Sam's custom Mando armor (WOF templates)

I would suggest against using Balsa. It is way to light-weight to wear safely in public. The first bump and you'll have a broken RF stalk.

Check this post on the Mercs forum about casting your own resin stalk using floral foam as a mold:

Jaiden's cast RF stalk

For the time and money involved, thats probably the easiest stalk to make...and it will be much more durable then wood.
 
I saw his post about that, and it was a great idea. I thought about making one out of resin as well. Instead of using the floral foam for the cast, however, I'd rather make it out of wood. I think it will give a much cleaner cast. Who knows, I may end up using the wooden ears that I make to make a mold and cast those from resin as well. If I do cast them, I'll inset bolts head-first into the resin to make them removable from the helmet.

I come back from the in-law's house on wednesday, so I'll probably start working on these on thursday.
 
Thanks, Novall. Your vote of confidence is comforting!

Three things:

1) with the floral foam, all that's required is sanding it down to remove the excess foam material - and maybe tweaking it a bit here and there to fit in your caps. I would recommend against wood for a casting block because the wood would soak up some of the resin and make it hard to remove. You could get around this with a heavy coat of wax, but time involved on a one or two shot deal, the wood's just not worth it.

2) I had to recast my stalk. It was...leaning. I knew I might have to do it again anyway. Check out the same post (here) for an update.

3) The guy that told me to use the floral foam also said to cast the ears first, then figure out where you want the screw posts and drill out a "well" big enough for the nut. Put the nut in the well (with the screw in it to keep the threads clean) and pour a little resin around the nut to lock it into the ear. Remove the bolt and sand the resin smooth.

I'll post pictures when I do this in the near future.

David.
 
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That's pretty good advice. I'm really banking on getting a dremel for christmas, that would definitely help out with the detail sanding. I didn't think about the wood soaking up the resin, though - good call. I've never used resin before, so I really don't know anything about it yet. I'm definitely going to have to play around with it. Good luck on your ears, man. I'll probably learn from yours. :p
 
Actually, wood will absorb very very little resin, but my suggestion is to coat the inside of your wood mold with a very thin layer of resin. Then just as you would make a fiberglass mold, you would have to add like 20 layers of a type of paraffin wax to the mold and cast your part. However, wait 15 minutes between each coating of wax.
 
Here's the pictures of the display stand I was telling you guys about that I built for my father-in-law at the wood hobby shop on base. Took me about an hour and a half, total.

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The barrel is from an LAV-25 (one of the Marine Corps' Light Armored Vehicle variants, of which I am a mechanic), specifically the M242 Bushmaster 25mm chaingun. The vehicle was destroyed by an IED blast, and after it was recovered, we broke it down for usable parts. The gun parts, naming the barrel, were slightly out of whack, so the welders cut it into un-usable pieces. I'm giving this to my father-in-law as a christmas present, something he will go crazy over. His house is like a museum of military vehicle models and pictures.

Anyways, back to the armor. I used 80-grit sandpaper to rough up the plastic on the left pauldron, and bondo-glassed and roughly sanded it this evening. Figured I might as well get a start on that while I'm waiting to make a run to Michael's and Home Depot for supplies. It's stiff as hell now. No problems with flaking, peeling, or chipping from the glass so far. Roughing up the plastic really well is key. It's the 3mm plastic from the garbage can, so it can take some good sanding with no problems.

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I did some shaping with the rest of my armor pieces earlier today. I decided that as long as I'm going to be customizing my pauldrons, I might as well do something similar with my chestpieces. I cut and creased the breastplates and belly armor in the same way that I did the pauldrons.

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When I come back from my in-laws house on wednesday, I'll get started on bondo-glassing the rest of my armor. I'll be picking up mounting hardware, and hopefully finding something to work as the "flak jacket" or vest. I'm also giving some serious consideration to re-doing my color choices on all of this, how that i've got the ear pieces removed from my helmet. As long as I'm using my tan flight suit, tan nomex gloves, tan neck gator, and tan boots, I might as well go to more earth colors and make a desert mando.
 
Totally killer ! I am impressed as all get out. You picked this up fast and it looks like you are gonna have one hell of a custom SL79! Can't wait to see the final touches!
 
