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

[TeamBadGuys]

Quick stupid questions:

Is "Rondo" a mixture of "fiberglass-resin" and "Bondo Body-Repair"?

Are you saying that a Fiberglass-Rondo combo is stronger than fiberglass-bondo combo; Or that a pure Rondo structure is stronger than FG-B Combo?

When people use pepakura in their helmets, and not remove paper/cardboard during the process, wont the paper be prone to wetting and rotting inside the helmet layers? Be there a way around that?

Thank you. Sorry if old.

 

[Kayoss]

I have found through trial and error that the fiberglass and rondo is stronger than plain rondo. I have also used fibreglass filler which is like bond but has small fibers mixed throuh. Made my first helmet out of this and is hard as a rock!
As for the paper, it soaks in resin, gets covered in bog primer paint. It ain't gonna rot

 

[Omega Ravager]

Quick stupid questions:

Is "Rondo" a mixture of "fiberglass-resin" and "Bondo Body-Repair"?

Are you saying that a Fiberglass-Rondo combo is stronger than fiberglass-bondo combo; Or that a pure Rondo structure is stronger than FG-B Combo?

When people use pepakura in their helmets, and not remove paper/cardboard during the process, wont the paper be prone to wetting and rotting inside the helmet layers? Be there a way around that?

Thank you. Sorry if old.

Well to start out, usually you would use fiberglass resin and fiberglass. Not Bondo and fiberglass (that might've been a typo on your part. . .)

Fiberglass and rondo is stronger than fiberglass resin and fiberglass, but adds a LOT more weight. And it also will bring up the price a notch.
Pure rondo is weaker than rondo and fiberglass but is about equal to resin and fiberglass.

To keep the paper from rotting you "Paint" a layer of pure fiberglass resin on the inside and then the outside. No fiberglass and no bondo.
This stiffens and waterproofs the paper, the proceed to fiberglass with either resin or rondo, your call.

To make sure I'm clear on this (many people get confused so don't feel stupid)
There are three "elements" of strengthening
Fiberglass (the bits of actual glass in cloth or mat form)
Fiberglass resin (this comes in a can and is liquid until hardened)
And Bondo (which you mix with fiberglass resin)

Hope that clears things up!

 

[TeamBadGuys]

Yeah thanks. I was thinking of fiberglass as the final hardened form of fiber and resin together. But that cleared it up.

Do resin and Bondo have the same "hardening agent" (red goo)?

 

[Spitfire22V]

Yeah thanks. I was thinking of fiberglass as the final hardened form of fiber and resin together. But that cleared it up.

Do resin and Bondo have the same "hardening agent" (red goo)?

The term "Fiberglass" can either be used for the virgin material when it's a braided cloth, or when it's cured and hardened after having resin applied to it.

No, they do not have the same hardener. Bondo uses the red cream, and resin uses a clear liquid (called MEKP).

 

[Serepheth]

Alright awesome that was super informative. So now i know what to do for sure. i'm going to use a layer of cloth and resin inside then rondo it, should be pretty hard then.and will probably cut the cost down a little from doing straight cloth and resin. thanks guys.

 

[knightofsilver]

Does it matter if you use the fiberglass mat, instead of the cloth for the helmet?

and I was also wondering if anybody knows how to add a rubberized interior for the helmet after the helmet has been glassed?

-Thanks!

 

[Ral Partha]

Does it matter if you use the fiberglass mat, instead of the cloth for the helmet?

Nope, it doesn't although working with mat tends to be a bit more messy than with cloth, with all the powdered and shards of fiberglass all over the place, which is why most here prefer cloth. Personally, I prefer mat but that's just me.

and I was also wondering if anybody knows how to add a rubberized interior for the helmet after the helmet has been glassed?

You can try using Plasti-Dip.

 

[knightofsilver]

Ok, cause i bought the mat, and everyone was using cloth so i panicked a little, thanks, and that plasti dip stuff looks like it would work good, especially since its spray on and only like 7 or 8 bucks, it looks like a good idea just so things dont jab u when u put the helmet on

 

[obiwanfeefee]

I'm answering my own question from a while back about good sculpting alternatives to bondo. The answer is Patching Plaster. Very easy to control and extremely sandable. You can carve out incredible detail and if there's a problem, really easy to sand off and try again without having to mix anything or wait to long for anything to dry. Afterwards I just put another resin coat on it and everyone tells me it's hard to believe its paper underneath. I think this method is great. It completely hides folds and things yet can still carve into corners.

