My first armor

[MuffinMICHI]

hey everyone,
I started my first HALO armor a few days ago.
I printed all the parts and glued them together. that was kind of easy so far. then i read a lot to continue my project.
i think the next step is to use the fiberglas resin at the outside of the parts and the fiberglas resin + fiberglas at the inside... please correct me if i'm wrong
... then i heard much about bondo and sanding to make eveything smooth but there i've got some questions:
1. is it necessary to use bondo if i'm happy with the edged form
2. and if i want to make it smooth though, do i have to use the bondo everywhere or just at the places where i want to smooth the edges
And then I have a last logical question: some parts have to be cut open to put them on later... for example the forearm or the chestpiece. so i just wanted to know what method is the best to put the armor on - i perhaps thouht about straps or hook-and-pile fastener. But if there are other maybe beter ways please tell me
And if there are other helpful tricks I'll be glad to hear them

thanks for your answers...
MuffinMICHI

I hope we can save the world together soon in our armors

muffinmichi@gmx.de

 

[spartanx360]

first i want to say, welcome.

1. if you want to leave them edged, you can do that, it's your armor.
2. just the area you want to smooth, it will cost less and it won't mess up the whole thing.
if you bondo, take a step at a time, bondo and sanding is the most intensive part of armor making (correct me if i'm wrong)
3. i suggest you make it first, and later on you can still see if you have to cut something for strapping, i suggest you do this before painting.

hope this helps

 

[SkullBoy13]

Hey!

You're not wrong.. Fiberglass resin the outside then Fiberglass + resin the inside, Bondo is used for detailing if the file you pepped is not much detailed, If you sand a resined piece without bondo, and you used fiberglass on the inside, you're gonna have a bad time. If you have problems understanding this.. let us know.. LOL
BTW!! people will start demanding for pics so make sure you post some evidence that you started working on an armor, No Pics = Didnt happen..

GOOD LUCK!!

-Skull

 

[Duckster18]

everything depends on the armor youre making.For me, doing a Reach build has taken nearly 2 months just to do the pep work. Also, for the inside, you don't HAVE to use fiberglass resin+fiberglass on the inside. RONDO is a combination of fiberglass and bondo mixed together that alot of people use to slush cast their builds(like i will). Bondo-ing should be done on spots that you want to look smooth. If your pep files aren't HD, then you will most likely be doing more bondo-ing then some other people would.GOOD LUCK!

 

[Assassin3698]

I heard of a way to skip the Bondoing stage by using this technique called: Mudglassing
Here's a link: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...-To-Finish-Pep-Pieces?highlight=Revolutionary
Unless anyone knows of any reasons why not to do this then please say so. And before doing this read the whole thread and watch the video just to be safe. And welcome to the 405th.

 

[misfitjh]

If I may suggest, put 2 to 3 coats of resin on the outside. One coat is still to thin to help hold it's shape. Also like Duckster said if you don't want to fiberglass the inside you can slush cast it with rondo (resin and bondo) which is easier and faster. But it is a little thicker than fiberglassing and a little heavier as well so keep that in mind. As for mudglassing STAY WAY from it for the out side. It is great filler for the inside and you can add pre-cut sheets of fiber glass to your rondo before it sets to add extra strenght but for it outside of the armor it blows. Unless you have a huge dent to fill. What happens is as you sand it the fiber glass starts to show, then you'll get all these fine hair sticking out that are a pain to sand and ruin the look. It's best to use just bondo on the outside. Just keep the coats light so you don't have to sand as much, keep in mind when using bondo the more you put on the more you have to sand off. One last tip...buy an electric sander if you can the mouse one with the pointy tip is a good one for most details. Sanding by hand takes a long time and can cause damage to your wrists and elbows over time. other than that just have fun with it.

 

[Assassin3698]

@misfitjh
What about a dremel, it might be cheaper and he could probably get a sanding attachment. I got one at a Home Depot for around $20 and it comes with a kit that has 101 attachments.But that's only my opinion, it being better to buy a dremel.

 

[misfitjh]

A dremel is great for details with all the bits and stuff but for general sanding it's to small. You need a wider flat surface to smooth out large areas.

 

[MuffinMICHI]

Thanks for your good answers.
I think it will be the best way to experiment and test all the techniques in the low detailed armor from Robogenesis. After that I hope I'm ready for the HD version (and it hopefully looks as good as the now finished one from Macattack^^)

 

[TwiggyShip]

This thread has also answered a couple of questions I had as well so thanks

Quick question on mudglassing, though: in the video, it seemed, well, kinda dangerous. Is it more risky than resin/fiber-mat?

 

[SkullBoy13]

Well twiggy, you mix resin in it so yeah.. it's also dangerous

 

[TwiggyShip]

It was described as skin-melting hot. I've not had any experience with resin before (also bear in mind I'm from the UK so ours may be different), but all our resin containers just carry an irritant label...

 

[misfitjh]

Well it does get hot but I would instead of slushing it around and trying to add the glass at the same time, use a smaller amount of rondo and brush it on the inside of the peace laying in the fiber glass as you go then your only dealing with small areas at a time and can work safly. Just make sure you have enough fiber glass precut and ready and if you put in a deop or two less oh hardener it will sray workable a little longer giving you time to get your fiber glass in and covered.

 

[TwiggyShip]

Yeah, that would work. Still seems kind of iffy to me, if I'm honest. Then again, this is my first time doing anything like this so even resin seems iffy to me. I'm really tempted to try the hot glue method of boiling the sticks down and painting it on the inside, or closing it up and sloshing it around, sort of like Smoothcast. Apparently it's heavier but I guess that depends on layers.

 

[MuffinMICHI]

For me it's also the first time I'm using resin, fiberglass, bondo and so on... But luckily I made a helm which which wasn't perfect, so I can test the steps all on it
...I hope it will survive this torture ^^

 

[misfitjh]

Using resin, bondo and fiber glass is not difficult but you do have to know the basics. If you guys want help with the resin and bondo stuff send me a pm and I'll do my very best to help you. That way we don't highjack this thread talking about it. Also there are some good vids on the subject on youtube.

 

[Duckster18]

this MUDGLASING method has been done long before..it's slush casting but you put fiberglass into the rondo mix for extra strength.

 

[Spartan_127]

I think everything has been answered as far as your original questions. I'm with the mouse type sander from Black & Decker that has the fingertip attachment on it. It makes sanding down your bondo a heck of a lot easier.
On my son's build I used Smooth Cast 320 for reinforcement. It does about the same as fiberglass for the outside. I also used it on the inside with fiberglass cloth. It took me several days to do all the parts that way. I discovered Rondo aka mudglassing. . . . I highly suggest that method over the fiberglass cloth. A lot less mess and it can save you countless hours. Just my two cents on it, but thought it might be helpful to hear from someone who's tried both.

Good luck on your build . .. . and Post some Pictures. . . . Lots and Lots of Pictures. . . .

 

[MuffinMICHI]

If I'm ready with the resin on the outside of a part I'm coming to the inside now. But before I start I just wanted to know, when I'm using rondo and fiberglas together, in which Order should it be used best?
First fiberglas or First rondo?
I hope you can help me
Thanks

 

[TheRabbit]

Use Rondo first, because it will help fill in all the tiny crevices and details and give you a smoother interior to apply the fiberglass to.