Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 painted pieces

[Dynamic1]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

I hear Doc is busy fulfilling orders.

In the meantime, I've hit upon a combination of techniques that render a non-cracking finish and it's almost criminal in it's simplicity. Mind you, most of this is originally Doc's method.

I still found I got some cracking on the thicker foams when painting my suits, even with Doc's technique.

Then I had a conversation with a client of mine that owns a body shop. I told him about the suits and our painting woes. After I described the process, he advised me to eliminate one of the products and then use a scuffing pad.

I tried it. You wouldn't believe the difference it makes. I have a piece of 12mm foam that I painted yesterday and have spent the past day bending it, TRYING to get it to crack and it won't. Here is the method:

First off, don't use Mod Podge. It cracks to start with setting you up for failure later. Instead use good ole' Elmers Glue (white PVA). Four coats should do it. Stays very flexible when dry.

Second, use a scuff pad or very fine grit sandpaper, just scuff the surface of the glue to provide a "tooth" for the primer to grab onto.

Third, use the SEM flexible primer Doc suggested earlier in his thread. Two light coats should be plenty. Scuff this surface also with your scuff pad or sandpaper.

Fourth, apply your paint of choice. I use Duplicolor for the metal flake in the paint. Again, two or three very light coats should do it. DO NOT SCUFF THIS LAYER.

Finally, apply 2 medium coats of SEM flexible clear or "color coat" as it's called on the can.

Be sure to allow 24 hours for the primer to dry thoroughly before applying the paint. Follow the paint up immediately once it's dry to the touch with your clear. After everything completely dries (24 to 48 hours), you should have an extremely flexible surface that looks great and wears just as great with no cracking!


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Thanks for sharing buddy!:thumbsup

 

[BaseZero]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

Thanks for sharing buddy!:thumbsup

You bet! Wait till you see the new suit!

 

[Peejfro]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

Thanks for sharing buddy!:thumbsup

ditto cheers bro

 

[DTR]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

this thread has been SUPER INFORMATIVE!!! as im looking to seal and paint my sons iron patriot suit(hes 4 yrs old) now i have a question has anyone just PLASTIDIPed the suit AS the sealant and skipped the PVA "sealant" part? thanks for the info.

im not really looking for paint longevity as its for halloween and its my first run of im sure MANY more....

thanx for the imput and sorry im not tryin to threadjack

 

[torx]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

big thanks base zero. and it seems very easy on the wallet.

unfortunately ive already coated everything with mod podge. :\

but i shall try this method with a few inconspicuous pieces as a test.

 

[Mektar]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

Any1 who can get in touch with doc to check out his mails/pm's?

 

[Peejfro]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

Any1 who can get in touch with doc to check out his mails/pm's?

hey bro I got message from him the other day, he is working like mad trying to get orders met.

 

[Mektar]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

Wish he could say tho how far orders are in detail tho (my last mail well over a month ago which was rd to ship, nothing tho). Cus i dont seem to get in touch with him so hence you can understand it feels like hes run of...especially with a few other recent threads where things have gotten bit funny.

 

[Biskt]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

In the meantime, I've hit upon a combination of techniques that render a non-cracking finish

When you say 'non-cracking' does this include non-wrinkling? I use Golden artist colours' self-leveling gel medium (its for use with acrylic paints. A few layers of this provide a completely crack proof surface. however, it does wrinkle if you bend it too far. (bend it more than roughly 45 degrees and wrinkles appear.)
If it's just a non cracking method I'd recommend this. bought a 4 liter bucket for £60, and I've only used over a 5th for my mark 7 suit. That's roughly £10-15 for a whole suit.

Repairs and painting is easy, and no adhesion promoter is required -the medium is formulated to stick to paint. Brush marks are non existent, as you can simply rub the surface with a wet cloth or your fingers for a perfectly flat surface, at which point the self leveler kicks in, and bam! no fingermarks or anything. It's waterproof. Paint can also obviously be mixed in, without affecting the colour.

