Fiberglass resin over sculpey? Would it make a strong enough form?

[Egon Spengler]

Just looking into nice different ways of doing things.

Is this possible? How would it act? Would be strong?

 

[Draven]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

It depends what you want to acheive?

What are you thinking?

Draven

 

[Egon Spengler]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

It depends what you want to acheive?

What are you thinking?

Draven

I'd like to possibly end up having a strong form and be able to remove some of the sculpey out of it and have a final product but I doubt it would really work out that way which is why I am asking if it is possible to do this and come up sith some strong armor, kind of like how people put resin over cardboard.

 

[madrobot]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

Here's what I can tell you.

If you use fiberglass resin over cured sculpey, you will be able to chip it out of the fiberglass. If you use uncured sculpey, you'll be able to peel it out of the fiber glass. You will have to do extensive clean up and smoothing, as you will never be able to get all the detail cleaned up.

The question that begs to be asked, is WHY?

If it was me, I'd use a sulfur free clean clay. Even then, it would be a pain in the ass to clean up.

 

[Prop-Maker]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

Don't you have to put fiberglass resin under heat and vacuum? Or does it depend on the type?

I had to take a composites class as part of my Airframe qualifications (almost done!) and all the fiberglass resin we worked with had to be put under heat and vacuum pressure. Then again, we were working on airframe repairs, strengthening the part by bonding the fiberglass to an already-existing structure. Making a moldor cast might be a different ballgame.

 

[madrobot]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

If it's just the typical Bondo brand, no. All you have to do is just apply it.

If it's the other, then if it were cured super sculpey, it would hold up just fine under the vaccuum.

I personally would make my original of something else like wax, and then apply the fiberglass that way I could heat up the wax and let it run out without it hurting the fiberglass.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Darth Lars]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

If you put fiberglass resin over uncured clay, then that clay will stink of polyester fumes afterwards and can not be reused. Well, that is what happened to me, anyway.

 

[Egon Spengler]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

If you put fiberglass resin over uncured clay, then that clay will stink of polyester fumes afterwards and can not be reused. Well, that is what happened to me, anyway.

Well I baked the clay as well as I could with a heat gun. I'm not too concerned about the original sculpt surviving.

I just want the actual fiberglass resin piece to be strong when the sculpy is gone, strong enough to wear as a part of a costume. Would it be?

Also I asked this question mainly out of curiousity and a little bit of hope. See I'm new to sculpting and casting and all that and I was just wondering anyones ever taken this route. I guess I could just bake the clay really well and vacform over it but I don't have a vacuform machine Hm. Maybe with all the money it would take to buy silicones and resins i should just build one and get it over with. I've wanted one for years.

 

[Reactor drone]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

If you put fiberglass resin over uncured clay, then that clay will stink of polyester fumes afterwards and can not be reused. Well, that is what happened to me, anyway.

You can cover the clay with a layer of latex,then lay up the fibreglass.This will protect the clay and give you an easier separation.I've been doing that to the clay layer on my case moulds and it seems to work fine.

 

[Egon Spengler]

Re: Fiberglass resin over sculpey?

You can cover the clay with a layer of latex,then lay up the fibreglass.This will protect the clay and give you an easier separation.I've been doing that to the clay layer on my case moulds and it seems to work fine.

I really need to do this soon as the main form is starting to crack under its own weight.

Where can I get fiberglass resin?

So I just get the fiberglass resin and put it right over the clay?

I don't care if the original clay form survives. I just need to get something solid from it quick.

 

[GuntahKela]

Fiberglass resin can be found at Walmart, K-mart, Home Depot, Autopart stores, Marine supply stores, etc. They sell the crappy brand called "bondo." If you want the fancy type, check out smooth-on.com

Fiberglass resin, alone, is very brittle and weak. It will break easy without fibercloth, after cured.

 

[madrobot]

You could also just use Apoxie Sculpt. That stuff is nigh invulnerable after it's cured. I made mold jackets out of some for a big sculpt I did, and I can tell you for a fact that it's incredibly durable.