TUTORIAL: The Totally Offical "Hot glue Method" Method.
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Rocketmike
New Member
I ttook me a while to find this but this thread is exactly what I needed. I don't really have the space or equipment to do the fiberglass but I already have everything I need to do this method. Thanks a TON. I'll post later once I get my helmet made and let everyone know what the results were like. This is my first ever Spartan costume in the making.
Most of the armor will be made from foam and based off of the pepakura blueprints, but the helmet is going to have to be cardstock and I really didnt want to have to use fiberglass. Thanks again!
Most of the armor will be made from foam and based off of the pepakura blueprints, but the helmet is going to have to be cardstock and I really didnt want to have to use fiberglass. Thanks again!
Spartan D211
Jr Member
Vere niiiceeeee.Ima try it on my cardboard armor. 
TEH newbs shall remember you and worship you as a hero.For all time.Hail AoBfrost!
TEH newbs shall remember you and worship you as a hero.For all time.Hail AoBfrost! 
noleafclover614
New Member
Not sure if this was said already, but why not use Mod Podge? It can be easily brushed on with a brush and you don't need to heat it up. It dries glossy and after a couple of coats it strengthens the armor up pretty nicely. It will never get as hard as fiberglassing / resining, but it provides some structure.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
thefireninja
New Member
Nope, it just rolls off into chunks and takes bits of the card with it. Maybe a fine grit would work, but it'd be pointless. Use a vegetable peeler, the kind that looks like a razor blade. Sounds stupid but I did it.
I have no idea what modpodge is, but it's always worth testing it out on bits of undone pepakura models and see how well it works!
I suppose people looking in this thread are looking for alternatives to resin/fibreglass. Maybe this post will help.
I have been testing various glues that are widely available in hardware stores as well as this hot glue method, as per this tutorial exactly (I have not done a full item with it yet, thought it'd be a waste) on some pepakura. They were all the exact same geometric shapes with one wide flat plane and severe folds, so I could tell warp easily. (It resembles a plateau of sorts)
I listed some criteria that my new alternative method had to meet that would be good enough for pepakura model making: hardens but does not warp cardstock, but it must also have impact strength - I don't want a brittle helmet.
In this hot glue method, hot glue is used to provide structure. However I decided that flex is not desirable so I thought I'd put a thin layer of hot glue instead to potentially waterproof the cardstock - and it worked. Now, I can use whatever I want to stiffen the model even if it would normally warp paper. (sillicone caulk works just as good as hot glue, but obviously takes a while to dry. use the soap water technique to smoothen out sillicone, you'll find it's easier to smoothen than hot glue)
For a model to last, I need something that emulates resin for its strength and hardness, and fibreglass for impact strength and to counteract the brittleness of resin.
Cotton cloth, synthetic materials work as long as they absorb whatever glue you put on it. From what I know, hot glue oddly absorbs into woven cotton, it may be worth trying out if you're trying this hot glue method. I got inspiration from it, but I went a different route.
Success #1:
At this point, I could glue light wood like balsa to the inside of my model for strength, but then I would need something to counteract its potential brittleness (although I know, balsa is so soft it's more likely to dent and absorb the impact) for something long-lasting. So I made a block using used printing paper, added a little PVA glue, folded it and put it in a vice to dry, then folded it again and repeated the process. I've seen this stuff being made before on YouTube, and it's stiff - like plastic, but it can be carved like wood. Its strength is all glue and it absorbs impact really well. I made a block about half a centimetre thick.
I preferred this method over paper mache, because having used the latter before a lot, I know that paper mache tends to fray when it's rubbed on even if you used concentrated glue and sealed it - which is going to happen if you are to wear it. Not to mention in the humid environment that is Malaysia, and even more humidity that is our sweat while wearing our work - it will come apart. This block method reduces the amount of exposed edges and is easier to seal properly than paper mache is.
I cut down the block into small mosaic pieces, then glued the biggest piece to the widest plane and braced it so it wouldn't warp the model as it dried. When that dried, I glued smaller bits to that piece and to the model, so the new pieces are not just stuck to the model, it's stuck to each other. After all of it dried, I glued more pieces over joints between the first mosaic layer. So think of it like laying bricks, they interlock and one layer cancels out another layer's movement. The first layer had a slight gap between the mosaic pieces and the model, and I filled that in with sillicone caulk. I had a big sheet of the paper-glue thing, so I did three layers. Then I sealed it with varnish.
Success #2: (I used this method for my helmet, before I even carried out these tests)
Wood varnish and cloth - fibreglass or t-shirt cloth. The wood varnish I used was my dad's, it was in a huge unmarked bottle, I honestly do not know what kind of wood varnish it is as I understand there are several kinds. I imagine it is possible to use spray on adhesives in a can, epoxy, shellac and polyurethane - anything as long as it sticks to the hot glue and doesn't melt it. (So buy a small can to test out first!)
Alternatively, you could use something else to waterproof your model. I'm not sure if sillicone caulk would be less prone to being melted by solvents, but it's worth trying. Also - it's funny, but I used a vegetable peeler to make the inside of the model smooth after applying hot glue so I could glue the mosaic bits on evenly. Maybe a razor would work better, it would be less prone to digging through the hot glue.
Oh - and you want an alternative to bondo? Seal the outside of your model with appropriate spray paints (I don't know what brands could waterproof - I have different brand names here in Malaysia) and use caulk, the mortar kind. It's laborious to sand, but it's great to fill in gaps. I'm not sure if I'd glob it on the model and sanding the crap out of it like some people do with bondo, though. What I did was spraying lacquer over the model and it worked, albeit not very well because I think I sprayed too much on the first coat. The paper still warps even if whatever you spray on doesn't absorb, just like when you glob on resin to your model. It was a structural warp, not the card itself absorbing liquid.
That is all I have to share. I did not give you all the answers, but I have given you the start of it - find your answers yourself. I'm just telling you to go out and experiment, rather than wait online for a miracle alternative to fibreglass/resin. It sounds harsh but stop whining if you can't model. I had my own troubles even finding resin and fibreglass. I hope this was informative enough for the lazy ones, but more than that I hope you would go out there and find a solution yourself. Good luck!
It's a putty: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bondo_(putty)
Remember to do some researching of your own before asking questions, otherwise somebody will start shouting at you sooner or later.
manaWarful
New Member
thanks for the tip im going to start my first helmet and i might use this. but first i know its kinda trolling but does any one have a printer friendly stencil that i can use. i going to use cardbord or foamboard and i dont have the money to download pepakura designer thanks
Pepakura Designer is Shareware. Downloading it is free, the main restriction of the unregistered version is that it can't save anything - which doesn't matter if you're just scaling and printing finished files.
Warpath5150
Jr Member
Awesome stuff, can I use both techniques? and how solid can the hot glue get?
Warchester
New Member
I just found this method of melting the glue and it's a bit safer than the tin method as tin tends to burn up. It uses the same principle but a sturdier pan. Let me know if this helps at all.
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I tried using this method on a Mark VI bicep. When i put the glue on the stove, it would melt fine. What went wrong is that the glue would solidify on the brush as soon as I took it off the pan. I ended up having alot of spots with a ton of glue and sots that were very spread out and stringy. Is there any way of preventing it from so stringy and splotchy?
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