New Scratch Helmet

Nice progress on the bucket!

I am making mine out of 5 gallon paint buckets purchased from Lowe's. I was wondering when is best to apply the mask, before or after constructing the cheeks? In these posts, it looks like the cheeks are constructed using the inner layer before the mask is applied, but I have seen other scratch-builds apply the mask first, then cut out the cheek areas and glue in the cheeks.

Also is it best to construct the dome and bondo it before applying the mask? It seems that is the best way to maintain the lip around the dome.
 
Nice progress on the bucket!

I am making mine out of 5 gallon paint buckets purchased from Lowe's. I was wondering when is best to apply the mask, before or after constructing the cheeks? In these posts, it looks like the cheeks are constructed using the inner layer before the mask is applied, but I have seen other scratch-builds apply the mask first, then cut out the cheek areas and glue in the cheeks.

Also is it best to construct the dome and bondo it before applying the mask? It seems that is the best way to maintain the lip around the dome.

I suppose it is really up to preferences. It seemed to me that it made the most sense to have the form of the lid first before cutting anything out. That way, the shape that I wanted to achieve would already be set and I would not have to force things to fit into place. Basically, the proper shape was the most important thing for me, so shape first, then cheeks later.

You are correct, I connected the dome to the base first and used the bondo before applying the outer "mask" layer. The proper lip aspect of the outer layer was most important to me there.

Hope that helps!
 
Thanks for the tips. Due to the material that I'm using, I imagine I will need to do something similar to what you have done to build up a flat surface on which to attach the ear pieces.

I've been constructing the dome using the triangle strips rather than the bike helmet method, but it looks like I will have to trim up some of the pieces in the back a bit to get everything to fit. This material is pretty thick, which will make it sturdy, but it is a bit difficult to work with as far as cutting goes. But considering the buckets are only $5, I'm pretty happy with it so far!

I have started taking pictures of my progress, and I hope to post some pictures soon, but I don't yet have the ability to start a new thread with the new member rules.
 
Hey guys! I'm new here. You guys really seem like pros at this and I want some advice!
Below is a link to a photo of my helmet. I am a LOT younger than you guys. (12) So, obviously it's not very good....I also made it in like 10 minutes so....
Please, give me some advice!

fuzzinear
 
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Okay gang, I have done another round of sanding, this time in the bath tub with running water and wet/dry sandpaper. It has come out really smooth and very nice. Except one issue keeps coming back to "haunt" me. The holes from the helmet on the top (from the bike helmet); I refilled them with bondo and let them set and dry for about 72 hours. When I wet sanded them, the bondo came off and I still have visible indents where the holes once were. So now here is my question/thought: Should I sand down with a heavy grit and risk doing damage to the area or should I try another round of Bondo and sanding. Has anyone else experienced this? Any thoughts???

Thanks,
E
 
Any pictures?

Are the filled areas just popping off leaving the original helmet holes? If so, I noticed you are using duct tape. Bondo does not stick too well to duct tape. You could have just used pieces of sign material, like less than 1 mm thick, and glued it on, and filled it.
 
I'd agree with the above poster. Use something else as a backing, even if it is just some sort of cardstock/cardboard. Duct tape doesnt seem to work too well in this situation...hope the damage isnt too bad. =(
 
Any pictures?

Are the filled areas just popping off leaving the original helmet holes? If so, I noticed you are using duct tape. Bondo does not stick too well to duct tape. You could have just used pieces of sign material, like less than 1 mm thick, and glued it on, and filled it.

Actually, the pieces are not popping out, the design of the holes from the inside should prevent movement of the filled in pieces. The issue is that the area when sanded seems to have "sunken" below the original level of the outer shell. When I first applied primer, you could se the outline of the original holes. I added Bondo to those areas and have sanded down again. The issue now is the Bondo has actually "washed" away while doing wet sanding so that there is nothing, or well barely anything, left on top of what was already there. I just want a smooth even shape so that you cannot se the original spots when I apply the primer again. Below is the photo that shows them..... Let me know! I added two photos, one before priming and one after. The one after the priming, it is a little tough to spot them, but in person they are pretty obvious.

E

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Any pictures?

Are the filled areas just popping off leaving the original helmet holes? If so, I noticed you are using duct tape. Bondo does not stick too well to duct tape. You could have just used pieces of sign material, like less than 1 mm thick, and glued it on, and filled it.

Sorry, forgot to pinpoint the location for you. If you click on the primered photo and can expand it, you can se the outline of the hole in the center of the strip of light going across the top of the helmet.
 
Oh I see what you are talking about. Well, for that I would say fill it with that red paste, that you can buy at walmart, I forgot what its called, but it air drys and is perfect for this situation. And it is easy to sand. If that doesnt work, then clean your helmet with water and re apply bondo

Edit- Sorry, I meant, clean your helmet first with water and the apply bondo. Then if that doesnt work buy that filler paste.
 
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Okay gang, Boba is back! I feel I have done the best that I can with him after our mishap last weekend. By the way, if you do not know what I am referring to, take a look at my thread titled, "Tradgedy has struck....!" for what had happened. Since the "tumble", I have done a layer of fiberglass. A couple of notes on it, it can get really sticky. If you get some on the outside of the lid, do not panic, you will just need to do a great job of sanding when it is all dry. Also, the strands come off very easily when you apply the resin. Not sure if I was supposed to remove the lose ones as I went, but it added to the mess. There is a mesh type that almost looks like a loosly woven mat of sorts. I wonder if that is any easier to work with? Make sure you add the correct amount of hardener to the mix. I think on the first application I did not add enough and as a result, it did not dry right away and is still a little sticky. On the second coat I made sure I added enough and that seemed to do the trick.
In any event, he seems really solid now, not that I am going to drop him any time soon! But, if there are any other mishaps, I should be good. Now, I also added another bit of Bondo. I cannot get those darn spots from the bike helmet to completely go away. I am trying more bondo again and a different primer spray to see if it will help. Plus, I wanted to add a little more where the cracks were. So, hope everyone enjoys and has a great Thanksgiving, and to our global brothers, find a pub and give thanks for Boba?!

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Just a thought. The problem with the bike helmet holes arises because the filler material (bondo or red paste) is less tough than the original plastic. So when you sand the area the filler sands down faster than the bike helmet and you get the dips.

You need to find a filler that is of a similar toughness to the bike helmet. No idea what sort of filler that might be.
I had a similar problem because I used two different types of polyfiller on my bucket.
 
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