How tough is resin?

[Pyrocujo]

Firstly congratulations everyone on the fantastic database of information here! It is because of this that I even started working on this project.

I have nearly finished construction of all the pepakura bits and pieces so Ive started thinking about the resining/glassing process.
Ideally I would like to avoid the use of fibreglass if possible, I dont need the suit to last forever but I would like it to be able to take a few bumps.
Ive never used resin or fibreglass before, but I was curious as to how durable the resin is on its own, with multiple coats obviously?

 

[dacacheman]

Whastup, someone alot more familiar than me could prob provide a better answer, but since nobody has said anything yet I wanted to give you my experience with it. I used resin/fiberglass to make my predator mask, the resin is extremely hard, but by itself it would probably shatter if you dropped it on a hard surface. If your careful with it i dont see why it couldnt support itself on its own. The only problem I think you'de run in to is making sure you have an even coat all over. Because its sort of transparent its difficult to judge how thick of a coat you have in certain spots. Using fiberglass really helps to add thickness alot quicker. I guess you could just go with resin and then pop out the paper, then fiberglass the inside of the helmet so you won't lose the detail on the outside of the mask while adding strength. Hope this helps.

 

[Vexona]

Resin definitely stiffens up the card stock but rather flimsy even after a few coats. It's a little flexible, but if bent too much it will simply crack.

I'm sure you've worked really hard on your pep armor so you might as well take that last step to ensure all your time and effort is protected The fiberglass cloth is what's gonna make your armor durable. You'll prolly not even mind the cloth itself, it's really the resin that's icky to work with. Stinky and sticky (oh it sticks to everything) but it produces great results.

I recommend reading the tuts on this page. It has really good tutorials so you'll feel more comfortable diving in Wear a good respirator, gloves, and such and just try working on a simple piece.

Hope that answers your question,


-Vex

 

[Boomer]

If you're dead set on not using fiberglass, you could always use muslin. It's 100% cotton cloth available at your local fabric shop ($1/yard here). Mix regular wood glue with water at a 1:1 ratio, soak muslin strips, and apply on the inside. Be warned, it drips everywhere and it's easier to get warping if you're not careful. After about 36 hours, it's pretty hard. Not as rigid as fiberglass, but it might be what you're looking for if you want wearable armor that doesn't involve nasty chemicals. I fiberglassed most of my armor and used muslin on the belt and buttplate, where I wanted a bit more flexibility.

EDIT: I completely forgot, you will still need to resin the outside the armor, or else your cardstock will disintegrate (the glue/water mix soaks the paper).