Fiberglass gel for casting?

dariang

Member
Hey guys,

So I've done a bunch of research on what materials to buy to start molding/casting my Iron Man Mk VII helmet, but all the videos I find of people using some sort of fiberglass gel/resin for the casting don't mention what brand or type it is.

ProjectEarth mentioned he used this:
1st layer --> Colored gel-kote
2nd layer --> Non-sag Polyester resin infused with milled fiber
3rd layer --> fiberglass saturated with polyester resin

Does anyone know what type of coloured gel and brand name of polyester resin, etc... I should get for all of these? I can get anything from Smooth-on, I would just like to know what's a good one to get?

I tried contacting ProjectEarth but he seems to be away right now. I'm hoping to pick up my materials before the weekend.

Thank you!
 
if you wanted to stick with Smooth-On and use fiberglass then get Epox-A-Mite. You can use Epox-A-Mite as a subtitute for what the gel coat is supposed to do (filling edges and corners) then use it to saturate your fiberglass. Or use their Task Series casting plastic with some type of filler.

As for the brand of gelcoat ad resin, it doesn't matter what brand. Just make sure of the compatibility of what you're getting. I'll make sure to get your stuff from a supplier so you get all your questions squared away.
 
if you wanted to stick with Smooth-On and use fiberglass then get Epox-A-Mite. You can use Epox-A-Mite as a subtitute for what the gel coat is supposed to do (filling edges and corners) then use it to saturate your fiberglass. Or use their Task Series casting plastic with some type of filler.

As for the brand of gelcoat ad resin, it doesn't matter what brand. Just make sure of the compatibility of what you're getting. I'll make sure to get your stuff from a supplier so you get all your questions squared away.

Thanks, Ms.Tigerblood! I don't have to stick with Smooth-On stuff if there is better stuff out there. But just to be sure that I understand you correctly, what I would do is:
- take the mold that i've made
- add Epox-A-Mite to the inside of it to fill all the little holes and cracks
- lay down fiberglass cloth
- add the resin
- remove it from the mold
- party?

Also, is fiberglass matte better to use than cloth for this step?

Thanks again!
:darnkids
 
- take the mold that i've made
- apply carnauba wax in the mold or any releasing agent (PAM worked for me)
- add Epox-A-Mite to the inside of it to fill all the little holes and cracks
- lay down fiberglass cloth
- brush on Epox-A-mite
- remove it from the mold
- party?

As for Fiberglass mat or cloth, it doesn't matter to me. What you have to consider is the "weight" of the fiberglass you're using. I use "1.5 oz." for these kind of stuff.
You can also do what Stealth is suggesting, using the EpoxAcoat, if you want to buy that extra stuff.
 
As for Fiberglass mat or cloth, it doesn't matter to me. What you have to consider is the "weight" of the fiberglass you're using. I use "1.5 oz." for these kind of stuff.
You can also do what Stealth is suggesting, using the EpoxAcoat, if you want to buy that extra stuff.


When you said "apply carnauba wax in the mold or any releasing agent (PAM worked for me)", is that the same thing as spraying your master build with Ease Release 200? or is this another step one must do to ensure no stickage?

Stef, where's your tutorial on casting?! Me want vids!! (please and thank you :) )

Thanks everyone for the help!
 
If you want to make your own gel-coat, add cab-o-sil to your polyester resin until it's as thick as you want it. Cab is a fairly standard thickening agent - just don't breath the stuff. It's bad news for your lungs.
 
While I'm getting all sorts of great help on this thread, has anyone here used Rebound-40?

I went to the store today to get Rebound-25 but they said they only had Rebound-40 in stock. Apparently it's the same stuff just sets a little thicker. Do you think that will be a problem? It sounds like it will actually work better, but then again I've never molded anything before...
 
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