Sealing Pep Builds?

[sik1276]

For obvious requirements for the fiberglass resin/bondo, I decided to go a different approach for strengthening my armorapier mâché. Oh obvi, wet stuff + paper=warpage as I experienced with my mrkiv forearm. I bought an Plaid acrylic sealer thinking I could go the same direction as with the aqua resin but idk, I didn't add enough clear coats? Is there a better way or sumthing? Anyone?

 

[stilgarhammer]

Hello all,

It was suggested to me by a theater scenic friend to try sanding sealer from a paint store, the stuff you use to seal wood before painting. He said its water based and can be thinned a bit with water if need be (ask the attendant, there are some oil based stuff around). It can be sprayed by a power painter, like Wagner's, use vary thin coats, about 2 or 3. This will seal the paper, but remember, still do in small areas, no bigger than 5 inches square, the weight of the mache' will be heavy, until dry, and recommend starting at the bottom, as finished mache' will help hold up the new. also use the mache' on inside, you will loose detail.



stilgar

 

[Boba Fett]

I toyed with using a coat of thin white glue on the inside. I found dollar store glue that's very thin, and doesn't warp it that much. If you contain it in small sections (like Stilgar's idea, 5in square) you should be fine

 

[lordzoabar]

I am going the same route as you with the paper mache (haven't actually started yet though). I was planning to use a thin coat (or 4) of polyurethane on my build before actually starting to mache, that should also give it some innate support while actually working with it as well...



I will defiantly be watching this thread intently to see your approaches

 

[stilgarhammer]

Hello All,

I tried polyurethane, and found the spray can useless,It was too thin, even after 5 coats, I did get better results by using the brush on type, it was similar to resin, added support and sealed the paper.



stilgar

 

[lordzoabar]

Hello All,

I tried polyurethane, and found the spray can useless,It was too thin, even after 5 coats, I did get better results by using the brush on type, it was similar to resin, added support and sealed the paper.



stilgar

Brush-on is my choice as well. Also, I have been working with it mixed with cotton batting to make a kind of "homemade fiberglass". works really well as an outer layer if you want a textured look to your armor.

 

[BFDesigns]

I've had good results with spray on truck bed liner, it's about $10/can and 1 coat of it is comparable to 1.5 coats of brush on resin. It's a rigid plastic spray and it dries very quickly.



Another good way to seal over the top of paper mâché is to spray down a coat of primer and then hit it with 3 coats of Duplicolor SUV Clear Coat. Its an acrylic based lacquer that dries quickly and is highly resistant to humidity, water immersion, and salt corrosion. I use it a lot to seal wooden jewelry and chemical patinas, it'll hold up under extreme environments like right next to a human body.



Minwax brush on lacquer also works extremely well after about 4 coats. It just takes forever to dry (upwards of 24-48 hours on a humid summer day).

 

[lordzoabar]

I've had good results with spray on truck bed liner, it's about $10/can and 1 coat of it is comparable to 1.5 coats of brush on resin. It's a rigid plastic spray and it dries very quickly.



Another good way to seal over the top of paper mâché is to spray down a coat of primer and then hit it with 3 coats of Duplicolor SUV Clear Coat. Its an acrylic based lacquer that dries quickly and is highly resistant to humidity, water immersion, and salt corrosion. I use it a lot to seal wooden jewelry and chemical patinas, it'll hold up under extreme environments like right next to a human body.



Minwax brush on lacquer also works extremely well after about 4 coats. It just takes forever to dry (upwards of 24-48 hours on a humid summer day).

How much does one can of the spray liner cover?



Minwax sounds like it would be useless in Georgia then :/

 

[Boba Fett]

that spray liner stuff, does it dry hard and stiff? BEcause it might help in stiffining stuff for the rondo method. And is it textured, because it also sounds like a decent idea for an overcoat.

