Help!: Resin, Rondo, Bondo...?

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Premasunshine96

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Heya all!
So, I was wondering, If I were going to use Resin, do I NEED to use Bondo as well?
Can I just use Resin (in multiple coats) for my pep. armor or does it need a coating of a different element like Bondo WITH it?
I just want to know if Resin can be just used as the only hardened coating for the armor... & that if it can be easily painted on (but with what type of paint)

:)
 
So, I was wondering, If I were going to use Resin, do I NEED to use Bondo as well?

It's generally encouraged that you use Bondo to achieve a high-end result to your work. Resin will only go so far, since it's really only there for hardening your pieces up for wearing - you'll still see the raw edges underneath your paintwork. Bondo will help you smooth out your work and give you a much more realistic finish.

Can I just use Resin (in multiple coats) for my pep. armor or does it need a coating of a different element like Bondo WITH it?

As above: resin is used only for hardening your work, Bondo for smoothing. It's also great as prep for painting.
 
As Chernobyl said, bondo is for refining the armor. For smoothing, rounding, adding details, etc.


I have seen costumes with no bondo at all, just hardened cardstock.

So yeah, resin can be used only to harden the armor.
 
Resin: use it to harden your pep model. One coat on the outside, one coat on the inside. Then use it to apply fiberglass to the inside of your helmet. A general rule of thumb is to use as much weight in resin as you do fiberglass. You don't need to follow that exactly, but using any more resin than just enough to soak the fiberglass is a waste. Apply a few layers until it is solid enough for your tastes.

Bondo: apply it in Very thin layers(1-2mm max) on the outside of the model only where it needs to be rounded, smoothed, or to fix imperfections.

Rondo: is a mix of fiberglass and bondo (I used a 50-50 ratio) that some people use to harden the inside of a model instead of fiberglass. Having done this on my helmet, I would strongly recommend against it. It's heavy, brittle, and doesn't save much time during construction. It does have its uses, but hardening armor is not one of them.
 
Ok so, I was thinking, I can't find the substance called BONDO here in my part of the Country (Hyderabad, IND),
BUT there is a such thing called Putty. Is that the same substance as bondo..? :confused
 
depends. If you just want a helmet prop to keep on your desk, fiber glass and resin would do the trick. If you want actual armor that you will wear and go outside with, i'd also bondo it. Check this guy out, his videos go over everything. He is a legend:
 
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depends. If you just want a helmet prop to keep on your desk, fiber glass and resin would do the trick. If you want actual armor that you will wear and go outside with, i'd also bondo it. Check this guy out, his videos go over everything. He is a legend:

Please elaborate. I'd rather have a good looking prop to sit on my desk as opposed to a half finished one. Body filler is necessary to properly finish a pepakura prop. Not much is needed (I see a lot of people slap waaaay too much bondo on a prop). Bondo won't add any structural integrity to a helmet, so I'm not sure why it would be the deciding factor on whether or not you would wear or display a prop.
 
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Ok so, I was thinking, I can't find the substance called BONDO here in my part of the Country (Hyderabad, IND),
BUT there is a such thing called Putty. Is that the same substance as bondo..? :confused

You're going to be looking for car body filler - if you have an automotive/car repair section in your local stores, it'll be there. Bondo is simply a brand name - if you're struggling, ask somebody who works at the store if they can show you the car repair products. It'll be sold alongside the fibreglass and resin products.

Alternatively, you could import it, if the prices aren't too extravagantly high. Sometimes, it might even work out cheaper!
 
Please elaborate. I'd rather have a good looking prop to sit on my desk as opposed to a half finished one. Body filler is necessary to properly finish a pepakura prop. Not much is needed (I see a lot of people slap waaaay too much bondo on a prop). Bondo won't add any structural integrity to a helmet, so I'm not sure why it would be the deciding factor on whether or not you would wear or display a prop.
So the general process to my knowledge is this: assemble all of the pepakura pieces, harden the shell with resin, add strips of fiber glass (use resin to glue it on) to the inside of the mask to make it even stronger, then carefully bondo the exterior of the mask for more strength to the exterior of the mask. The point of adding bondo is to give the mask a stronger shell, and to polish any details from the pepakura shell. For example, you finish hardening your mask, but there are edges and corners on the groove of the dome of the mask ( because of the folds in the paper) when it should be smooth. Bondo is used to polish out any edges by adding layers-so basically coating any ridges or pits out of the mask. The youtube channel that i linked you to goes over this process in GREAT detail. Seriously, props to that guy.
 
Rondo: is a mix of fiberglass and bondo (I used a 50-50 ratio) that some people use to harden the inside of a model instead of fiberglass. Having done this on my helmet, I would strongly recommend against it. It's heavy, brittle, and doesn't save much time during construction. It does have its uses, but hardening armor is not one of them.

Thanks for the tip, I was thinking about using rondo but now i think ill stick to fiber glass. Great job at explaining the process too!
 
