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

[Kangabox]

2) Rondo...much easier to use than fiberglass, it's faster for covering the inside and takes less time and uses less product so if your on a tight budget this is a good alternative. The problem is the weight and the fact that it is brittle. Your part will weight more with rondo not a lot more but it will be noticeable if you wear the part for a long time. With being brittle if you drop it or bang it really hard there is a chance of it cracking or breaking depending on the part. Now if your going to mold the part the rondo might be the way to go, because if you sand through the paper then you sand into basically bondo so no big deal, rondo is also easier to carve in details so if molding is the end goal rondo is best.

I'm looking more into Rondo, after hearing about how much Bondo is a pain in the arse to sand.

I'm currently fiberglassing my build, would you recommend putting on 2-3 coats of Rondo afterwards, in place of Bondo for detail work? (I'm not mud glassing, I'll wait for the fiberglass to cure first).

 

[Katsu]

I'm looking more into Rondo, after hearing about how much Bondo is a pain in the arse to sand.

I'm currently fiberglassing my build, would you recommend putting on 2-3 coats of Rondo afterwards, in place of Bondo for detail work? (I'm not mud glassing, I'll wait for the fiberglass to cure first).

I don't think you should rondo the outside. I am not sure where the idea came from, but it will be a lot harder to control rondo than sanding bondo. If you mix rondo to be thin and "sandable", it will be so runny that it will obscure the details and not build outwards at all. If you mix the rondo so it doesn't run and goop, it will be the same as working with bondo.

The only way rondo works outside is when you box it, which only works in small areas that need to be built out tall. It either lays on an eighth inch thick or an inch thick, for detail work you tend to need somewhere in between.

If you are actually worried about sanding bondo, you should use Gold Standard bondo, or buy a sanding mouse. Gold standard is designed to be easier to sand but still of closer strength to normal bondo. A powered Sanding mouse is amazing, as with a good grit sandpaper it will eat through the excess bondo, and smooth out the normal.

Also, Cereal's videos give a great idea of how to do outside work with bondo and rondo:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...-Chief-**-A-Step-By-Step-Tutorial-(My-Way)-**

 

[BloodwolfAC]

I have never done resin or bondo before, and i got all the supplies, does anybody have like a tutorial vid or something?

 

[Darth Collison]

I have never done resin or bondo before, and i got all the supplies, does anybody have like a tutorial vid or something?

I was just given this link with 2 videos on a guys with a finished pepped helmet and he goes through the process of Resin, then Rondo, then bondo.

*EDIT*
It would probably help if I posted said links... no? lol

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...-Chief-**-A-Step-By-Step-Tutorial-(My-Way)-**

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/22923-How-To-Make-A-Helmet-From-Pep-To-Finish

 

[surename]

Resin, Rondo and visor tinting?

Hi everyone, I'm going to just ask a few questions here. What is your personal preference on rondo mixes? How much Resin and bondo do you use in your mixtures? Also I just resined my pep helmet a couple days ago (It's a replica of Kat's helmet) There are a few sticky spots on the side, back and front but 87% or more of the helmet is cured, could I go ahead and continue to take out the supports inside the helmet that kept it asymetrical during resining or should I keep them in and wait to glass it? Also is there any way you can mirror tint a motorcycle visor at home?

 

[Katsu]

It depends how sticky it is in order to worry. If it just feels a bit tacky like when you run your finger over good rubber, then don't worry. If it's like touching the back of a sticker, you could need to recure it.

As for rondo, it's up to your needs. 50/50 and 75 bondo, 25 resin, are the two most popular mixes. 50/50 is really really runny and slushes well, but it is messy and hard to control, and you need to hold the darn thing until it cures, or else it'll puddle at the bottom. 75/25 is a pain to slush and needs to be spread around, but it will give heavier, thicker results and be a lot less of a pain to cure.

