when i started Armorcrafting i was already experienced with Pepakura. i had made various things like animals, Hellboys Samaritan, various game guns, etc, so naturally when i saw that i could make various
wearable suits of my favorite comic book character, Iron Man, using a skill i alredy had i was ecstatic. i saw various works from different people and such and thought "Piece of cake!". anyone who has made any
decent amount of Pepakura, or papercraft items, knows that the actual act of making the item out of paper is a matter of a steady hand for cutting, some glue or tape for attaching and the ability to match
numbers together. not so tough, so lets move on to what i didnt know but have learned.
here are some answers to questions that get asked often and ones i had when i started:
Here are links to some of the more common items you will need on the cheap:
$0.24 Paint Brushes from Wood Working Parts.com
Armorcraft is a form of art and every artist has his/her own methods. through time you will develop your own but i hope these little tidbits of information i have learned that may help newbies and things i wish i
knew when i started. i hope this helps some. if i think of anything else ill add it as i think of it or come across it. it would be awesome for others to contribute bits of info for newbies and even seasons vets. a
person should never stop learning and can always learn more.
Peppers keep on Pepping!
wearable suits of my favorite comic book character, Iron Man, using a skill i alredy had i was ecstatic. i saw various works from different people and such and thought "Piece of cake!". anyone who has made any
decent amount of Pepakura, or papercraft items, knows that the actual act of making the item out of paper is a matter of a steady hand for cutting, some glue or tape for attaching and the ability to match
numbers together. not so tough, so lets move on to what i didnt know but have learned.
here are some answers to questions that get asked often and ones i had when i started:
- Walmart: $12 for a can of fiberglass resin, $5 for the mat, $1 per 2" brush, $5 for a pack of 110 lb card stock, $20 for a gallon of Bondo Body Filler. everything else you need can be purchased there as well.
- TAKE YOUR TIME! the slower and more meticulous you are the better your project will come out.
- you can use scissors or an X-Acto blade to cut out your Pepakura pieces.
- most kinds of adhesive work just fine: white glue, super glue, hot glue, rubber cement, tape, etc.
- - use something as support struts when needed (folded pieces of card stock, bamboo skewers, etc.)
- i have found that when using tape you will encounter problems when it comes to resinning the piece.
- when you put resin over the scotch tape the tape sometimes comes loose and warps so use a glue if you can.
- when you resin the outside, do the coats nice and thin. the piece comes out better and less chance of warping the card stock with thin coats.
- do at least 3-4 coats of resin on the outside to build up the strength of the piece for when you fiberglass the inside.
- get used to buying lots of $1 paint brushes from Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot.
- reusing brushes is risky. its better to use a new one with each batch of resin you mix.
- as for the resin itself, mixing the hardener is not something you just "do". you have to get a feel for what works best for you: less hardener and the resin takes longer to dry, more hardener and it dries faster.
- its all a matter of preference.
- once you see ANY clumping in the resin its time to throw it out. its only a matter of seconds before its too clumpy to use at all.
- do NOT resin the entire outside of a piece on the first coat, sometimes not even on the second coat. if you do it in sections you will have a better chance of the piece not warping or coming out misshapen.
- after, and only after, you have built up a decent outer coating of dried resin it is time to do the inside of the piece.
- there are two types of mat you can use with your fiberglass: nylon cloth mat or fiber cloth mat. the nylon cloth is better for new people because it is less messy and easier to work with. the fiber cloth seems to
- harden stronger. the type of mat you use is totally optional and simply a matter of preference. i use the fiber because i feel it shapes easier and hardens stronger.
- anyone who tells you they fiber glassed the inside of their helmet or chest piece of whatever with only something like an ounce or two of resin is full of crap. be ready to buy TONS of resin. i estimated around
- 10-12 of the containers of resin (i forgot how many ounces is in each one but they are the metal cans you see everyone showing).
