First attempt at fiberglassing

[Johnmonster]

Hi folks,

The Nightmare on Main Street starts up the first weekend in October, and as usual I find myself waiting till the last week to finish an ambitious costume project. This is my first attempt at covering a scratchbuilt mask with fiberglass. The mask itself started life as a cheapo hood-with-mask. I donned it and began applying duct tape until I had the shape I wanted, then began to add cardboard detailing. Currently it is entirely covered with duct tape.

Has anyone ever fiberglassed over duct tape? I am hoping once it sets, the tape can be peeled from under the fiberglass. Then I should be able to add detailing and cut away unneeded sections. The mask is supposed to represent a cyber-ghoul, or some other kind of science-gone-wrong.

I'm open to any kind advice regarding the use of fiberglass in this manner. I bought the Bondo brand resin and the woven style of cloth. I hope to keep sanding to an absolute minimum, and will probably use Bondo filler to smooth it out where needed.

[Robert]

Do it where there is adequate ventilation, or use a respirator mask (not a dust mask).

[Johnmonster]

Well, in the interest of science, I am going to report on what I did and how well it worked-

The base was duct tape covered, and I cut my fiberglass cloth (the woven kind) into strips about 2"x5". I applied spray adhesive to the mask form and placed the fiberglass strips. Once it was covered, I gave the spray adhesive a few hours to dry and then mixed my resin. I brushed the resin on, smoothing it as I went (outdoors of course, thanks for reminding me Robert) and set it aside to cure in the shade.

A few hours later, I was able to easily peel the duct tape away from the cured fiberglass and resin. It worked very well, and I am very pleased with the result.

Trimming it proved to be troublesome, though, so next time I will be less haphazard when I am laying the cloth strips.