First Helmet Build

[xXDashIVXx]

Any tips before I start the resin?

Very light coat on the outside to make it look wet, then do the inside a little thicker, almost to a runny state, a couple times. Then add fibreglass and resin that by stippling or poking it down. Take your time but work fast, because if it starts to get clumpy, you have to stop as the resin is curing and you cant work with it anymore, so balance the ratios and dont mix too much. Maybe an ou ce at a time? Also it's ok if you do it in small sections rather than all at once. The later usually gives you problems down the road.

 

[Lieutenant Jaku]

Any tips before I start the resin?

dont start with the top, or if you do then have it upside-down as it will warp if the weight is on the top first pushing down on not hardened areas, also use supports

 

[he4thbar]

dont start with the top, or if you do then have it upside-down as it will warp if the weight is on the top first pushing down on not hardened areas, also use supports

I used Popsicle sticks to reinforce mine, cheap, effective and then you can use the extra ones to stir your resin & hardner. Also buy a big box of nitrile disposable gloves, they get extremely sticky after about 5-10 minutes.

 

[Dirtdives2424]

I bought a bag of 50 disposable paint brushes from Harbor freight for 3-4 dollars. I go through them like water when doing fiberglassing. Don't use the foam disposable ones.....the resin will eat the foam. You end up w/ a sticky dowel.........

 

[OwnedMantella22]

I bought a bag of 50 disposable paint brushes from Harbor freight for 3-4 dollars. I go through them like water when doing fiberglassing. Don't use the foam disposable ones.....the resin will eat the foam. You end up w/ a sticky dowel.........

Yeah I learned that the hard way. I was painting the resin in and then next thing I knew my brush stuck to the armour while the handle was still in my hand

 

[Sean Anwalt]

Yeah I learned that the hard way. I was painting the resin in and then next thing I knew my brush stuck to the armour while the handle was still in my hand

Been there. Done that.

 

[OwnedMantella22]

Been there. Done that.

What would you recommend using?

 

[Coreforge]

I used cheap paint brushes with a wooden handle. Since they weren't so cheap that I wanted to just throw them away, I cleaned them with vinnegar after a coat of resin. This only works if the resin hasn't started hardening though. After some time, you have to change out the brush though.

 

[Sean Anwalt]

Didn't know vinegar worked!

I used acetone. (Nail polish remover) It's amazing stuff, but evaporates quickly.

Be sure to be careful to clean up before the rain hardens on your brush, though.

Also, wear your protective equipment.

 

[Coreforge]

I only tested it with epoxy resin. With epoxy, acetone I think only dilutes it, so can delay the hardening with that. You maybe could also use it to make very thin coats of resin, but I don't know if the acetone affects the epoxy. You can make the epoxy unusable with pretty much any acidic solution. For Polyester it's likely different. I haven't tried it with that.

 

[xXDashIVXx]

Didn't know vinegar worked!

I used acetone. (Nail polish remover) It's amazing stuff, but evaporates quickly.

Be sure to be careful to clean up before the rain hardens on your brush, though.

Also, wear your protective equipment.

I tried this, but I put the acetone in a plastic cup and it melted the bottom spilling everything and adhering the bottom of the now melted cup to the towel I was using to cover the table... never touched the darned stuff again and threw out my brushes after I use em

 

[Sean Anwalt]

Glass bottles, man. And use them outside.

 

[GivenHercules51]

Woah its looking great, how long ya been working on it?

 

[PerniciousDuke]

I like everyone's advice. The only I'll add is to work in small batches. Especially the first thin coat on the outside. You don't have to coat the whole thing in one go.

Bigger pieces like chest or thighs should be done in 3-4 patches before moving to the thicker inner coat.

Start with 1oz of resin at a time, slowly increase as you feel comfortable working with it.

 

[OwnedMantella22]

Woah its looking great, how long ya been working on it?

I’ve worked on the actual piece for about 5-6 hours but it’s taken me about 2.5 weeks because I’ve been going to different summer camps and working on enlisting in the navy

 

[GivenHercules51]

Ah I see, well good luck my fellow Spartan.

 

[OwnedMantella22]

So I worked on it a little bit more for about an hour I think I made a lot of progress. It’s bit messy but it was worth it because the piece is really hard with only one layer of the shredded fiberglass. I think I’ll be able to finish this up tomorrow, sanding and all.
Should I paint it now or wait until I’ve finished some more of the armour? And after I finish this I was thinking about doing the helmet so I’d have something to show off. Should I do that or keep working on the smaller pieces to get more practice before moving on to something more complicated?

 

[Coreforge]

Looks pretty good! One tip though: if you don't plan on adding more Fiberglass to this piece, I think you should do another coat of resin to cover all of those not covered bits of fiberglass. Otherwise, they might fall out and you don't want to have fiberglass everywere. Or they might poke into your arm and that is very itchy. For painting, I think it doesn't really matter too much if you do it now or later as long as you know what color you want and you know you can get more of that exact same color. If you do change your mind about the color, you can always repaint.

 

[Tegan]

apply resin on the outside of the paper and the inside. let dry. then apply the layer with the fiberglass and resin together. My first try I did all of it at once and it was a hot mess.

 

[Sean Anwalt]

*Clarification: the fiberglass goes on the inside.