Fiberglass on the inside of your pepakura

How that you have glazed the outside of your pepakura in Fiberglas resin it's time to give your papercraft it's strength by adding Fiberglas sheeting and resin to the inside.

Cut your fiberglass sheets into short, manageable strips. Use Dab of resin to hold the fiberglass down and even more resin to cover the entire piece of fiberglass.

Continue until the entire inside of the pepakura is covered. Don't be afraid of lithe little spikes that stick out. Your dremel will make short work of them.

Pepakura - Shopping list

If your new to Pepakura and aren't sure where to start, Have no fear. I have put together a simple shopping list for you. If you have any or all of the items on this list then your heading in the right direction. Feel free to add to the list, but i wouldn't recommend removing anything unless your have a suitable alternative.

- Garbage Bags
- Tinfoil
- Latex or Nitrile Gloves
- Masking Tape
- Dust mask (for sanding)
- Half mask respirator
- Safety Goggles
- Face Shield
- Varying Grits of sand paper
- Wooden popsicle sticks
- Mixing tray or disposable plastic drinking cups
- Paint Brushes
- Paint thinner
- Fiberglass cloth
- Fiberglass Resin
- Bondo body filler



My outdoor work station is simple but effective.The Empty cola box is taped to the garbage bags that are taped to the table.The Foil patch is the work zone as resin does not stick to foil very well.

How to strenghten our pepakura

Fiber Glass resin can be painted on the outside of the pepakura model in order to strenghten the overall model.
Simply mix a small amount of resin, having put on all your safety gear already.Brush a small amount of resin onto the Outside of the model.

allow the resin to harden and check for any spots you may have missed. When your satisfied you can move onto the next step

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.

Getting familiar with Pepakura

"you can make armor and stuff out of paper"?!?!? That's what was running through my head when I first saw the possibilities when it comes to pepakura. So I decided that,"hey!! I'm crafty!!! I can make stuff,I can make armor"!!!!

I first had ambitions of making a full iron man suit on my first go, this is a goal not a beginning.I decided I would start with a smaller piece, so I choose to make a forearm piece from Halo Reach.

In order to begin paper craft you will need to fire up your Computer and get a couple of things first.

1.) you will need the pepakura file or "unfold" as they are often referred to.
Just google search the item you want to craft followed by pepakura;

Halo pepakura
Hello kitty pepakura

2.) Next you will need a program to view the "unfold" This allows you to not only print the file, it also shows you a 3D wireframe of the part your building. It allows you to rotate the whole model or isolate individual pieces. This is vital for determining contours of the builds.

I would recommend starting on something small. Going for something epic too soon often leads to frustration and disappointment.

What is pepakura??

What is pepakura. It's a question most of us ask ourselves when we first hear the word. I personally had to google the name as I had absolutely no clue as to what it was.
Pepakura is the art of fold paper to make three dimensional paper models of just about anything. I became very interested in pepakura after attending FANeXpo Vancouver, and seeing all the different costumes that were made using the pepakura technique.

"But Cy, I suck at crafting" Have no fear. Pepakura is just a matter of following lines and matching numbers. If you can use a hobby knife without cutting anything off your On the right track. If your not good at crafting or are unsure,start with something small and work your way up to harder builds.

To start with you can get away with just having a hobby knife,cutting mat and a glue stick.
This will get you started and give you an idea if you like it or not.