"Help!" for: Fiberglassing, Resin, & Bondo

[SergantTinkers]

If you keep your coats thin and light you'll get less trapped air and less holes.

Maybe that's the issue. Still, has anyone tried a resin coat after? I understand sanding to get rid of those brush stroke marks and add more paint adhesion will remove lots of the resin coat (I have plenty of resin). Also, major gaps in some of my suit pieces are there by intention, and don't need to be removed. It's just the small ones that take away from the appearance that would need to be worried about. It would certainly help me if anyone could show me a picture of a suit that has used this method.

EDIT: Another reason is that bondo gets HEAVY, while resin does not. If adding resin to the outside portion of the suit pieces will do the same thing as adding bondo to it, then why not use resin? Granted, resin can be more expensive, but can be applied in smaller quantities that don't trap as many air bubbles while still being successful. This is one of the main reasons I am considering doing this.

 

[Skullptura]

I haven't personally. My fallout helm has fibreglass - filler/bondo - fibreglass again. It just didn't seem quite strong enough lol so I put a layer of fibreglass over it again and that seemed to do the trick. It's perfectly stable. No cracks or seperating between the different layers. Quite strong.

I guess the extra layer of just resin would present an excellent surface for painting. I might just try that when I paint my helmet. Just to see how it goes. Ill let you know how it turns out.

 

[SergantTinkers]

That was my logic! If you would indeed let me know, I would be most appreciative (unless, of course, I try it for myself before that time). PM me, possibly?

 

[SergantTinkers]

Also, Skullptura: Are you saying you applied bondo to the inside of the suit? As far as my knowledge extends, that's not a good idea. You usually add RONDO to the inside usually. The reason for this is because rondo is good for seeping between the areas fiberglass mats didn't reach. What I did was add two layers of fiberglass and then a layer of rondo, and this made the pieces quite durable. It's also not a bad idea to apply rondo after the placement of fiberglass mats, simply because rondo makes the insides MUCH smoother and WAY more comfortable. Even if the layer of rondo is thin, it makes wearing armor pieces that much more enjoyable. Of course I'm sure you know this, but I'm just being helpful!

 

[misfitjh]

If you go totally resin on the outside with no bondo at all you can totally do that, you'll still need fiberglass or rondo on the inside for strength. But ya if you build up several layers you can shape the resin just like you do bondo, and even if you use bondo there in no harm in adding another layer of resin over it ether way you'll get the job done. It's just bondo fills the low spots faster that's why it used. I usually put 2 to 3 coats on when I resin a part, 1 light coat so it does not warp and 1 or 2 heavy coats. I then sand the resin to find my low and high spots. The high spots go dull and the low spots stay shinny, this way i know where I have to do my build ups.

I guess what I'm saying is there is no rime or reason to this, just figure out what works for you. Never hurts to try, I was an auto mechanic for almost 30yrs and have about 20yrs doing body work so I'm use to using the products a certain way. It's how I find they work best for me, which might or might not work for you. So give it a go and see how it works, if it works well then let us know. Always good to learn some thing new.

 

[Skullptura]

Hey tinkers, lol I only put the filler I use on the inside of my helmet. Not the suit. The reason for that was to build up the those small areas that present multiple surfaces at multiple levels. That way when the fiberglass went in, it had one surface to cover not lots of little ones. Just made life so much easier.

 

[SergantTinkers]

@misfitjh: Alright. See, I have done the vast majority of the surface work with bondo already. The only reason I want to add resin to some of the surface of the suit pieces is to smooth out some of those rough patches of bondo and make it smooth. See, this is my first suit, and still have a ways to go with experience, especially with bondo application. My worry was that the resin would somehow harm the integrity of the bondo (which kinda doesn't make sense, since bondo has resin in it, as far as I know). I guess I should have voiced my thoughts better, and for that I apologize

But I digress, your words still helped me a LOT, and I will experiment with resin coats post-bondo.

