Pepakura Fiberglass and Smoothing Tutorial

[Spartan 110]

your right dude, better safe than sorry

i dont know the answer to that

 

[ShadowSniper]

Yes, the matte can leave slivers that make you itch, the cloth too I believe, although it is a much larger problem with the matte. If your just cutting it and not using any resin, I think your safe without gloves as it's going to get on your clothes and skin anyway. You still need the respirator though because it gets in the air quick.

 

[FinAeros]

Use a respirator and latex gloves at least.

 

[Chuck 126]

Thanks so much guys. I was going to play it safe and wear gloves in case nobody knew the answer, but I didn't think about loose strands in the air. There was no warning on the package and nobody talks about precautions that should be taken with the cloth itself, so I didn't know what to think. Now I do, and I'm glad I asked.

Thanks again!

 

[FinAeros]

You should also make sure to wear eye protection.

 

[Caboose]

Would it help if you applied resin first or would that be the equivalent of fiberglassing it? Nice tut. though. :clap:

 

[Sigma LS]

Well applying resin first is the first step ;-)

The real fiberglassing is after when you cover the fiberglass cloth in resin.

 

[Caboose]

:$ops:

 

[adreniline]

Woah I need this. Thanks for the tut

 

[Sigma LS]

Updated with another pic for clarity.

 

[Dracula53]

why are there 2 tuts on this? I don't know which one to fallow...are they the same thing, just diffrent?

 

[Sigma LS]

This one tells you how to fiberglass and smooth your armor as well as preserve texture details if you have that in mind.

 

[Dracula53]

oh, ok thank you. By the way I couldn't find any fiberglass but lowe's has some bondo stuff will this make the paper hard, and abel to be put on? Maby "paint" this stuff on then spray paint it?

 

[Sigma LS]

Lowes will have fiberglass and resin, it could be that the store folks just don't know about it; however, if you want to use your approach instead you should get Bondo brand Body Filler, it will have a picture of a red car on it.

 

[DCM]

Is fiberglassing the inside absolutely neccesary or could I just resin?

 

[Chaman]

Fiberglassing will add a lot of strength with a little work.
Yes, it would be advisable to use at least a dust mask while handling the cloth; but if you're handling the cloth, you're likely ready to add the resin, so use a respirator & cartridges for fiberglassing.

 

[joshua61991]

Thanks so much guys. I was going to play it safe and wear gloves in case nobody knew the answer, but I didn't think about loose strands in the air. There was no warning on the package and nobody talks about precautions that should be taken with the cloth itself, so I didn't know what to think. Now I do, and I'm glad I asked.
Thanks again!

just so you know if you read this again always wear a mask and gloves. Like insulation this stuff has glass in it and easly can get on your hand and lungs. also id wear goggles. Call me paranoid but have you ever looked up when putting insulation in your attic ceiling? If not don't it aint fun believe me. alsmost hurt enough to make me hate the pink panther. (thats the kind of insulation we get around here if you don't understand that)

This re-kindled my want to make a costume. After seeing the cost of things I didn't even want to bother making a costume but now that I understand how to use pepwhatchagummy I want to make ten of the suits.

 

[thisismadness2]

kool thanks nice tut

 

[Chaman]

When I first reas this I just skimmed it and didn't realize there were some tricks and tips that would help for Step 2 Fiberglassing the inside:

plan out how your going to lay your cloth, my plan (may revise later) is to basically move from the top (crown) & brim to the neck, checks & chin.

I'll prep my cloth to fit with a little excess and at least 1/4 inch (5mm) of overlap 1/2 inch (10-12mm) or more is better. Remember, it's better to have too much prepped then not enough. You also want the pieces as large as you can make them but still be able to handle them
make sure your helmet is upside down and ready to glass; from this point we're going to move quickly

Now mix up your resin, you need enough to give the inside a good coat
---three times more then you used on the out side or more; a little experience will help, you need enough to fully wet the glass cloth and give a thin skin
Give the inside a coat of resin, it should not be thick enough to run, this will hold the glass to the sides
now, start laying your glass.
The resin will hold the glass while allowing you to slide it around, add more resin if it doesn't.
as you lay each piece, add resin to the piece & smooth it out; add resin until the entire piece looks wet
repeat with the next piece and so on

With a little experience you can jump right to the next step (you may need to mix more resin to start with)
Now, plan on laying the next layer at a diagonal to the first layer, (not necessary but will add strength)
-- if the frist layer looks like this: +, lay the next layer like this X.
-- sometimes this won't be possible, don't worry about it
with these conciderations in mind, follow the same steps as you did for the first layer

another option is to use mat for either the first layer or between layers of cloth, always try to finish with a layer of cloth

 

[BomBom]

hey, i have a question for yall. is all purpose fiberglass resin different from regular? if so, which is better? i have the all purpose one.