My Ugly Duckling Recasted MH Progress thread

[tubachris85x]

Awhile back, I picked up a recasted mystery helmet from cookiemongoloid here for cheap. I wanted to use it as a possible test prop to learn a little about fiberglassing.

This thing is pretty bad, well, at least the inside, back, and the rim at the bottom is. I honestly dont know how I can turn this thing into even a somewhat decent helmet, but I can see it in my head.

Tonight, I decided to cut what was left of the visor and did a little bit of trimming to get some of the right shape going. Several areas along the visor are either really thin, or really thick. Typical recasted qualities. Since today was my real first attempt at fiberglassing, I did the inside of one cheek that was very bendable, which I worried would break off.

Here's pics from when I first got it, I'll try to get some newer ones in awhile when the resin sets a bit more.







BTW-that is light shinning through it...

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

Forgot to mention-I aquired some Fettpride earcaps, and already got the material to make a visor as well.

[cojake]

Wow, that is one rough looking bucket! You defenitley have your work cut out for you. Good luck man.

[HMPOTC33]

Perfect example of a Zombiebuddy/amaidfilter Bucket. Good luck Chris-you have defintely got a project on your hands

[tubachris85x]

Well here's today's first progress pics. Nothing spectacular, but it was a major step for me, cause like I said, it was really my first try at fiberglassing. I wanted to practice on something, like making a cast of a cup or something disposable, but all i had was a small paper plate. You can see it right next to the helmet lol

Anyways, you can see the visor was cut out and now one cheek inside is re-inforced. Before, it felt like I was able to just snap it off, would actually bend under its own weight..but not anymore!

I still need to learn to do this better. One thing I instantly noticed about this, is how messy it is, especially the fiber matting when your cutting it..So anyways, here it is so far.





-tubachris

[Alcfalath]

welcome to the world of fibreglass repair... :P i repair surfboards and i hate fibreglass :P hope you like being itchy everywhere and look like you have chicken pox

good luck with that though, you look like you are going well :p pop down to your local surfboard repair shop and ask for tips though, and enquire about Q-Cell... a little white powder that makes the resin twice as strong and half as heavy

hope that helps

[HeadlessHunter]

Jeez thats a hell of a job you've got there, I admire your tackling it head on as I believe you can make something good out of it, nice job

[CombatBaby]

wow. yeah. that's going to take some doing. I think once a visor goes in it though the cheek won't seem as flimsy.

I'd still go ahead an reinforce it, but a visor will add a ton of support if you mount it correctly. I was painting one of my buckets the other day and had already installed the visor (covered by painters tape) I was letting a coat dry and I went to reload my compressor. Well the table shook and the helmet slide off its pedestal and took a spill to the ground. didn't crack or anything. my heart did stop for a second. But believe me, some of these helmets are sturdier than you think.

good luck with your project


FINISH that Dark trooper man!

[tubachris85x]

FINISH that Dark trooper man!

Its slowly getting there bro. I get **** from my roomates whenever I decide to sand anything or even work on the JP at times..Usually do this stuff when they are out of the house. Dont wanna sound harsh about it

[Alcfalath]

lol stuff em :P sand all you want

[tubachris85x]

Have a question...On the back of the mystery helmet, the distance between the keyholes and the rim of the helmet, what is the measurment sopposed to be? This one appears to have the keyholes too close to the rim, or its just not 'tall' enough. On this one, its measuring to a quater of an inch distance. Thanks

[tubachris85x]

I just recieved the FP earcaps and a flat piece of smoked acrylic (which Im goin to shape to make a visor) today in the mail (Thanks Ripcode!) Im a little concerned though, the earcaps IMO appear that they may just be a tad to large to 'work' with this helmet. The earcaps are amazingly clean casted and sharp and I would love to be able to use these. I just need everyone's opinion on it. Here are some pics:

I think this side just barely makes the cut..



This side is what Im really worried about



I think that this makes the ear's look to big. The helmet already has the innner ear cap casted into it, which I was originally going to chop off anyways and replace with the FP cap. You can see here that the outer RF cap is larger then the piece attached:




Other then the earcap dilema, I wanted to show the actual problem areas of the helmet, because the general look from the pics above dont show the actual problems that well.

Most of the issue is the helmet rim, most of it is cracked fiberglass resin/bondo, leaving areas really thin and very uneven.







Now here's something thats been really annoying me. The keyslots. From the instant I first held this thing in my hands, the first thing I said, was "these keyslots are horrible," and I still stand by that. Fortunatly, Stellardude gave me a link to a maker selling them as a seperate unit, which I will be getting in the future.



Im still wondering what the measurements between the keyslots and the rim is sopposed to be.

Just wanted to show you guys how bad it really is, before I start any more work. Theres a whole lot more then this, but I wouldnt want to cause computer's to crash! Going to continue with more fiberglass re-inforcement tomorrow, and then move onto bondoing.

-tubachris

[stellardude]

Wow man! Those keyholes look MUCH better than what I was working with! lol
They're a little off in terms of being completely uniform, but nothing a little Bondo and a hobby file wouldn't fix.

