Pepakura - Outdoor Fiberglass Resin Safety

Pepakura is  many things.It is a fun and exciting hobby as well as a time consuming and at times frustrating hobby, it is also a very rewarding thing to do in your spare time. You can create things that will make people say "Wow!! You made that"?!! However before you walk you must crawl, unless you have experience in any or all or the steps involved you will need to learn some basics first.

 After you have built your paper puzzle and your very pleased with yourself its time to turn paper armor into realistic looking armor,well as realistic as Halo armor can look.When i first began building i used a glue stick and found that it did not secure the paper well enough.Noticing this i taped parts of the inside with masking tape with the hopes that it would be flexible enough and absorb the resin.

What's that you say? RESIN!!!  Don't panic..its not as complicated as you might think. That being said their are a few VERY IMPORTANT instructions you MUST follow.

When using Fiberglass Resin you MUST ALWAYS;

-Work Outside -  Avoid Prolonged exposure to the TOXIC Fumes
-Buy a PROPER mask - You will need a Half mask  respirator mask rated for VAPOR, Not a dust mask
-Buy proper face protection - i recommend a face shield and goggles to insure maximum protection.
-Buy latex or nitrile gloves - wear them at all times

Below is an Image of my Backyard setup. i used two garbage bags to cover the table and a length of foil to create a spot so i could work on the piece if need be as resin doesn't stick to foil very well

Take breaks and always wear your safety gear.Always remember that the Chemicals you are using are TOXIC and should be handled as such. All together my safety gear cost less than $80. That is a small price to pay for your health.