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

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is there any alternative (instead of spot putty) to fill in pores left my sanding bondo off? Like is it possible to use polyurethane?
 
is there any alternative (instead of spot putty) to fill in pores left my sanding bondo off? Like is it possible to use polyurethane?

I don't think you can use polyurethane. It will probably run when you apply it. You can use any filler as long as it doen's shrink or crack. One that I could think of is wood putty.
 
If I have a piece that doesn't require bondo to reach it's final shape (ie it looks how it should once folded) What do I need to do before I can paint it? Can I prime and paint the resin itself?

You should harden it and apply a coat of primer. Then you can decide whether the shape is good or not, no sooner. You can paint the resin itself.
 
Does anyone have a great fiberglass dust suppression method that doesn't require a shopvac? I want to rid the neck hole of any excess fiberglass and resin before putting on a top coat of resin to lock down any loose fibers and fill any air bubble pockets. I really don't have an ongoing need that would require me to buy a shopvac, so if I can go another route I'd really like to. I have a respirator, so dust inhalation isn't an issue, but I really don't want glass dust on my arms or in my clothes - that would be very uncomfortable.

Thanks ahead of time for any feedback / suggestions!
 
Hey Guys,

Im in need of some advice for a certain project Im doing. Im completely new to fiberglass and need help with alot. For starters the project im doing: Im going to be making a few Gears of war armor suits. the plan is to take Football shoulder pads as a base, as something to wear. then the plan is to use a foam block and carve out the front and back chest plates design into the foam. applying fiberglass, for strength and light weight feel, to create a shell that we will later attach to the shoulder pads for a full body armor feel. I would like to be rough with the armor after it is done ie be able to say tackle my friend while we are wearing the armor and not be afraid of it breaking or fracturing.

A few problems i ran into when researching. I found about 50 different kinds of fiberglass cloths all different sizes and softness, also im not positive of the official name of the foam, im thinking of the foam they make surf boards with or a substitute, therefore could not find it online. what would the estimated amount of fiberglass be for a front and back chest piece? and possibly if there are any big named stores that sell these?

feel free to suggest any other way of doing this, my plans are subject to change.

Thank you in advance!
 
A few problems i ran into when researching. I found about 50 different kinds of fiberglass cloths all different sizes and softness, also im not positive of the official name of the foam, im thinking of the foam they make surf boards with or a substitute, therefore could not find it online. what would the estimated amount of fiberglass be for a front and back chest piece? and possibly if there are any big named stores that sell these?

feel free to suggest any other way of doing this, my plans are subject to change.

Thank you in advance!

There are basically two kids, cloth and mat. You can also use the shredded kind. You cannot use a large sheet of fiberglass. You need to cut it into smaller pieces so they fit inside the armor. I bought mine from US Composite. I bought a roll of 2 inch cloth. It worked out great because less cutting for me. The roll of fiberglass was enough to complete 2 sets of suits. Hope this helps.
 
Just seeking advice from the pros out there. I'm currently finished with pepping and fiber glassing my build, now it's time to bondo.

Well My question here is, could I skip most of the bondo phase by going over the slightly uneven spots with thin pieces of craft foam?

Now I understand this won't completely diminish the need for bondo and it will sacrifice a level of durability but I'll take those chances in order to meet my deadline.
 
okay im in fiberglassing but i ran out of fiberglass is there any substtitutes i can use?

hot glue?

I think you are confused. Fiberglass is the cloth type that is soaked in resin to give the armor strenth. Are you out of the cloth itself or resin? If you are out of fiberglass cloth, you can use some old cotton t-shirt as substitute. If you are out of resin, you really don't have much choice.

And the answer is no. You cannot substitute resin with hot glue if you plan to wear your suits for more than 2 hours.
 
Just seeking advice from the pros out there. I'm currently finished with pepping and fiber glassing my build, now it's time to bondo.

Well My question here is, could I skip most of the bondo phase by going over the slightly uneven spots with thin pieces of craft foam?

Now I understand this won't completely diminish the need for bondo and it will sacrifice a level of durability but I'll take those chances in order to meet my deadline.

I think you'd be better off not doing anything if you're not going to Bondo. Craft foam is not a good substitute for the smoothing effects of Bondo.

And Bondo in the way we use it when smoothing/detailing doesn't any significant durability. You should have gotten just about all of the strength you're going to get when you hardened the piece, so don't worry about not using Bondo.

okay im in fiberglassing but i ran out of fiberglass is there any substtitutes i can use?

hot glue?

I don't mean to sound rude, but all I've seen you post on these forums is asking basic questions over and over. You seem to not have grasped the correct process of armor making, and it especially shows when asking questions like this (hot glue as a substitute after running out of fiberglass). I'd strongly suggest "starting over" and reading tutorials and build threads to see how to properly make armor. It will answer most, if not all, of your questions.

