Artificial life size moose for outdoors

[Kastaway]

I have a project to do a artificial life size moose and need help with making sure it will last in the elements. I thought I would a foam form and cover it with bondo, texture the bondo to look like hair, color it and then seal it with something. Any idea would be greatly appreciated.

[Bruce Foster]

Joe...unless, you can be very sure, that your foam form is high density, and cast under high presure, you will no doubtably have to deal with post expansion in out door conditions......this will cause a break away of any material you use for your outer layer....keep in kind also, that bondo, is not waterproof without a surface coating of something i.e. primer, and a epoxy paint, or gel coat......little is it known, that fiberglass is not water proof.....even though boats are made with it.......its the gel coat barrior, that keeps water from the resin.....put any non gel coated fiberglass in water, and it will turn white with moisture.....moisture penetration through gel coat causes blistering....In this case, I would opt for a paper form, cut and sealed from the inside, and detailed on the outer exposed surface with tinted, thickened gel coat with wax........this can be sprayed, and textured prior to it's set up....the only draw back would be, that you will not have a matt finish, unless you paint over the gel coat...foam, is a very unstable substance, when extreme temperature changes and UV light is involved.....hope this helps

[John C]

The best polyester resin will breakdown in the weather, sailboat and other boats have to be drydocked and repaired after a few years.

I would buy a form and sandblaster it, then coat with one of the EPOXIES than catylize with MEKP, the epoxies are much more dense and and a lot stronger.

Use a roving gun to blow roving into the 2nd coat and so on, this will add strength and allow you to texture using a bristle brush or even a pallete knife.

I have done two lifesize kodiaks and a huge bulldog while in the Army and those are still in use 10 years and longer. I looked at one a few months back, its in the weather 24/7 and it looks just as good then as is did when I finsihed it.

Good luck