Ok question

[IceTray]

Playing around with making things in Pepakura, and while doings so just started pondering.
If your making it out of paper, exactly how do you go about making it solid, without warping the living crap out of it?

 

[WanderingRon1n]

i copied it onto a cardboard that was 1/16 of an inch and its holding up fine. you can use mat board. becareful what you buy tho matboard gets expensive. but i suggest making a paper verion of everypiece before making it out of cardboard so you know it fits. cuz if its doesnt re-scale and make a new one. when it fits use spray on adhesive and attach the pieces to the cardboard/matboard. cut out fold and glue(hot glue is best). and when u make it using anything over cardstock cut off the tabs. i actually just finished fiberglassing the chest section. i might post pics of it later.

 

[IceTray]

See, the thing is the helmet I made, which is to scale, was already done, unfortunatly, with paper.
So I was considering alternative attempts rather than remaking it. One I figured might work, is using almers (sp?) spray adhesive to spray the entire helmet, in attempts to solidify it somewhat, then apply a coat of something else to make it harder.

 

[WanderingRon1n]

PM jedi fraz. i think he could help you out with that. he might have used cardstock tho.

 

[Ultima]

You use card stock. Then you re-inforce the inside with something like hot glue to give it some structure, and after that you can either fiberglass or do any number of things to the outside of it. Im going to test out fiberglassing on my old helmet actually.

 

[IceTray]

How much harder is it when using cardstock? Like, if you screw up a few times with simple paper, are you bound to screw up more using cardstock, or is it easier.

I've noticed the finish product made of paper, tends to warp.

 

[WanderingRon1n]

its easier with heavy duty paper. doesnt bend and warp as much

 

[Ultima]

It is more like using cardboard than plain paper. It is solid as long as you don't put an incredible amount of pressure on it. It will hold up to any sort of hardening technique that is on these forums at least.

 

[TheBlue]

I thought about using cardstock, but ive already begun my final folding(in paper), will it hold up w/ fiberglass and resin? thats what i plan to do after ive made the rest of my armor. any tips?

 

[Ultima]

I dunno about normal paper holding up to resin and fiberglass. I haven't used fiberglass yet.

 

[Long Shot]

plain paper won't hold up to resin or fibre glassing, if you want to do either you need to do it on cardstock or cardboard.

 

[IceTray]

Aren't I just full of questions.
When building the helmet, it was able to fit snug on my head. After its done, which includes adding that ridge around the bottom, it no longer fits (by a lot)
Is it supposed to fit with that ridge? or is the ridge supposed to be removed?

 

[Sean Bradley]

If you're really worried about it you could trace your patterns onto thin sheets of polystyrene plastic, and build your helmet from that.

If I ever get around to doing Pepakura, I'll certainly be doing that method.

 

[Chuck 126]

Aren't I just full of questions.
When building the helmet, it was able to fit snug on my head. After its done, which includes adding that ridge around the bottom, it no longer fits (by a lot)
Is it supposed to fit with that ridge? or is the ridge supposed to be removed?

I had to trim the bottom to get mine to fit, and now it fits perfectly. Since we're working off of the 3D model from the game, in which the armor was never supposed to be taken off or put back on again, you'll have to make some modifications so that you can wear it.

 

[TheBlue]

Dang. is there anything i can use that will reinforce the paper enough so
I can fiberglass it?

 

[IceTray]

Well, theres a chance you could use spray adhesive. I'm betting it would warp the paper though.
I haven't tried it, so really, just follow with the guidelines of everyone else, and get some cardstock paper.