Here's the latest concept I've been thinking of, with the desert Mando color scheme. Let me know what you think.

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Well, the left pauldron is finished, ready for paint. Spent probably an hour fine-sanding the bondo-glass, then spread a real thin layer of regular bondo over top of that to fill in the pits and irregularities, and sanded that down too. I'm going to start on the right one tomorrow, and do the same thing. Maybe i'll have enough bondo-glass to do some of the chest armor as well.

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A couple people have asked me for tutorials on how to use bondo-glass, and I know there are more than a few people out there that have never used any kind of bondo at all. What better time to do a tutorial than while working on my own armor. :p

First off, here's a list of things that I use.

1 can of Bondo-Glass
1 can of regular Bondo
2 tubes of red cream hardener
1 peach-colored scraper-style Bondo applicator (i'll explain this in a minute)
80 grit sandpaper
160 grit sandpaper (or something close)
320 grit sandpaper
1 rubber sanding block (for the 80 grit sandpaper)
1 razor knife (any kind of razor knife will do)
Something flat, smooth, and hard to mix the bondo and bondo-glass on. I used 1/8" posterboard.



Step 1:
Use the 80 grit sandpaper, and rough up the plastic pretty good. This is important, so take your time and make sure you get everything, specifically the edges.

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Step 2:

A. Open the can of bondo-glass and use something to stir it with. It's dark green, stinks like hell, and will have some oil sitting on top of it. Make sure you mix it up very well.

B. Once it's mixed, use your scraper to get enough out of the can to completely cover your piece of armor. Don't use too much, or it will just be wasted. Close the can back up when you've got enough on your mixing board.

C. Open one of your tubes of hardening cream, and squeeze it out across the top of your bondo-glass. The directions on the can say that if you use 1/4 of the can, squeeze out 1/4 of the tube. If you don't use enough, it will take longer to harden, and won't be as hard when it's cured. If you use too much, it will set VERY QUICKLY, but it will be very very hard.

D. Use your scraper to mix the bondo-glass and hardener. There really isn't a trick to this, you just get faster at it with practice. Scrape it all off your board, and then spread it back onto the board. Repeat this until you have an even color throughout the bondo-glass, but don't take too long. The minute you mix the hardener in, the clock is ticking.

E. Load your scraper up with bondo-glass, and apply it to your armor in a clean stroke. Don't worry about making it nice at neat at this point, just aim for 100% coverage. After you've got it all covered in bondo-glass, continually smooth it down with your scraper, paying attention to edges and corners, until it starts to get a grainy consistance, and doesn't smooth out anymore. At this point, just put your armor piece down on something, and use your razor knife to clean off your scraper. The bondo-glass should be tacky, kindof sticky-feeling, and should come right off your scraper. You can throw it away and use a new one next time if you want, but if you're on a budget (like me), clean off your scraper first, then your mixing board. Once that's done, the bondo-glass on your armor should feel warm... that's the chemical reaction between the bondo-glass and the hardener. At this point, you can also use your razor knife to trim the rough spots along the edges, and any globs or raised spots. Don't go too crazy with it, but you can clean it up pretty good with a razor.

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Step 3:

Give it about 20 minutes to fully cure, and you can start sanding it with the 80 grit sandpaper. I recommend using the sanding block entire for this part. You'll have to use a good bit of pressure at first to get through the top layer, but once you do, it's pretty easy. Try not to go all the way through to the plastic, but if you do it's not a big deal. I used my dremel to do my rough sanding at first, then the sanding block to smooth it out after that. If you use your dremel, take your time. One slipup could mess you up pretty good. Or be a nice weathering feature.

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When you've got it sanded down to the point where there are minimal low spots throughout, and the edges are pretty uniform, bust out the 160 grit sandpaper and go over it by hand. You can use the sanding block if you want to, but I do it by hand. Try to get rid of the scratches created by the 80 grit paper. Again, take your time on this and focus on uniformity. You're not trying to remove material at this point, just to smooth out the deeper scratches from the 80 grit.

