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

[carlino]

Those are toxic.

I should've read the warning label a little closer then! I actually mixed up a few batchs of smooth cast 321 inside my house with no respirator on. Good thing I only did it that one day!

Well then I guess for non-toxic you would go with Mod Podge.. and it is cheap, you can get a gallon for $25.

 

[Satchmo III]

...or is it something new called IMO?

The acronym IMO is short for in my opinion.

 

[Frankyboy440]

has anyone tried using mod podge for their armor? will it be hard enough? is it cheap? how much is needed?

and another question. has anyone tried using acrystal prima for their armor? will it be hard enough? is it cheap? how much is needed?

 

[carlino]

has anyone tried using mod podge for their armor? will it be hard enough? is it cheap? how much is needed?

I've used Mod Podge on a few pieces due to the time of year it was. (It was winter so I needed something that I could use indoors) Im not sure exactly how many layers it took, but it did work. Once the weather was nicer again I took the piece and brushed on a very thin layer of Rondo on the inside to firm it up even more and then layed my layer of fiberglass on top of the rondo.

I first bought a small 16 or 18oz size to test it out and when it worked I bought the gallon size since it was cheap enough. A gallon should do for an entire set. I still have some left over, all depends how many layers you add to it.

 

[ventrue]

ehh.. are you saying that aqua-resin or the other stuff mentioned is good or is it something new called IMO? if so then please write a link to a website selling it

IMO means "in my opinion", it's not a product.

The bottom line is this:

• The cheapest resin you can use is polyester resin, which is toxic, but getting adequate protection is relatively easy. If you have an appropriate workspace (like a garage, garden pavillon or whatever - anything with a roof that is not part of your house or apartment and keeps the vapours away from others), this is probably the cheapest way you have to get a good quality result.
• Urethane or epoxy resins from any brand, including Smooth-On, have advantages, but they are neither cheaper nor less toxic than polyester resin and therefore not what you're looking for.
• Acrylic resins are also more expensive than polyester resin, but you don't need any fancy protective equipment and can save money there. However, if you build a lot of props the additional cost of the resin will soon outweigh the cost of such equipment, so unless you have more severe reasons for wanting a non-toxic product (e.g. breathing issues that prevent you from using respirators) and as long as you have the abovementioned workspace, this is probably not the optimal solution.

and another question. has anyone tried using acrystal prima for their armor? will it be hard enough? is it cheap? how much is needed?

Well, you seem to have already discovered that acrylic resins are expensive, why do you ask that again?
Acrystal Prima is similar to Aqua-Resin, so you can use any projects that involve Aqua-Resin as reference. I think a couple of people have used it, SkullCandy Girl even wrote a tutorial about it a while ago.
No idea how much you need, I'd just go with the smallest size and see how long it lasts.

I should've read the warning label a little closer then! I actually mixed up a few batchs of smooth cast 321 inside my house with no respirator on. Good thing I only did it that one day!

The labels are pretty vague (marketing!), you'd probably be disappointed. I doubt that reading the label would make anyone wear a respirator unless they were planning on doing that anyway. Most toilet cleaner you can buy at the supermarket has a more daunting description than SmoothCast.

 

[Frankyboy440]

thanks for replying.
the reason i cant use toxic stuff is because my dad doesnt want me to use it. he says that it's too dangerous and don't want me near it.
the shipping price would be wery high for 4 kg so my dad said i should find something to buy in Sweden that wasn't toxic.
i'm thinking about buying 1 kg acrystal Prima that cost about 200 SEK (ca 30 USD) but i don't think that it will cover the whole suit (inside with fiberglass and outside without fiberglass)
so then i thought about buying 2 kg witch will be 400 SEK. i could of course also buy the 4 kg package for 550 SEK...
but that will probably be to much. or maybe not?

so today i'we been looking around the internet for non-toxic resins buy able in Sweden or close to Sweden. but the only stuff i found was acrystal Prima.

 

[ventrue]

i could of course also buy the 4 kg package for 550 SEK...
but that will probably be to much. or maybe not?

The BackyardFX video with SkullCandy Girl calculates with two Aqua-Resin trial kits, that would equal about 0.5 kg of the liquid, 0.75 kg of the powder component and some of their fibreglass cloth (you absolutely need this, or you'll waste tons of material). But (big but!) the video is very conservative about materials to keep price as low as possible and completely leaves out material for bondoing the model later on, so you will probably need more.

 

[Frankyboy440]

i think that i will buy 2 or 4 kilos and then i can use that until i don't have more and then sand the outside(probably if i put 3 layers on the outside it will be fine)
By the way i got fiberglass

 

[ventrue]

By the way i got fiberglass

Well, as I said earlier: You should look into whatever it is that makes their own fibreglass special. I think it has a special coating or something like that.

 

[CoolC]

i think that i will buy 2 or 4 kilos and then i can use that until i don't have more and then sand the outside(probably if i put 3 layers on the outside it will be fine)
By the way i got fiberglass

I have better suggestion. Buy a trial size just enough for the helmet. Complete the rest in foam.

My next build will be entirely out of foam because my wife is freaking out everytime I wear the respirator. She does not want me to use the chemical when my kids around even if I do it outdoors.

