other than fiberglass and resin?

[lizander]

hey guys, i don't have a ton of money to fiberglass my helm, (you guys better not say its cheap, i have no money) so i was looking for alternatives, i was thinking of varnishing my pep helm, little by little, then maching the inside, or using muslin cloth. just a question, would the varnish work? would it standup to macheing/ muslin cloth? what do you use to make the muslin cloth harden? thanks alot. oh yah I'm making an Iron man helm based off Herogears pep file, pics will be up once i'm done getting the basic shape to it. (cardboard and packing tape, will then bondo/ fiberglass jelly it, then I'll make a good copy to maybe fiberglass.) thanks for your help on my question in advance.

 

[SH Jack]

I have no idea how varnish is like compared to resin but I remember reading that using normal fabric (i.e. an old t-shirt) with resin will be reasonably strong. Not as strong as fiberglass of course, but unless you're paintballing it sounded like it would be able to withstand some force. If you haven't got old t-shirts, scrap fabric from sewing stores comes cheap, too.

 

[Darth Malevelus]

I know alot can be had at arts and craft stores, however I too am looking into alternatives to resin, some sort of plastic possibly?

 

[d0om]

you could take small strips of cardboard and hot glue it to the inside of your helmet. then take your muslin cloth, soak it in a mixture of glue water and flour and apply it to the inside of the helmet.

 

[AoBfrost]

Resin the muslin cloth, 1 can of resin will do you 4-5 helmets worth. I'd make the thing rock solid, do 3 layers of muslin and resin.

 

[Ruze789]

If you're looking to avoid using the resin, then yes, varnish should work with paper mache. It should stand up to it just fine, I used paper mache right over the cardstock on my helmets. As long as you work slow and don't make your paste too watery it doesn't have too much of an effect on the cardstock except for some dampness and slight warping on some of the large flat areas.

 

[Darth Malevelus]

Yeah I m looking at something I can spray onto the paper to make it hardened, I was thinking about varnish (for items like the AR that I cannot spray the inside of. Then after it cures, use some sort of mixable liquid plastic, that will cure up into solid ABS (like a kids toy) to make a mold with. In the case of things like the helmet and armor, Im looking at actually using that type of material for the actual cast, and using the paper itself as a mold provided I can get a spray varnish to harden up the paper, and make inpermeable.

So right now Im looking for a mixable liquid plastic that will cure into hard plastic that is both paintable, and tooleable, and something that can be sprayed onto the paper pepakura parts to make them more rigid, and inpermeable to soaking up the liquid paste.

Im a composite technition for the US Navy, and Ill tell you, working with this stuff at work is one thing, working with it at home is another. USE YOUR PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) IE respirators, tyvek suits, goggles, gloves. Epoxy resin will do extremely bad things to your body. Theres alot more down sides to it, other than the itchy clothes.

Anybody got a hobby / arts and crafts store anywhere near them?

 

[lizander]

thanks alot you guys, as soon as I get home I'm going to varnish my helm. If I have any other questions I'll post them. Thanks again, pics are going to come soon. Its really awsome that this site is up.

 

[d0om]

this stuff might work also
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.ph...205936677919339

 

[Darth Malevelus]

any ideas on a liquid plastic? that the part can be made of, being brushed/poured into the mold? Im looking at making the part about 3/16" to 1/4" thick. Im looking to make it very stout for a possible future as a fully functioning paint ball gun. But mostly, getting the tings to be rock solid and last for a long time.

 

[AoBfrost]

You cant make a suit of armor or helmet rock solid with paper mache, it will be sturdy, but not indestructible.

 

[Darth Malevelus]

yeah Im looking at using it for b-days, parades, and cons.

 

[W1D0MAK3R]

OMG!!! If you have 20 bucks you can fiberglass a helmet.. walmart sells the resin for like 12 bucks and lowes sell fiberglass sheets for like 5 or 6 bucks then go buy some cheap 1 inch wide brushes from a dollar store and there you have it...

 

[Kaya Tetsu]

OMG!!! If you have 20 bucks you can fiberglass a helmet.. walmart sells the resin for like 12 bucks and lowes sell fiberglass sheets for like 5 or 6 bucks then go buy some cheap 1 inch wide brushes from a dollar store and there you have it...

unfortunately my parents still claim me, which means fiberglass it out. How many parents do you know that'll trust a teenager with fibergalss and resin?

 

[Zaso117]

unfortunately my parents still claim me, which means fiberglass it out. How many parents do you know that'll trust a teenager with fibergalss and resin?

that is a roadblock. I know. I know that your in a completely different situation than me, but fiberglass still gives me issues and my parents even let me use it. I'm 16. Fiberglass, resin and bondo are all problems for me. I can't use them anywhere in my house. Just last week i was outside with my respirator in my driveway bondoing my helmet with the temp in the low 20's Farenheit.

Its cold as hell and sucks huge balls, but what can I say, I'm dedicated to getting it done.

 

[Dark Rogue]

My parents didn't really give any thought to me resining my helmet, they were all at work anyway.

I'd almost say that the fumes of varnish are more irritating than resin, but it's been a while since we've done the hardwood.

 

[Darth Malevelus]

OMG!!! If you have 20 bucks you can fiberglass a helmet.. walmart sells the resin for like 12 bucks and lowes sell fiberglass sheets for like 5 or 6 bucks then go buy some cheap 1 inch wide brushes from a dollar store and there you have it...

Oh I know,... I just dont like dealing with it, its very messy, and I prefer dealing in plastics, easier to tool, very little in the way of protective gear is needed, and I dont get everyones clothes in the house covered in fiberglass dust.
Im looking cheap, but at the same time Im looking for durability, and spot on accuracy. Thats another reason Im looking for a high res model of MC fully skinned from halo 3 so I can use it as a scrutinizing point. and rotate and pivot the model in every conceivable angle to get it right no matter how long it takes.

Come tax time Im going to get with HJC, and see if I can get an order of pre-printed face shields with the MC markings on them. I may have to buy like 10 or 20 of them, but no biggy. Ill just ebay the rest.

 

[Darth Malevelus]

UPDATE,

Here are some ideas for other than fiberglass resin:

Here are a few links.

http://www.liquidplasticsolutions.com/

http://www.rubbermoldcompounds.com/plastic.htm

http://www.polytek.com/products/poly_plastics.html

Another thing that comes to mind is this -

http://stores.ebay.ca/Polymer-Products-The-Epoxy-Experts

 

[Nicktendo]

any ideas on a liquid plastic? that the part can be made of, being brushed/poured into the mold? Im looking at making the part about 3/16" to 1/4" thick. Im looking to make it very stout for a possible future as a fully functioning paint ball gun. But mostly, getting the tings to be rock solid and last for a long time.

Nothing says this won't work. In fact, I know it will. The only issue would be making sure the paper helm didn't warp at all while slushing the poured resin around, because then it would harden like that.

 

[Darth Malevelus]

thats why Im coating my AR right now with an entire can of laquer. Makes it more rigid, and essentially covered in plastic.

Then Im making a glove mold using RTV caulking (2 tubes) Then spray foam over theat, and trim to fit in a cardboard box. Then trim the AR in half, along its centerline, nose to tail and make two molds out of it, a right and left side. Lay in the plastic resin.

Once cured, peel out of the mold, trim, and use the plastic resin again to glue the two halves together, a little paint and done.

This method will also allow me to incorporate a paint ball gun inside the AR itself (later idea)