Newbie needs some guidance!

Evarcha

New Hunter
Hi guys!
I joined up tonight, I have been scouring this superb site and devouring the images with passion, I am a HUGE Fett fan. I would love to invest time and effort into making a helmet, and I just wanted to ask a question. I have a pepakura file of a helmet and it looks very good, if I print this off and build it, would coating the surface with Crystacal R (hard plaster) help achieve a hard surface? I have seen you guys use resin and fibreglass but this wont be an option for me.

I just wanna say I wish I'd found this site so many months ago, so so many amazing pictures of people's hard work. I hope to upload my own soon.

Thanks for any interest/guidance/tips in advance.
 
I dont know that i would use plaster for a wearable helmet but certainly for display it would work...Ive used plaster for making molds but being so fragile when thin
 
Thankyou Fett 4 Real, I had a feeling I would be asking for trouble doing that to a wearable helmet.
I will experiment I think, just to get a feel for it. I think once I have made my first I will be addicted.

Thanks again
 
I don't have much experience with pep, but why wouldn't fiberglass work? It's supposed to be fairly easy to apply and can be bought most craft/hardware stores.
 
Thanks GraphiX, I am now half way through my first bucket-build, and it's going really well. I managed to find some fibreglass and will be applying it to the inside of the helmet to add strength.
I will have to be posting pictures soon :D
 
album.php

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Yes...thats a beer can in the background. :D
I just hope the images work

Photo-0008..jpg


Photo-0009..jpg
 
Hey, lookin good. BTW, you seem to have some *broken* pics (red X in box). I don't know if it's just me but check it out.

P.S. where did you get the pep files?
 
Oh, and did you use card stock?

BTW, it's probably my computer because I have the slooooowest computer EVER!
 
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no, I work in an art gallery/picture framing shop and have access to loads of mountboard (specifically white-core, it's tough cardboard and cuts nicely and is as tough as old boots, consequently my bucket is coming out surprisingly rigid). Are you in the U.K? Because this stuff is probably called different names in other parts of the world. It's not exactly cheap, but if you can get hold of it I would recommend it to you
 
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I would like to think that I'm in some place other than the states (New Zealand) but sadly no. So... non corrugated? Is it like a thin cardboardish particle board?

BTW, did you use batting helmet method, if so, how well does it work?
 
It's a rigid board that is used to create the borders around pictures in frames...it's approx 1/8th of an inch thick....it's certainly not like normal cardboard.
Ask for offcuts from a picture framing places, u may get them for free...

I am sorry, what does batting method mean?
 
Well..... it's taking a baseball batting helmet, cutting it in 1/4ths, using sintra (expanded PVC foam if you aren't familiar with it) to fill in gaps to make it longer, bondo the whole thing.
 
ah...I got you, I have seen pics but didn't know the term. No, I decided to test out making the dome from mountboard, using the templates and using bondo (car body filler?) to build up the dome in layers, which works out very well, providing you don't mind the dust!!

Good news. Last night I made most of the ears, ready for the filler and sanding. I am so happy, it has started to take shape now...
 
When you say you made it from mountboard, do you mean in long verticle strips or small squares from a pep file? And yes, car body filler is the same thing as bondo.
 
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