 

[megaderp]

I have recently just finished putting together my e3 clonetrooper helmet and I was wondering am I supposed to put fiberglass resin on the outside first and then fiberglass mats on the inside after? or first put mats on the inside and then resin on the outside after?

 

[carlino]

I have recently just finished putting together my e3 clonetrooper helmet and I was wondering am I supposed to put fiberglass resin on the outside first and then fiberglass mats on the inside after? or first put mats on the inside and then resin on the outside after?

You put resin on the outside first, a few layers built up. This is to make the piece stiff so it doesnt warp while adding in the fiberglass on the inside. Also it gives you a little medium on the outside to sand if you want.

 

[megaderp]

So.. I should put around 5 layers?

You put resin on the outside first, a few layers built up. This is to make the piece stiff so it doesnt warp while adding in the fiberglass on the inside. Also it gives you a little medium on the outside to sand if you want.

 

[Spitfire22V]

So.. I should put around 5 layers?

Meh, for the record, I did one layer of resin on the outside of my pieces, and one layer of fiberglass on the inside, and they are plenty strong.

 

[BLACKULA727]

I typically use 1 layer outside (But I use support struts on the inside to keep he shape too: Chopstick or Bamboo skewers). Also, if your using fiberglass mat, you don't need as many layers. Mat is thicker than the cloth, so it takes multiple layers of the cloth. 1 layer of mat is good enough for a helmet, but you can always use more depending on how strong you want it. For example if you want the helmet to double as a jack stand* when you're doing exaust work on your buick, you can throw in 10 layers of glass...lol

-Tony

* Just a joke, helmets are never recommended as a suitable replacement for a Jack stand.

 

[Coyote]

Im at the bondo stage on several of my builds now but have never used it before. I've read everything on the can and hardener but nowhere does it tell you how much to use in mixing them together, i dont want to put too much hardener and it go hard when im still using it nor put too little and it not set properly

Im using U-Pol Quick-sand i got from Halfords

The only reference i can see what so ever is a few little pics on the side of the can, of which dont make much sense to me

The 2nd picture down seems to refer to the volumes required but i dont understand what that means, 2 + 100? Anyone help with this as i have no idea how much of each to use based upon that i dont get how you would measure the amount of filler needed though could probably measure out the amount of hardener. If it means 2 of hardener to 100 of filler (2ml or 2cm etc?) i dont know how to measure out the 100 of filler

Im fine on resin and fibreglass stages now but completely new to the bondo stage so need some help with this til i get that down too

 

[Ral Partha]

The 2nd picture down seems to refer to the volumes required but i dont understand what that means, 2 + 100? Anyone help with this as i have no idea how much of each to use based upon that i dont get how you would measure the amount of filler needed though could probably measure out the amount of hardener. If it means 2 of hardener to 100 of filler (2ml or 2cm etc?) i dont know how to measure out the 100 of filler

That means you add two parts of hardener for every 100 parts of body filler. The "parts" can be any unit of your choosing. You may add 2 grams of hardener to 100 grams of body filler or 2 Tbs of hardener to 100 Tbs of filler, you get the idea.

Don't get too bent out of shape if you can't get the exact measurements for the bondo part. Just do an estimate and it's done best if you use small amounts of them. When in doubt, add a little more hardener. It's preferable to have more hardener than less. Otherwise, the bondo will not cure properly.

 

[Coyote]

That means you add two parts of hardener for every 100 parts of body filler. The "parts" can be any unit of your choosing. You may add 2 grams of hardener to 100 grams of body filler or 2 Tbs of hardener to 100 Tbs of filler, you get the idea.

Don't get too bent out of shape if you can't get the exact measurements for the bondo part. Just do an estimate and it's done best if you use small amounts of them. When in doubt, add a little more hardener. It's preferable to have more hardener than less. Otherwise, the bondo will not cure properly.

I see thank you that makes sense. How do you typically measure out the amount of filler? For resin i use a syringe but not sure that would work for this. Maybe some sort of measuring cup or something? Doesnt have to be exactly accurate but i want to know im roughly got the quantities right. Will just be trying it out then and see what works best, dont know how much i'd need for my pieces so trial and error there i suppose. I dont know if ml would be a good unit to use as it might be too much, doesnt seem to come with much hardener. I have no way of measuring out weights unless i buy some sort of scales or something

Thanks for the help i'll see what i can do with this

 

[Spitfire22V]

The diagrams seem to say:

1. Wipe/clean off surface to be worked on.
2. (As Ral Partha said) 2 parts hardener to 100 parts putty.
3. Spread using a squeegee.
4. Dries in 20 minutes.
5. Sand surface smooth, and I'm not sure what the other half means (maybe "clean surface after sanding"?)

 

[Ral Partha]

How do you typically measure out the amount of filler? For resin i use a syringe but not sure that would work for this. Maybe some sort of measuring cup or something? Doesnt have to be exactly accurate but i want to know im roughly got the quantities right. Will just be trying it out then and see what works best, dont know how much i'd need for my pieces so trial and error there i suppose. I dont know if ml would be a good unit to use as it might be too much, doesnt seem to come with much hardener. I have no way of measuring out weights unless i buy some sort of scales or something

Just eyeball it. Bondo is not as sensitive to mixing ratios compared to resin. At least the instruction on your filler can is more precise than what we have here in the US. It goes something like an inch of hardener for every golf ball wad of bondo.