That fella with the spares does seem to have nice ones though! Just be sure you can cut that original out cleanly.

[Stormrider]

I have some earcaps that are a little smaller. Nice casts for the DP 96.

I bought them last year, and my helmet exploded before I used them.

If you decide you wanna trade lemme know. Ill ship first and if they dont fit either you can just ship them back.

[tubachris85x]

I have some earcaps that are a little smaller. Nice casts for the DP 96.

I bought them last year, and my helmet exploded before I used them.

If you decide you wanna trade lemme know. Ill ship first and if they dont fit either you can just ship them back.

I'll consider it, but I want to wait to see how this will turn out. I really appreciate your offer, but like I said, these ear caps are really amzing and I would really, really hate not to use them at all.

I just looked at them on the helmet again, the RF side, and one side of the upper cap lines up fairly well. So I think it can work, but I want to hear from more experienced members before I decide to switch them out.

Wait...what..? Exploded..?

[blipper]

Hi Tubachris, i bought a bucket pretty much identical to yours (gotta love that scratchy grey exterior) . The price was good though and I don't mind rolling up my sleeves if I know what I'm letting myself in for, I enjoy a restoration project and those buckets certainly need it. I had the same problem with the rim and ended up building up and slightly extending with aluminium mesh and epoxy putty before sanding it back down.

I reckon I'm about a week away from starting the painjob after spending about a month on getting it reasonable.

I feel I'm somewhat tempting fate with those words..

anyway, good luck and all the best with yours. I'm sure it will be worth it.

[tubachris85x]

Hi Tubachris, i bought a bucket pretty much identical to yours (gotta love that scratchy grey exterior) . The price was good though and I don't mind rolling up my sleeves if I know what I'm letting myself in for, I enjoy a restoration project and those buckets certainly need it. I had the same problem with the rim and ended up building up and slightly extending with aluminium mesh and epoxy putty before sanding it back down.

I reckon I'm about a week away from starting the painjob after spending about a month on getting it reasonable.

I feel I'm somewhat tempting fate with those words..

anyway, good luck and all the best with yours. I'm sure it will be worth it.

Hey, Im glad to see that someone else has already been able to fix up one of these helmets. I would love to see pics of yours that you finished fixing up. BTW-That is a pretty good idea for fixing the rim up

Anyways, I got more fiberglassing done, I got the other cheek covered, along with that side of the helmet, extending halfway up the dome. I would have done more, but gravity wont allow me to rofl

[blipper]

I'll try to get some shots of it up for tomorrow. It'll be like seeing a twin! Easy with that fibreglassing. Hope you're wearing a mask.

[tubachris85x]

I'll try to get some shots of it up for tomorrow. It'll be like seeing a twin! Easy with that fibreglassing. Hope you're wearing a mask.

Sweet!

Bah, I wear a mask when I can, but it was too windy out today, and kept it circulating in the garage. The only thing thats really annoying though, is the fiber matting that I got. I dont know if its just the bondo's brand, but the fibers just fall right off, and stick to my hands and everything. Its just so messy, and annoying. Thats the only issue I have with fiberglassing..I do wear latex gloves though..

[tubachris85x]

Alright, well I just stoped at a west marine right down the street. While I dont really have the funds to get their resin/hardner, I decided to try their fiberglassing cloth, not the matt, but the cloth, thats 'quilted.' From what I see now, I think that it will work much better and not be as messy or annoying as the matt stuff.

Once the other fiberglass I applied earlier is hardened, I will continue with the rest and try out the new cloth.

[tubachris85x]

Ok, well it turned out just as I thought it would. The newer cloth is sooooo much better to work with and I think looks cleaner in the end, over the matt. All the area's, minus the keyslot area is covered and Im just waiting for it to cure and the re-inforcement should be done. I'll try to start the massive bondoing that it will need. I think Im going to spray primer over it too before that, just because Im kinda sick of looking at all the scratches/nastiness on it, as well as clearly point out the problem areas.

Oh yea, Im going to get the gel-coat stuff in a can from west-marine so that I can coat the inside, and keep myself from getting cut up.



You can see one side is the newer cloth, the rest is the matt.

I think my order of operation for this will be:

-wait for the fibeglass to cure
-primer
-cut key slots out
-bondo helmet rim
-get new keyslots/attach and bondo
-fiberglass over keyslot area
-gel-coat
-finish up bondoing spots
-sand and primer

After doing all the above, I think that it should be good to go

-tubachris

[Satxer]

Just looking at that helmet gives me nightmares!

[MandoMan]

Looking better already! Those ears look fine to me, size-wise.

What's your opinion on the strength of the fiberglass cloth versus the mat? I used the mat on my gauntlets and while they are now very strong, it was not a fun process with all the strands sticking to everything. I'd like to fiberglass the resin helmet I've got coming in, but would like to avoid the mat if the cloth is just as strong.

[tubachris85x]

Looking better already! Those ears look fine to me, size-wise.

