Whenever my piece isn't curing I just set my halogen heat lamp on it for a bit (10-90 minutes) from about a foot back. It cures it, and I've yet to set one on fire (12inch minimum distance). It's cured pieces that I flat out forgot to add the MKEP to. You can also use a heatgun/blow dryer but that takes much longer. Just make sure you don't hold it in one place for too long/close or else it'll start to bubble. Also, keep your respirator on when ya do it.
"Help!" for: Fiberglassing, Resin, & Bondo
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Whenever my piece isn't curing I just set my halogen heat lamp on it for a bit (10-90 minutes) from about a foot back. It cures it, and I've yet to set one on fire (12inch minimum distance). It's cured pieces that I flat out forgot to add the MKEP to. You can also use a heatgun/blow dryer but that takes much longer. Just make sure you don't hold it in one place for too long/close or else it'll start to bubble. Also, keep your respirator on when ya do it.
Okay, well. I sanded it down and I'm going to work on the rondo this weekend. I've seen how strong it is and i'm pretty confident that I can Rondo+Fiberglass the inside.
I have a small problem. The resin isn't too strong currently and you can break it with power, but, the jaw of the helmet has expanded making it look uglier than before, and the brim is not longer at an angle. Should I use a certain method for this?
I have a small problem. The resin isn't too strong currently and you can break it with power, but, the jaw of the helmet has expanded making it look uglier than before, and the brim is not longer at an angle. Should I use a certain method for this?
I have seen people use felt, and canvas/other fiber materials other than glass for speaker boxes/ custom dashes and center consoles. i was just wondering if anyone has attempted this on pep work. i would think that it would be considerably heavier and might cause sagging and malformations in the helmet. but would it be a good alternative for the inside of a chest/back piece?
It depends on the effect you want. Usually the strength to weight ratio of fiberglass with fiberglass resin will be better than the resin with other materials. The question is, why would you wan to use another fiber for the resin matrix? If your needs call for it, then go ahead and give it a try, maybe test it on something easy like the ODST chestplate.
BlueManiac
New Member
I have some questions about resining the outside of the pep piece!!
1. I reinforced the hell out of the inside so I'm not too worried about resin sagging the part, though I am worried about time. I am a little unsure about how long I should wait between each thin coat of resin.
2. I have a few small hot glue bits/residue sitting on the part, its extremely time consuming to get all of it off. Will hot glue residue hinder the resining process?
3. Between each coat, I've been told that the surface can get a slight 'tacky', sticky feel to it. I've also been told baby powder can get rid of that tacky feel. After I apply baby powder to the area, should I get rid of all powder residue or lightly sand that area before applying the next coat of resin?
4. I know adding too much resin is bad, but how much is exactly too much? Its a little hard for me to tell. I've tried to put small coats on the practice pieces though its hard to gauge what is too much when you have no idea what is optimal.
Thanks a lot guys!
1. I reinforced the hell out of the inside so I'm not too worried about resin sagging the part, though I am worried about time. I am a little unsure about how long I should wait between each thin coat of resin.
2. I have a few small hot glue bits/residue sitting on the part, its extremely time consuming to get all of it off. Will hot glue residue hinder the resining process?
3. Between each coat, I've been told that the surface can get a slight 'tacky', sticky feel to it. I've also been told baby powder can get rid of that tacky feel. After I apply baby powder to the area, should I get rid of all powder residue or lightly sand that area before applying the next coat of resin?
4. I know adding too much resin is bad, but how much is exactly too much? Its a little hard for me to tell. I've tried to put small coats on the practice pieces though its hard to gauge what is too much when you have no idea what is optimal.
Thanks a lot guys!
1) once it's tacky you can put the next layer on. 2-5 hours after the last one to make sure it cures fully.
2) no, resin sticks to anything, hot glue will only get in the way of bondo sanding.
3) don't powder between layers, sand it off if you've been doing it
4) 2 coats outside, 1 coat inside is the general norm for layers...
Once the piece is resined as mentioned above, then I suggest you do one layer of rondo inside, and then fiberglass the inside 2-3 layers, and another rondo layer to roughly smooth it out.
2) no, resin sticks to anything, hot glue will only get in the way of bondo sanding.
3) don't powder between layers, sand it off if you've been doing it
4) 2 coats outside, 1 coat inside is the general norm for layers...
Once the piece is resined as mentioned above, then I suggest you do one layer of rondo inside, and then fiberglass the inside 2-3 layers, and another rondo layer to roughly smooth it out.
