"Help!" for: Fiberglassing, Resin, & Bondo

[CaptainAnt]

So I've just finished rondo'ing the inside of the helmet to get rid of any nooks and crannies before I fiberglass, but the thing in incredibly strong! Should I bother with fiberglass? It's not that big of a hassle for me since I have all the supplies I need to fiberglass but it almost seems unnecessary at the moment

 

[Satchmo III]

So I've just finished rondo'ing the inside of the helmet to get rid of any nooks and crannies before I fiberglass, but the thing in incredibly strong! Should I bother with fiberglass? It's not that big of a hassle for me since I have all the supplies I need to fiberglass but it almost seems unnecessary at the moment

In my experience, without fiberglass the piece is more prone to cracking if dropped. Although the rondo is hard it's also somewhat brittle because there is really nothing giving it structure, the overlapping fibers will give it the structure to add actual strength.

You could leave always leave the rondo-only in your helmet now and on your next helmet add fiberglass to compare. My preference would be to add glass (maybe even a second layer of it).

However, if you're doing something like making the helmet to be but an original for a mold then strength isn't paramount.

 

[Ziggy]

Is Bondo body filler as toxic as fiberglass resin? If so is there a less toxic alternative?

 

[CoolC]

In my experience, without fiberglass the piece is more prone to cracking if dropped. Although the rondo is hard it's also somewhat brittle because there is really nothing giving it structure, the overlapping fibers will give it the structure to add actual strength.

I totally agree.

Is Bondo body filler as toxic as fiberglass resin? If so is there a less toxic alternative?

My experience nothing works better than bondo. You just need to take safety precaution and you should be fine. I recommend that you do it outside to reduce inhaling the fumes.

 

[ventrue]

Is Bondo body filler as toxic as fiberglass resin? If so is there a less toxic alternative?

According to this thread, you can turn Aqua-Resin into a putty by using more of the powder component. I assume that you can achieve the same result by adding fillers as well.

 

[SpartanGirl]

is there a minmimum amount of drops of hardener to add? I put 10-12 drops into about an ounce and was resining from 3 until around 5. I checked the pieces an hour ago and theyre still not dry! the temeperature is about 70 so it cant be a temperature problem can it?

 

[Jake D]

is there a minmimum amount of drops of hardener to add? I put 10-12 drops into about an ounce and was resining from 3 until around 5. I checked the pieces an hour ago and theyre still not dry! the temeperature is about 70 so it cant be a temperature problem can it?

It should have been enough, but it's possible your resin needs more. If it's not setting up, you can try using a halogen lamp to try and heat it up to start the curing, or a handheld heat gun, but the gun takes a while to do and doesn't always do a good job. The resin is flammable, so keep the stuff a decent distance away from it, you're just trying to warm it a bit. Setting it out in direct sunlight may help too. If all those fail, you can mix up a "hot" batch (with a more than normal amount of hardener) and brush it on, that can help set up the top layer and it'll cure the layer beneath it too. It may even cure over night, or lose some of it's wetness.

On a side note, how were you able to resin for two hours, with only one ounce?

 

[CaptainAnt]

So I haven't gotten to this stage yet on my helmet (fiberglassing tomorrow), but when doing bondo on the exterior for finishing, what methodology is best? Should I just hit the areas that need it or should I coat the whole thing in a thin layer, or something else I haven't thought of?

Also, is rondo better for exterior finishing or is bondo? Thanks for all the advice, my helmet it shaping up quite fantastically =D

 

[ventrue]

is there a minmimum amount of drops of hardener to add? I put 10-12 drops into about an ounce and was resining from 3 until around 5. I checked the pieces an hour ago and theyre still not dry! the temeperature is about 70 so it cant be a temperature problem can it?

Difficult question. In the case of polyester resin, the hardener is just a catalyst that speeds up a reaction that would be going on anyway. So theoretically, the answer is no, you don't need hardener at all, but it will take a really long tome to cure without it. Which leads to the more practical answer, and that is yes, you have to at least get close to the amount of hardener the manual recommends. In the case of 3M's Fiberglass Resin, I think that's 12 drops per ounce at room temperature. The resin should also start to cure within 30 minutes, so if you worked with it for two hours, something's wrong.

