I feel stuck

[Ksmith117]

So I read forums looked at utube videos and thought I had a grasp on what to do pep build went well resin went well 3 coats plus two on the Inside with fiberglass cloth sanded down the edges and started to bondo for straight edges and fill in spots I don't know if I'm doing wrong I feel like I am what I thought was the helmet design isn't coming through do I have to build up on my own or am I just finding stuff wrong that ain't there pics of helmet are on the Texas 405th I believe in the southwest 405th fb don't know how to put pics on here

 

[FlyinPhil]

So a good rule of thumb is to put one layer of resin on the outside, and one or two on the inside. Then you put a couple layers of fiberglass on the inside to give the model strength. Lastly, you add bondo only to the areas that need to be rounded out or smoothed. As well, you should only put it on 1-2mm at a time. Any thicker than that, and you are adding too much, and will likely cover up all of the details that you painstakingly cut out and glued together.

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Hey Ksmith, it sounds like you've done a lot of the work already. If it doesn't come out to your standards when you're done that just means you'll know to look for alterations on another attempt. Even without seeing it I know you've learned a lot already and that is worth something.

As for this helmet it sounds like you might have put too much bondo on. Common mistake, it really is a Lot less bondo than one would think. You should be making golf ball sized batches and working in only a fraction of the helmet at a time. Google search "Cereal Kill3r episode 04"

It takes a lot of patience to bondo a helmet. And like Phil said, some parts don't even need bondo. Best of luck.

PS: to fix putting too much bondo on you'll need a lot of sandpaper, files and a dremel in order to grind it away and get back to that lovely pep.

 

[KRI667]

Hey Ksmith, it sounds like you've done a lot of the work already. If it doesn't come out to your standards when you're done that just means you'll know to look for alterations on another attempt. Even without seeing it I know you've learned a lot already and that is worth something.

As for this helmet it sounds like you might have put too much bondo on. Common mistake, it really is a Lot less bondo than one would think. You should be making golf ball sized batches and working in only a fraction of the helmet at a time. Google search "Cereal Kill3r episode 04"

It takes a lot of patience to bondo a helmet. And like Phil said, some parts don't even need bondo. Best of luck.

PS: to fix putting too much bondo on you'll need a lot of sandpaper, files and a dremel in order to grind it away and get back to that lovely pep.

Seconded, the cereal killer videos are an amazing tool and reference, i go back to them when ever i hit a part im unsure of. As with any creative type you may be creating phantom issues because reality can't quite match up with the image you see in your head. I've always found that if a project is frustrating me that i need to step back and work on something else for a bit before coming back to it with fresh eyes.

Hope that helps even a little, good luck.