Stargate PEP and Resin Question

[Phantom017]

Hi all. So I am working on a Stargate Jaffa Helmet from PEP and I'm using resin to strengthen the build. I was at home depot the other day and they have fiberglass resin. The question I have is if I use the Fiberglass resin without the fabric material will the resin alone be strong enough to help reinforce and not start falling apart. I also plan on using Bondo on top of the resin to help smoothen out the polygons of the PEP file.

Thanks all for any and all words of advice

 

[Lflank]

Hi all. So I am working on a Stargate Jaffa Helmet from PEP and I'm using resin to strengthen the build. I was at home depot the other day and they have fiberglass resin. The question I have is if I use the Fiberglass resin without the fabric material will the resin alone be strong enough to help reinforce and not start falling apart. I also plan on using Bondo on top of the resin to help smoothen out the polygons of the PEP file.

Thanks all for any and all words of advice

I don't like to use fiberglass cloth either--I find it very irritating for me. Like itty-bitty harpoons in my skin.

What I do instead is use ordinary PVA glue (Elmers) to glue a layer of cotton muslin cloth (or cheesecloth, or an old t-shirt) on the inside of each piece. That stiffens it up nicely. It's not as strong as fiberglass would be, but it's also not as expensive as fiberglass.

For small pieces, I have done a couple coats of resin without the fiberglass cloth, and it works OK. But for larger pieces I've found it never really gets stiff enough. So I use the PVA-cloth thingie instead.

 

[Phantom017]

Oh wow interesting idea. I never thought of that. I was thinking of just using the resin to stiffen it up and then put on the bondo over top to add another layer of strength and to help smooth it out.

 

[Pittbull535]

If you want to use fiberglass get a can of spray adhesive and spray it on the inside of you pep and cut the fiberglass cloth into strips and lay it inside then lay on your resin good luck

 

[Astrokid248]

Re: Re: Stargate PEP and Resin Question

I don't like to use fiberglass cloth either--I find it very irritating for me. Like itty-bitty harpoons in my skin.

What I do instead is use ordinary PVA glue (Elmers) to glue a layer of cotton muslin cloth (or cheesecloth, or an old t-shirt) on the inside of each piece. That stiffens it up nicely. It's not as strong as fiberglass would be, but it's also not as expensive as fiberglass.

For small pieces, I have done a couple coats of resin without the fiberglass cloth, and it works OK. But for larger pieces I've found it never really gets stiff enough. So I use the PVA-cloth thingie instead.

PSA time: So fiberglass/resin allergies are actually a thing. I have to dress up like Marty's "Darth Vader" while working with still-curing materials to avoid breaking out into hives and massive swelling. Be careful around fiberglass that makes you itch, because you might have my problem and that would suck. Cool tip with the cheese cloth, I'm going to try that.

 

[Lflank]

PSA time: So fiberglass/resin allergies are actually a thing. I have to dress up like Marty's "Darth Vader" while working with still-curing materials to avoid breaking out into hives and massive swelling. Be careful around fiberglass that makes you itch, because you might have my problem and that would suck. Cool tip with the cheese cloth, I'm going to try that.

It's not an allergy, I don't get the hives/swelling--it's a physical action. Fiberglass cloth is made from . . well . . fibers of glass, and it constantly sheds little pieces of glass fiber. These are like little bitty spears, and can poke into your skin and stick there, where they itch like an MF. Apparently it bothers some people (like me) and not others.

Glass is pretty much inert, chemically--if you have an actual allergy, I'd suspect the resin rather than the cloth.

 

[Lflank]

Oh wow interesting idea. I never thought of that. I was thinking of just using the resin to stiffen it up and then put on the bondo over top to add another layer of strength and to help smooth it out.

You want the PVA/cloth on the INSIDE. If you put it on the OUTSIDE, you'll be filling and sanding forever. I use a couple coats of fiberglass resin (just the resin, without the fiberglass cloth) on the outside. It soaks into the cardstock and turns it into a thin plastic, which waterproofs it and strengthens it.

EDIT: The resin by itself makes the piece kind of brittle. That's why I combine it with the PVA/cloth on the inside.

When I do pepakuras in foam, I use the PVA/cloth on the inside to stiffen it, and coat the outside with a few layers of watered-down PVA to seal it, smooth it, and give a paintable surface. If you don't seal the foam, it will soak up all the paint like a sponge.

 

[Astrokid248]

Re: Re: Stargate PEP and Resin Question

It's not an allergy, I don't get the hives/swelling--it's a physical action. Fiberglass cloth is made from . . well . . fibers of glass, and it constantly sheds little pieces of glass fiber. These are like little bitty spears, and can poke into your skin and stick there, where they itch like an MF. Apparently it bothers some people (like me) and not others.

Glass is pretty much inert, chemically--if you have an actual allergy, I'd suspect the resin rather than the cloth.

It is the resin that causes the swelling and hives, and then the glass fibers cause a secondary rash on top that's it allergic. You'd think there'd be a way to seal the interior so that the glass shards stop rubbing off on your face. I'm gonna play around with maybe starting with fiberglass and finishing off with a piece of cheesecloth.

 

[monstermask]

Hi all. So I am working on a Stargate Jaffa Helmet from PEP and I'm using resin to strengthen the build. I was at home depot the other day and they have fiberglass resin. The question I have is if I use the Fiberglass resin without the fabric material will the resin alone be strong enough to help reinforce and not start falling apart. I also plan on using Bondo on top of the resin to help smoothen out the polygons of the PEP file.

Thanks all for any and all words of advice

take resin and bondo in proportion 2/3 bondo and 1/3 resin. Mix them and you can use brush for paint inside paper part. It will be hard and stick to paper in all places . But it will be not so flexible and if You drop it on the ground it will be destroyed