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

[ventrue]

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

When I said reinforcement, glassing or rondoing was what I meant.

If your models are too weak for that, you can brush on additional layers of resin (letting each layer cure in between) and/or put in support struts.

 

[BLIND]

Hey guys,
I'm an intermediate already having built a Pepakura Master Chief helmet using Australian look-alike products.

I'm facing a problem with my current project, Emile's helmet. I've just finished piecing together the model, but am faced with a lack of liduid glass. Am I able to skip that and go straight to bondoing?

 

[fat tree]

Hey Guys,
Starting off on an odst suit (made chest peice but the helmet is a pain to pep (for another thread)) which i have begun to fibreglass up. I've resined the outside, inside and glassed the inside, now im having troubles finding an Australian alternative to Bondo. I am wondering if it is an essential part of the build as you can sand fibreglass down to get slight curves.

 

[DR4296]

Hey Guys,
Starting off on an odst suit (made chest peice but the helmet is a pain to pep (for another thread)) which i have begun to fibreglass up. I've resined the outside, inside and glassed the inside, now im having troubles finding an Australian alternative to Bondo. I am wondering if it is an essential part of the build as you can sand fibreglass down to get slight curves.

They don't have "body filler" for vehicles? I'm pretty sure Bondo is a brand name. But "body filler" is what it's called. Have you checked auto supply shops or the auto section of whatever-discount-stores-they-have-in-Australia?

 

[ventrue]

I'm facing a problem with my current project, Emile's helmet. I've just finished piecing together the model, but am faced with a lack of liduid glass. Am I able to skip that and go straight to bondoing?

No.

Starting off on an odst suit (made chest peice but the helmet is a pain to pep (for another thread)) which i have begun to fibreglass up. I've resined the outside, inside and glassed the inside, now im having troubles finding an Australian alternative to Bondo. I am wondering if it is an essential part of the build as you can sand fibreglass down to get slight curves.

Bondo is a brand name. You're looking for an epoxy or polyester resin based two component body filler. Try automotive stores or stores that have supplies for repairs on boats and that kind of thing.

 

[Dondarhosen]

Is there such a thing as non toxic body filler?

 

[fat tree]

They don't have "body filler" for vehicles? I'm pretty sure Bondo is a brand name. But "body filler" is what it's called. Have you checked auto supply shops or the auto section of whatever-discount-stores-they-have-in-Australia?

Got some Fellas. Should have opened my eyes better.

 

[Fitzyfitz]

OK, so how do you get the fiberglass cloth into the really tight spaces? (like point of MC's visor) I cant find a good way to get the fiberglass cloth into the really small crevices, and could really use some help.

 

[BLACKULA727]

Hello all, I’m definitely a noob at all this, so please bear with me. Well, first I would like to say thanks for the wealth of information here on the 405th. Here it goes. I started a recon helmet as my first project and I’m having an issue. I have pepped, resined, & glassed the inside of the helmet. My issue is after I finished with the fiberglass process and got the helmet nice and solid, I noticed that I have approximately 5 or 6 air pockets about the size of a quarter in various places on the helmet. My question is how can this be fixed? I’m afraid if I go any further and start bondoing that the bubbles will flex and cause the bondo to crack. Any help with this is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[silentd3at4]

Should you sand the resin before you start using bondo?

 

[Hickeydog]

Hey guys asking from phone so can't read through whole thread but should you sand the resin before you start using bondo?

Nope. Don't need to sand the resin. Just slop the bondo over top of the hardened piece.

OK, so how do you get the fiberglass cloth into the really tight spaces? (like point of MC's visor) I cant find a good way to get the fiberglass cloth into the really small crevices, and could really use some help.

Use small pieces of cloth. Cut it into about 1" squares, and then push it into the crevices with the brush.

 

[silentd3at4]

Another question I am going ot be resining the shoulder ball of my War Machine armor quick question though. there is a piece on top that is completely enclosed how do I fiberglass the inside of this?! I was thinkin about making a hole in the piece then rondoing the inside and then puttying the hole back up by using tape/bondo/putty technique. Or is it not that big of a deal for pieces liek that will not be in direct contact with body and movement to just resin it and then bondo it?

