Reinforcing armor

[claudehaus]

I'm working on some SW armor projects using kits. Everything's going great but I'd like to reinforce the armor pieces somehow. What's the best way to do this? Build up the interior of the ABS plates with some sort of spray or paste? Assume I'm an idiot. Thanks.

 

[TK1536]

Fiberglass/polyester resin?

 

[claudehaus]

Can you elaborate? Is this something I buy at a hobby shop and "paint" on the interior of the armor?

 

[Darth Lars]

I am also looking for info about reinforcing vacuuformed ABS pieces.

I am just a beginner at this, like you are, so this is just the basics, the info that I have gathered:
"Fiberglass" consists of a fabric of glass fibers that is saturated with some kind of adhesive paste that cures hard. The plastic piece would be brushed with this paste, a mat of glass fiber would be laid snugly on top and then more paste would be brushed on top until the glass fiber mat is saturated, but no more.

There are two common types of such a paste: polyester resin ("fiberglass resin") and epoxy. Polyester resin adheres directly to ABS, cures harder than epoxy but it emits dangerous fumes, so you will need a proper respirator and do it in a well ventilated area.
I will probably use epoxy, mainly because it does not smell and because it is softer than resin it will not crack as easily. Don't use epoxy from the hardware store, get some that is intended for fiberglass.
However, I have heard that epoxy does not adhere too well to fat plastics such as ABS or Styrene, so the armor/helmet part needs to be primed first. I am afraid that the layer of primer would be where cracks would appear first. Roughening up the surface with sandpaper could also help to increasing adherence.

Edit: If you already have it, you could use car body filler (Bondo) for small parts. It is often used to repair damaged armor. Car body filler is basically polyester resin "diluted" with chalk or other powder.

More info from people with some experience with fiberglass would be helpful. :$

 

[M Bison]

While Fiberglass would work it will add quite a bit of weight to your costume. While I am a newbie, I would actually recommend a good epoxy and simple strips of pastic in key areas to help give the stuff some more strength and to keep weight down. This is key in a situation where you will be wearing it and want to keep it as light as possible.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Interesting. Thanks for the info. That will definitely be useful. :thumbsup

 

[freakengine]

If you're reinforcing flat areas, you could do it by simply gluing additional strips of plastic to the inside using ABS glue or similar material. If the strips are thin enough, you could certainly bend them to fit if they're cut properly. I reinforced my sandy helmet under the ears that way.

 

[GeneralMayhem]

I agree. I ended up having to shim the back ab section of mine with spare plastic intended for the belt, and I reinforced the join with thin strips. It made the whole section much more rigid and durable.

 

[Darth Lars]

Just a tip. I found more info on ABS/Styrene and fiberglass on The Dented Helmet forum than on this board.. http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32

 

[darthgordon]

Devcon plastic weld bonds quite nicely w/ ABS and has the same characteristics of the plastic so it won't crack. The downside is that is sold in small tubes and may require several depending on the size of your armor. It also hardens quite quickly so you'd have to mix a small amount, apply and mix some more. It sands easily after a day.

 

[Honus]

I posted this a while back on TDH:

If you don't want that awful smell you can use epoxy resin instead of polyester resin. You have to use woven cloth with epoxy resin as it won't work with chopped strand mat- CSM uses styrene as a binder and epoxy resin won't melt it.

Here is another product that might be just the ticket for reinforcing a helmet- it's called BolderWrap. I saw it in my local hardware store. A 10 ft. roll of 4 inch wide tape costs $10. It's a prepreg structural tape that you just cut and then place it wherever you want and spray it with water to catalyze it -it probably uses a polyurethane resin. It then drys in about 4 hours and can then be sanded and painted. I saw some samples of it and was really impressed. I have yet to use this stuff myself but I was thinking about picking some up and checking it out. If I do I'll let you guys know.

http://www.comptekcomposites.com/

The same company also makes a really awesome low foaming polyurethane glue.

http://www.bolderbond.com