Tavish Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 Hello everybody, I have been wanting to make a shoretrooper costume for a while and have decided to finally do it. I'm planning on 3d printing it, but have a few general questions. Which kind of filament is best for helmets and armor? I see PLA everywhere, but I don't know if that is strong enough. For a beginner would it be better to smooth the helmet with bondo or fiberglass resin? I've seen both used a lot and I hear that fiberglass resin can get much better results, but I'm not sure how hard that would be to do. What type of glue would be best for putting helmets and armor together? What brands of paints work well as washes. I plan on doing one for my helmet to weather it, but I want to know it will work before using it on it. Sorry if this is a lot of questions and thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimo Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 4 hours ago, Tavish said: Hello everybody, I have been wanting to make a shoretrooper costume for a while and have decided to finally do it. I'm planning on 3d printing it, but have a few general questions. Which kind of filament is best for helmets and armor? I see PLA everywhere, but I don't know if that is strong enough. For a beginner would it be better to smooth the helmet with bondo or fiberglass resin? I've seen both used a lot and I hear that fiberglass resin can get much better results, but I'm not sure how hard that would be to do. What type of glue would be best for putting helmets and armor together? What brands of paints work well as washes. I plan on doing one for my helmet to weather it, but I want to know it will work before using it on it. Sorry if this is a lot of questions and thank you in advance. Hello and welcome! -Say no to PLA, it doesn’t do well in heat. I would recommend PETG. -Smoothing everything out is time consuming no matter what. Everyone has a different method that works for them… I’ve tried the resin, bondo, wood filler, xtc… My preferred method is to give the raw print an aggressive sanding with 60 grit and a mouse sander, then 220 to smooth it out, then hit it with filler primer and wetsand. Filler primer and wetsand as much as necessary. The initial sand will set the tone for how many layers you will need to add… -I use CA and reinforce seams with fiberglass strips or sometimes even plastic strips on flat surfaces. -I do all my washes with acrylic paint. liquitex basic is pretty good, but I honestly haven’t noticed a difference to other brands… 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayelbe Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 Second the PETG suggestion. I once printed a scout helmet in PLA+ and left the freshly primed parts outside to dry--granted, it was Phoenix in late spring, but it didn't take long to warp. Go slow, but keep it moving with a mouse sander if you use one. The friction will heat up the plastic quicker than you think and at the very least make it wavy if not outright melt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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