@Skullptura: Oh, I see how that would be helpful with fiberglass work. I personally did not do such a thing, and haven't heard of using actual bondo to do this. I have heard of using rondo for this (an application before the layers of fiberglass are added), but never bondo. But the power armor helmets have strange odds-and-ends, so I see how that would work. Do you have a build thread? I would love to see it.

 

[Skullptura]

No I never made a build thread. But Ive nearly finished the Helmet for my Fallout T-45 Power Armour suit. I'll chuck it up when im nearly there. I'll do up the thread with all the tools I used, supplies and the like. Ill let ya know. Oh and I did indeed use two coats of resin over the bondo on the outside of my helmet. Made Putting on the under coat so easy. I got machine grey for the colour and I might just keep painting it with that rofl. Going to add in dents and rust spots when I put the final layer on.

 

[recon313]

I haven't personally. My fallout helm has fibreglass - filler/bondo - fibreglass again. It just didn't seem quite strong enough lol so I put a layer of fibreglass over it again and that seemed to do the trick. It's perfectly stable. No cracks or seperating between the different layers. Quite strong.

I guess the extra layer of just resin would present an excellent surface for painting. I might just try that when I paint my helmet. Just to see how it goes. Ill let you know how it turns out.

I do the same things a u did i found out that`s bondo is almost like not needed except to cover some holes`s and the rest just coat it with resin and adding more coat to smooth the surface.

 

[Kangabox]

Quick question, I stumbled upon this whilst trying to find more ways to plug in the gaps on my foam build.

Since I'm attempting to keep my build budget friendly, would this method work with more readily available hardners; EG: Fiberglass Resin? Bondo?

 

[Carpathia]

Quick question, I stumbled upon this whilst trying to find more ways to plug in the gaps on my foam build.

Since I'm attempting to keep my build budget friendly, would this method work with more readily available hardners; EG: Fiberglass Resin? Bondo?

The material he uses to give the foam the initial coating is PVA glue, which is essentially the same thing as Elmer's white glue. I am not sure how well it will protect the foam from being eaten by the resin, but I think it would be worth sacrificing a bit of material to test this out, if you're up to it. I'd like to see the results as well.

 

[Lemon Buzz]

Quick question. I've done a little bit of pep work in the past while helping a buddy of mine build an awesome Mk VI suit but I need an opinion. What's easier, quicker, and less expensive to work with: pepakura or foam? Keep in mind I want the end result to look as professional as possible. Thanks!

 

[Carpathia]

Quick question. I've done a little bit of pep work in the past while helping a buddy of mine build an awesome Mk VI suit but I need an opinion. What's easier, quicker, and less expensive to work with: pepakura or foam? Keep in mind I want the end result to look as professional as possible. Thanks!

It really all depends on what type of armor you're planning on building. Foam works great for a lot of Reach armor parts, but not so great for Halo 3 armor parts (unless you're a foam master). Pep is good all around, but obviously a little more expensive. However, if you try something out of foam that would be better done in pep (like a helmet, as nearly every helmet is best built out of pep) and fail multiple times, you would end up wasting more money that if you had just done it out of pep in the first place.

So, like I said, it all depends on what you want to build. If there are fewer complex shapes, then foam, if there are a lot of curves, pep.

 

[Lemon Buzz]

It really all depends on what type of armor you're planning on building. Foam works great for a lot of Reach armor parts, but not so great for Halo 3 armor parts (unless you're a foam master). Pep is good all around, but obviously a little more expensive. However, if you try something out of foam that would be better done in pep (like a helmet, as nearly every helmet is best built out of pep) and fail multiple times, you would end up wasting more money that if you had just done it out of pep in the first place.

So, like I said, it all depends on what you want to build. If there are fewer complex shapes, then foam, if there are a lot of curves, pep.

Thanks a lot! I just took a look at your armor and it looks absolutely awesome. I think I might stick to pepping since I'm more familiar with it but I'll definitely experiment with it sooner or later.

