Resining & Fibre Glassing Tutorial/How To

[Ral Partha]

i bought some colored cardstock.
but when i got home i realized it didn't say a weight on it.
it is Embassy AMPAD Colored Cardstock.
is this what you used?

I saw that same kind of thing at Wal-Mart today. Judging from the way it flexed when I handled it, I'm guessing that it's 65 weight.

So I have a quick question..Does it really matter what temperature you resin/fiberglass in? I would imagine a somewhat warm environment.

Cool temperatures will slow down its curing time but it will cure eventually, assuming that you have added a sufficient amount of hardener to the resin.

 

[Spartan343]

I saw that same kind of thing at Wal-Mart today. Judging from the way it flexed when I handled it, I'm guessing that it's 65 weight.
Cool temperatures will slow down its curing time but it will cure eventually, assuming that you have added a sufficient amount of hardener to the resin.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[skope]

Great tutorial ... especially the part about the brim. I just tried to wrap my mind around that problem a few hours earlier.

 

[SpartanJhon117]

Hmm what about the inside of the helmet do u need to rasin it too?

 

[SpartanJhon117]

well i got how to do the rasining but i didnt get how to do the fibreglassing oh well i havent got the materials yet but i will buy them soon nice tut though...

 

[Dellusional Maniac]

Just my two cents and I dunno if anyone else has already mentioned this,but if your gonna resin and fibreglass,i'd recommend doing it in either thick paper or card,I tried making a helmet from cartridge paper,and their so delicate,as soona s I touch the brush tot he surface,it bends,then you have to fight witht he paper as it gets wet to keep it's shape,was just a nightmare,so I made mine out of card
Gonna go resin it right now!

 

[Shorion]

Fiberglassing tutorial photos

So anyhow I'm in australia and everything looks different here. So i took pictures of my fiberglassing fun for you all.

Here are photos of my setup

SAFETY FIRST!
Leather Gloves - Check
Respirator with duel filters for fiberglass work - Check
Glasses - Check
Long Sleeve top jeans and covered shoes - Check

Good to go

What I had to buy...

Fiberglass cloth and fiberglass mat (doesnt matter which)
Fiberglass resin
Fiberglass resin catalyst
Measuring cup ( little white cup next to the catalyst)
(in australia they sell fiberglassing kits that contain all of the above so I got a 1m kit)

Leather gloves
Respirator
Safety glasses
Spray Adhesive
about 10 paint brushes (1 inch)
acetone for cleaning
some thing to cut the fiberglass (it cuts like paper or card pretty easy stuff)
some pop sticks for mixing
a old tv food tray covered in aliminum foil so I can reuse it.

[attachment=2992SC00444.JPG]
[attachment=2993SC00445.JPG]
[attachment=2994SC00446.JPG]

Two methods to do this that I used any way is good.
Method one (no spary on adhesive)

So after I got all this put on all the safety gear I tested it. I used a little piece thats like half a matchbox and fiberglassed it.

I cut some pieces of mat to fit inside then took them back out and mixed the resin and catalyst into the resin using a popstick. for 50g of resin i used half a gram of catalyst (2 drops, Its like 45 degrees celcius here all the time) Usually you should mix 1-3grams.

Next I coated the test piece with resin on the inside. Then one piece at a time I stuck them in and covered them in resin.

I used the opposite side of the brush to make it as flat against the card/paper as I could.

Then I left it in the sun, thats it. 30 mins and it was hard yay.

Method two.

I resined the outside and then waited till it got hard.

Then I cut fiberglass cloth to fit the inside.

Then sprayed the inside with spray on adhesive

Stuck the fiberglass inside.

Mixed some resin and coated the fiberglass a bit at a time.

I prefered method two because I could take my time placing the fiberglass in all the right places without having the resin all over the place. Oh also, I used heavier card/paper. you guys use 110lb/163g while I use 200g which is like a bit thicker. I didnt have to print or use any support struts while making the bits and pieces coz it held shape even when resined :-D More photos to come later this week.

 

[kadidlehopp]

nice tutorial ill use that for sure did u make that skull ur self?? lol

 

[Shorion]

nice tutorial ill use that for sure did u make that skull ur self?? lol

The helm is flying squirls HD helmet Pepakura. I didnt change the size it just fits with a little fine tuning.

So anyhow heres the gloves.

I cut my fiberglass into strips because theres so many lumps and bumps inside. I used the spray on adhesive and placed each piece in and pushed it down hard. For the corners/nubs I just crammed bits of fiberglass inside.

