ODST Build 1: The Journey Begins

No need to keep us in the loop.....we all have lives that take over/precedence over other aspects.....its expected. If this was all you had, that would be sad........we all have to balance our life-life and our fantasy/cosplay-life. Take your time......think of it as a marathon and not a sprint race.
 
Update time.

Attached are the most recent pics. Probably, the next update will be a complete helmet. The helmet seems to take forever to pep. Do other pieces take just as long? Or will things go a little faster once the helmet is done?

IMG_20200316_164855.jpg IMG_20200316_164902.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20200316_164855.jpg
    IMG_20200316_164855.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 380
Unfortunately pep can be quite tedious for more detailed pieces, I did a Daft Punk helmet with pep a few years ago and even though it’s mostly smooth surfaces it took quite a bit. Don’t give up though! I would play a movie or some music in the background and kind of use it to unwind after school. Your pep build looks solid and I can’t wait to see more from you!
 
Helmet pep is done! Thanks, coronavirus for giving me this time to work.

WIN_20200319_14_22_59_Pro.jpg WIN_20200319_14_23_09_Pro.jpg WIN_20200319_14_23_18_Pro.jpg WIN_20200319_14_23_25_Pro.jpg WIN_20200319_14_23_32_Pro.jpg WIN_20200319_14_24_46_Pro.jpg

The helmet looks a little big on me but I'm not worried about it.

I have to say that using Mod Podge for glue works great. Dries fast without burning your fingers and is easy to clean up. Anyone looking for starter tips, take note. You can buy a 16 oz bottle of Mod Podge for very cheap and apply small amounts with a cheap (fine tip) paintbrush. I started with a mostly full bottle and doubt I will use it all up on this project. I also used it to coat some of the smaller connections after they had dried as an extra layer of sealant. So far, it works great.

Researching the fiberglass step I have also run across some reference to using a bondo/resin mix ("rondo") on the inside of some armor pieces (instead of fiberglass mat and resin). Has anyone worked like that before?
 
Rondo is good, but brittle. I've used it before and recommend using it for hard-to-reach places where you can't get fiberglass cloth into, such as the brim of a helmet or etc...

I would also recommend using it to smooth the inside of the helmet a little bit over the top of the fiberglass. That will prevent you getting poked by loving sharp fiberglass splinters of death. You don't have to do that of course, but it works as a sealant against fiberglass shards.

If you're going to go the rondo route, I recommend following the mixture of hardener to product for both resin and bondo, and going in small batches. If you make too much you run the risk of gloppy drips and messy patches that are totally avoidable. And just like the fiberglass itself, put in more than one layer.
 
Rondo is good, but brittle. I've used it before and recommend using it for hard-to-reach places where you can't get fiberglass cloth into, such as the brim of a helmet or etc...

I would also recommend using it to smooth the inside of the helmet a little bit over the top of the fiberglass. That will prevent you getting poked by loving sharp fiberglass splinters of death. You don't have to do that of course, but it works as a sealant against fiberglass shards.

If you're going to go the rondo route, I recommend following the mixture of hardener to product for both resin and bondo, and going in small batches. If you make too much you run the risk of gloppy drips and messy patches that are totally avoidable. And just like the fiberglass itself, put in more than one layer.


Thanks! I will think about it. I have resin and fiberglass mat already so I think I will go that route but might rock the rondo trickier spots.
 
So, playing with some resin today on my printer paper helmet. I bought me a jug of Bondo brand resin and fiberglass mat. So far, just working on the resin on the outside without worrying about mat yet. I am applying it to the blue helmet pictured above to get some practice and make mistakes before trying the final model. I was able to do one coat over the entire helmet with just 2 oz of resin. I did it in 2 sessions spanning 2 days (cold temps make for longer drying times).
Holy toaster- I am so glad I am not counting on the printer paper helmet for my final build! Anyone who thought they would save some money and use printer paper, DONT! it is almost impossible to resin. Also, I cannot recommend using Elmer's glue stick for gluing needs. That is what I had on hand for my first model and it worked ok, but now the glue Is failing and that makes resin-ing even harder! It is basically disintegrating in my hand. I did my best to salvage it.

WIN_20200325_18_16_44_Pro.jpg WIN_20200325_18_16_48_Pro.jpg WIN_20200325_18_17_01_Pro.jpg note: respirator not shown bc I am wearing it. The resin was still drying when I took these pics and I ain't playing with fumes.

You can kind of see where the model is starting to come apart. It honestly is much worse than it looks in the pictures. Before I do anything on the inside, I am going to have to do some regluing.

I did have a thought about knives and the like. If you make a knife and sheath, does the pattern take into effect the change in thickness that the knife blade will undergo during the hardening process? Assuming you want to be able to pull the knife, I feel like resin and Bondo (maybe just rondo it...) on the blade and the sheath might add quite a bit of thickness. Otherwise, for knife attachments, how frowned upon would it be for me to repurpose one of my old sheath knives and attach it to the armor? Is that bad cause it's like a "real weapon"?
 
I have gotten 1 layer of resin on my cardstock helmet. I got to wondering though, how many layers of resin on the outside should I do before I go to Bondo? Also, should I do a layer of just resin inside before adding the fiberglass mat? I originally wasn't planning to, but should I?
 
I have gotten 1 layer of resin on my cardstock helmet. I got to wondering though, how many layers of resin on the outside should I do before I go to Bondo? Also, should I do a layer of just resin inside before adding the fiberglass mat? I originally wasn't planning to, but should I?
2 layers is what I did. Some people do 3. Inside you don't need to resin because you will do that after putting fiberglass in it.
 
The steps I took are the ones provided in the 405th cerealkiller videos on youtube. Great tutorials. I highly recommend watching them all because they have excellent tips. I did one very light coat on the outside, two slightly heavier ones on the inside, then fibre glassed the inside. Then you sand down all the edges and folds on the piece you are making, lightly bondo in small sections, and use a razor blade to clean it up and work the bondo while it is curing.
 
The steps I took are the ones provided in the 405th cerealkiller videos on youtube. Great tutorials. I highly recommend watching them all because they have excellent tips. I did one very light coat on the outside, two slightly heavier ones on the inside, then fibre glassed the inside. Then you sand down all the edges and folds on the piece you are making, lightly bondo in small sections, and use a razor blade to clean it up and work the bondo while it is curing.

Yeah I watched a couple of his videos, but it was a while ago. I am definitely going to go back through them now that I am a little further in the process. I have two layers on the outside now, but I will definitely check out his vids for those tips and tricks that I have most likely forgotten.
 
Does anyone have a good trick for cleaning up the fiberglass workspace? I made the mistake of doing some fiberglassing in my workshop in the basement which happens to be part of the path to my dog's doggie door. I really don't need her getting fiberglass pokers in her feet...
 
Alright. New problem. I have been practicing with the fiberglass and resin step on my blue helmet. I used a Loctite brand spray adhesive to stick the fiberglass pieces to the inside of the helmet. However, when I went to apply the resin, the fiberglass came unstuck from the inside the helmet. It was almost like the resin made the spray adhesive come unstuck. I finished up part of the resin step and let it dry. It did harden but not as much as I was expecting and there are weird bubbles in the fiberglass where it came unstuck from the helmet and I couldn't get it to lay down again. It was hard to get a picture of it, but you can kind of see what I am talking about in the below picture.
IMG_20200407_104403.jpg

Anyone had this problem before? Also, it seems that I need a LOT more resin to cover the fiberglass than I needed on the outside. Is that to be expected or is something weird happening?
 
This thread is more than 8 months old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top