Guess I'm back!

[jongrnl]

After spending a few days sanding it down I think I will be ready to Bondo tomorrow unless something comes up. There are still some high spots and a lot of low spots but I'm hoping that will all go away after a coat of Bondo and the sanding after that. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far!

 

[jongrnl]

Ok ok, so I made the classic noob mistake. I was mixing my resin and probably didn't put enough of the hardener in there. I've heard it will still harden on its own but it may take days. I was wondering if I could expedite that at all. My first thought was to take a hair dryer to it but I can't find one at the moment. I do have a heat gun and I figure that might work it I keep the gun far enough away to not burn anything. What are you're thoughts? Any advice?

 

[Raquisite]

Ok ok, so I made the classic noob mistake. I was mixing my resin and probably didn't put enough of the hardener in there. I've heard it will still harden on its own but it may take days. I was wondering if I could expedite that at all. My first thought was to take a hair dryer to it but I can't find one at the moment. I do have a heat gun and I figure that might work it I keep the gun far enough away to not burn anything. What are you're thoughts? Any advice?

Generally, the less hardener you use, the slower it sets, however too little hardener and it'll never set. It could eventually go dry and flaky, but it'd be very brittle and you'd probably have to find a way to fix it which would most likely require cleaning it off.

I'd wait a few hours or so, possibly overnight. If it's all still gooey, I'd suggest attempting to clean it out and re apply some more, with the definite recommended amount of harder.

 

[LongShot X]

Another Mk VI build! That's fantastic!
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Your build is looking excellent.

I agree with Raquisite. Let it sit overnight and then see how it is in the morning. I had made that exact mistake a few times during my build. In one case I had to let the piece sit for 3 days before it was fully cured.

I also agree that glassing the inside of the brim is a real PITA. I really disliked that part.

 

[jongrnl]

Generally, the less hardener you use, the slower it sets, however too little hardener and it'll never set. It could eventually go dry and flaky, but it'd be very brittle and you'd probably have to find a way to fix it which would most likely require cleaning it off.

I'd wait a few hours or so, possibly overnight. If it's all still gooey, I'd suggest attempting to clean it out and re apply some more, with the definite recommended amount of harder.

I guess I'll do that then. Problem was that I opened a new can of resin and poked too big of a hole in the hardener. More poured in then I expected and I added more resin. Guess I added too much... Good thing it's a long weekend!

Another Mk VI build! That's fantastic!
Subscription +1

Your build is looking excellent.

I agree with Raquisite. Let it sit overnight and then see how it is in the morning. I had made that exact mistake a few times during my build. In one case I had to let the piece sit for 3 days before it was fully cured.

I also agree that glassing the inside of the brim is a real PITA. I really disliked that part.

I got the helmet fiber glassed no issue by the end of April but we rained almost every day in May (we're already up to our yearly average rainfall here) then I spent the last month off and on bonding the thing. There is still one low spot I need to fill in and a lot of pot holes and I need to spot putty but I'm really happy with it!

I love the MK VI. The outfit just looks sleeker then any of the other models.

*UPDATE*
After letting it sit for 2-3 hours I believe it's hardened. I made a point of setting it out in the sun which I'm sure helped. Good thing I thought ahead and set it in a covered area though. A storm came through and I didn't even notice!

 

[Raquisite]

I guess I'll do that then. Problem was that I opened a new can of resin and poked too big of a hole in the hardener. More poured in then I expected and I added more resin. Guess I added too much... Good thing it's a long weekend!

I see, but don't worry, we've all been there, including me.
The knowledge from this is valuable, though, so at least you have that to take away.

I forgot to mention in my last post that I think your build is looking very good indeed. I'm looking forward to seeing it come together. Well done.

 

[jongrnl]

Thanks! It's good to hear that I'm doing good work. I'm hoping to have the helmet done some time this week.You're absolutely right. You learn a lot from mistakes.

 

[jongrnl]

So I have another question I would like to ask real fast. I'm hoping to spot putty the helmet in the next few day and I'm wondering what kind of sandpaper I should use. I'm currently using 150 grit to smooth things out however I've heard 200 grit is better. I also wanted to ask if you get better results if you wet sand it or not.

 

[Raquisite]

So I have another question I would like to ask real fast. I'm hoping to spot putty the helmet in the next few day and I'm wondering what kind of sandpaper I should use. I'm currently using 150 grit to smooth things out however I've heard 200 grit is better. I also wanted to ask if you get better results if you wet sand it or not.

