"Help!" for: Fiberglassing, Resin, & Bondo
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It is? From videos and pictures i've seen even of peoples first coat of resin it goes hard (when they tap the model you hear its hard) and also yellow in appearance (which may come down to the brand of resin however and what colour it cures as) This just didnt seem normal to me as i had expected it to harden alot more this doesnt seem much different than paper. I had however forgotten to shake the resin can before use yesterday which may not have helped so i did that today on another test model and with the same batch of resin also added a 2nd coat to yesterday's model so will see how it turns out. I hadnt expected the paper to turn almost transparent either so i wasnt sure if i was putting too much/too thick resin onto it but as i said any less on the brush and it wouldnt even go on to the paper
I had already thrown out the resin from yesterday following my first post it was hard on top but still liquid underneath. I just threw the foil in the bin it was in. I have left today's though still in the tray but i expect it to go the same as yesterday's. I put in extra hardener today incase that was a problem but it didnt seem to make any difference. It was more than 10 mins use of the resin and it was still liquid when i left the garage
Thank you, i wasnt convinced that this was ment to happen just needed to hear what someone who knows what they're doing thought about it. I would prefer to use the bondo resin if only shipping wasnt so expensive on it as the resin itself is a good price. Maybe that cures yellow and thats why i was expecting that. Sorry i am a complete noob. I will be fine once i know how to do everything. Im waiting on my fibreglass cloth coming in the post then i can test out that with resin and try out the other stages before i start on my actual pep models
That's not really necessary. If there are glass fibres sticking out and poking you, you should do something about that (but sanding them away seems like the better choice here). Otherwise, as long as it's all nice ans relatively smooth, you can leave it as it is. Maybe give it a coat of dark primer, in case somebody looks inside the model.
My resin is whiteish as well. That's almost certainly a brand thing.
Are you sure that you got that right and that the videos you watched were actually about models that were only resined? The similar names of "fibreglass" and "fibreglass resin" often lead to confusion there. Especially the first, light coat really doesn't put up much resistance to bending (it's similar to plastic foil, after all). What you will notice is that the paper is harder to rip apart.
That the paper gets somewhat translucent is also perfectly ok, as long as it's strong enough to not warp. It's actually a good thing when the paper soaks up resin, because "raw" paper will lead to problems when sanding later.
Try mixing the resin directly in a plastic cup. You can scrape the sides and bottom of that more easily and thus mix the resin more thoroughly. If you're worried about the styrene dissolving the cup or the heat melting it, put it in a small aluminium foil "bowl", not the other way around. I haven't had any problems with that though, must be a brand thing as well.
Also, don't overdo it with the hardener. It's not necessary to count molecules when using polyester resin, because it's only a catalyst, but if you use too much, the end result will be weak. Also have another look at the instructions. It's not uncommon for polyester resin to take a full day to reach a state where it can be demolded (if necessary) and another full day to completely cure.
The brand isn't really that important, it's basically all the same stuff anyway and shipping from the US to here is either really slow or really expensive (but I'm not sure if they let chemicals like that on a plane at all).
If you're so fond of the colour, you can buy some tint for your resin, as well ;-)
This resin is a blueish colour in the tin but is clear once put on the paper and yellow in the foil tray. Since im new to this i just expect what i see in videos so the yellow etc. Im not bothered about the colour i'd just expected to see yellow. What i watched was a step by step type guide on youtube, each part is for a different stage of pepping. I watched the resin and fibreglass part and it definately sounded hard when they tapped the model before they added the fibreglass inside so i expected mine to go hard too. I know the name fibreglass resin refers to the fact that the resin is ment to be used with fibreglass (which i will be doing whenever it arrives) That should give the hardness i just thought resin alone made it hard as well
I'll see how this 2nd coat turns out if its any stronger. If needed i will test out a 3rd coat as well. With these models i cant really tell if its warping any but i hope not. Thats true, maybe better it soaks up the resin then for later sanding the bondo
I will try get some plastic cups, i couldnt find anything to use i just have a small plastic box lined with foil i was using. I just wasnt sure how much catalyst to add, the 0.2ml to 10ml resin didnt seem enough (even though it says 2% to volume on the can) so i tested out adding more today just to see. If too much is bad (weakening rather than just hardening the resin mix faster) then i wont do it again was just a test. Im not sure it says about curing times but i'll have another look. I expected it to be a day but if unsure i'll leave it for 2 to be sure its ready
Will see how these turn out that i did today. Thanks again
iTzOminousTic
Jr Member
If there's a HarborFreight up in Canada, Then I'd go there, If not, Then order it online. They have like 36 brushes for $7-10
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=Brushes
Fibreglass. And I'm talking about actual glass, not "fibreglass resin". But you'll need that or some other resin as well obviously.
Darkrider9
Well-Known Member
What is the largest square inch piece of fiberglass you can use before you start drastically losing strength?
Using larger pieces increases strength (in theory, anyway). The reason everybody cuts their cloth up into tiny parts is rather convenience: Smaller pieces conform to the model's shape better and are easier to handle.
I did my first fiberglassing work near the end of my Halloween War Machine build last year. But I used it on pieces that had broad, flat areas and not a lot of nook and crannies.
So, now I'm starting to pep some Iron Man Mk VI files and I'm seeing..... a lot of nooks and crannies. I guess I'm a bit intimidated by the idea of cutting fiberglass matte to fit small bends and "trenches" in the pep pieces. I'm wondering just how obsessive (and therefore, time-consuming) I need to be about cutting matte pieces to fit such small bends and details ??
I'm about to harden my first project and am torn between Rondo and Fiberglassing. I like the idea of rondo because it will flow into all the small areas and I don't have to worry about having a bubble as I could with fiberglass. I'm a little concerned with the durability of it though. Would a layer of Rondo to make sure I get all the small areas covered, followed by a layer or two of fiberglass be a good way to approach it?
muppetsman
New Member
Hello, i've been fiberglassing alot recently, and now have gotten stuck on my chest piece and cod piece. I do not know where to cut them in half without losing detail or durability. Has anybody done this on master chief Mark IV armor? Any help is greatly appreciated, as i do not want to proceed untill i know where exactly to make the cuts. Thank you very much for your time. (oh, and Scynthe, i didn't mean to skip over your question, but i have never worked with rondo before, so i couldnt be much help.)
You can just fill some Resin or Rondo into any deep holes you find (when looking at the inside) to make the surface smoother and then fibreglass over that. If you want to use fibreglass anyway, there's no need to cover the flat and easy to glass areas as well.
SoaringAlex
New Member
Ok im not a complete noob, i made my avatar helmet. but can anyone help on bondo, i feel i put too much. where am i exactly supposed to put it? how much should i use for a whole helmet?
Not the full helmet. You put bondo on areas that are either warped or places that you want to smooth out.
CaptainAnt
New Member
I'd probably go over it with a layer of just resin first so all the seams and general shape get reinforced. If it's still a little shaky or iffy, then use Bondo or fiberglass. (My opinion) use bondo if the structure doesn't need too much more support and fiberglass if the structure is weak or questionable.
When you're glassing, don't try and do it all in one piece - cut pieces to size before saturating with resin and attaching to the piece. The smaller pieces will help a ton with fitting all the curves and nooks and crannies that some pep projects have
wrentawreck
New Member
hi i was wondering if any one could tell me what bondo is and what the equilivent is in the uk ty
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