Boba Fett helmet build, ongoing project.

[terra1]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

yeah looks on track to me rosskow the first bondo coat is always as "ruff as a badgers arse" but with each sand/apply it gets smoother and smoother.

id not try sand what you have in the above photos perfectly smooth just yet, sand it down a bit obviously so it feels a bit smoother but don't attempt to remove all the pits, leave those for the second coat of bondo to fill. i found myself sanding right down to the paper at some corners and it proved a pain later on in the build.

with each coat/sand it gets smoother and smoother, eliminating more and more pits in the the surface.

if it were my build id probably cut the visor area out just now so i could bondo it on the edges and then be able to shape the edges and eye slants with my sand paper/file. would probably help getting a better clean edge than trying to sand one into a shallow area. just a thought tho.

really wanna see this sanded down and smooth P should be a good one!

 

[Fierfek]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

Good steady progress so far. I would recommend using a spatula for filling to really smooth the bondo on neatly. Most of the time 90% of the filler will remain on the floor, but something to smooth the filler on will better control the amount used that will actually stay on the helmet. Keep up the good progress.

 

[rosskow]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

im glad im encouraging someone else Ourphil, specially since this is only my first build, thank you

i dont know quite how to take the "looks like a cake i made at the weekend! lol..." comment hooper, i'll take it as a compliment cause i love me a bit of cake

im not too sure about the range finder Hebinator and how i'll attach it yet, i guess i'll worry about that once i need to whether i'll make it moveable, i'd need to be feeling pretty good about myself to do that

it is indeed as rough as a badgers arse atm, you're not wrong terra1, i just need to sand it down, i know my work of art is under all that bondo just need to find it

and i hope i can make you proud of you pep file Fierfek

 

[rosskow]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

started to sand down my bondo, and i've balls it up, i not got the ratio right and its tacky to the touch and i can rub it off with a bit of force

any suggestion to what to do, im not sure whether i should try remove it complete and do it over again or something else, if anyone can give me some pointers would be great

i'll be currently trying to fix it (hopefully) in the garage

 

[terra1]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

hey again rosskow

bondo should be dry enough to sand after 20 mins sometimes less, it sounds like you didn't add enough hardener.

does it crumble off easy? if so id probably try pick it all off and start fresh.

the mix ratio stated on the tin is not very helpfull, i made this little diagram to show how i mix.

the more hardener you use the faster it will turn, be generous with it and if it seems to set to quick just add less next mix batch.

id suggest waiting for a bit before you try picking it all off incase someone else has a better suggestion.

 

[MiDri]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

hey again rosskow

bondo should be dry enough to sand after 20 mins sometimes less, it sounds like you didn't add enough hardener.

does it crumble off easy? if so id probably try pick it all off and start fresh.

the mix ratio stated on the tin is not very helpfull, i made this little diagram to show how i mix.

the more hardener you use the faster it will turn, be generous with it and if it seems to set to quick just add less next mix batch.

id suggest waiting for a bit before you try picking it all off incase someone else has a better suggestion.

The fact that use use Actual size with out knowing the persons screen resolution and screen size makes me laugh a little. I'm envisioning a 24" monitor at 800x600 with this HUGE amount of bondo spread across it.

 

[Sean Hebein]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

It you can just rub it off then I think you need to start over with a new batch. Terra1's diagram is accurate, at least that's how I do mine. If you didn't already do this, before you bondo it, lightly sand your entire helmet so the bondo will stick better.

 

[terra1]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

alright wiseguy! :lol even if the screen's resolution dictates the diagram's size the ratio remain's the same

The fact that use use Actual size with out knowing the persons screen resolution and screen size makes me laugh a little. I'm envisioning a 24" monitor at 800x600 with this HUGE amount of bondo spread across it.

 

[hooper]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

i dont know quite how to take the "looks like a cake i made at the weekend! lol..." comment hooper, i'll take it as a compliment cause i love me a bit of cake

sorry mate, it was meant in a light hearted many and no offence3 was intended......it just looks like the icing on the cake I made! :lol

plus, if your budget can spread to it...a black and decker mouse sander tales a heck of a lot of effort out of the job.

