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Resin and Pepakura : A simple guide to the safe use off iberglass resinPosted on August 5, 2011 by Ryithos

There are lots of tutorials on “How to fiberglass” and ” How to create Pepakura” but there theseseem to skip the steps between building the Pepakura pattern and laying the fiberglass.

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Marine Helm from Halo: Combat Evolved (File from Halo costuming Wiki).

This Tutorial will help walk you through the handling, set up and mixing of fiberglass resins alongwith a bit on how to coat your project to get full penetration of the resin in to the paper. !! SafetyFirst!!

1. Ventilation:Always work in a well ventilated area, a garage will work but I strongly recomend a fan to helpmove the air around. Failure to do this will result in feeling faint, light headedness, and headaches.These are the first things that will occur when exposed to the fumes for to long.

2. Mask:This can be prevented through the use of a properly fitted respirator. Fit Test Guide An OV/P95 isideal for this and should be used if at all possible. These are available from most homeimprovement warehouses for around $20.

3. Gloves:Can’t say enough about this, most people only get two hands and if you want them to stay in auseable condition you will want to protect them from the harsh chemicals in the resin. NitrileGloves and Latex Gloves work great and are cheap enough to use and discard. You may changeyour gloves 2-3 times every 20 min while working with fiberglass to keep your hands frombecoming to sticky to handle your project.

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Ok, now that you are safely outfitted with the proper personal protection equipment (PPE) we canstart the project.

We start with a pepakura pattern printed out on cardstock. although a bit tougher to fold, thisthicker paper will help absorb more of the resin when we finish the project.

Work in a controlled manner and make sure each piece is connected to the right tab. If you doscrew up, print off a new piece and try again. The amount of time spent getting this right willgreatly improve the end project.

!! Do not use tape of any sort to hold your project together!!

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All tapes will de-solve when the resin is applied and your item will fall apart. Hot glue works wellbut can be a bit thick at the joints. I have always used “gel style” superglue and it has producedgreat results.

These projects are as easy as fold on the dotted line, cut on the solid line, and match the numbersup and glue. A great project for the starting cosplayer. Several popular cosplays from StarwarsStorm Troopers to Halo armor are avalible in Pepakura patterns.

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Time to head out to our well ventalated area and do some work with the resins. A good measuringcup is important to ensure a good mix and proper measures. As you work more and more with theresins you begin to get a feel for how much you will need. In this case 4oz of resin will berequired.

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The resin used in this tutorial is a polyester resin that uses a catalyst to cause it harden. Althoughyou technically cant add too much (there is a limit to how much can be mixed), you will want to doa few small test batches to find a good working time / cure for your area. Make sure to writedown the ratio of resin to catalyst so you remember what’s best for your area.

Humidity, elevation, and temperature all will effect the amount needed. A good rule of thumb isthe more catalyst you add, the faster your resin will set up, and the hotter it will cure.

For my house in California at about 75ft of elevation and 65 degrees, I will be using a prettysimple formula to figure out the amount of catalyst needed. This is a good starting point and can be

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adjusted depending on your results.

Amount of resin in ounces (OZ) / 2 = amount of catalyst in Cubic Centimeters (CC)4OZ / 2 = 2CC of catalyst.Once you mix the two parts you are at a point of no return, 45 second of mixing will help ensurethat you have fully intigrated the two parts and that the resin will fully cure in aprox 15-20 min.

I have positioned the helmet on a silicone mat to prevent sticking to my work surface. When curedthe resin peels off the mat and does no harm. A great investment for anyone working with resinsand hotglue.

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Libraly apply the resin over the project. You will begin to see it soak into the paper. It is key thatthe resin fully penetrates the cardstock. As it works into the material you will see the cardstockbecome slightly trasparent. it gets a “greasy napkin” look to it.

Once you have fully coated the inside and out of the object and you’re happy with the coverage,you will want to position the item where ever you will let it cure at and do one last brush over thesurface to help remove any runs or puddles of resin that may be on your project.

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Alright at this point you are done until the resin cures. It should set up and be able to be handled inabout 30 min, full cure and durability won’t happen for almost 24 hours. Try to leave the item aloneas long as possible to ensure the best results. I hope this helps you in your quest for awesomelooking and pretty easy to create costume pieces. Don’t be scared of fiberglass resin and don’tassume its just for the “serious” cosplayers. Like all tools it needs to be understood and applied inthe right situation but It is still easy enough for any one to use.

I’ll make making a followup post on how to finish your helmet (paint, etc) soon.

Good luck and good crafting, PDFmyURL.com

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Good luck and good crafting,Mario “Ryithos”

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This entry was posted in Cosplay, Tutorial and tagged cosplay, fiberglass, halo armor, pepakura, resin. Bookmarkthe permalink.

One Response to Resin and Pepakura : A simple guide to the safeuse of fiberglass resin

catfetus says:August 5, 2011 at 8 :26 am

Looking forward to the finishing tutorial (as I am currently having trouble with that)!

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