I personally leave the supports in until AFTER rondo, because resin is not very good for maintaining the shape and strength of the piece, it's more to keep the paper from tearing when you rondo/fiberglass it. Once that's done then you cut them out.

You certainly can mirror tint at home, if you have a 15000 dollar iridium vaporizing pressure curing chamber. Otherwise you're stuck with buying window tint (it's sheets of a mirrored sticker people use to put privacy coatings on car or house windows). It won't be as good, but it's a lot more economical.

 

[surename]

Rondo or Fiberglass if I do one do I need to do the other?

Hello all, I have a quick question, If I fiberglass the inside of my helmet should I rondo it after, or could I rondo it and then be done with the support on the inside of the helmet? Do I need to fiberglass it to have a strong helmet?

 

[Katsu]

It's a personal preference. Rondo is a lot easier to lay inside the helmet, but it is brittle (will crack if you drop it) where a few layers of fiberglass is nearly indestructible.

A method I use that I like to promote is to do a layer of rondo first, and then two layers of glass over it (under it technically, but do it second is what I mean). The rondo is a buffer for you to cut or sand into, and it also smooths the inside so the fiberglass can lay a lot easier.

 

[surename]

So, a layer of rondo then two of glass, would I lay another layer of rondo over the glass to cover up the glass?

 

[BuildsByBaz]

So, a layer of rondo then two of glass, would I lay another layer of rondo over the glass to cover up the glass?

If you do your glass properly and don't rush it, you shouldn't have to. See if you can get the fibreglass woven cloth, rather than the chopped-strand stuff. It's much neater and you get a smoother result. Besides, you are going to line the inside with padding etc are you not? If you keep putting layers in, you are going to run out of room for your head real quick.

 

[Katsu]

You can if you want. Rondo is a lot heavier than fiberglass. I would compare the weight of the piece with just resin, and then with rondo in it, to judge whether your neck can support a second layer of rondo.

My personal preference is rondo, glass, glass, rondo, because it covers and prickles the glass may have (especially if you work with mat), but that last layer is totally optional.

Edit: I just saw I was beaten to the punch. I'd agree with Sandbagger, to only do that second layer of rondo if you have to. I hope to one day mold cast my helmet, so interior room is not a big deal so long as it fits after the first layer of rondo. The more careful you are with the fiberglass, the less work you do later on, just like the more carefully you pep a piece, the less bondo you do later.

 

[surename]

okay, thanks guys. I'm just worried about getting glass on my skin after I finish and start to wear it, I know I will have pads inside the helmet but fiberglass on or under your skin is no fun

 

[Katsu]

Oh, if you are wearing it, just make extra sure to keep resin off your hands while you're laying the fiberglass, and go with fiberglass CLOTH (it's woven like fabric, rather than mat which is just random shards everywhere). Even a bit of resin on your gloves can cause the fiberglass to start to fray.

 

[surename]

Okay, I already have the chopped random fiberglass mat.

 

[Katsu]

If you can, lay it down as neatly as possible. You may have to do a thin coat of rondo over it, because that one is really prone to prickling out.

 

[surename]

Okay, that was what I was wondering, thanks.

 

[BuildsByBaz]

Okay, I already have the chopped random fiberglass mat.

The trick to it is not to try and make it bend too much. Keep it flat. If you have to go over a tight curve or corner, cut some mat to fit each facet, rather than trying to bend it too sharply.

 

[Katsu]

This is why rondoing first is nice. It rounds out and smooths the inside, which makes the fiberglass lay a LOT nicer than trying to fold it over the sharp corners and detailed notches the pep file will have.

 

[surename]

ahh I see. Okay, thanks you two. I'll try this soon hopefully, I would like it to warm up a bit so everything will cure okay.

 

[BuildsByBaz]

ahh I see. Okay, thanks you two. I'll try this soon hopefully, I would like it to warm up a bit so everything will cure okay.

Just grab yourself a $30 fan heater and put that on your work bench. Cures all manner of bonding agent beautifully.