UK equivalent for Aqua Resin: Jesmonite strength testing

XRobots

XRobots

Well-Known Member
As some of you may be aware, I was building my Iron Man Costume out of Aqua Resin - A widely used US water based casting and laminating product.

Well, the long and short of it is that I've found a very good UK alternative which has been around since 1984, but seems to have been one of those best kept secrets for some reason. It's called Jesmonite. Side by side, it seems to handle exactly the same as Aqua Resin, it's non-toxic and non-flammable, and also pretty cheap.

I've built the back of my Iron Man torso from Jesmonite and I'll be continuing with the legs like this too. It would also be great for papakura as I demonstrate below. I've done some strength and destruction testing on Jesmonite including a YouTube video which is also embedded in the page:

http://www.propbuilder.co.uk/jesmonite-testing.html

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OvUgH0SumaI

There are a few UK suppliers for the product (including me ;-) but take your pick and let me know what you think. I've used it with standard fibreglass surface tissue and mat, and I think it's as strong as rocks - I was really hitting the piece hard with that mallet.

Sorry for another sales pitch btw, I'm considering my that my next project should be something organic as I'm not having that much fun getting my Iron Man armour flat and smooth, so you never know. Also a friend of mine has just taken 20lbs of Klean Klay and my head armature to sculpt his Predator mask/costume head... so watch out for a bright green sculpt appearing in the forums soon...
 
Very interesting, how are your feet? Kind of like jumping on a spade to dig a hole with no shoes on ;)

Looks like a durable material
 
Yes - I kind of thought about that after I made the video, hence the warning at the start... I remembered my gloves for test 2 though ;-)

It's pretty tough stuff, but most importantly it's non-toxic, which means you can use it indoors which is great. I think it's a good substitute for polyester resin for prop and costume building anyway - unless you're planning to take a mallet to it, and even then it's pretty impact resistant. Great for papakura...
 
lol

very funny bud, took a licking and kept on ticking huh.

All this is handy stuff personally, for when i start making resin stuff ;)

chrz. ( although you did look like a demented kangaroo. :eek:
 
Fascinating material. I love anything that soft when wet and hard when dried. Wish my neighborhood store has this stuff in the tons!

;)
 
Xrobots said:
....Well, the long and short of it is that I've found a very good UK alternative.......
Click to expand...


Interesting choice of words there James.......nice to see you give credit and thanx where credit and thanx is due ;)
 
Armourdillo said:
Indeed......and it was FULLY appreciated.....and credit and thanx were given.....it doesn't hurt ;)
Click to expand...
Well, ok, thanks for the link to the product Armourdillo... your efforts were appreciated and you deserve full credit for discovering this well established product that seems to have been a secret for the last 25 years.

You can have 10% off my entire product range forever.

I love you :eek:
 
Xrobots said:
..... your efforts were appreciated and you deserve full credit for discovering this well established product that seems to have been a secret for the last 25 years.
Click to expand...


The sarcasm remark was refering to this comment............i thought I was doing you a service in bringing your attention to a product that is available here......instead of paying through the nose to export Aqua resin from the US......for both your personal project.....and your distribution interests.........and it's simply common curtasy .....or howerver you spell it........to give thanks and credit to those who help you out.......tis the way of the world......i was a little put out thats all.

............and there is nothing wrong with sharing a little mutual love ;) .......like you say.....even preds share a little love.
 
Armourdillo said:
The sarcasm remark was refering to this comment............i thought I was doing you a service in bringing your attention to a product that is available here......instead of paying through the nose to export Aqua resin from the US......for both your personal project.....and your distribution interests.........and it's simply common curtasy .....or howerver you spell it........to give thanks and credit to those who help you out.......tis the way of the world......i was a little put out thats all.

............and there is nothing wrong with sharing a little mutual love ;) .......like you say.....even preds share a little love.
Click to expand...

Ok, well thanks for the link. I guess my thinking when I wrote the original statement was that I spent time testing it side by side with Aqua Resin, negotiating wholesale pricing, shipping, storage, finding complementary products, and general promotion. The link was appreciated, but you know - did you want a medal? :eek:

How about 10% off and a free gift?
 
This stuff looks pretty good, can you give more details on how to use jesmonite (such as the mixing process).

I've used polyester resin before over paper mache/cardboard and found it very durable (easily enough for costuming) but the smell hangs around for ages and even seemed to taint some food in our chest freezer (kept in the garage where I had laid up some resin parts). Is this stuff low odour?
 
Hi Stoo...I'm sure James wont mind me answering for him seeing as you are online now :p

jesmonite is virtually odourless and non toxic.....as for mixing....it's quite simple ....its a water based resin with a gypsum additive........so it's very much like mixing plaster.

hope this helps.
 
Armourdillo said:
Hi Stoo...I'm sure James wont mind me answering for him seeing as you are online now :p

jesmonite is virtually odourless and non toxic.....as for mixing....it's quite simple ....its a water based resin with a gypsum additive........so it's very much like mixing plaster.

hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that, might have to look into building something for this years halloween (thinking about something original this year).
 
Sorry, I missed this one yesterday, thanks for posting Armourdillo...

Yep you can mix by hand, just make sure you get any lumps out. The manufacturer recommends using a power blade on a drill for larger quantities, but I guess it depends what you're doing with it - I always mix a small amount at a time by hand as the pot life is about 8-15 mins.

I also use it indoors all the time - I make all my parts in the kitchen ( http://www.xrobots.co.uk/ironmancostume/ ) as it's not solvent based so there are no nasty fumes.
 
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