Scratch Build by BKFett *PIC heavy

BKFett · Sep 13, 2010

Hello everyone,

First time poster here,

I started my costume thinking I could sneak by and make a cool looking costume for cheap, now having learned along the way that its near impossible. I had never made a costume before in my life and had no idea what I was in for. Here is my journey, beginning with the helmet.

After reading though a few of the cardboard helmet builds I was confident I could construct my own. So after following the tutorial and cutting, wetting and trimming, I ended up with a rough draft that was ready for some puddy, but before starting it I had to try it on. And much to my dismay it was too small, like I couldn't get my chin covered by the bucket. I was really bumbed and desperate to solve the problem. At last I settled on the idea of using the cardboard bucket as a mold for a fiber glass version. Having no experience with any of this before it took a lot of reasearch on how to work with fiberglass. I'll be going through the posts in the near future to clean them up and add more detail to the instructions.

BKFett · Sep 13, 2010

Here is a step by step guide to using fiberglass on your cardboard helmet

1. Wrap paper helmet in aluminum foil.

BKFett · Sep 13, 2010

2 Cut fiberglass mat into strips. The strips applied easiest for me when they were in 1 1/2 in by 5-6 wide. Any longer and you have more bubbles due to the curvature of the dome.

3. Next use latex gloves and respirator in well ventilated area.

BKFett · Sep 13, 2010

4. Mix resin with catalyst. Note: when mixing my on the box instructions said to mix 14 drops of catalyst with one ounce of resin. This is total malarkey that ruined my first batch of resin. Within 10 minutes the substance had turned into a un-plyabe goo putty that then hardened in sec. I recommend mixing small batches of about 100-200 Millimeters with 30 drips of catalyst + or - 5 with judgment. Do not mix all at once.

This first image is too big of a batch

BKFett · Sep 13, 2010

6. Then apply your first strip to the dome. note that the mat strip has a strong side and a fluffy side. apply the fluffy side down. Then begin dabbing one corner with resin and then dabbing down the length of the strip giving close attention to the edge. Then off of the edge you went on go across to the oposite edge this will help prevent bubbles. You don't want any bubbles but a few small are ok.
If you see an air bubble dab at it until its no longer visible.
7. Try to layer the strips over one another slightly to reenforce them.
8. after the helmet has had its first coating of fiber glass let it side for about an hour so that it hardens slightly so the strips don't slide around when applying the second layer.
9 Begin applying the second layer.
10 After you've made sure there are no blatant air bubbles set it out in the sun to speed its seting time.

BKFett · Sep 13, 2010

10. After a night or so my helmet was a sturdy as can be. So I cut the T for the visor and removed the paper mold.

http://www.thedentedhelmet.com

And as you can see, this one fits on my head

The mold didn't survive the process unfortunately

BKFett · Sep 13, 2010

11. Here are the tools I used when shaping, sorry about the darkness

Over View

Masking tape- it helps you define lines on the helmet like the top ridge and saves time sanding later

Hand sander- helps alot with the rough sanding and making curves on the helmet

Plane- Normal used to shave wood this is also great for shaping bondo when still in its soft stages

Rasp- a rough file that is really good at rough sanding for flat or slightly rounded surfaces

File- this is for the shaping of sharp surfaces like the ridge on the top of the dome or the lines on the ears

Square- can help you get more accurate and symmetrical curves and lines

BKFett · Sep 13, 2010

12. Now for the bondo, this is the most labor intensive part of the project. I had no power tools on hand that could be used for sanding so everything shown is hand crafted.

Start by mixing one to one and a half Spackles of bondo and just mix a little catalyst in at a time till you get a pinkish consistency. Make sure you have it thoroughly mixed before applying it to the helmet, no gray should be present.

Now the second coat of bondo, though its hard to tell when the one coat ends and another begins. You basically get to a point in sanding where you think that certin areas need to be be smoother or filled in better and you'll go back and forth between bondoing and sanding.

Here's an example of me using the masking tape before applying more bondo

I ended up loosing track of time alot when I worked on this part lol

This where I started working on the back and forming where the key holes go

Yes I know that the key holes are supposed to be pushed inside of the helmet but I hadn't accounted for this when I started.

As you slowly get closer to the shape that you want you should also go up in sand paper grit. I started with 140 and then went to 220 and then finished with 300-400 grit.

BKFett · Sep 14, 2010

Here's more sanding and shaping. I would recommend wearing a dust mask while sanding because the dust gets pretty fine

I decided to take a break from the sanding and shaping of the helmet to work on the sanding and shaping of the ears

The ears are made of balsa wood for its light weight, easy to cut and shape, and for its strength

I coated the balsa wood pieces with Elmer's wood glue to give it more of a smooth texture and to fill in any dents or mistakes I made. The nice thing about this glue is that its sand able and paint able

Here's the next piece

Hers what a piece coated with glue looks like

And here are the other pieces

They fit pretty well together

And the antenna

I hollowed out the center so I could put some wiring inside for the blinking light

Unfortunately I could only get 2 of the 4 wires to fit right

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

Here's more on the antenna

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

The shaping of the key hole

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

Here's how the ears look on the helmet

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

The final details and sanding before paint

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

When I had first started this project I was dreading doing the paint, worried that I might screw it up beyond repair. And while it was a little tricky at time using the masking fluid I ended up finding it the most enjoyable part of the build.

First here the primer and silver coats

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

So now we start with the masking fluid
Using a toothpick and a small brush I apply the first layer over the silver paint

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

Next I put on a a gray layer and continued masking over it

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

Next I layed down the colors for the cheeks and the back

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

Here I used the masking fluid to coat the areas I have already painted to protect them from the next layer. I don't recommend going this route because if the layer peels off the layer underneith it as well then you have to start over. So I would say to only use masking fluid on the edges of the layers and to use masking tape and newspaper to protect the rest to minimize over peel.

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

Now onto the red layer

BKFett · Sep 15, 2010

Sorry I kinda jumped the painting of the dome but its easy forget to take pictures when your working on something. So, here is one of the most useful tools you can buy for the painting. A rubber cement eraser will save you a ton of time and keep your thumbs from blistering like crazy. I ended up modifying one of the erasers for the dremel with decent results if you have steady hands. And here's the end result after I did a few quick touch ups and minor fixes from overpeeling which seemed to cause me quite a bit headache at times . So remember to wait a few hours between painting layers and to always peel slowly and stand by with an x-acto knife if it starts to do something you don't like.