Props Particle board builds

[AugmentedHuman013]

I have a thought I'm currently trying out and if anyone has a simpler way of doing this please let me know.
I am making a sliced version of the MA5c out of particle board. since its very sandable for lack of a better word. And just absorbs the paint so i don;t get an amazing finish I am trying out hitting it with fiberglass resin. I have it curing on a test piece. Biggest worry is itll end up like that piece of walmart brand desk you bought and spilled your drink onto. I plan on bondoing over most of it. Just trying to lock everything in

 

[Ember1]

Is that the foam core poster board stuff? Like for school projects and presentations (like a science fair project board)

 

[AugmentedHuman013]

no its like the stuff cheap furniture is made outof

 

[Ember1]

Where would I get some of that?

 

[RYNO 666]

There is a lot of glue in particle board you should be fine. Just clear coat it when finished and all should be well.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

 

[Zaff]

If the resin doesn't work, perhaps the plastidip method employed in foam builds might do the trick. Or, being that it's a wood project, you might be able to "bondo" it with wood putty and/or wood glue and then just hit it with a sealer. That should give it a nice, smooth finish and keep it from soaking up the paint like a sponge.

 

[AugmentedHuman013]

So i tested it out 3 variables. and used no primer just outer coat gunmetal.
First- Bare Wood.- Not bad of a coat. rough alittle dull.
two- resined and fine grit sanded- very glossy even smooth
three- bare wood fine grit sanded- smooth and dull.
nothing surprised there. any recommendations are welcome. will have more pictures in my main thread soon.

 

[Dave8706]

i personally would give it quite a few coats of yacht varnish, sanding sealer, sanding back down to bare board each time.

once the voids & the flakes of wood in the particle board have absorbed the varnish / sealer, you should be ready to go on

 

[Bioshutt]

^This is a good path to take

 

[Redshirt]

Agreed. If your budget doesn't allow for varnish (preferred), use acrylic floor wax. Mop N Glo or Future. There may already be some in your house. It is water based, but not water soluble when dry. However, because of the water base, the first coat will swell your board slightly, just like paint. Sand it and recoat until you get the finish you want. This or the yacht varnish will actually do a little better than the resin in some respects because they will soak in further than the resin which will largely just adhere to the surface. I used this method to harden a cardboard suit I built while in a country that was completely without varnish or resin. Necessity, the mother of invention.

Redshirt

 

[Redtail]

Here's another recommendation. Particle board crumbles really bad, so if you ever get a chance to try with a different material, I recommend MDF. It's denser, finer, more machinable/sandable, takes paint a little better to boot.

THe particle board you have right now will work dramatically better if you use a few coats of high-build filler primer beneath the paint and sand each down to fill in the voids. Just make sure you wipe down the particle board itself before painting or nothing will stick.