 

[TMC]

Hey guys! It's nice to see the site finally back up! So, I've started bondoing my MK VI Helmet, and I've got a few questions. Here's a picture: http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s516/ethanjevvell/image_zpsb1fcec35.jpg

So... My main concern are the tiny little holes in the bondo.. My question is, should I spot putty those, or bondo them? I don't want to waste a bunch of time and bondo by bondoing this part again and have it turn out the same way.

 

[surename]

add support before resin? Warp help

Hi everyone, I have one quick question. I just finished my pep of Kat's helmet, it's made with 110 wt card stock and held together with Elmers glue. Do I need to add any support to the inside of the helmet when I resin it? I've been told that Resin will cause the card stock to collapse due to it being so heavy. Also my pep is warped a bit, any tips on how to fix that? Thanks for your time.

 

[Macattack64]

Hey guys! It's nice to see the site finally back up! So, I've started bondoing my MK VI Helmet, and I've got a few questions. Here's a picture: http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s516/ethanjevvell/image_zpsb1fcec35.jpg

So... My main concern are the tiny little holes in the bondo.. My question is, should I spot putty those, or bondo them? I don't want to waste a bunch of time and bondo by bondoing this part again and have it turn out the same way.

It's really up to you. If you aren't using an electric sander and are just hand sanding the helmet, I would recommend using spot putty to start. You may have to do it a multiple times.

Hi everyone, I have one quick question. I just finished my pep of Kat's helmet, it's made with 110 wt card stock and held together with Elmers glue. Do I need to add any support to the inside of the helmet when I resin it? I've been told that Resin will cause the card stock to collapse due to it being so heavy. Also my pep is warped a bit, any tips on how to fix that? Thanks for your time.

Put in some supports that will hold it in an un-warped position. As long as you don't just glob tons of resin onto the helmet, you shouldn't have any collapsing issues.

 

[Carpathia]

Hey guys! It's nice to see the site finally back up! So, I've started bondoing my MK VI Helmet, and I've got a few questions. Here's a picture: http://i1055.photobucket.com/albums/s516/ethanjevvell/image_zpsb1fcec35.jpg

So... My main concern are the tiny little holes in the bondo.. My question is, should I spot putty those, or bondo them? I don't want to waste a bunch of time and bondo by bondoing this part again and have it turn out the same way.

I hate to break it to you, but those are not tiny holes, those are gouges (and I'm not talking about the two indentations that are supposed to be there). Not to worry though, another THIN and CONTROLLED layer of bondo will take care of it.

Hi everyone, I have one quick question. I just finished my pep of Kat's helmet, it's made with 110 wt card stock and held together with Elmers glue. Do I need to add any support to the inside of the helmet when I resin it? I've been told that Resin will cause the card stock to collapse due to it being so heavy. Also my pep is warped a bit, any tips on how to fix that? Thanks for your time.

Usually, if the helmet has a visor designed into the pep file and you built it in, the necessity for reinforcement minimal. However, since you mentioned that you already have warping, you're going to need to add in some internal reinforcement to bring it back into shape. You can do this by using any sort of rigid material you have or can get. The best material to use is rod-type materials like dowel rods, bamboo skewers, popsicle sticks, but you can also use sections of foam core, cardboard, basically, whatever you can get your hands on. Take a good hard look at your helmet and decide where your reinforcement needs to go in order to shape it back up. Once it's back in shape, resin the outside in three steps - First step: the crown (top bowl portion of the helmet), second step: the remainder, third step: a second coat over the entire helmet. with two layers of resin, the helmet should stand up on its own and you can remove the reinforcement struts and begin glassing/rondo.

Hope this helps you both!

 

[surename]

Thanks, this worry has been setting me back quite a bit, I'll put in a crown support and a bottom support for the warping, do you think that will be all I need?

 

[Carpathia]

Thanks, this worry has been setting me back quite a bit, I'll put in a crown support and a bottom support for the warping, do you think that will be all I need?

As long as the helmet maintains its shape on its own, and you take great care in the resin process, it should be enough. Don't let it set you back too much, eventually you're just going to have to dive in. Don't let fear of failure stop you from trying, otherwise you'll never succeed. Good luck.