What's your opinion on the strength of the fiberglass cloth versus the mat? I used the mat on my gauntlets and while they are now very strong, it was not a fun process with all the strands sticking to everything. I'd like to fiberglass the resin helmet I've got coming in, but would like to avoid the mat if the cloth is just as strong.

I dont really think theres much a difference in strength between the two, however, I think that the cloth should be stronger, just because it is woven, unlike the matt. I originally got the cloth just because the matt was too messy and made me waste time trying to pic off the fibers that stuck to my fingers (i am wearing gloves btw).

For the ears, yea, I think they do look fine, I just need to chop off the part already casted onto itself.

Not to sound totally weird or absolutly nutz, but I have actually taken a liking to the smell of fiberglass. Not that im going to sit there and sniff it all day or anything, but I can tolerate it without it bothering me. Dont ask me why, because I dont know rofl

-tubachris
(I feel the same way saxter)

[fettpride]

Not to sound totally weird or absolutly nutz, but I have actually taken a liking to the smell of fiberglass. Not that im going to sit there and sniff it all day or anything, but I can tolerate it without it bothering me. Dont ask me why, because I dont know rofl

Uh huh, and that happens right before you lose consciousness, and pass out

Just kidding. Some people are like that. It never bothered me from day one years and years ago. Then, there are those that can't tolerate it in the least. I've always wondered how that can be, and does in mean that one person is genetically prone from the other to get cancer or something from it because they have too much tolerance, like a marker. "Tag, you're it " sort of thing

Just be careful. Don't get too used to it, without a mask or something. You're still breathing in styrene monomers. Ya know, "Known to the State of California to cause .... <insert disease here> ". At least make sure you've got a window open or something if the weather permits.

Sorry wasn't trying to hijack, it just makes me nervous seeing people get into this stuff for the first time

Good luck with the helmet. You've got quite the job ahead. But it sounds like you've got a good mind set about you.

FP

[tubachris85x]

Uh huh, and that happens right before you lose consciousness, and pass out

Just kidding. Some people are like that. It never bothered me from day one years and years ago. Then, there are those that can't tolerate it in the least. I've always wondered how that can be, and does in mean that one person is genetically prone from the other to get cancer or something from it because they have too much tolerance, like a marker. "Tag, you're it " sort of thing

Just be careful. Don't get too used to it, without a mask or something. You're still breathing in styrene monomers. Ya know, "Known to the State of California to cause .... <insert disease here> ". At least make sure you've got a window open or something if the weather permits.

Sorry wasn't trying to hijack, it just makes me nervous seeing people get into this stuff for the first time

Good luck with the helmet. You've got quite the job ahead. But it sounds like you've got a good mind set about you.

FP

Thanks, I appreciate your concern for the noobs at certain aspects of this hobby. I always make sure that I work outside and that I maintain some level of protection. Just certain things Ive worked with that are *dangerous* never seem to have an effect on me, like MDF dust, I dont breath it in or anything, but wearing a mask sometimes just became to combersome. I do an on and off thing when it comes to that.

To be honest, the only time Ive ever blacked out was after standing up to fast after practicing a very long tuba piece....man that was not fun..

[Vable Boba]

U B crazy trying to re-hash that hunk of junk Can't wait to see it all perdy.

[blipper]

Hey mate, here's the shots of my ugly bucket with the rim during/after repair. It's kind of reassuring knowing someone else is scratchin' their noggin over similar problems around the same time as me!







Its cool to keep up with your progress, looks like its coming on nicely! I was going to FG the inside, but like you said previously its so messy I couldn't handle evrything in the garage sticking to my gloves and immovable fibres on the driveway which happened last time I experimented. So i just epoxy puttied it, with some body filler too.

I'm sure its been said many times about Fett but it really tickles me how much work you can put into a piece of **** just to getting it look like... a piece of **** I guess its just a very particular and charming piece of ****.

Which version Fett are you doing btw?

[AntMan]

It takes a lot of guts to tackle a wasted bucket like this dude! And a lot of craftmanship, which you obviously do not seem to lack! Great stuff! More pics please!!

Peter8)

[tubachris85x]

Hey mate, here's the shots of my ugly bucket with the rim during/after repair. It's kind of reassuring knowing someone else is scratchin' their noggin over similar problems around the same time as me!







Its cool to keep up with your progress, looks like its coming on nicely! I was going to FG the inside, but like you said previously its so messy I couldn't handle evrything in the garage sticking to my gloves and immovable fibres on the driveway which happened last time I experimented. So i just epoxy puttied it, with some body filler too.

I'm sure its been said many times about Fett but it really tickles me how much work you can put into a piece of **** just to getting it look like... a piece of **** I guess its just a very particular and charming piece of ****.

Which version Fett are you doing btw?

Oh wow man, thats an amazing result! You did an awsome job! Im just wanting an ESB style, however, Im going to have another member paint it up for me, cause I cant paint worth anything. Tried detailed painting, and failed miserably Great job again bro!

