Fiberglassing Products

[Largo Usagi]

Ok so I am getting ready to do my first armor build and when looking into fiberglass materials I saw a lot of options.

So here is what I am trying to figure out For the fabric I see glass, Kevlar, and carbon fiber.

For armor building is there a necessary benefit in each product as well as is there a recommended and best resin product; if the recommended is the best cool. I just don't want to find myself ruining hours of work using a poor product or then regretting a material choice later. My goal is to have very rigid and durable armor, something that can take a fair beating because I am not the gentlest of people and I don't want to see my work fall apart either.

Any way the simple question is Glass vs Kevlar vs Carbon and what is the preferred resin to use because there is a lot of choice out there and I don't want to end up making the wrong one.

Thanks

-Largo

 

[WSYDGladKumar]

Any way the simple question is Glass vs Kevlar vs Carbon and what is the preferred resin to use because there is a lot of choice out there and I don't want to end up making the wrong one.

That's the thing, it's choice. It's all up to user preference.

However, I believe, Spitfire goes over all this in here:

All-In-One-New-Member-Introduction-Guide

 

[Sky Walker]

*if looking for the most durable possible i would go with smooth cast products. Smooth Cast 320 or 300. its a mixture of 2 chemicals to make a solid plasic (when cured). JUST GOOGLE IT. but you will have to order it online.

as for fiberglass, which is the most commen method around here, i use just any polyester fiber glass resin and fiberglass cloth. you can get it a a local Home Depot or Lowes. (or similar home improvement stores). with the fiberglass overall its all pretty much the same. i am currently useing 3M products. just skim through some builds in the fourms... they sometime tell what they are useing.

and i see you are a new member so WELCOME (and for future references try and read through the STICKIES they help alot, and almost all questions will be answered within them)

 

[ventrue]

Any way the simple question is Glass vs Kevlar vs Carbon and what is the preferred resin to use because there is a lot of choice out there and I don't want to end up making the wrong one.

Aramide (Kevlar is just a trademark) and carbon fibres aren't really good options at all. Kevlar requires special tools to cut and both of them are super expensive without offering any real advantages over fibreglass. The three are definitely different, but none of them are per se better. Just stick with fibreglass and be happy. If you want it stronger, use more.

Same thing with resins. Polyester resin is kind of the "default", other resins may give you different end results (more or less flexibility, for example) or may be nicer to work with, but again, none of these are per se the best. Polyester resin definitely is the cheapest though and fairly easy to work with, which is probably the exact reason why everybody is using it.

Remember to work safely, almost all of these things are dangerous.

 

[Largo Usagi]

Thanks for the guide link ill review this as well, I have already read through almost all of the stickies and didn't see this mentioned much. He touched a little on the guide but not on the different cloth materials. My fear is if i choose to use carbon fiber it wont take to sanding well even though it probably would out perform the glass fibers for strength.

Either way at least I got the type of resin to use and I'm still researching about the Kevlar or the carbon fiber and how it would take to a process like this.

 

[Largo Usagi]

Aramide (Kevlar is just a trademark) and carbon fibres aren't really good options at all. Kevlar requires special tools to cut and both of them are super expensive without offering any real advantages over fibreglass. The three are definitely different, but none of them are per se better. Just stick with fibreglass and be happy. If you want it stronger, use more.

Same thing with resins. Polyester resin is kind of the "default", other resins may give you different end results (more or less flexibility, for example) or may be nicer to work with, but again, none of these are per se the best. Polyester resin definitely is the cheapest though and fairly easy to work with, which is probably the exact reason why everybody is using it.

Remember to work safely, almost all of these things are dangerous.

Thanks for the information I'm going to buy the card stock for the peps today I got all of the .pdo's together for the suit and I scaled the hand piece so I'm going to start there and go all the way through to the end to get a feel for the whole project and then hit a bigger component. Looking forward to starting a WIP thread soon.

Again thanks for all of the help

-Largo

 

[Wiz MC]

Fiberglass cloth or mat is plenty strong for armor work, like others have said, if you need it stronger use more layers.
The cloth is easier to lay down on curves and ridges but the mat is stronger due to it's thickness and interlocking strands.

On my armor pieces I found that mat in areas or corners that needed extra strength followed by one layer of cloth to bind
it all together was very strong but still left me with some flex. But that was with a thin layer of rondo as a base for sanding
through the paper so you may need two layers of cloth if it's not ridged enough.

 

[BioDelta]

Yea im at the same point and i even bought some stuff. The problem is i want to know if mines the right stuff so i ask the 405th's opion lol XD.

 

[cursedzeba]

Isn't Kevlar what is used in military armor?
I am also a noob and I am just going to start with fibreglass and poly resin with a ODST build

 

[CoolC]

Isn't Kevlar what is used in military armor?
I am also a noob and I am just going to start with fibreglass and poly resin with a ODST build

Kevlar is meant to stop bullet. That's why it is being used by military. It is used to save lives and price is not an issue. We build costume and the costumes are not meant to stop bullets. Fiberglass is perfect for our needs.

 

[ventrue]

Isn't Kevlar what is used in military armor?

Kevlar is more than just a material to make armour*. It has tons of other uses.

*We're talking about a professional level here. You will not have a bulletproof costume, no matter which materials you use.