So I haven't gotten to this stage yet on my helmet (fiberglassing tomorrow), but when doing bondo on the exterior for finishing, what methodology is best? Should I just hit the areas that need it or should I coat the whole thing in a thin layer, or something else I haven't thought of?

Also, is rondo better for exterior finishing or is bondo? Thanks for all the advice, my helmet it shaping up quite fantastically =D

Bondo is better, but use as little of it as possible. Covering the whole model in it is counter-productive.

 

[SpartanGirl]

it might of been because it was humid, ill go check on it in a bit and report back later. if all goes well today, then ill start bondo.

 

[CoolC]

it might of been because it was humid, ill go check on it in a bit and report back later. if all goes well today, then ill start bondo.

I remember the first resin helmet that I did. It was tacky even I let it dry overnight. After several days, it was hard enough for the next steps. I suggest that you put more drops of hardener in your resin the next time.

I'm just curious, did you apply rondo or fiberglass? If you just applied resin, you should not start with bondo next. Resin itself is not strong enough to hold the shape or allow you to apply bondo effectively.

 

[RogueSeven]

Hey, not sure if this has been asked yet but, if you use Aqua resin instead of the the bondo-brand resin, do you have to put some bondo afterwards? cause i was looking through the threads and it looks like the bondoed helmets look like the ones i made with aqua resin

 

[CoolC]

Hey, not sure if this has been asked yet but, if you use Aqua resin instead of the the bondo-brand resin, do you have to put some bondo afterwards? cause i was looking through the threads and it looks like the bondoed helmets look like the ones i made with aqua resin

My understanding is you replace the regular fiberglass-resin with non-toxic Aqua Resin. Aqua resin will not be able to replace bondo. We use bondo to smooth out the surface and fill any holes are areas on the outer surface of the armor.

 

[ventrue]

Hey, not sure if this has been asked yet but, if you use Aqua resin instead of the the bondo-brand resin, do you have to put some bondo afterwards? cause i was looking through the threads and it looks like the bondoed helmets look like the ones i made with aqua resin

Bondo is basically polyester resin with stuff added to it, so spending tons of money on non-toxic Aqua-Resin just to use Bondo afterwards is somewhat pointless.

You will need putty, because that's for a completely different purpose than the resin, but you'll want something other than Bondo.

 

[Ricardo D]

Just a question... do i have to bondo all the helmet or just some pots?
I'm working on a healmet and it's beeing very difficult to bondo and sand everything.

 

[ventrue]

Just a question... do i have to bondo all the helmet or just some pots?
I'm working on a healmet and it's beeing very difficult to bondo and sand everything.

Might well be that you need it everywhere, but that doesn't mean you have to or should cover the whole model in a centimetre of it.

 

[burn1ngskull]

Hey i am working on emiles helmet from halo reach and im nearly done but my parents dont want me using fiberglass or the fiberglass resin i have found an substitute to the resin but not the fiberglass do you know of any other substance that has the same atributes but not so potentially harmful thanks.

 

[CoolC]

Hey i am working on emiles helmet from halo reach and im nearly done but my parents dont want me using fiberglass or the fiberglass resin i have found an substitute to the resin but not the fiberglass do you know of any other substance that has the same atributes but not so potentially harmful thanks.

You should do some reading before asking general question like this. If you go a few pages back you will find your answers. Infact the answer is just right above #1032. It is called aqua resin.

Before shooting off any other questions, read further to understand what most people don't use aqua resin. You will still need fiberglass to help strengthen the armor. You may need bondo as well, but Ventrue, #1034, provided an alternative (if you have read the response).

Please do some reading before asking any further question on this subject.

 

[ventrue]

Hey i am working on emiles helmet from halo reach and im nearly done but my parents dont want me using fiberglass or the fiberglass resin i have found an substitute to the resin but not the fiberglass do you know of any other substance that has the same atributes but not so potentially harmful thanks.

Make sure you (and your parents) understand the differences between all these things, as there is some confusion due to the similar names "fibreglass" and "fibreglass resin".

Fibreglass isn't dangerous, only fibreglass dust is. Protecting yourself against that is relatively easy. Have a look at this for more info: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...NzE2Ny00YjNmLTliNDktZDQ3NDc0MTRiY2Y2&hl=en_US

 

[burn1ngskull]

yes i know the difference but i was wondering because i have allergies againts fiberglass