It takes a lot of guts to tackle a wasted bucket like this dude! And a lot of craftmanship, which you obviously do not seem to lack! Great stuff! More pics please!!

Peter8)

Thank you for your compliment, I really appreciate it. I think the fiberglassing was the easy part actually, the bondo is going to be the hard part of it, but I think I can handle it.

Hey Blipper, I think that both of our helmets came from the same recaster...you see on your helmet's mandibles, on the right side if your facing it, towards the bottom on the visor, is a long clump of fiberglass? That was on my helmet in the same exact spot.

As for an update, the fibergalss is still not dry. I have no other explanation for it, other then its probably the cold weather? It was really warm when I started and it the temp just droped.

Anyways, still waiting for it to set and cure, most of it did, just large parts havent. Its amazing now, that the helmet is about the same weight as my MR clone helmet, and I like it when it feels 'real' too. Will try to get more work done when I can lol Thanks guys


-tubachris

[blipper]

****!... it's like looking in a mirror, blob for blob! Hope the FG sets mate. Nice choice on ESB, same here.

[tubachris85x]

****!... it's like looking in a mirror, blob for blob! Hope the FG sets mate. Nice choice on ESB, same here.

Yea, they seem pretty identical from the pics you showed me, however, I think that you got a better casting then the one I have, but it may have been just as bad, because I know pics dont show how bad it truly is.

Also, the fiberglass is setting now, not 100%, but better then it was. Im thinking its either the cold weather, or that I may have possibly not put enough hardner into the resin. But I dont know, either way, it will harden out eventually.

Another 'also,' I will soon be getting more fettpride gear to beutify this thing, will be getting the keyslots and MQ-1 board casting. This thing shoud be a swan when Im through with it. Thanks everyone

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

Yikes!

Well I just start a little more clean up of the visor area. Using files and such, I began grinding down the excess fiberglass and pieces that shouldnt be there. Its not 100% clean, but its ALOT better then it has looked. I trimmed the extra FG from my -re-inforcement, and left a little sticking out of the rim so that I have a "wall" to form the bondo onto.

Some areas, like the inside, top portion and bottom parts of the mandibles are partialy hollow, as I said before, some areas are either just too thick or too thin.

Well, Im going to see what else I can sand off, and Im going to start the bonoing phase

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

This thing just gained another pound or two.....



Anyways, its pretty self-explanatory, I applied the bondo to where I could right now, I was frantically rushing because it starts to set pretty quickly. I also choped off the ear that was already attached to it. Turns out that it was just one giant piece of solid fiberglass resin, nothing else. So I bondo'ed that up, and I just need to adjust it so that I can fit the FP ears that I have.

Im pretty sure Im going to have to sand and re-apply more bondo over time to get the rim the way I want it.

Thats it for now.

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

Hmm..Since I cant sleep much right now, I figured I can update as to whats happening..

Ive been patiently waiting for the bondo to cure, and harden up...but apparently, weather is not allowing it too, there have been constant temp. variations, from really cold, dry air, so somewhat warm and humid air, since the time between applying the bondo and now.

I really really wanted to be able to have sanded it down yesterday, but this is happening.

Also, I got some more gear on the way to help turn this thing into a swan or at least in my attempt to. Much thanks goes to fettpride for helping me with these pieces. Will post *pics* when they arrive.

-tubachris

[stellardude]

Dude.. is that regular Bondo? Because the standard Bondo I got this week turns dark pink when you mix the hardening paste with it... it's the colour it is in your picture before you add the hardening paste to it.

It won't cure unless you mix the two together.
It might be different stuff than what I got, but the Bondo I bought came with a tube too.

[Ronin677]

Hey Chris,

You have done an outstanding job on this lid buddy

I think your ugly duckling really is turning into a swan

[tubachris85x]

Dude.. is that regular Bondo? Because the standard Bondo I got this week turns dark pink when you mix the hardening paste with it... it's the colour it is in your picture before you add the hardening paste to it.

It won't cure unless you mix the two together.
It might be different stuff than what I got, but the Bondo I bought came with a tube too.

I just bought the auto body filler, its the one with the car on it, and has a reddish color to it. Im starting to think that I may have not added enough hardener to the mix...

I took that pic shortly after adding the bondo

Hey Chris,

You have done an outstanding job on this lid buddy

I think your ugly duckling really is turning into a swan

Thanks, but its only just begun!

[Wolfie]

yeah it looks too white. waaaay to white. you might wanna wipe off and try again.

I'm enjoying watching your progress with this. I ALMOST ended up with one of these buckets but SF saved the day for me lol. Its neat to see people fix stuff up.

[stellardude]

I agree... you're doing a fantastic job cleaning this bucket up! It's looking really great!

Yeah, so you did buy the one that came with the tube of hardener, eh?
That's what I used... it will stay very soft if you didn't add enough. It should be a dark pink (have a look at the terrible job I did on my keyholes on my Budget Bucket thread... that's what it looked like when I used it... it was still curing when I took the picture)

[suspect86]

This is such a huge job! Kudos for getting right down to it, and such a great job at that.
Chances are, I would probably try to build one from scratch before I tried to repair something like this.

