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

[Itsatrapski]

Regarding helmet crafting: at what point would you cut out out the visor? If using bondo on the outside, would you remove the visor before applying it or after? Would you remove it after applying rondo to the inside but before the bondo on the outside? This is referring to the ODST helmet specifically.

Thanks!

 

[firman]

Hey sorry if its already mentioned but is it necessary to fiberglass the helmet? What are the benefits of fibreglassing the helmet? and is it okay if i just fibreglass resin the whole helmet?? THX

 

[Egam47]

=D so a great amount of awesome information thanks guys!! now i dont have to annoy you with me questions >.<

 

[ventrue]

Regarding helmet crafting: at what point would you cut out out the visor? If using bondo on the outside, would you remove the visor before applying it or after? Would you remove it after applying rondo to the inside but before the bondo on the outside? This is referring to the ODST helmet specifically.

I'd remove it after the hardening is done and before starting with the putty. Unless you plan on making a mould, in that case it might be easier to just leave it where it is.

Hey sorry if its already mentioned but is it necessary to fiberglass the helmet? What are the benefits of fibreglassing the helmet? and is it okay if i just fibreglass resin the whole helmet?? THX

You don't have to use fibreglass, there are other methods like rondo you can use. But you have to harden it somehow, just a few brushed on layers of resin won't cut it.

Fibreglass is strong and relatively light, but relatively hard to apply.

 

[liquid speaker]

i know the respirators were covered quality vs effectivemess/price near the begginning of this, not sure if it was towards the middle. just wondering if, in an open ares (outside) regular debris filters (like for lawn mowing alergies) would do the trick?

 

[Hickeydog]

i know the respirators were covered quality vs effectivemess/price near the begginning of this, not sure if it was towards the middle. just wondering if, in an open ares (outside) regular debris filters (like for lawn mowing alergies) would do the trick?

No. You need a respirator that filters organic fumes, like this: http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDAQ8wIwAw#

 

[liquid speaker]

okie dokie, just wonderin, looken for cost cuttin but i was just seein how far down it could go without being dangerous

 

[ventrue]

i know the respirators were covered quality vs effectivemess/price near the begginning of this, not sure if it was towards the middle. just wondering if, in an open ares (outside) regular debris filters (like for lawn mowing alergies) would do the trick?

Please do read up on all the safety stuff. Respiratory protection isn't the only thing you need. Also make sure you understand how the equipment you need works and how safe you really are - otherwise, don't start using chemicals.

 

[TheSherpa117]

Hi,
I am a noob to fiberglassing and using bondo in general. I have previously made a mk 6 helmet about a year ago and for that I used AquaResin. Now I have a pepakura ODST helmet and I am looking for the easiest way to harden and make it look smooth, could anyone suggest a good method for me to use? (Also cheap is prefereable)

 

[TheSherpa117]

And just another quick question,
Does anyone know where or how i could get/ make an accurate visor for my ODST helmet?

 

[Agent Arizona]

And just another quick question,
Does anyone know where or how i could get/ make an accurate visor for my ODST helmet?

Your going to have to vacuum form it your self. I believe there is a tutorial on the forum.

 

[Chantelle]

Vacuum forming visors can be cheated by using lombok balloons blown to the right dimensions and then coating lightly with a suitable resin. These balloons are made from a resin themselves.

 

[DR4296]

Hi,
I am a noob to fiberglassing and using bondo in general. I have previously made a mk 6 helmet about a year ago and for that I used AquaResin. Now I have a pepakura ODST helmet and I am looking for the easiest way to harden and make it look smooth, could anyone suggest a good method for me to use? (Also cheap is prefereable)

Well, I was pretty happy with the durability and smoothness you can get from "rondo", that is, mixing rondo with enough fiberglass resin (and then, of course, bondo hardener). It isn't exactly cheap, BUT, if you're only doing one helmet, you certainly shouldn't need that much of either material. Walmart is the cheapest source I've found here locally. They beat out Lowe's for prices.

And I'd recommend watching Ben Streeper's videos here on how to do it. Just add enough resin to make the bondo fairly runny.... like slightly-runny pudding or thick paint. It's SOLID when it hardens and you can paint it over your pep (which, of course, you'd be coating with resin first anyways, to make it hold its shape enough for that inside rondo pour)... and sand it smoothly.