- the way you lay your fiberglass mat and resin inside your piece is also a matter preference. i started out doing the small uniform pre-cut squares that were around 2x2 inches. what i have learned works best
- for me is to take the piece i am working on and cut a large piece of mat to lay inside the piece and trim the mat so that i have once piece of mat to use instead of tons of little annoying squares. obviously this
- would be done in sections so i would only cut enough to do the section i want to resin at the time.
- when its time to lay down the mat i would put a very thin layer of just the resin in the area i want to apply the mat to just to get the mat to stick. after i have the mat stuck i would dip the brush in the resin and dab
- the mat instead of using strokes. once a decent amount of resin is in the area i will brush it outwards.
- you want to put a decent amount of resin down over the mat but not too much. this is something you need to get a feel for and learn what is best for you, just try to keep it as thin as possible.
- you dont want clumps of resin anywhere, it should be a uniform thickness everywhere if possible.
- FIBER GLASSING IS MESSY AND VERY VERY STICKY!
- wear gloves and a respirator if possible. i will admit, they arent essential but they are great things to have. it doesnt look like it but resin stings like a mofo when it gets on your skin and it smells like your
- head is in a tank of gasoline. chant: gloves and mask! gloves and mask! gloves and mask!
- i have found that when it comes to the edges of a piece you should have the fiber glass go past the edges and apply the resin to both the inside of the piece as normal and then run the brush on the outside
- to get the resin to cover the mat and card stock. this will put resin over everything and make it easier when you cut off the excess.
- use a Dremel to cut off the excess hardened mat. a Dremel is almost essential when Armoring for cutting, sanding small areas and even drilling some times.
- if you plan on using the pieces to make molds then you dont need to worry about the smoothness of the inside of your piece.
- if you plan on wearing the item make sure you sand the inside well and coat it with something like truck bed liner or something that you dont mind touching your skin and isnt scratchy.
- after you have resinned the outside and fiber glassed the inside it is a good idea to use a spray primer over any place you plan on sanding to make the imperfections stand out.
- sand what you need to sand and use Bondo Body Filler wherever you need to to fill in cracks and pits.
- for each golf ball size glob of body filler you use you should use about 1" of hardener.
- remember to kneed the the Bondo hardener before using it.
- do not stir the Bondo and hardener, you should fold them together to keep air bubbles out. kneed it until it is all one solid color.
- Bondo is like fiberglass resin, once everything is mixed you are under a time limit before it hardens.
- you are best served by buying the body filler spreader 3-pack from Walmart for $3 to use to spread out the Bondo.
- use as little as you can because you are going to have to sand it and you can always add more later.
- palm sized electric sanders are your best friend and will save a TON of elbow work, however, you can never get out of using just the sandpaper at some point.
- when initially sanding use 60 grit sandpaper. once you are finished with the 60 grit and have everything looking decent, go back over it using the highest grit sandpaper you can find, around 150 or higher,, to
- give a very smooth surface. its worth the extra time.
- once you have the piece sanded and to your liking its time to paint.
- use a primer to seal everything well.
- if you use spray paint, remember, thin even coats, lots of thin even coats.
- people achieve that nice glassy look by using enamel paint and Clear Coat afterward.
- remember: once you get to the fiber glassing stage, take your time and make sure you cover everything you need to.
- remember: when you get to the Bondo stage, use small amounts and be prepared for a ton of sanding.
- time for the number one rule of Armorcraft: ALWAYS post pics for people to see! (i know im a hypocrite on this one, but mine will be up soon enough, lol)
Here are links to some of the more common items you will need on the cheap:
$0.24 Paint Brushes from Wood Working Parts.com
Armorcraft is a form of art and every artist has his/her own methods. through time you will develop your own but i hope these little tidbits of information i have learned that may help newbies and things i wish i
knew when i started. i hope this helps some. if i think of anything else ill add it as i think of it or come across it. it would be awesome for others to contribute bits of info for newbies and even seasons vets. a
person should never stop learning and can always learn more.
Peppers keep on Pepping!
