Better Than Bondo?! (body filler) iron man helmet

Hi, I have been working on a new Iron Man helmet having done one before using body filler... I found that the body filler I used took a long time to harden and this slowed down the process majorly this time I have tried Chemical Metal and have had a great result am currently in the process of covering entire helmet and have done first coat of chemical resin

I was also able to use this straight onto the cardstock paper without the fiber glass without warping the paper and sanding was just as easy as body filler

Pro's

2. Cheaper than body filler 560ml £11

Dries in 10 minutes
Doesn't require use of fiberglass or resin underneath
I found it easier to use

Con's
Haven't found any (yet)

If there is anything you would like to add or if there is a reason people don't use chemical metal please let me know

(this is only my second time doing pepakura and i know that one side of the helmet looks bad :S)

I used to do paint and body repair for a few years and if body filler is taking more than 20 minutes to be ready to sand, you are putting it on way too thick, what you are getting is garbage, or you're not using enough hardener when you mix it up. I find bondo to a bit more brittle and usually that takes longer to harden. I will let you know there is some body filler out there that is intended to be used thinly on plastic, so it has a bit of give to it that you don't really notice by hand, but I'd recommend that so your stuff has a much smaller chance to crack. I'm sorry I can't remember what it's called now, but I seem to remember it was something like Poly fill because it's more of a polimer but it can be worked and sanded just like normal body filler..... gah I might remember later.

Roaoon said:

I used to do paint and body repair for a few years and if body filler is taking more than 20 minutes to be ready to sand, you are putting it on way too thick, what you are getting is garbage, or you're not using enough hardener when you mix it up. I find bondo to a bit more brittle and usually that takes longer to harden. I will let you know there is some body filler out there that is intended to be used thinly on plastic, so it has a bit of give to it that you don't really notice by hand, but I'd recommend that so your stuff has a much smaller chance to crack. I'm sorry I can't remember what it's called now, but I seem to remember it was something like Poly fill because it's more of a polimer but it can be worked and sanded just like normal body filler..... gah I might remember later.

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ahh thanks i think if your referring to normal poly filler its mainly used to fix holes or dents in walls and is more like plaster i think im very new to prop making at the minute im just experimenting and wondered why ive never seen someone used chemical metal

Hi Katarnar. No not the wall stuff. I'm sorry its been so long I forget the name, but in Canada here, I go to NAPA auto parts and I can get the body filler that's rated for plastic and that is pretty good stuff. If you want to go all out, use fiberglass body filler then use the plastic rated filler on top for detailing and that way it absorbs some movement and bumps and helps avoid cracking. Just a tip if you've never worked with Fiberglass it is quite a bit harder so go with a large grit sandpaper like 80 grit to get your basic shape. I wish I still had a grage to do this kind of work again :-/

.. forgot to mention a high build primer is really nice to fill in any tiny imperfections and can be sanded down a bit and you get a perfect finish. Your final sanding should be at bare minimum a 400 grit on Primer and 240 on the body filler otherwise you see scratch lines in your paint.
My apologies if you know all this already, just trying to help.