Now, if you end up doing an entire suit of armor with it, as I just finished doing last week, now THAT can get EXPENSIVE.

(But I've learned to do thinner coats of rondo in areas where I'm probably not going to sand too deeply in or carve any details in. I could probably use fiberglass resin and fibercloth instead. Haven't tried that stuff alone / without rondo. But instead what happened was, I saw that the edges of my pieces that were coated with a thin layer of rondo weren't holding up too well when they'd brush against other parts or solid objects, so I gave the edges of those piece a strip of fibercloth and resin. After that, they were REALLY, REALLY durable! So, I may experiment with just fibercloth and resin alone. But I'd certainly be quick to go back to rondo backed by fibercloth and resin... if I were building something that I wanted to LAST.)

 

[TheSherpa117]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions and if I were to use fiberglass resin and rondo on just one helmet how much do you think that would cost me?

 

[Omega Ravager]

well if you get a small jug of resin and a small container of bondo (you should be good with that) with everything but the visor mayber 80$ or so

40$ for resin 20$ for bondo 12$ for cardstock and 5$ for fiberglass cloth.

Also you have to get gloves, a respirater and if you don't have some 120 grit sandpaper (or even higher) so you could do one within the ballpark of 120$
Once you get started the cost has the opposite of a snowball effect once you get started it's easier to keep going with it.

Hope this helps

Omega

 

[DR4296]

well if you get a small jug of resin and a small container of bondo (you should be good with that) with everything but the visor mayber 80$ or so

40$ for resin 20$ for bondo 12$ for cardstock and 5$ for fiberglass cloth.

Also you have to get gloves, a respirater and if you don't have some 120 grit sandpaper (or even higher) so you could do one within the ballpark of 120$
Once you get started the cost has the opposite of a snowball effect once you get started it's easier to keep going with it.

Hope this helps

Omega

Good grief! Where are you buying resin? Walmart = $12 for resin (not sure if that "standard sized" container I've been finding at Walmart and Lowe's is a QUART?), $18 for a GALLON of Bondo! Yes, good catch, the respirator is an extra expense. Mine cost $40 new, but I know you could find used ones cheaper at yard sales, estate sales, etc.

 

[Omega Ravager]

I meant one gallon of resin is 40$ and and a gallon of bondo is 20$. You can get it by with a quart but if you're doing anything with resin and your going to need multiple containers of resin it's cheaper to get it in larger containers (I forgot to mention that)

Where'd you get a respirator I paid 30$ for mine and 15$ for some extra cartridges. . .

 

[atm04d]

Sorry, didnt mean to reply


Need a little help. I'm almost done with an Iron man Helmet and was wondering if i should glue the mask onto the helmet then cut it out after Resining or just leave it off and resin the helmet into Two pieces. Was not sure if you could cut or alter your piece after Resining. Could i just cut the resin once it dries with a sharp knife and sand the edges?? I want a perfect fit so any advice would help

 

[ventrue]

Sorry, didnt mean to reply


Need a little help. I'm almost done with an Iron man Helmet and was wondering if i should glue the mask onto the helmet then cut it out after Resining or just leave it off and resin the helmet into Two pieces. Was not sure if you could cut or alter your piece after Resining. Could i just cut the resin once it dries with a sharp knife and sand the edges?? I want a perfect fit so any advice would help

It's usually better to resin and reinforce first and cut into pieces later. Otherwise, pieces may warp and not fit together properly. After reinforcing the model, you'll definitely need a Dremel to cut it.

 

[DR4296]

It's usually better to resin and reinforce first and cut into pieces later. Otherwise, pieces may warp and not fit together properly. After reinforcing the model, you'll definitely need a Dremel to cut it.

How do you reinforce your pep?

This was a problem I had with my War Machine build. I thought a single coat of resin would be enough. And, when in the middle of resining, I'd look around my garage to find odds-and-ends to stick inside pieces to help them hold their shape, while resining and rondoing. It was a rather disorganized effort. (Made me miss my duct-tape-dummy of myself from two years ago.)

I'm curious about how others would reinforce their peps / help them keep their shape prior to rondoing or glassing. ??