So the general process to my knowledge is this: assemble all of the pepakura pieces, harden the shell with resin, add strips of fiber glass (use resin to glue it on) to the inside of the mask to make it even stronger, then carefully bondo the exterior of the mask for more strength to the exterior of the mask. The point of adding bondo is to give the mask a stronger shell, and to polish any details from the pepakura shell. For example, you finish hardening your mask, but there are edges and corners on the groove of the dome of the mask ( because of the folds in the paper) when it should be smooth. Bondo is used to polish out any edges by adding layers-so basically coating any ridges or pits out of the mask. The youtube channel that i linked you to goes over this process in GREAT detail. Seriously, props to that guy.

That is it in a nutshell for the most part, but body filler will not add any structural integrity. It is just talcum powder and resin mixed together, which is rather brittle when hardened.
 
So the general process to my knowledge is this: assemble all of the pepakura pieces, harden the shell with resin, add strips of fiber glass (use resin to glue it on) to the inside of the mask to make it even stronger, then carefully bondo the exterior of the mask for more strength to the exterior of the mask. The point of adding bondo is to give the mask a stronger shell, and to polish any details from the pepakura shell. For example, you finish hardening your mask, but there are edges and corners on the groove of the dome of the mask ( because of the folds in the paper) when it should be smooth. Bondo is used to polish out any edges by adding layers-so basically coating any ridges or pits out of the mask. The youtube channel that i linked you to goes over this process in GREAT detail. Seriously, props to that guy.

Bondo on the outer side isn't for strength, it's for smoothing, adding detail, profiling, etc. Pure cosmetics.

Fiberglass adds the strength.

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Rondo: is a mix of fiberglass and bondo (I used a 50-50 ratio) that some people use to harden the inside of a model instead of fiberglass. Having done this on my helmet, I would strongly recommend against it. It's heavy, brittle, and doesn't save much time during construction. It does have its uses, but hardening armor is not one of them.

Oh damn. O_O

Why didn't you use fiberglass?! Like, mudglassing - fiberglass and covering it with bondo, then it would have worked.
 
Bondo on the outer side isn't for strength, it's for smoothing, adding detail, profiling, etc. Pure cosmetics.

Fiberglass adds the strength.

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Oh damn. O_O

Why didn't you use fiberglass?! Like, mudglassing - fiberglass and covering it with bondo, then it would have worked.

Made my helmet almost 3 years ago haha. It was before I had any experience with fiberglass, and it seemed far more challenging to work with. Rondo was a popular option at the time, so I jumped on the bandwagon! Hence why I dissuade anyone from going that route any times it pops up in conversation. On my next helmet, I'll be using only fiberglass on the inside :)
 
I already have a few pepakura files of the hyabusa suit... but my confusion is...
What do I attach the shoulders (like samuraishoulder pads) on?
I have the helmet, and the chest, & I have a part of the shoulders but... Idk what to attach them to.
o.0
Also... The files I have for the Hyabusa is fewer than the Mark VI Armor... Like I don't have the forearms, legs, thighs, and waist for matching the Hyabusa.
Do the armors of Mark VI and Hyabusa Merge when it comes to Legs, Waist and Arms?
 
The Hayabusa armor is an attachment of the MK VI suit. It has a different helmet and attachments for the shoulders and chest. Everything else is standard MK VI armor.

As for what you attach the shoulder parts to, that's where you need to get creative. You can attach it directly overtop the standard MK VI shoulders, or there are files of the bare bicep pieces available somewhere. How to physically attach the permutation attachments is something that everyone does their own way.
 
So I know that the bondo topic is a little old but I'm going to put my 2 cents in on it. Bondo adds a lot of weight to any piece. I like to keep my pieces as light as possible. After the resin coat on the outside and the fiberglass on the inside I use a dremel and a sander to take down all the edges from the pep that shouldn't be there. The goal is to get it as smooth as you can before applying bondo. This will allow you to use less bondo and keep the weight of your pieces down. I have some pics of my pieces of this process on my profile if you want to take a look.
 
So I know that the bondo topic is a little old but I'm going to put my 2 cents in on it. Bondo adds a lot of weight to any piece. I like to keep my pieces as light as possible. After the resin coat on the outside and the fiberglass on the inside I use a dremel and a sander to take down all the edges from the pep that shouldn't be there. The goal is to get it as smooth as you can before applying bondo. This will allow you to use less bondo and keep the weight of your pieces down. I have some pics of my pieces of this process on my profile if you want to take a look.

To be honest, hearing people saying 'bondo' adds a lot to a piece I disagree.
I've tested myself - my rondo'd and bondo'd helmet weights the very same as just resin.
 
To be honest, hearing people saying 'bondo' adds a lot to a piece I disagree.
I've tested myself - my rondo'd and bondo'd helmet weights the very same as just resin.

Bondo is necessary for a finished piece to look good, I agree 100% there.

However, time and time again, I have to say fiberglass is vastly superior to rondo. I am amidst helping a buddy do multiple repairs to his rondo'd suit, due to cracks and breaks.i am also in the middle of repairing my rondo'd helmet due to a few cracks from a light tumble, that I'm 100% sure fiberglass would have withstood. Rondo has terrible structural integrity, (it's literally just talcum powder with more resin added)and weighs quite a bit more than fiberglass of the same strength.
 
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