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

[SquishyShoes]

The scratches or the 'indent'?

The scratches are just painted on.

The indent is either carved out with a dremel or file or something similar (when it is just round/flat, like a cube or sphere or something).
If it is already in there when you pep it, you can just fibreglass it, although you may still want to file it or use a dremel to file it ( to make smooth/not so rough). That one is probably done with a file or dremel or something.

 

[gabi95]

Yea i was talking about the indent. Thanks so much for ur help.

 

[SquishyShoes]

No worries.



....Kiwi! Haha, kidding.

 

[ventrue]

This might explain

Yeah, now that's how you mark the interesting parts! ;-)

SquishyShoes basically said it. However, I would like to add that it's sometimes easier to carve stuff out than to pep it. These indentations definitely fall into that category.

 

[gabi95]

....Kiwi! Haha, kidding.

Im actually Hungarian, but currently living in NZ thats why my English is a bit limited

Yeah, now that's how you mark the interesting parts! ;-)

SquishyShoes basically said it. However, I would like to add that it's sometimes easier to carve stuff out than to pep it. These indentations definitely fall into that category.

Yea thanks. I ll probably be carving those stuff, but need to be very careful to make a straight indent with those small machines. (Dont know what they called.)

 

[SquishyShoes]

Im actually Hungarian, but currently living in NZ thats why my English is a bit limited

Yeh, I saw the NZ part on your profile and that's why I said it, haha.

 

[CasualCosplayer]

I have aquestion about rondo .So is there a shop somwhere in Europe where i can buy rondo ???

 

[Ral Partha]

I have aquestion about rondo .So is there a shop somwhere in Europe where i can buy rondo ???

Uh, no. Stores don't sell rondo. Rondo is a 50/50 mix of fiberglass resin and auto body filler. and you have to mix them yourself.

 

[CasualCosplayer]

Ou i didnt know that still thx for the help

 

[PledgeDuster]

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to the world of armour building and being 16 I'm hesitant to use bondo and fiberglass due to the safety issues.
Is there anything that has the same effect but is maybe a little safer to use?

 

[Hickeydog]

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to the world of armour building and being 16 I'm hesitant to use bondo and fiberglass due to the safety issues.
Is there anything that has the same effect but is maybe a little safer to use?

With a good respirator, bunny suit, gloves, and goggles, you'll be fine.

 

[ventrue]

Hey guys, I'm relatively new to the world of armour building and being 16 I'm hesitant to use bondo and fiberglass due to the safety issues.
Is there anything that has the same effect but is maybe a little safer to use?

With a good respirator, bunny suit, gloves, and goggles, you'll be fine.

Haha, I just wanted to write exactly that. Just make sure to spend lots of time researching safety. If you're unsure about something, come back and ask instead of trusting your luck.

Anyways, a relatively safe alternative is AquaResin. Wearing a dust mask and gloves is still necessary, but health risks are rather low here.

Keep in mind that "fibreglass" can refer to several things:

• Glass fibres that are used to reinforce all kinds of resin (including AquaResin)
• The finished compound (cured resin with fibres inside)
• Polyester resin, which is often (and quite misleadingly) referred to as "Fibreglass Resin"

Glass fibres are not very dangerous - you shouldn't breathe in the tiny particles that may fall off when cutting the mats, but if you wear a dust mask, the worst that can happen is itchy skin.

 

[FoolOfATook]

ARGH! I don't know what to do with this:
I just bought some fiberglass resin today, your everyday bondo brand resin. So at around 4'o'clock I resined a mark v shoulder.
I used about 3 and a half tablespoons of resin in the cup, and about 14 drops of hardener. It's 9 now and it's for the most part dry, but it's still weak and if I squeeze the piece it's going to break. Is this what it's supposed to be like? Will it get harder with time? Did I use too little resin? Being a noob I've only ever used body filler. Help? :3

 

[Ral Partha]

ARGH! I don't know what to do with this:
I just bought some fiberglass resin today, your everyday bondo brand resin. So at around 4'o'clock I resined a mark v shoulder.
I used about 3 and a half tablespoons of resin in the cup, and about 14 drops of hardener. It's 9 now and it's for the most part dry, but it's still weak and if I squeeze the piece it's going to break. Is this what it's supposed to be like? Will it get harder with time? Did I use too little resin? Being a noob I've only ever used body filler. Help? :3

It looks like you used quite a bit of hardener in your mix, which is why the part feels brittle. There should still be a little bit of "give" with one coat of resin and becomes progressively stiffer with additional coats (even more so with fiberglass mat/cloth). But that's not the cause of your problem. It sounds like you did not mix the resin and hardener thoroughly enough, as evidenced by areas that are still soft to the touch. If it's not wet to the touch, you may want to sprinkle some talcum powder on it. It usually helps dry and harden the part in question. If not, try and gouge or scoop out the soft parts and re-do the resin.