 

[knightofsilver]

About the patching plaster, is it as strong as bondo, and do u need saftey equipment to handle it?

 

[ventrue]

About the patching plaster, is it as strong as bondo, and do u need saftey equipment to handle it?

...and more importantly: Isn't it terribly brittle?

 

[Dani Girl]

HI, not new to Fiberglass and rondo, but I have a question concerning using it with Pepped items (I usually do through molding, and that is just simply layering fiberglass within a mold to get my items, pep is a little different):

Working on several parts, and so far I've

1) Resined the outside (two layers, I wanted it sturdy)

2) Rondo the inside (3 layers)


Can I Rondo outside as well, so that I can start getting the shape I want (they are little block and wanted to round some of the shapes)?

HOw many layers you think I should do, or do I just layer until I get the shape I want and sand down?

Much thanks. Love the forum for all the resources, and finally getting stuff done. Trust me, doing the pep way is a lot faster than actually sculpting, molding and casting (a lot cheaper too) ^_^

 

[nightlynutria]

Guys I have an idea, can I apply resin to my pep helmet, and then add smoothcast inside?

 

[HaloGoddess]

HI, not new to Fiberglass and rondo, but I have a question concerning using it with Pepped items (I usually do through molding, and that is just simply layering fiberglass within a mold to get my items, pep is a little different):

Can I Rondo outside as well, so that I can start getting the shape I want (they are little block and wanted to round some of the shapes)?

HOw many layers you think I should do, or do I just layer until I get the shape I want and sand down?

Yes you can use rondo for the outside as well. People have used this instead of bondo. Just apply it to the desired areas then sand it. DO NOT totally cover your piece. You want to do a little at a time. From what I have read/learned in other threads, it's best to apply it in small sections, sand, then add more if need be until you achieve your desired look.

Guys I have an idea, can I apply resin to my pep helmet, and then add smoothcast inside?

If you have smoothcast, then you don't really need the resin since people use smoothcast in place of the resin. Smoothcast is non-toxic and can be used indoors so people who live in areas where it can get pretty cold and are unable to resin will use the smoothcast instead.

 

[SkullBoy13]

Can you use Epoxy Resin for resining?

 

[JAKEX6]

I recentlly finished a pepakura helmet and im not going on to the strengthening stage and i was wondering if you can use bondo auto body filler instead of fiberglassing it. I would also like to know if anyone has tried using bondo auto body filler on a pepakura helmet and if they did how it worked out. All help is greatly appretiated.

 

[Spitfire22V]

Can you use Epoxy Resin for resining?

Yes, you can.

I recentlly finished a pepakura helmet and im not going on to the strengthening stage and i was wondering if you can use bondo auto body filler instead of fiberglassing it. I would also like to know if anyone has tried using bondo auto body filler on a pepakura helmet and if they did how it worked out. All help is greatly appretiated.

I would strongly advise against using straight Bondo on a non-hardened Pepakura piece. Bondo is very heavy compared to fiberglass, which is why you need to harden/stiffen it first. Otherwise, there's a fairly high risk of heavily warping the piece.

Bondo is used to shape things, and not as a primary source of strength, even though it dries very hard. That's the reason for the fiberglass stage.

 

[HaloGoddess]

I recentlly finished a pepakura helmet and im not going on to the strengthening stage and i was wondering if you can use bondo auto body filler instead of fiberglassing it. I would also like to know if anyone has tried using bondo auto body filler on a pepakura helmet and if they did how it worked out. All help is greatly appretiated.

I will go a step further from what Spitfire22V said...........noooooo! D: No, no, no, no! XD Bondo has the possibility to crack and chip and if you only use that for strength, you might be sorry in the future and wished you did fiberglass or use another way to harden the piece. You CAN, however, use the rondo method and that includes mixing resin and bondo together. You will also want to add some the hardener that come with the bondo, that red cream stuff. I would say maybe like a 3:1 ratio (bondo:resin). At least enough so that the mixture becomes easy to pour, but not too easy or else it will be a mess. Just be careful so that it doesn't become too runny.

And as spitfire said, bondo DOES become heavy so if you were to use that to harden a piece, you may find it to be too much if you are wearing it for long periods of time since the weight may become too overbearing. So I would HIGHLY advise to only use bondo to smooth the outside where you need it, but NOT completely covering the piece in bondo. Just place some bondo where you want it, sand, and add more if needed.

Hope that helps.

 

[jdosko]

i think iasked this before, but i cant find an answer or even where i posted it, but about how much fiberglass cloth does an average suit of armor take?