The 405th has all the information required to successfully make armor, you just have to find it. We are not here to spoon-feed you the information. A little effort/research on your part will go a a long way.
 
Does anyone have a great fiberglass dust suppression method that doesn't require a shopvac? I want to rid the neck hole of any excess fiberglass and resin before putting on a top coat of resin to lock down any loose fibers and fill any air bubble pockets. I really don't have an ongoing need that would require me to buy a shopvac, so if I can go another route I'd really like to. I have a respirator, so dust inhalation isn't an issue, but I really don't want glass dust on my arms or in my clothes - that would be very uncomfortable.

Thanks ahead of time for any feedback / suggestions!

Fibreglass dust isn't an issue when you sand the finished reinforced plastic. Wear your respirator so you don't breathe it and dust-tight googles and you'll be fine health-wise.

Just seeking advice from the pros out there. I'm currently finished with pepping and fiber glassing my build, now it's time to bondo.

Well My question here is, could I skip most of the bondo phase by going over the slightly uneven spots with thin pieces of craft foam?

Now I understand this won't completely diminish the need for bondo and it will sacrifice a level of durability but I'll take those chances in order to meet my deadline.

Bondo would be WAY quicker than using foamies and yield a WAY better result, too, because there's no way you could shape foamies to exactly match the shape of an indentation right up to the edge. Chances are it would look even worse than before.
 
There are basically two kids, cloth and mat. You can also use the shredded kind. You cannot use a large sheet of fiberglass. You need to cut it into smaller pieces so they fit inside the armor. I bought mine from US Composite. I bought a roll of 2 inch cloth. It worked out great because less cutting for me. The roll of fiberglass was enough to complete 2 sets of suits. Hope this helps.

Thank you! CoolC

I was aiming for cloth i hear its easier to work with. I also ran into US Composite, but on the site there is multiple grades, 3ozE all the way to 40ozS im not sure of the differences, or what type i should use. what size was the roll you used? 2inches wide by how long?

by any chance would you know where i can get the foam?

Thank you again!
 
Thank you! CoolC

I was aiming for cloth i hear its easier to work with. I also ran into US Composite, but on the site there is multiple grades, 3ozE all the way to 40ozS im not sure of the differences, or what type i should use. what size was the roll you used? 2inches wide by how long?

by any chance would you know where i can get the foam?

Thank you again!

You may be in for a big surprise. Any fiberglass is not easy to apply. Fiberglass sticks to brushes and fingers anytime you brush resin on it.

I believe the ounce refers to the thickness of the cloth. I bought the 8.7 oz 2" 50 yard tape. It is quite strong and easy to work with because it was already precut to the right width. It is quite thick so you need plenty of resin to soak it.

Most foam that we refer to is called EVA foam. They are usually sold at automotive and hardware storse. I bought mine at K-mart. Two weeks ago I found Sam's club sells the foam real cheap.
 
You may be in for a big surprise. Any fiberglass is not easy to apply. Fiberglass sticks to brushes and fingers anytime you brush resin on it.

I believe the ounce refers to the thickness of the cloth. I bought the 8.7 oz 2" 50 yard tape. It is quite strong and easy to work with because it was already precut to the right width. It is quite thick so you need plenty of resin to soak it.

Most foam that we refer to is called EVA foam. They are usually sold at automotive and hardware storse. I bought mine at K-mart. Two weeks ago I found Sam's club sells the foam real cheap.


Thank you very much this helps alot! Ill deff drop by when the project is done to show pictures
 
Is it possible to use fiberglass resin to fill in ruggedness left by bondo?

Bondo is meant to be used to fill in "ruggedness" or otherwise missing areas in the resin, then sanded down. Filling in the bondo with resin is just counter productive, as there will be a much weaker bond.
 
I had this can of spray on, under carriage rubberization coating stuff sitting in my menagerie of spray paints so I decided to try it out and sprayed the interior of the helmet - now that I finished the interior fiberglass and dremel trimming done. I just need to figure out how to get the stench out of it - time might be my only option though.

Just wanted to post an update to this in case anyone came across my earlier post and wondered what ever came of it.
 
hey this is jus out there but does anyone know about a tut or something related to recon helmets thanx
ps im kind of new on here i dont get on much
 
Is this safe?!

ok, so i've got a helmet ready for resin. I have a respirator with organic filters, overalls, gloves and goggles, im planning on doing it in the shed. Its quite small.
As im living in wales, it's generally cold, and on a warm day it only about hits 15 degrees max . So i was going to use a heat source to let the resin cure
Im planning on using a halogen desk lamp, which heats up alot. The resin piece will be in a large cardboard box with the lamp at the opening. My worry is that , could it get too hot and hit flash point? Im not doing anything until i know whats safe

Thank you
 
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