On the bondo/hardener side, I usually go for a golf ball size lump of bondo to a pea size of hardener...seems to have done me ok so far

 

[rosskow]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

well after cutting and hacking at the crumbly/tacky bondo i got most of it off, the, it was mainly the left cheek and the back that was suffering from my poor workmanship.

i think i've got the majority of it sorted out though. as i've been sanding it i didnt feel i did much at all untill i looked at the previous pictures i had of it from the morning, so...

day 7

started off with cutting at it with a knife, peeling it like an apple to get all the soft bits. it wasn't really soft, but i will defonetly need to change my ratio looking at your diagram terra1, thank you for that, your right about the instruction on the tin, bloody awful

tried give a bit of shape the ear bit and cheek on the right side

still need to tackle the left cheek and ear

even though my bondo-ing was a rather big fail! im still hapyp with how its going, got to stay optimistic

thank you for your help and advice everyone

 

[rosskow]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

sorry mate, it was meant in a light hearted many and no offence3 was intended......it just looks like the icing on the cake I made! :lol

plus, if your budget can spread to it...a black and decker mouse sander tales a heck of a lot of effort out of the job.

On the bondo/hardener side, I usually go for a golf ball size lump of bondo to a pea size of hardener...seems to have done me ok so far

forget about it, i thought it looks more like butter cream poorly spread out though, when i looked at it, it reminded me of a cake i made

hopefully the help from you and other will help me when i add some more bondo either tomorrow or the day after, the sanding is really tiring and takes a lengthy time

 

[Sean Hebein]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

+1 on the Black and Decker mouse sander! That thing makes sanding a TON easier and it is small enough that you can get into the little details. I got mine for $30 at Lowes.

 

[hooper]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

got mine in the UK for a shade under £30

 

[Pilot]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

Rosskow, I'm not sure what you have for filler brands across the pond there...but the actual Bondo brand here also makes little plastic spreaders that are, conveniently, the exact same color as properly mixed Bondo should be. If your brand has something similar, it's an excellent gauge as to how good your mix is.

 

[terra1]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

Rosskow, I'm not sure what you have for filler brands across the pond there...but the actual Bondo brand here also makes little plastic spreaders that are, conveniently, the exact same color as properly mixed Bondo should be. If your brand has something similar, it's an excellent gauge as to how good your mix is.

over in the UK we have "david's P38" in place of bondo, i wish it came with the mixed colour spreader thing, thats a pretty good simple idea. ours is plain old black.

you picked up some milliput rosskow yeah, used any yet? if so how you finding it? i cant work without the stuff, its great for edging.

glad the diagram helped, once you mix a few successful batches you don't even have to think about it anymore, all becomes instinct.

 

[Sean Hebein]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

I've got to find a milliput equivalent over here.

 

[rosskow]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

Rosskow, I'm not sure what you have for filler brands across the pond there...but the actual Bondo brand here also makes little plastic spreaders that are, conveniently, the exact same color as properly mixed Bondo should be. If your brand has something similar, it's an excellent gauge as to how good your mix is.

i bloody wish, that would make mixing it up a hell of a lot easier. im still working on getting the perfect mix, hopefully without too many disasters :confused

 

[rosskow]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

day 8

only a small update, tore pretty much the whole of the right cheek off, since it was like a dogs back-side, have to re-do that at a later date

sanded down the dome more and added some filler, think i for the ratio correct this time, feel tougher after half an hour than the right cheek did after 36 hours.

went on alot smoother this time as well, an old credit card works wonders along with the correctly mixed filler, great advice, thank you


:devil i sense alot of sanding down in my future

 

[hooper]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

that looks a lot smoother mate, sure makes a big difference when it comes to sanding , you'll soon find that you don't even need to think about how much hardener your adding.

got some old cards in my drawer might give that trick a try in a minute (when i've got a quick 2 hr session )

 

[terra1]

Re: pepafett (boba fett pepakura attempt)

yip filler looking loads better! hows it feeling now? it set nicely?