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Step 4:

A. Set your piece aside (I recommend washing it in cold water to remove all the particles from sanding) and pull out your can of regular Bondo, which is a light grey color. Using the same method you used for the bondo-glass, mix it up first, then scrape some out on your mixing board. You won't need nearly as much as you did the bondo-glass, because this is only for filling in the little pits and scratches that are still in the bondo-glass.

B. When you mix in the cream hardener, which is red, the end result should be the same color as the bondo scraper. That's one of the reasons I use those, so I know when I've got the right amount. Put in more hardener if it's too light a color, or more bondo if it's too dark. When it's mixed, it will be a much creamer substance than the bondo-glass.

C. Using your scraper, apply the bondo in a thin, even coat over the entire surface. Again, focus on 100% coverage instead of neatness at first. Once it's covered completely, just as before, continue to smooth it down until the consistance starts to get grainy.

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D. This is when you can again clean off your scraper, mixing board, and work area. When that's done, trim the excess bondo off your piece with your razor knife. Don't trim too much, just the excess.

E. Take out your 80 grit sanding block again, and work on smoothing it all down to an even coat. Regular bondo sands much easier than bondo-glass, and is also VERY dusty.

F. Once you've got it all sanded uniformly, use the 160 grit and again work on sanding out the scratches left by the 80 grit. Work on getting your sides and edges nice and crisp, unless you're going to make battle damage.

G. When you've got it sanded nice and smooth with the 160, bring out the 320 and work on making the surface feel like glass. It helps to wash the piece off in cold water after finishing with the 160, before you use the 320. The sand particles will be the consistance of talcum powder or confectionary suger, so if you're married, and you choose to do your sanding inside (like I do), make sure you're away from anything that will get covered in this very very fine powder.

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Step 5:

Now we're ready for primer. Use whatever color primer you want, I use white wet/dry sandable primer on mine. Apply the first coat evenly, but not thickly. Wait an hour or so for it to cure completely, then apply a second coat just like the first one. Again, wait an hour to cure. If you use rough primer, use the 320 grit paper to sand it smooth. After priming, apply your base coat of paint. I used two coats of metallic silver paint because I'm going to try the layered weathering method.

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What you do at this point is up to you. Make sure you're in a well ventilated area when you use the bondo-glass and bondo... you'll see quickly that it smells real bad. I don't know how harmful the fumes are, but it stinks pretty good.
 
I highly advise you to buy yourself a respirator. The fumes are very very toxic, and you will suffer nerve damage and WILL get cancer if you use this continously.

Oh and btw, nice armor. hehe.
 
Nerve damage will match my armor! :D

Great tutorial man. I'm printing it with pics right now for the week ahead. Good job man!

Now make another helm and do an indept bondo on that one. Just for kicks and giggles. lol
 
I highly advise you to buy yourself a respirator. The fumes are very very toxic, and you will suffer nerve damage and WILL get cancer if you use this continously.

Oh and btw, nice armor. hehe.

Lol... yeah, I used a face mask for all the dust, and I had all the windows open in the room I was in, and a fan blowing fresh air in my face. It still smelled real bad.

I'll look into getting a respirator, tho. That's a good idea.
 
(y)(y)

Great tutorial! I've never used bondo-glass, but I have plenty of bondo experience. THe pink powder goes everywhere.:( I even did all my sanding in my garage with the door wide open and three fans running. I still got a fine coat of powder on my old van.(n)

Great job on the shoulder! May the rest of your armor go just as easy.

David.
 
Thanks man. I'm dealing with the hangover right now... I remember why I don't drink like that anymore. Hangovers are the worst thing in the world to me.

My wife starts her new job today, so I'm gonna have alot of time alone in the house for the next two weeks until I go back to work. I'm hoping to get my armor done, maybe even the gauntlets! As long as my hangover lets up sometime today, I need to go to Home Depot and get some paint, superglue, and a few sheets of 1/8" plastic.
 
Well, despite the hangover, I got a decent amount of work done so far today. While painting the shoulder pieces that I finished, I tried using the layered weathering method, but it just looked too... I don't know, simple. So I used my dremel to put some damage into the bondo and bondo-glass. Gives a more realistic look to the weathering. The base (of course) is silver, the secondary will be black, and the top coat will be tan.

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