Then I mixed the resin and catalyst and just brushed it in there. For the places I couldnt reach I just used a spoon and poured it right in. It 7pm here out in the sun it'll take about 30 mins to dry yay for australia, 16 hours of 35+ degree weather. It hasnt dropped below 30 at night so i might do some fiberglass work tonight and get the legs and helm done.

 

[kayaker]

ok, i am now here, and it might draw some sort of fire but i have never played Halo. 1 2 or 3. never played an Xbox either. after seeing all the dedication you guys put into this stuff I've convinced myself to get a copy for the PC

i have read this thread on fiberglassing and i could lend a little fiberglassing advice. I make kayaks as a hobby so the whole glassing isnt all that foreign to me and i felt the need to put in my .02

www.fiberglasssite.com
cheapest place i found for a lot of things, but not necessarily everything

noah's boatbuilding supply for about everythign else.

look for microballoons, they are essentially tiny glass bubbles you mix with the resin to give it some buildup properties. (kinda like adding oats to water) it can turn out about as thick as you want it, it is as strong as the resin, sands well, and unlike bondo products no hairs and it's hella lightweight.

fiberglass mat, the swirly hairly lookin stuff eats up a lot more resin than fiberglass cloth. helmet might not mean much other than ektra resin but in a big project it could mean lots of weight. it's also more flexible. take a square foot of each and drape them over objects around the house.

i have read most of the tutorials and i think i might take a stab at a helmet. i'll make it out of the pepakura w/110# stock, resin it then do a coating of ballooned resin to round it out a bit. better to eat up the sharp edges this way than with the cloth. once the shape is acceptable i'll throw on a layer of cloth and resin, then touch up spots and smooth it out (typically with the boats we use varnish) I got a couple boats to finish before spring but i'll peck away at this bit by bit with extra batches of resin and cloth scraps. i'll take pics and let you know how it turns out.

 

[Shorion]

So, I've done most of the fiberglassing. Heres the helmet and chest half way through...

[attachment=3134SC00439.JPG]

Heres the helmet looking a tad smothered in fiberglass. After doing the inside I had no choice when doing the brim, I couldnt get inside without touching the other parts, and I was in a bit of a rush so I just fiberglassed the outside. PS fiberglass cloth SUX! not only is it like 1/4 the strength of fiberglass mat, but when it get stuck to you the fiberglass cloth is a weave so it pulls apart the whole cloth out of position and stringy bits get left all over the place. With fiberglass mat it just comes off is small bits and doesnt effect the rest of it.

[attachment=3135SC00441.JPG]

Heres the Chest piece done, all from the inside wasnt very hard, done using fiberglass mat
I'm going to use a rotary tool to cut the sides away and top and attach some straps to make it easy to get on.
ps I used 200gsm card so I didnt have to use any supports, the whole thing held without and resin coat first to make it hard etc.

[attachment=3136SC00442.JPG]

and heres a wrist shot down the hole, as you can see I used cloth for that one urgh, what a headache it just doesnt wana behave when trying to jame it in tight spaces, strands and **** go everywhere making it fall off etc.

[attachment=3137SC00443.JPG]

I spent a total of like 8 hours working on fiberglassing. 1 hour break and I got the chest, helmet, wrists and shins fiberglassed. resined the forearms. 2 tubs of 1kg resin, 20 ml of catylst and 1m of mat, 1/2m of cloth used.

 

[Shorion]

Check out my profile for more pictures but... heres some of all my pieces fiberglassed.

[attachment=3168SC00460.JPG]
[attachment=3169SC00453.JPG]
[attachment=3170SC00455.JPG]

P.S.

30 mins after I finished fiberglassing while cleaning up a courier came by and dropped off ...

[attachment=3171SC00451.JPG]

BEST timing EVER god WANTS me to build this thing haha.

 

[Shorion]

Once you finish fiberglassing by the way. Get some sandpaper and smooth it down.

USE REFERENCE PICTURES! get it right. You dont need to sand off the paper/card.

if some pieces are to low/thin/missing detail USE BONDO/BODY FILLER/CARD/WHATEVER YOU WANT and build it back up, cut it to shape whatever and then smooth it down again

heres what I use for sanding and cutting the fiberglass

[attachment=3172SC00452.JPG]

Its a 187 piece rotart tool and accessory set. Made by 'Sontax'. theres different types dremel etc but this one as a kit cost me $70. it has buffers, grinders sanders cutters everything you'll need. You can also just buy the rotary tool and then buy a seperate smaller piece kit. There are like 30 piece and 50 piece kits that are $15 and the rotary tool will set you back about $40.