Keep posting. I wanna see this thing when it's done. I bet it'll be beautiful!

[tubachris85x]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the compliments!

Well, Im afraid that Im going to have to scrape off the bondo :wtc:

Its been a really sunny day today, and I let it sit out there, but its still very soft. Im assuming that I miscalculated the amount of hardner I put into the mix...

Oh well, trial and error, go do it again!

[stellardude]

It's going to look amazing when it's done man!
Could you do me a favour? Could you post a pic or two of the inside of the helmet? Around the visor area? I'd just like to see what you're working with... to compare.

It's all good with the bondo though... it could be worse! It could have been the other way and it could be too hard! At least it will be easy to take off, right?

[tubachris85x]

It's going to look amazing when it's done man!
Could you do me a favour? Could you post a pic or two of the inside of the helmet? Around the visor area? I'd just like to see what you're working with... to compare.

It's all good with the bondo though... it could be worse! It could have been the other way and it could be too hard! At least it will be easy to take off, right?

No problem, I just gotta scrape off what I can first, and I'll take pics of the area you asked for. Just gotta find my scrapper now..

[stellardude]

Awesome!! Don't do too much work on it before you take pics ok?
Before and after shots would be cool! lol

The reason I ask, is because mine is very thick and misshapen in that area.. I have to file and sand it down to make the grooves that the visor will fit into.

[Gypsyboy]

Sorry if I'm repeating anything someone else has said - not much time to read right now... This helmet fix-up is looking great. My only question/concern has to do with the auto putty applied inside the way you have it a few posts above. The stuff tends to shrink and pull inward as it cures. I wonder if this will affect the shape of your lid - particularly around the mandible area.

[tubachris85x]

Sorry if I'm repeating anything someone else has said - not much time to read right now... This helmet fix-up is looking great. My only question/concern has to do with the auto putty applied inside the way you have it a few posts above. The stuff tends to shrink and pull inward as it cures. I wonder if this will affect the shape of your lid - particularly around the mandible area.

Well, most of the bondo did not cure at all, just leaving a really nasty, pasty mess for me to scrape and pick off. I will explain below, that some areas have actually cured, especially around the mandilbles, but so far, nothing had changed drastically from the bondo.

Continuing on, today has been a pain. It was like trying to pick off semi-dried epoxy all over it. Fortunatly, some bondo has actually cured, but were just beneath the non-cured paste.

Its been more work then I thought trying to pick off, scrape and sand what I could. For the most part, which Im a bit happy about, is that parts of the rim of the helmet are actually starting to look fairly decent, because those areas are where the bondo actually hardened up.

The only real area that Im concerned about is the inside of the vertical part of the mandibles, where you would place the visor in. The bond had dripped into the inside (my fault for not removing it at the time!) so it had hardened out. The issue I have with it, is that its hard for me to get a sander or even my files. My metal files are starting to go bad now cause of the pasty bondo getting into it.

Im still not done right now, just wanted to post whats going on right now, I gotta grab the dremel...

Stellardude-I'll get the pics after I spray primer over it in a bit

-tubachris
(Screaming non-politically correct 4 letter terms at this helmet)

[tubachris85x]

Alright. Im done for the day, I can only take so much of it lol

Here it is right now, I used a dremel to reach in and sand off the excess bondo on the inner mandibles. It actually worked out for me in a way; I cut off the fiberglass re-inforcement where the visor is going to sit, so I now have sort of a lowered area to put the visor. for the top inner rim of the visor (where the forehead is) most of that is still too uneven and nasty. So im going to try a technique to get the bondo to stay in place, while making it all even. Im going to cut a strip of styrene plastic so that it run the length of the inner rim, from side to side. Since its uneven, the space between the fiberglass and the plastic should be somewhat open and have gaps. From that, I will apply the bondo to fill in the spaces and then sand it down until all is smooth. Thats the plan of course.

Anyways, here's a pic of it with the primer. Dont be fooled, theres a ton more work needed. I can never seem to spray an even coat of primer onto anything...



Stellardude, I promis I will get pics after this is dried. The temp is good right now, and I should be able to handle it a little later tonight.

-tubachris

[stellardude]

Looks like you got a good hard days work in there!
It's looking very nice!

I know how you feel about getting progress pics... when you get momentum on your work, it's hard to pull yourself away in order to take step by step pics! lol

I'm going to post some pics tomorrow of progress over the past two days. I couldn't get any clear pictures of the latex mask of the damage (clear fluid barely shows to the naked eye, nevermind to the camera!). I've got my base colours applied and the mask is off to show all the damage... looks beautiful! (a tear comes to my eye!)

Keep up the great work! You seem a lot more patient than I am!

[tubachris85x]

Looks like you got a good hard days work in there!
It's looking very nice!