 

[FoolOfATook]

Oooh, now that you mention it I didn't mix in the hardener with the resin for very long, but I just checked it after coming home from school and it's to be completely dry, and not that weak. I plan to give it another coat soon too. Thanks for your advice, I'll keep it in mind next time!

 

[ifiris]

Hi, I am trying to make my first full wearable armor and was wanting to ask a question about the fiberglassing and bondo/rondo process. I read that for the helmet resin the outside and then fiberglass/resin the inside. Do you do the same process for the rest of the armor parts? Also before applying the rondo, do you have to sand down the resin a little, if so what grit of sand paper should I use, or should I just apply the rondo on without sanding after the resin has cured?
Thank you in advance for anyone who could help with answers

 

[Hickeydog]

Hi, I am trying to make my first full wearable armor and was wanting to ask a question about the fiberglassing and bondo/rondo process. I read that for the helmet resin the outside and then fiberglass/resin the inside. Do you do the same process for the rest of the armor parts? Also before applying the rondo, do you have to sand down the resin a little, if so what grit of sand paper should I use, or should I just apply the rondo on without sanding after the resin has cured?
Thank you in advance for anyone who could help with answers

Everything gets resin on the outside and fiberglass on the inside. The resin is used to reinforce the piece enough so it can handle the weight of the fiberglass.

You don't have to sand down the resin before applying rondo. It sticks just fine.

Also, buy a range of sand papers. I personally use 40, 60, 100, 220, and 320 grit sandpapers. It makes the sanding process (sanding Rondo) much easier and faster, and you get a nice finish.

 

[ifiris]

Everything gets resin on the outside and fiberglass on the inside. The resin is used to reinforce the piece enough so it can handle the weight of the fiberglass.

You don't have to sand down the resin before applying rondo. It sticks just fine.

Also, buy a range of sand papers. I personally use 40, 60, 100, 220, and 320 grit sandpapers. It makes the sanding process (sanding Rondo) much easier and faster, and you get a nice finish.

Thank you very much XD

 

[Bighouse]

I do a combination of Rondo and fiberglass. After resining my piece, I slush the inside with a thin layer of Rondo. This helps reinforce the piece for the fiberglass, plus it adds a little more material in case I have a spot where I need to sand deep. Then I do 3-5 layers of fiberglass all at once, and then slush over it with another coat of Rondo. This makes the inside nice and smooth, and you don't have fiberglass shards poking you.

You can do whatever you want to harden your pieces. Some people here are strictly Rondo, others use strictly fiberglass, some do a combination.

Thank you Hickeydog, this is exactly the approach i was thinking of doing on my first project. It's all pepped and ready for hardening.

 

[Spitfire22V]

Hi guys,

I just started working on a Mk VI suit a week or 2 ago. I'm in the process of pepping parts, but I decided to also work on the resining and fiberglassing when I don't feel like cutting and folding.

Anyway, I have some experience with composite work from school projects and my RC airplane hobby, and I was wondering if anyone else has tried using Minwax Polycrylic to apply the fiberglass cloth? I picked up this tip from the RC airplane world, where its used as an alternative to resin for applying fiberglass.

http://www.minwax.com/products/interior_clear_protective_finishes/polycrylic_protective_finish.html

Anyhow, I'm using some leftover carbon fiber cloth from a school project to glass the inside of my helmet. (It's a little on the thin side I think, but the price was right (free)). On a hunch, I tried the polycrylic. To be honest, I wasn't very satisfied with the results. It just doesn't cure as hard as resin does. However, I do think it helps the cloth adhere better to corners and curves when applying. So what I'm doing is using the polycrylic to adhere the cloth, then reinforcing with resin.

So far, the helmet is coming out light, but stiff (enough I hope). I hope I don't mess it up, because I don't feel like pepping another helmet!