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

[PEPAKURA TURTLE]

I heard that people use both rondo and fiberglass, but I was wondering, which one is harder?* ps someone might have posted a question like this before, I haven't read all of the 128 pages of faq yet lol

 

[Meatwad]

Fiberglass is harder. They're typically used in conjuction. Rondo first to make a smooth surface, and then fiberglass to add the real strength.

 

[Rooster]

So I'm working on an ODST helmet and I'm having a lot of trouble glassing the sharper angles. Is there a specific technique to getting those smooth and minimizing bubbles?

 

[bran3nbusby117]

ok so i am just coming to the fiberglass portion of my spartan locke helmet and dont know what fiberglass resin is labled as or where to get it, cna anyone help me out

 

[PerniciousDuke]

ok so i am just coming to the fiberglass portion of my spartan locke helmet and dont know what fiberglass resin is labled as or where to get it, cna anyone help me out

It is generally labeled as Fiberglass Resin, but is more accurately called Polyester Resin since it does not actually contain fiberglass. Bondo brand makes one that is easy to find and labeled as fiberglass resin. Any brand will work fine. As where to get it, it depends on where you live I'm sure. If in the US then Walmart or Home Depot/Lowes will be your best bet. Otherwise find a home improvement store, boat repair store, or auto repair store.

 

[ThomasMartel]

I am working on my rogue helmet and one side of the visor dropped, but the other side stayed where it is supposed to be. I have already fiberglassed both sides and I don't think bondo will be able to fix this one. Is there a way to reheat the resin and bend it back to where it should be?

 

[Frozensnot]

I am working on my rogue helmet and one side of the visor dropped, but the other side stayed where it is supposed to be. I have already fiberglassed both sides and I don't think bondo will be able to fix this one. Is there a way to reheat the resin and bend it back to where it should be?

As far as I know, there is no way to re-heat resin that already had the catalyst mixed in. It's in a permanent shape and cannot be reformed.

Maybe I'm not seeing it but just from looking at your pictures in your thread, the helmet looks fine. Could you perhaps take a couple more photos to show the deformity you mentioned?

 

[ThomasMartel]

As far as I know, there is no way to re-heat resin that already had the catalyst mixed in. It's in a permanent shape and cannot be reformed.

Maybe I'm not seeing it but just from looking at your pictures in your thread, the helmet looks fine. Could you perhaps take a couple more photos to show the deformity you mentioned?

If you look closely there is a slight rise to one side, but I decided it was negligible and moved on. Now I'm bondoing and it is quite the learning experience. I am having trouble keeping my nice 90 degree corners and preventing it from leveling out the small rises in the helmet.

Any help on the 90 degree corner problem would be great.(see my full post for more detail)

 

[FlyinPhil]

View attachment 21388
If you look closely there is a slight rise to one side, but I decided it was negligible and moved on. Now I'm bondoing and it is quite the learning experience. I am having trouble keeping my nice 90 degree corners and preventing it from leveling out the small rises in the helmet.

Any help on the 90 degree corner problem would be great.(see my full post for more detail)

Try putting your bondo on waaaay thinner. If you lay your bondo on any thicker than 1-2mm at a time, it is a real pain to shape. Also, pep models have a lot of the details all set and don't need much more tweaking (I learned this somewhat the hard way). Not all of your model needs bondo layered over it, only parts that need rounding and smoothing. Good luck!

 

[caspieee]

Hey guys, realized I can just ask rather than try to find some long gone post that tries to be what I am asking. I was wondering that if you do a pepakura of shoulders for example, how do you resin the inside of the pepakura involves closing it off to make a complete object. Simplified down: If I was making a dice, how do resin the inside of the dice. Thanks for the help!

 

[FlyinPhil]

Hey guys, realized I can just ask rather than try to find some long gone post that tries to be what I am asking. I was wondering that if you do a pepakura of shoulders for example, how do you resin the inside of the pepakura involves closing it off to make a complete object. Simplified down: If I was making a dice, how do resin the inside of the dice. Thanks for the help!

There are two ways you can go about this. They both start with you coating the outside with a layer of resin. So for the first option, you drill a small hole (or multiple holes) and pour in your choice of resin, rondo, etc.

For the second option, you can now cut your semi hardened model into parts to harden the inside, then bond the parts back together. Keep in mind you have to be very careful to avoid the parts warping, making it challenging to fit back together.

 

[caspieee]

There are two ways you can go about this. They both start with you coating the outside with a layer of resin. So for the first option, you drill a small hole (or multiple holes) and pour in your choice of resin, rondo, etc.

For the second option, you can now cut your semi hardened model into parts to harden the inside, then bond the parts back together. Keep in mind you have to be very careful to avoid the parts warping, making it challenging to fit back together.

Thanks a bunch Phil. I have been looking at some shoulder pieces that are "3-D" in that sense and it's nice to have a place to get info. Thanks for being cool.

 

[Fllschrimjager]

Ok I have a question for everyone. I was wondering about bondo for I have done a lot of sanding with some decently low grit but I still have some grooves in the helmet how does everyone get there bondo so smooth and what do you put on over bondo if you do put anything?

 

[Reclaimara]

Ok I have a question for everyone. I was wondering about bondo for I have done a lot of sanding with some decently low grit but I still have some grooves in the helmet how does everyone get there bondo so smooth and what do you put on over bondo if you do put anything?

You can sand it with low grit like 40, 80 but for details use higher grit... 120, 200 +. Then spray the primer

Personally I like the "scratched" look by the low grit.

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Ok I have a question for everyone. I was wondering about bondo for I have done a lot of sanding with some decently low grit but I still have some grooves in the helmet how does everyone get there bondo so smooth and what do you put on over bondo if you do put anything?

Like @Marawuff said, but I don't think she went fine enough. As low as 40 grit to knock the high spots and then step up in increments, next 80 grit, next 150 grit, next 320 grit. You don't want to make too big of jumps or you'll clog up your sandpaper too fast. To get it super smooth you are going to want to do 320 grit or finer. I think they go as fine as 6000! And then yes, primer it, then paint it. You can even put a clear coat of enamel on there at the end to give it a little protection.

 

[Fllschrimjager]

You can sand it with low grit like 40, 80 but for details use higher grit... 120, 200 +. Then spray the primer

Personally I like the "scratched" look by the low grit.

Like Marawuff said, but I don't think she went fine enough. As low as 40 grit to knock the high spots and then step up in increments, next 80 grit, next 150 grit, next 320 grit. You don't want to make too big of jumps or you'll clog up your sandpaper too fast. To get it super smooth you are going to want to do 320 grit or finer. I think they go as fine as 6000! And then yes, primer it, then paint it. You can even put a clear coat of enamel on there at the end to give it a little protection.

Thanks for the help i will see how this all turns out hope for the best.

 

[Reclaimara]

Yeah, with 40-80 you'll leave "scratch-marks", which is fine for me as it counts on my build as battle damage and I don't want to achieve perfectly polished pieces.
For polishing you use 200+ or even 800. Depends how smooth you want the surface to be. The higher the finer the surface will be.

 

[Elias]

I truly hope I'm not asking something that was asked already, but do any of you have experience with Smooth-On's Plasti-Paste? I'm planning to use it since it already contains fiberglass-fibers, but I'm not sure if it's something you guys would recommend.

 

[Jumper]

I have made my helmet using pep, paper, and scotch tape. will the scotch tape cause problems with the hardening process and if so what can i do to fix it.

 

[RobotChicken]

The tape will probably dissolve from the resin, or at least its adhesive likely will. The pep model should be glued together, not taped.