I know how you feel about getting progress pics... when you get momentum on your work, it's hard to pull yourself away in order to take step by step pics! lol

I'm going to post some pics tomorrow of progress over the past two days. I couldn't get any clear pictures of the latex mask of the damage (clear fluid barely shows to the naked eye, nevermind to the camera!). I've got my base colours applied and the mask is off to show all the damage... looks beautiful! (a tear comes to my eye!)

Keep up the great work! You seem a lot more patient than I am!

Im trying to be patient, but I always gotta remember why I got this thing to begin with!

Anyways, the primer just finished drying for the most part. Its revealing aloooooooot of problem areas on the surface. there are alot of little bumps and whatnot that I need to sand off. The dome is another issue, there are several dips in it, and I need to fill with bondo and sand, so that I can get the dome somewhat more round then it is now.

Alot more work is going to be needed. Gimme a sec, and I'll post the visor pics for you

[tubachris85x]

Here they are:

[stellardude]

Nice pictures, my friend!
Looks like it will be good to go after a bit of sanding!

Not to be picky, but I was hoping for a picture of the inside, on the vertical section of the mandibles? Where the actual visor will sit?

[tubachris85x]

Nice pictures, my friend!
Looks like it will be good to go after a bit of sanding!

Not to be picky, but I was hoping for a picture of the inside, on the vertical section of the mandibles? Where the actual visor will sit?

[blipper]

looking good! great attitude too mate. I had a similar time with mine when some epoxy putty didn't set, must have been a bad batch. An absolute swine to scrape out and clean up -but hey, keep on trucking!

[stellardude]

Thanks for the pic of the inside of the bucket!
Doesn't look too bad! Looks like you won't have too hard a time prepping it for the visor, eh?

As you can see from the pic I posted, I'm going to have to buy a BIG file, lol.

[tubachris85x]

Thanks for the pic of the inside of the bucket!
Doesn't look too bad! Looks like you won't have too hard a time prepping it for the visor, eh?

As you can see from the pic I posted, I'm going to have to buy a BIG file, lol.

Yea, Im sure you'll figure it out, you did for the rest of your helmet!

Anyways, the primer is there now, not looking as ugly as before. Im going to be going out of town on thursday, got an "field training exercise" (FTX) but its going to be more of a little vacation, going to ft stewart (my like 5th time there), flying out on shinooks, do some tank/bradley sims, and then get to wander around downtown savanah. So yea, a mini-vaction to me lol

Back on track, Im going to do some more surface sanding tonight, nothing major, but I really want to clean up the outer surface a bit.

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

Alright, well I'll post pics in a bit, im still kinda working on it.

I got some sanding done, not all that I wanted, a guest came over when I was about to start, he showed me his WIP gaffi stick for his tuskan raider, and its looking really nice.

Anyways, I sand mainly the front. There are still areas that need to be worked, however, most of the spots that were annoying me got sanded off. I then took a finer grain sand paper, and went over it again.

Now, the next thing I decided to do, was try to help the ears sit better on the helmet. I studied the FPH for awhile, to see what I can do, to make it more accurate, that is, while still trying to make it usable lol.

I used the FHP as reference for 2 reasons:
1) its a (insert 4 letter word, including "ing") awsome helmet
2)I have a set of the FP ear's

So taking what I see in the pictures, where the ears sit on the sides, are actually elevated areas in the same shape of the earpiece. So what Im doing, is tracing the ears that will actually touch the helmet, onto some styrene sheets ive been using for my DT jump jet pack. That way, I can attach the strips to the sides, whit its still thin enough to not stick it out awkwardly, I can also smoothly attach the ears with out the need for more bondo. It will also bring out some of the lost details at the bottoms of the ears, where you have the angled sections, as well as slightly extend the sides to help shape the walls when its attached.

Will post in a bit

[tubachris85x]

Okay, well just finished. Its not 100% perfect, but it will, or at least should work.

I didnt take a pic of it, but the RF side, the top portion is still extends somewhat out, where the curved portion is. What I think im going to do, is attach it where I want to, and just fill it in with some bondo, and basically sculpt/sand off the excess to make it even and look right.

Now, I havent been gettting high off the fiberglass fumes or anything, but when I applied the primer, something *appeared* to me while inspecting it's surface. Im either going totally nutz, but....I can see what appears to be the "cat" scratch where its sopposed to be if you painted it. I didnt sand it in the hopes I can get a decent pic of it though. Its not so obviously clear, but its sort of a physcial detail more then just a visual. You would just have to look at it at certain angles, and you can see the shadows, which it is clearly an elevated portion...Anyways, back to reality, here are some *pics*







Im going to have to square off the rounded part above the cheeks too..

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

Well, Im going to try to get some more work done today. Didnt get the other items in the mail, yet, so all I can really do is still sand and bondo some more.

This is a pic I took the night before I left for training, just cause I was bored, and thought it was fun, despite how irrelevant it is to this project lol

[tubachris85x]

Well I ended up having a busier day then I thought, but was able to attached the sytrene "risers," which imitate how the FPH has molded onto it. Everything appears to fit fine, except for the top RF ears Just need to fill that area with bondo, sand and sculpt it until its in the appropriate shape. The other ears fit perfectly fine with it. The only thing that I really need to do, is yes, more bondo, to go around the edges to make it appear as part of the helmet. Another good thing, is that at the bottom, where the rim is, the risers act as a guide for the future bondoing, so that I can cut it off evenly.