 

[mattmann1]

as another member who has/is going the nontoxic way I will just throw in some ideas. I used a lacquer (forget the exact stuff) to seal it. I also Coated the inside of a pep helmet with duct tape and it it is a similar situation in strength and percition to paper mache. Niether really are great options. I would also look up frosts official hotglue method for another nontoxic idea. I am also working on some experiments with wall plaster so i will keep u guys posted on that situation.

 

[lordzoabar]

as another member who has/is going the nontoxic way I will just throw in some ideas. I used a lacquer (forget the exact stuff) to seal it. I also Coated the inside of a pep helmet with duct tape and it it is a similar situation in strength and percition to paper mache. Niether really are great options. I would also look up frosts official hotglue method for another nontoxic idea. I am also working on some experiments with wall plaster so i will keep u guys posted on that situation.

Ohhh... Didn't think about wall plaster as an option (which is ironic as I just had a wall replaced in the basement near where Im building)... I am lucky in that the guy left an entire roll of wall plaster tape whatever-it's-called (like a loose-weave fiberglass tape) by accident and it's fairly rigid in its own right... I'll do some stuff with it and let yall know what i find as well...

 

[Boba Fett]

That plaster stuff should work very well. Used it in art classes, and I still have stuff from 5 years ago, perfectly intact despite being crammed under boxes and junk. The only problem is it's expensive... at least as far as what I've seen. Know of a cheap provider?

 

[sik1276]

the main part I was working on before I posted this topic was the all the inner bumps, ridges in the inside of the forearm which i tried filling in with a makeshift paper mache clay and that really does not allow you to handle the thing til like a week when it finally dries. Methinks that i need play-doh

 

[GMer56]

Mix some shredded paper with a mixture of 1 part flour and two parts water... makes a nice, hard shell. I tried it on a MKV helm I made (for armor hardening experiments), and it became really hard (almost bondo-like). When I crushed the thing to throw it out -room cleansing - I really had to apply some pressure to squish that one part.

 

[sik1276]

k well, I tested the 3 methods I was going to use:

the Plaid Acrylic Sealer

coat the paper with a lot of wood glue

or Mod Podge.



and placed a paper mache strip in the middle of each paper

Suffice to say, the Mod Podge worked the best. To me, the acrylic sealer suffered big bumps and the wood glue, small bumps with a huge chance of curling. The Mod Podge looked straight enough and didn't seem to warp. Huh, I guess that's what the label meant by waterbase sealer. I thought that waterbase meant it was water-BASED and that it wouldn't work (water on water) But later I'll test the Mod Podge on paper clay, corners, etc.

 

[sik1276]

Mix some shredded paper with a mixture of 1 part flour and two parts water... makes a nice, hard shell. I tried it on a MKV helm I made (for armor hardening experiments), and it became really hard (almost bondo-like). When I crushed the thing to throw it out -room cleansing - I really had to apply some pressure to squish that one part.

That'll be the paper mache clay I was speaking of

 

[scruffynerfherder]

I found that on one thread that someone had suggested Smooth-On Smooth-Cast 300. It basically forms into a durable plastic. I am not sure how strong it is or if you still have to use resin but, you can sand it like you would the bondo. I googled it and came up with this website if anyone needs more information about it: http://www.dickblick.com/products/smooth-on-smooth-cast-300/ Let me know if this helps. I would rather use this stuff instead of fiberglass, however, if I were to use fiberglass, I would use the cloth version. Looks less messy and easier to handle.



Here is the thread that mentions it.: http://405th.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25156

 

[Boba Fett]

The only problem is that stuff can get expensive in a hurry... But the results are pretty great from what I've seen.

 

[scruffynerfherder]

The only problem is that stuff can get expensive in a hurry... But the results are pretty great from what I've seen.

I figured that if you don't have to use fiber glass, bondo or resin, then wouldn't that be saving a little money not to mention time? I am thinking about using the stuff and I will let you guys know how it works. I just don't know if it will have the durability of fiberglass or ABS? If so, here we come Stormtrooper Armor. I have been wanting that costume for years!

 

[Nintendude]

I would say go with a type of material called Mod Podge and use layers of it or spray lacquer and let it dry between layers.