 

[Peejfro]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

Wish he could say tho how far orders are in detail tho (my last mail well over a month ago which was rd to ship, nothing tho). Cus i dont seem to get in touch with him so hence you can understand it feels like hes run of...especially with a few other recent threads where things have gotten bit funny.

plz just stay patient im sure you will get them, it took a while for me to get mine too but he did deliver.

 

[Mektar]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

plz just stay patient im sure you will get them, it took a while for me to get mine too but he did deliver.

Thats atleast positive news then. cheers bud

 

[justscott]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

doc is now not excepting phone calls on his phone, not answering texts and emails. He has 1860.00 of my money and i have no suit. He has missed every single deadline that he said he would make. Unless he over nights it tonight there is no way i am getting it for halloween..... I have a ton of emails and texts that i will share, but I'm giving him till tonight to send me a tracking number. It is not looking good for me as far as getting my suit is concerned.

 

[Peejfro]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

doc is now not excepting phone calls on his phone, not answering texts and emails. He has 1860.00 of my money and i have no suit. He has missed every single deadline that he said he would make. Unless he over nights it tonight there is no way i am getting it for halloween..... I have a ton of emails and texts that i will share, but I'm giving him till tonight to send me a tracking number. It is not looking good for me as far as getting my suit is concerned.

I hope it works out for you bro, that's a bummer I had the same thing happen to me last year twice!! not by doc I might add, but I know the feeling all too well its not good hope you get urz

 

[masternewbie]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

For Doc if he sees this in time...
Hi Doc, I am in a rush to finish a halloween project for the kids. I have tons of plastidip on hand then I see this thread. For the garden bender, did you have any fails with not sealing the foam with modgepodge or pva glue?
Does it go on thicker than plastidip, covering the small pin holes in the foam?

Do you foresee any SHORT-TERM issues (one day of use) with just using the ELT followed on by plastidip and then paint?

My first and only other suit last year turned out ok, but you still saw some crease lines. Some pieces I PVA'd and some I didn't but every thing seemed to adhere fine without any adhesion promoters.

And if you don't see this in time there is always next year (I have a jug of Epsilon that I gave up on due to time constraints).

Thanks!

 

[darkside501st]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

The way it is for most of use guys who do this 'on the side' is that our regular lives sometimes get in the way of meeting deadlines and such. Unexpected things can come up right in the middle of everything and they tend to suck all the time you have. I know cause this happened to me. I had some personal family issues arise and all of a sudden I didn't have any time to finish orders I had. This resulted in unexpected and unavoidable delays from my original commitments. Luckily for me I did not originally over extend myself and I was not making full Iron Man suits either so I have been able to get mostly caught up. I still have a few orders pending that I am working one. Give him some time and accept that when you hire a hobbyist to build you something then there is a possibility that you might not get it on time. Most of us have families and full time regular jobs. We do this stuff in our 'spare' time.

Hell, I just ordered a bunch of square wire from a major manufacturing company and it is almost a month over due. Stuff happens sometimes. One thing I can say for Doc is that communication will go a long way. I always maintained communication with my customers. If you ignore people then things will just get worse. For everyone else... it takes an ungodly amount of time to respond to all the emails, PMs, and other social media communication requests. If my regular job didn't allow me to use the internet then I would have been up ***** creek without a paddle. If Doc is behind on work and getting a ton of emails everyday then he is probably feeling quite overwhelmed. I would suggest that if you are not in a hurry for your order then let Doc know so that he can start knocking out the orders for all the impatient people first. Good luck to everyone that has orders in with him and to Doc... I hope that everything is ok with you and just keep plugging away at the work trying to get caught up.

 

[Peejfro]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

The way it is for most of use guys who do this 'on the side' is that our regular lives sometimes get in the way of meeting deadlines and such. Unexpected things can come up right in the middle of everything and they tend to suck all the time you have. I know cause this happened to me. I had some personal family issues arise and all of a sudden I didn't have any time to finish orders I had. This resulted in unexpected and unavoidable delays from my original commitments. Luckily for me I did not originally over extend myself and I was not making full Iron Man suits either so I have been able to get mostly caught up. I still have a few orders pending that I am working one. Give him some time and accept that when you hire a hobbyist to build you something then there is a possibility that you might not get it on time. Most of us have families and full time regular jobs. We do this stuff in our 'spare' time.