 

[silentd3at4]

Another quick question how do you deal with excess fiberglass strands. I have some fiberglass cloth that sticks out of the openings or over the edges. I used some scissors to cut what I could off but there is still some over hanging pieces. What is the best solution to cutting these back? Should I use a dremel and saw these pieces of because scissors cant get through some of the real rigid fiberglass cloth hanging off with out cracking the resin. Or should i bondo it and maybe it will come out or off when I begin the sanding stage? Im just worried the bondo will make the over hang even harder to get rid of?

 

[regr3t]

So after extensive reading, asking around, and watching videos, I still cannot decide whether to use rondo, bondo, or a combination on the outside of the helmet. It's a CQB helmet, and it looks like there are many spots that are raised or sunk in. My question is simply how thick do you generally apply the rondo or bondo to the outside of the helmet?

 

[King Ramna]

So after extensive reading, asking around, and watching videos, I still cannot decide whether to use rondo, bondo, or a combination on the outside of the helmet. It's a CQB helmet, and it looks like there are many spots that are raised or sunk in. My question is simply how thick do you generally apply the rondo or bondo to the outside of the helmet?

As much at it will take to make the area smooth. I used bondo to cover up some of the edges of my pepakura so my helmet would not look so boxy and sharp. I would put only a little to none on area here you want to keep the detail from the pepakura. You use it so sculpt. And to sculpting, you you need to sand.

 

[Liq]

Another quick question how do you deal with excess fiberglass strands. I have some fiberglass cloth that sticks out of the openings or over the edges. I used some scissors to cut what I could off but there is still some over hanging pieces. What is the best solution to cutting these back? Should I use a dremel and saw these pieces of because scissors cant get through some of the real rigid fiberglass cloth hanging off with out cracking the resin. Or should i bondo it and maybe it will come out or off when I begin the sanding stage? Im just worried the bondo will make the over hang even harder to get rid of?

I always make sure to resin the excess fiberglass that overhangs on my pieces then after everything dries I cut it off with a dremel.

 

[GreenMartian]

This is a question for all those 405th members in the more northern climates. I was just wondering where you guys do your resin when it starts to get colder? I tried doing it in my garage, but its too chilly in there so it takes forever for the resin to cure. I tried doing it in my basement with the windows open and a boxfan blowing out but it still stinks up my entire house. Any thoughts?

 

[Zombhs]

Try getting some heaters into your garage. That's what I'm doing.

 

[Hickeydog]

This is a question for all those 405th members in the more northern climates. I was just wondering where you guys do your resin when it starts to get colder? I tried doing it in my garage, but its too chilly in there so it takes forever for the resin to cure. I tried doing it in my basement with the windows open and a boxfan blowing out but it still stinks up my entire house. Any thoughts?

I keep the resin inside of the house, and then take it out to the garage when I have a piece that needs some stiffening. I add more hardener than usual and mix it up really good. Be VERY fast, because the resin will harden quickly. Then I use Smooth Cast 320 in place of fiberglass. Smooth Cast 320 is non-toxic and you can use it in the house without stinking up the whole place. I've just discovered it and am loving it. In combination with my Silhouette SD, I can go from nothing to having a fully hardened shin in about 6 hours. It takes a more layers than fiberglass, but each layer hardens in about 15 minutes.

Sorry. Raving about Smooth Cast 320.

Just keep the resin in the house, take it out to the garage when you need to harden a piece, and use a little more hardener than usual.

 

[DR4296]

Another question I am going ot be resining the shoulder ball of my War Machine armor quick question though. there is a piece on top that is completely enclosed how do I fiberglass the inside of this?! I was thinkin about making a hole in the piece then rondoing the inside and then puttying the hole back up by using tape/bondo/putty technique. Or is it not that big of a deal for pieces liek that will not be in direct contact with body and movement to just resin it and then bondo it?

War Machine has a piece that sounds very similar on the top of his shoulder bells. I just resined them on the outside. Did nothing at all to the inside. My theory was that they probably wouldn't be bumping into other objects or even get touched by myself or others very much. That worked out fine for the 8 hours total that I wore my armor on Halloween weekend.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have kept a sort of "front plate piece" off of the front of each of those parts. I would have resined them, but not attached them to the rest of the unit right away. That would have then left me a big opening with with to apply rondo to the inside. And then I could have rondoed that "front place piece" and attached it. The bondo probably would have held it on there for me...no glue necessary.

Of course, you're probably done with your peps of the shoulders and have no such openings. Still, you could cut away a piece and put it back later.