The top RF ears in the pics are a little loose, only had regular clear tape to mock it up.





Here, you can see the whole area I need to fill with the bondo



Thanks

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

Well Im not going to post pics until its done, later on, but I started prepping for the second bondoing phase.

For this, Im cutting strips of styrene, and linning the inside edge of the helmet's rim, so that it will form a 'wall.' After all areas are attached, I will bondo it, and sand it down. Im also doing the same thing with the top portion of the visor area as well. Hoping the goop dries soon enough, so that I can start bondoing tonight.

I'll make sure to add enough hardner this time!

-tubachris

[stellardude]

Looking forward to seeing it all bondo'ed up!
I see Master Chief has his eye on your progress!

[tubachris85x]

Looking forward to seeing it all bondo'ed up!
I see Master Chief has his eye on your progress!

Yea, me too! I think chief is watching sometimes, but Im afraid one of these days he's going to drive off...

Anyways, didnt get to bondoing, some strips took awhile to dry. Will try to get to bondoing tomorrow if theres enough time.

[tubachris85x]

Alrighty, I just finished adding the second part of bondo to the key areas where I had attached the strips. I also filled up that large gap where the top RF ear will be sitting. This time, I added enough harder, and its not the same dull grey this time lol
So I'll be sanding that hopefully tomorrow!

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

Today I got to the sanding of the second phase of bondoing. For the most part, a large portion of the rim is finished, mainly the forward parts, right where the cheeks are, and then parts of the back of the helmet. The sides however, need a bit more bondo to help clean up, and even out. The rim now is alot thicker, and alot stronger, its not 100% perfectly even, but its surely ALOT better then it was.

For the RF ear side, where I had to fill in the gaps with bondo, I began sanding the excess, and "sculpting" it. I think its actually looking pretty good, and its hard to notice that there was anything underneath it. I still gotta go over it with a finer grit sand paper, get some more excess off of it, and then get it smooth.

Also, I only got to one side of the visor, which was the lower, left side. Its looking alot smoother and more even, but I gotta add probably just a touch more bondo and fine grit sand paper will be able to finish it off. I didnt get to the rest only because I was going strong for about 3 hours straight, and sun is almost down now.

Another area that I need help with is, is trying to get the upper corner of the cheeks more squared off. Right now, its rounded off, but Im a little perplexed as to how to square them off, while maintaining the angle of the rest of the cheek area.

Anyways, going to post pics very shortly...

-tubachris

[tubachris85x]

[stellardude]

NICE! Looking good! You sure know how to Bondo!

[tubachris85x]

NICE! Looking good! You sure know how to Bondo!

Thanks, its looking much better so far. I still have a long road ahead of me though for this thing.

[tubachris85x]

Holy old thread...

Anyways, I just got back last night, and recieved some pieces from FP, new keyslots and a brand new ESB helmet dent. So what I have planned, is to just cut along the inset portion of the keyslots on the helmet, so that I can just place the new resin slots on the inside, and it should sit relativly flush to the edge of the opening (you'll see when I do it)



I think the most difficult part is going to get the new dent onto the helmet at the right angles..

-tubachris

[mercfett]

Ive gotta say that is one nice project you have there. It is scary getting into something that big sometimes i know, but you did a great job of it and you have something there to be proud of. very impresive.

[tubachris85x]

Ive gotta say that is one nice project you have there. It is scary getting into something that big sometimes i know, but you did a great job of it and you have something there to be proud of. very impresive.

Thanks, I really appreciate your comment!

If you saw my other thread today, you already know that I had cut out the dent. Also, I cut out the keyslots. After looking at the keyslots area, there was just an incredibly thin layer of fibeglass resin, the rest was literally bondo, and thats it. So before I can attach the new slots, I need to sand the inside and the insides of the rim where I made the cuts.





-tubachris

[Southern hunter]

After reading your thread and seeing the great work you've done, it gives me encouragement to continue working on my own helmet.

I don't think I can make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but I'm just hoping to make a passable bucket.

[Sohryu76]

I have a Zombiebuddy Mystery Helmet coming to me... ****...
is this what I have to look forward to?

he hasnt shipped it yet... or if he has he hasnt contacted me with shipping info...

maybe its not too late to get my refund...

[stormtrooperguy]

I have a Zombiebuddy Mystery Helmet coming to me... ****...
is this what I have to look forward to?

pretty much

[Mojo-Fett]

I have a Zombiebuddy Mystery Helmet coming to me... ****...
is this what I have to look forward to?

Yep...

[Sohryu76]

well you guys know how to made a guy feel good about his purchases!
thanks!


let me put in for my refund thorugh paypal...

[Mojo-Fett]

Didn't mean anything bud, but if you had searched his name through various threads on here then ya probably would have stayed away...?
Just got your back is all!