Hell, I just ordered a bunch of square wire from a major manufacturing company and it is almost a month over due. Stuff happens sometimes. One thing I can say for Doc is that communication will go a long way. I always maintained communication with my customers. If you ignore people then things will just get worse. For everyone else... it takes an ungodly amount of time to respond to all the emails, PMs, and other social media communication requests. If my regular job didn't allow me to use the internet then I would have been up ***** creek without a paddle. If Doc is behind on work and getting a ton of emails everyday then he is probably feeling quite overwhelmed. I would suggest that if you are not in a hurry for your order then let Doc know so that he can start knocking out the orders for all the impatient people first. Good luck to everyone that has orders in with him and to Doc... I hope that everything is ok with you and just keep plugging away at the work trying to get caught up.

well said bro your right he has orders coming out his ears, and your also right about the comms thing it goes a long way.

 

[Mockle]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

true having a family and job, But its a choice to make a commitment here and taking peoples money and there time and not say a thing in over 2 month. Is way out of line in any business.

 

[justscott]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

The way it is for most of use guys who do this 'on the side' is that our regular lives sometimes get in the way of meeting deadlines and such. Unexpected things can come up right in the middle of everything and they tend to suck all the time you have. I know cause this happened to me. I had some personal family issues arise and all of a sudden I didn't have any time to finish orders I had. This resulted in unexpected and unavoidable delays from my original commitments. Luckily for me I did not originally over extend myself and I was not making full Iron Man suits either so I have been able to get mostly caught up. I still have a few orders pending that I am working one. Give him some time and accept that when you hire a hobbyist to build you something then there is a possibility that you might not get it on time. Most of us have families and full time regular jobs. We do this stuff in our 'spare' time.

Hell, I just ordered a bunch of square wire from a major manufacturing company and it is almost a month over due. Stuff happens sometimes. One thing I can say for Doc is that communication will go a long way. I always maintained communication with my customers. If you ignore people then things will just get worse. For everyone else... it takes an ungodly amount of time to respond to all the emails, PMs, and other social media communication requests. If my regular job didn't allow me to use the internet then I would have been up ***** creek without a paddle. If Doc is behind on work and getting a ton of emails everyday then he is probably feeling quite overwhelmed. I would suggest that if you are not in a hurry for your order then let Doc know so that he can start knocking out the orders for all the impatient people first. Good luck to everyone that has orders in with him and to Doc... I hope that everything is ok with you and just keep plugging away at the work trying to get caught up.

but why cut off all communications with several different clients? just be straight forward...he never was...told me he mailed and then the post office never shipped....said that when he received it back the helmet was damaged and that he had to quickly fix it and resend....that was 3 weeks ago.....

 

[darkside501st]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

true having a family and job, But its a choice to make a commitment here and taking peoples money and there time and not say a thing in over 2 month. Is way out of line in any business.

but why cut off all communications with several different clients? just be straight forward...he never was...told me he mailed and then the post office never shipped....said that when he received it back the helmet was damaged and that he had to quickly fix it and resend....that was 3 weeks ago.....

I am not making excuses for him or anything... I even said that he should stay in touch with his customers to let them know what is going on. I am just saying that I know a little about what it is like to be on his end... being overwhelmed and not wanting to talk to customers that keep emailing because all you have is bad news. It sucks. I still maintained contact with my customers and I think he should to. I just think it is important for everyone to try and understand where he might be and his situation. It is easy to say that he should not have taken so many orders or whatever but like I said things can be going real good and then something unexpected can come up and everything will take a complete 180 in the opposite direction. I don't know what is going on with him but hopefully he will read this and start to reestablish communication with you guys.

 

[Peejfro]

Re: Doc's foam/fiberglass work + Mark 42 helmet and Very detailed Chest

Mike is right on all accounts guys, I know its frustrating to be in your position, but please try and exercise a wee bit more patience and hopefully doc can come up with the goods for you all. or at least offer some sort of recompence or refund or a definitive date for delivery.
stay cool guys.