BlueManiac
New Member
Ok, Is the baby powder a final step- as in once I've done all my outer resining coats I will put a little baby powder on, sand the powder until its smooth, then proceed to rondo etc ?
Sorry about that, anyway. It appears that the reason for the resin problem was mainly a heat/MKEP problem all on my fault. When I rondo'd the inside, I made sure to use extra MKEP and it worked VERY well. I now have a coat of fiberglass cloth over that. Cereals tuts on filler is super handy.
Point of reference for Australians looking for filler/resin
Resin in australia is mainly diluted, and it will not be as strong as american resin (As I have tested). You will need to user thin coats and about 5 of them.
The first filler I used (Multipurpose filler) was very tricky to use. So, I suggest buying an automotive filler from Repco. They sell ones with a harderner, and is pretty much the same mixture as bondo.
Point of reference for Australians looking for filler/resin
Resin in australia is mainly diluted, and it will not be as strong as american resin (As I have tested). You will need to user thin coats and about 5 of them.
The first filler I used (Multipurpose filler) was very tricky to use. So, I suggest buying an automotive filler from Repco. They sell ones with a harderner, and is pretty much the same mixture as bondo.
The smell fades eventually, even the wet stuff, it may need to be aired out a few days. The resin will always stink your clothes for a few days.
I also highly recommend you don't resin in any clothing you care about. Sooner or later, you're going to spill some on yourself, and it will NEVER come out. I have a pair of old torn jeans I use for resining.
I also highly recommend you don't resin in any clothing you care about. Sooner or later, you're going to spill some on yourself, and it will NEVER come out. I have a pair of old torn jeans I use for resining.
mugiboogie
New Member
Hey guys, I've got a question. I live in an apartment and I was wondering if it was safe to power sand indoors? I know you're suppose to sand outdoors because of the particles and chemicals, but I have neighbors and they already gave me a stare for making so much noise. I was thinking of sanding in the bathtub, but I'm not sure if this is safe. Can anyone help me?
Personally, I think sanding indoors is safe as long as you wear proper protection, just make sure the area is ventelated. You probably don't want to use you bathroom because of the water, which will turn the excess into sludge. Try a room without carpet and a fair amount of windows and flat space.
It's about what you do with the particulate. It's not really safe to go down the drain, as a carcinogen. Nor is it safe to go through the vents, as you're just spreading it around the apartment complex, which isn't safe for the other people. It also might plug up the pipes if it sludges up. If you have to... yeah what mousieguy said is your best bet, maybe lay down a dropcloth and be careful not to kick up the dust too hard? Although really I'd just tell the neighbors to bugger off, if it's not super early or late it's legal, it's better to do it outdoors, maybe in a garage or parking lot or something.
You can also always just hand sand outside!
You can also always just hand sand outside!
I'm ready to try and strengthen my first pep build now and I've been looking at some video tutorials which have gave me an idea on how I'm going to go about it. Thing is though most of the tutorials are American and using American products that I can't seem to find in UK stores. I wanted to use EpoxAmite 101 Fast and fibreglass matting as I don't want to buy a respirator. The fibre glass matting isn't a problem to get but what is the UK equivalent of EpoxAmite 101 Fast and where can I get it from??
Well, I am personally not an advocate of "safe" resins, as they tend to sacrifice strength for indoor comfort. But if you do wish to stick with it, you can see that Smooth-On actually has UK distributors listed. They might only sell bulk though, you'd have to call them and find out. Another material to try is Aqua Resin, but it's been badly reviewed by members of this site.
Smoothon distributors:
Bentley Advanced Materials
Frederick Road
Hoo Farm Indust. Estate
Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY11 7RA
England
Tel: 011-44-1562-515121
Fax: 011-44-1562-515847
Contact: Chris Warren
info@benam.co.uk
http://www.benam.co.uk/
Bentley Advanced Materials
Marshall's Yard
Trout Road
West Drayton
London
UB7 7RS
Tel - 01562 515 121
Fax - 01562 515 847
Smoothon distributors:
Bentley Advanced Materials
Frederick Road
Hoo Farm Indust. Estate
Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY11 7RA
England
Tel: 011-44-1562-515121
Fax: 011-44-1562-515847
Contact: Chris Warren
info@benam.co.uk
http://www.benam.co.uk/
Bentley Advanced Materials
Marshall's Yard
Trout Road
West Drayton
London
UB7 7RS
Tel - 01562 515 121
Fax - 01562 515 847
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