placed the peice of the mat I was putting on my chestplate one at a time, and then held it down in a corner and brushed some resin on. The mat spreads everywhere o_O I find it very hard to use.
Sorry if this wasn't very clear and I don't have any pics to show what i'm doing.
I was just wondering if I was doing it right.

I totally understand how you feeling.. I did the exact same thing by using the mat on my chest plate.. If your not to far into it, you should switch to fiberglass cloth.. It's much easier to work with.. I also found myself using a whole pint of resin for my chest and back piece..Total waste because of the mat kept sucking it up like a sponge... Also, when the mat breakings apart it can get everywhere.. I had a hard time taking the strands off the finish armor.. Had to keep sanding which was a pain in the arshh.. :mad:
 
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No one uses mat. It soaks up too much resin and is a bitch. My tutorial I'm making will NOT use mat. BTW, to keep it from moving and spreading around, first fix all the fiberglass in place with Krylon spray adhesive. This **** saves.
 
anytime I'm using mat and not cloth I tend to get the brush loaded up with a good amount of resin and press it to the mat, not brush it. It's almost like you're using the brush as a sponge to transfer the resin from the cup to the fiberglass. That way you don't end up dragging tons of the fibers from the mat around with your brush strokes :)
 
The best method I use use to use elmers glue, it takes 20min to dry since it's globbing it everywhere, but it comes out finished nicely, just glob resin all over it then and when it hardens spray it with some cheap gray/black paint, then ducktape the inside, makes it strong and more conformatable to wear, fiberglass peices poking your head isnt fun, thats why I ductaped the inside of my helmet, looks good too.....sprayed pinesole inside to make it smell lemony,
 
Use spray adhesive instead of elmers. Elmer's doesn't allow the fiberglass cloth to adhere well to the helmet and could result in the fiberglass cracking off the helmet if you drop it. Elmer's also keeps the resin from soaking into the fiberglass from as well as it could.
 
My fiberglass on the helmet is fine, all of it is stuck on and resin is soaked in it perfectly, my entire helmet is as hard as heck with as many layers I used, I painted my helmet today then noticed the outside has a few bead sized peices of resin dried, time to get my dremel out and grind them off.
 
ok, call me crazy, but i think i found a method that saves a helluva lot of time when doing resin or fiberglass
put on disposable rubber gloves, mix your resin
dip your hand in like a spoon to get a good amount on
lather on using your gloves
it doesnt eat through or anything, and allows you to do almost 2x as much resin in one batch... unless you are really good with a brush

with fiberglass, just mix it in a large container, then dunk the cloth in, let the execess drip off in the tub, then lay it on, pushing it down to make sure its flat
 
I can't remember who mentioned it (so props to whoever it was), but try using a spray on adhesive to afix the mat where you want it before you resin. I saw a can of "sprayglue" for something like 3 or 4 bucks at home depot last time I was there.


But yeah, cloth is much easier to work with. Just don't ever, EVER cut that stuff near your bed! You will itch like a mother and get no sleep for a week. This is the voice of experience speaking :(
 
your not surpose to brush the mat, you need to take the brush and dab the resin onto the mat.....when you brush it, it spreads the hairs inwhich its not surpose to do that. the mat has to be in one piece once you cut it and place it on your item
 
Master Chef said:
No one uses mat. It soaks up too much resin and is a bitch. My tutorial I'm making will NOT use mat. BTW, to keep it from moving and spreading around, first fix all the fiberglass in place with Krylon spray adhesive. This **** saves.

Quite opposite here.

Mat is stronger than cloth, so therefor, requires less layers. I used it for almost every piece of my suit other than the feet, as I need the cloth for those because of the concave shape on the inside of the toe.

Basically, all you have to do is spread some resin, lay the mat on top of the resin that you layed, and then DAB a foam brush with resin onto it. Do not brush, but tap it. Then cut the ends of the mat that stick out off, and resin the other side to make sure it's sealed.

I'd highly recommend mat over cloth for this type of application.
 
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AoBfrost said:
Gloves will help alot, especially with clean up, dont fiberglass without gloves!


I agree. I used about a box and half of gloves for fiberglassing..
 
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I have used both mat ad cloth and there is a little different working style to each. Since you are using mat you're going to want to brush some elmers glue on to the piece first(just a thin coat) Then you want to lay the fibre glass mat on top of it and let it sit till it dries.

-This next part helps the most with the mess

After mixing the resin, rather than brushing it on pour it over top of the fiber glass mat and then move it around with your bursh(this way you are covering the mat with resin rather than pushing it around.

If u need help or have any other Q's just pm me
 
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