[Sohryu76]

Didn't mean anything bud, but if you had searched his name through various threads on here then ya probably would have stayed away...?
Just got your back is all!

obviously its hard to tell that I was being sarcastic... I wasn't meaning to offend anyone who answered me...
and truth be told... It never occured to me to check his references...
guess that'll learn me

[tubachris85x]

Sorry for the lack of updates on this. Trying to keep up with more then one project at a time is not very good on top of basic required things I need to do in life.

Honestly, Im still having trouble with parts aquisitions, and on top of that, Im tryin to stay focused on the darktrooper project. Im getting strapped for cash as well, so Im thinking about letting the helmet go, or trying to sell it. Im not sure yet. Its just this thing needs alot more work done before I can even consider getting it a paint job. So Im just not really sure if Im going to keep this up or not. Thanks

[tubachris85x]

Project closed-For sale in cargo hold

[ilikebmxbikes]

I purchased the helmet from the cargo hold and will be continuing this thread as i finish restoring and painting the helmet.


I began with fitting the dent.


I added some bondo. this was my first time using it and i added a little too much hardener, thus the red color.

[ilikebmxbikes]

I sanded the dent and added some bondo to the brim of the visor and the left mandible. both of these parts needed to be leveled.



Before pic

[ilikebmxbikes]

I cleaned up the right ear and fit the keys.



Tonight i will be touching up the helmet with some epoxy and hopefully begin painting tomorrow or the next day. I have a green safty visor coming in the mail too.

[tubachris85x]

Its nice to see that your working on this helmet...makes me wanna cry

Good job so far, I hope it wasnt a total mess when I sent it!

[ilikebmxbikes]

Its nice to see that your working on this helmet...makes me wanna cry

Good job so far, I hope it wasnt a total mess when I sent it!

Hello
the helmet needed a little more work than i anticipated. but i am having a lot of fun working on it and learned how to use bondo, so it has been really rewarding so far. i am still touching up the details on it.

The helmet is very thick and heavy. It has some good weight and feels very sturdy.

Does anyone know what rangefinder works on the fettpride ears? I am thinking about ordering a boba maker range finder stem and advanced range finder kit and modding it to fit some LEDs.

[KaanE]

Nice work ILKBMXBKS! You're going really well with this helmet

[tubachris85x]

Hello
the helmet needed a little more work than i anticipated. but i am having a lot of fun working on it and learned how to use bondo, so it has been really rewarding so far. i am still touching up the details on it.

The helmet is very thick and heavy. It has some good weight and feels very sturdy.

Does anyone know what rangefinder works on the fettpride ears? I am thinking about ordering a boba maker range finder stem and advanced range finder kit and modding it to fit some LEDs.

Glad to know your enjoying it. Well, lol, when I first got the thing, it weighed almost absolutly nothing...so I think adding the fiberglass really gave it a much more "solid" feel to it.

Contact BKBT, he's still producing the RF stalks, and he makes them the right size for the helmet you have. I was going to scratch build an RF housing box just to put LEDs in before, but you can try see about possibly getting a hollow RF kit from Bobamaker

[ilikebmxbikes]

i touched up some of the bondo and smoothed it out a bit more.




The WIP helmet with my first bucket. I painted the first one before i found this message board and really plan on putting some work in on the new one painting using both layering with masking glue and topical touching up.

[KaanE]

Please a bit of primer would be great

Nice work

[tubachris85x]

Its looking amazing bro, a much better job then I could have done! My only suggestion for adding one more touch up of bondo, would be the inner visor on the left mandible, it appears uneven, so I think adding some bondo there will really straighten it out.

[ilikebmxbikes]

some primer. i still need to do some touching up around the mandibles and need to smooth alittle more out on the helmet before i begin tor eally paint the thing. its getting there though.

I tried to spray some bondo on the inside to smooth it out a bit. looks better but the inside is still a mess. i will either leave it a little rough looking or line the helmet with some material.

[Murphoid]

That has really blossomed into a pretty bucket, mate.

[GCNgamer128]

Looking good now that it's all primed! I would shave down the bondo on the inside though. The thickness of helmet around the visor should be 1/8", yours seems to be about 1/4".

[ilikebmxbikes]

Looking good now that it's all primed! I would shave down the bondo on the inside though. The thickness of helmet around the visor should be 1/8", yours seems to be about 1/4".

yeah, i need to get a dremmel and shave the inside downforsure. it still needs work before i begin painting it.

[ilikebmxbikes]

I shaved down the inside of the helmet to fit the visor better and began to paint it a little.

[ilikebmxbikes]

the colors will be towned down with some ink washes and the helmet still needs a lot of smoothing out in areas.

with my first bucket

started the cheeks

[ilikebmxbikes]

a small update on painting.

[ilikebmxbikes]

another update with the visor in and a little more weathering.




99cent taco belt with bat ninja pouches

[Kwally89]

That looks really nice!!! Great work!!!

[GCNgamer128]

Looks pretty on the outside! Quite rough on the inside though. Any plan on fixing that?