I'd get it down with the 150 that you have, then move on to the 200. If you have 400 then I'd use that last followed by 600+ for the wet sanding. This is a matter of preference though, if you couldn't get your hands on the 400+ sand papers then I'm sure you could get away with it. However the finish would be no where near as good.

 

[jongrnl]

Thanks for the help. With luck I should have something to show off in the next couple days.

 

[Raquisite]

Thanks for the help. With luck I should have something to show off in the next couple days.

Great, I'll be looking forward to it.

 

[jongrnl]

Wow, it's been a hot minute since I updated this. Unfortunately life got away from me and I had to put this down for a while but I'm finally in a position where I can pick it back up. My helmet is close to done! I need to add some raised portions and my chest piece is ready to sand. Unfortunately it's cold out and I don't really want to go out to work on them right now. I'm looking for something I can work on inside and decided I want to build a light light rifle. I haven't seen any files though on the site. Does any one know where I might be able to find them?

 

[jongrnl]

We finally had a warm weekend and got some work done on both our helmets. I was able to get some work done of the brim piece and my friend got her helmet completely fiberglasses and a coat of bondo on the back. Things are coming along nicely I think!

 

[jongrnl]

No pictures of the master chief yet. I'm hoping to get that all sanded down tomorrow. All the detail work is done though. Ironman came out spectacularly though.

 

[jongrnl]

Ok, another nice weekend means another chance to work on our helmets. My friend got her helmet painted and is working installing a rig to keep her faceplay on and I finally got a coat of green on. I need to black wash it still but I think that's going to have to wait another week. I am hoping though that I can get the visor and lights installed by this time next week!

 

[Chiefwannabe]

Sweet!!
That shade of green is very halo 2 I love it!!!!!

 

[jongrnl]

Thanks for the support! I actually have a quick question. I'm following the paint tutorial and decided to black wash it really fast. The problem I had is that the black paint stuck almost instantly and I was unable to wipe it off like in the video. Is there a trick to this? I used paint and I think he used automotive primer. Is there really that big of a difference?

 

[kaween]

Paints & overpaints can be a real pain. I can tell you primer does react pretty different compared to acrylic paint, it's much less durable/sticky in my experience, even after drying.
Hindsight being 20/20 and all that stuff, unless you really know your paints (I don't !) the "always test paint on a small part" is the only good advice I can give.

You MIGHT get a more workable product if you heat up the black paint somewhat (typical 25 a 30 C centigrade approx, making it flow more easely) but I based upon my previous experience with weathering ect, you might be better of going for that can of black primer instead as I've been using it for that purpose too. AND please test it prior to go full-in.

That being said, I definitly like your work.

And now I'm off as I'm currently battling my own painting disaster (not cosplay related).

 

[jongrnl]

I knew I should of tested it but I let me excitement get the better of me. Fortunately it wasn't anything that another layer of green couldn't fix! I don't want to make a habit of that though. I'll make a point of being real careful this weekend. My LEDs and visors came in this week so I hope to get the halo helmet completely done minus the padding I still need to order. I also want to play with the eyes in the ironman helmet. We want them to light up with out blinding my friend. Currently she's supergluing magnets onto the faceplate so that it can be taken off and also attach to the top of the head as well.

Thanks for the compliment and good luck on your own painting project!

***edit***

I went out and tested it with gray automotive primer vs black spray paint on a piece of plywood I had and saw a huge difference! The automotive primer begged like it did in Adams tut, taking into account that it was wood and not fiberglasses, but the pair still stuck way to much.

 

[kaween]

Sadly, my paint job went belly up. Big time. Have to restart from scratch tomorrow as the paint somehow interacted with the plastic I was painting. GRRRR. Ah well, live and learn.
Painting. I HATE it. And it's mutual.

I GUESS the easiest way to explain your question about why primer or paint would act differently is this : paints are usually meant to withstand wear and smear.
So it is designed to withstand what you're trying to do to it. Primers are not as they normally do not face that problem.
But if you're looking for that "wear" look, you do not want your paint to stick and cover like crazy, which is of course what normal paint is designed to do.

The Iron man project, how will you provide vision ? As you stated "light up without blinding" I suspect you're looking for a "somehow look through the eye openings and still have them lid" ?
If so, this might be something you might find helpfull : http://xrobots.co.uk/IM6/index_lights.html