Use the tool to sand buff cut and make the fiberglassed models as PERFECT as you can get them from reference images.

NEXT

you can seee on my handguards I put a coat or automotive primer on them. This makes the paint 'stick' to the fiberglass/card otherwise if you just paint your green/red/blue on it its going to be uneven and scratch off and look half as good as it should. SO USE PRIMER.

finally spray on your final coats when the primers dry, its up to you to put detail from painting etc lights and stuff but this stuff depending on how good a detail you wana do will take as long as just making the card and fiberglassing parts.

 

[SagittariusArt]

About the Fiberglass Cloth:

Why do you have Problems with that? I use it too for tiny Places and such where Mats dont get, but never had such Problems that youre talking about...show some Patience with them and it goes right

Ok, Mats are stronger too, but they takeoff too sometimes, specially at very edged Places...got some of this today, brushed a few Times over it and have only a few little Airspots left, but that Places dont matter and in the Case they would i can cut trough and fill it with Resin, Problem solved.

BTW: I fiberglassed the Lower Torso today, because of some big Places i filled them with some Resin, strong enough even without Fiberglass

Is it hard to glass the Torso? When yes, should i cut it into 2 Pieces?

 

[Shorion]

About the Fiberglass Cloth:

Why do you have Problems with that? I use it too for tiny Places and such where Mats dont get, but never had such Problems that youre talking about...show some Patience with them and it goes right

Ok, Mats are stronger too, but they takeoff too sometimes, specially at very edged Places...got some of this today, brushed a few Times over it and have only a few little Airspots left, but that Places dont matter and in the Case they would i can cut trough and fill it with Resin, Problem solved.

BTW: I fiberglassed the Lower Torso today, because of some big Places i filled them with some Resin, strong enough even without Fiberglass

Is it hard to glass the Torso? When yes, should i cut it into 2 Pieces?

Fiberglass cloth/mat loses strength the smaller the piece you use. When I fiberglassed I used pieces that went all the way around inside the legs/arms/helm for strength. I would have taken photos but yer, no time. The fiberglass mat tends to just hold up nice and easy where the cloth just flops down all over.

Ya, the airbubbles/microbubbles dont matter to much for us, were not building boats or cars lol. just the resin alone is enough to make it strong. For places that fiberglass is to hard to get into i did 3 light layers of resin on the outside and filled the inside with resin.

The torso took me about 2 hours to fiberglass around that. I'm not sure, I did it along with the helm and shins in about 6 hours.

My torso is cut but not in two. Its cut at the waist, up the top I cut it but not straight through so that it flexs a tiny tiny bit but it still goes on. And I cut it after I had fiberglass. resined and done some detailing on it.

I also fiberglassed the inside not the outside. On the outside I did 2-3 light coats of resin. be careful not to put it on to thick else it will run like spray paint and leave you with less detail and ugly bumps that you have to spend time sanding.

 

[SagittariusArt]

My Torso is already done with Resin, i think i have too 3 Layers outside and 1 Layer inside to strength it up, tomorrow, i hope the Weather goes good and warm, i will add Fiberglass into it, some Places become a good Fill of Resin, like the Sides and Shoulder-Parts, should be done with that in about 1 Hour to 1 1/2 Hours when all goes like the Lower Torso (finished it in about 30min with Fiberglass), then a little Bondo on some Places and finish.

But the Fiberglass Cloth is good for flexible Places, they can act like a Pivot.

 

[rawr]

thanks i was wondering how to do thaat because i just got into the pepakura stuff... kind of annoying cutting out all the peices BAH... 28 just for the helmit... so well thanks.

 

[kyzzzle360]

ARGG!!!!
Nobody told me you have to be 18 to get resin. i feel depressed. =[
is there any alternative for a 16yr old dude like me?

 

[stanvo]

ive seen this question asked but i dont think a definative answer has been said so im going to ask it anyways, and if you dont know, dont post an answer, i dont want, "I think it should work."

So will jelly resin work or not? Its cheaper than liquid resin but i want to know if somebody has used it, or heard of its use being sucessfull.

 

[Bartock]

ive seen this question asked but i dont think a definative answer has been said so im going to ask it anyways, and if you dont know, dont post an answer, i dont want, "I think it should work."

So will jelly resin work or not? Its cheaper than liquid resin but i want to know if somebody has used it, or heard of its use being sucessfull.

Yes resin jelly will work just as well. It goes on a little thicker, and you may want to use a spreader instead of a brush, but the end result is the same...hard and smooth.