DIY visor

I'm making a second version as my first one cracked. Turns out the clear styrene sheet I'm using likes to bend one way but not the other. Basically I got a sheet of clear styrene from the hobby store in the framing area. Using an X-acto knife backwards, I score the plastic until it will break cleanly with a little bending back and forth. Then I sand the edges to remove burrs using a sanding sponge.

I use 35% auto window tint to tint the styrene, 1 layer overall on the outside, and a second layer inside for the vertical part to hide my nose etc. I got a t-visor.com one but I found it hard to see out of. So I decided on scratch-built. The basic instructions are peel the clear backing off, spray window cleaner on, apply film, squeegee out bubbles.

Window film applied but still wet:


Film trimmed:


Rolled out, now has to dry to remove various bubbles:


In use:

Looks good, how thick is the clear styrene?

I just made a couple visors from 3mm Acrylic, they seem fine to see out of.. not sure what T-visor ones are made of

Looks very good indeed!
Will do the same if my visor ends up snapping...

Kokuma said:

Looks good, how thick is the clear styrene? I just made a couple visors from 3mm Acrylic, they seem fine to see out of.. not sure what T-visor ones are made of

Click to expand...

It measures out to about 1/32" or maybe .75mm or so. T-visors' one that I got is like yours, 3mm or 1/8" acrylic. I tried the T-visor one and at night found it very hard to see what I was doing. Maybe wearing glasses makes it worse. I made this version so I could see at night like when I trooped at the Episode 7 premier. I'm looking for a lighter acrylic but there seems to only be one darkness available.

Here's a comparison shot:



No, it's not screen-accurate but I think it does well enough, I'm more comfortable being able to see where I'm going. Since I discarded the packaging, here's a link to what I used: 16" x 20" Polystyrene and Backing Kit by Studio Decor® It's enough to make at least 3 visors.

And here's the window tint film I used:

i use popdisplays on ebay for my visor material. 1/16 is the easiest thickness to bend. I have used 1/8 but its just not as user friendly. If you go to popdislays #2074 is the tint number that i use and its perfect. They sell all different sizes so price want be an issue. If you go with the acrylic you have to heat it before bending or it will crack.

"No, it's not screen-accurate but I think it does well enough, I'm more comfortable being able to see where I'm going." Pffft... likes to see where he's going... LOL

I thought the tinting and everything turned out great. Ironically I just ordered two from T-Visor last night! Aggghh. Maybe I won't be out at night very much.

Was the tint easy to install? I'm making a 3d printed helmet for my 2 year old and was thinking about buying from t-visor, but if visibility is limited.... he might not wear it...

Super easy. You clean the surface with glass cleaner, cut film to a little larger than the visor, peel backing (using 2 peices of cellophane tape to pull apart the film and backing), re-wet the visor, lay film on visor. The wet application allows for some movement and activates the film's adhesive. Squeegee or roll out bubbles, let dry. Some bubbles remain and fade when dry. I find it's helpful to use tape to curve the visor while film is drying.

In this case I have one layer on the outside, and the half layer on the inside. I did both on the inside before, also works well, but didn't pre-curve the visor and the film wrinkled when I bent the visor. Also, this type of plastic is very brittle, heat forming would probably be a good idea. Which side you tint might depend on attachment method, i.e. if using hot glue think about which surface the glue needs to hold.

I have a ton of film if you would like me to send you some. P.M. me if you'd like that.

Ordered some samples from Tapp Plastics, our local plexi and other stuff supply house. In this pic you can see the T-Visor.com visor, my scratch built visor with 2-stage tint, Tapp's "smoke" plexi, "smoke" polycarbonate, and their "bronze" plexi.



Note how the "smoke" plexi is lighter than the T-visor one, but darker than my scratch-built. I will order enough of the "smoke" plexi to make a few visors; a couple for myself and I'll have some extra if anyone is interested in a visor that offers a little better visibility.