Fiberglassing + resin for an old Don Post helmet.

KalamMekhar

New Hunter
I have recently acquired a don post helmet from ebay for real cheap ($20) It is in a shape of disrepair and I am going to fix her up for my first custom mando helmet! I am wondering how do I go about laying down fiberglass inside of my helmet and smoothing it out as to where it will give it a nice strong inner layer as to where they rotocast material will not deform.

I tried a search but did not find anything either on google/youtube or TDH.

Any information on the process of fiberglassing a helmet is appreciated!

Thanks!
John
 
first off you're going to need to get the helmet into an acceptable shape. that's not too hard to do with a dp helmet since it's made of vinyl. head to a crafts store, like michaels, and get a craft ring. metal or wood will work fine, just make sure it'll fit in your helmet. i'd suggest getting two, one smaller to fit up closer to the dome right above the visor. my experience has led me to believe that most imperfections in the dp/rubies helmets can be repaired by forcing a shape higher up in the helmet. the the second, larger ring can be used around the skirt of the helmet to get bottom edge into as good of shape as possible. I'd suggest using hot glue to hold it in at first then use goop or a two-part epoxy to make it permanent. after that you can start on fiberglass. i'll post on that in a minute.
 
ok glassing. i've never glassed a dp before, but I can't imagine it would be much different from doing a sgt fang or an ms3. start off by roughing the interior surface a bit with some 220 grit sandpaper. then set up you workstation, somewhere well ventilated, outside is preferrable. you should have a table, a large-ish piece of cardboard, make a measuring cup from an old soda bottle (i measured 4 oz of water into it marked where it came to the cut the bottle at the mark), disposable latex gloves (just buy a box of 100, you'll need more than one pair), disposable foam brushes, a good respirator, a disposable sandwich container (for mixing the resin and hardener), and a bondo fiberglass repair kit. cut up the fiberglass mat or cloth into smaller strips to make it easier to use. then mix up the resin and hardener per instructions on the box (use that cut off bottle to measure it out, it makes things easier). grab that cardboard and slop some resin into a spot about the size of one of the strips of glass with a sponge brush. set a strip onto it then brush more resin on. before you set the glass strip in the helmet brush a little more resin into the area you're working then lay it in. again, work in sections, go slow, overlap the strips a bit, and don't over do it with the resin. you don't want it to pool up. with your dp i'd suggest you keep some airflow going across it because the resin will heat up as it cures so you want the heat to be drawn away so it doesn't deform the helmet.
 
Thanks for the help saint!

Now with these rings I can just leave them in there and they will be fine? What size ring do you suggest to get a good shape?

I suppose I could cut out the WOF upper dome template and use that for the upper ring and same for the lower ring with the lower template.

would it be a good Idea to fiberglass over the T-visor area also so the helmet will be more rigid for painting and working on it and then dremel out the fiberglass and add the T-visor?

There is a crack that runs along the left eye of the helmet and runs along the brow for about an inch. Should I bondo the outside and then use extra strips of fiberglass on the inside for strength and support? hot glue is holding it on the outside now so it does not progress further.

While I am at it with the bondo I might as well fill in the area around the t-visor on the inside so it is flat for the new full visor to attach to.


Thanks!

John
 
yeah, leave the rings in and just glass over top of them. i really don't remember the size i used, 8" maybe? could be 10". they've got different sizes, try a few.

glassing it with the original visor in would help keep the down slot from widening toward the bottom when you get the craft rings in there.

i don't think you should need any extra glass on the inside to back the crack. i'd suggest filling it with ca glue and sand that down. maybe bondo over that, but i don't think it'd be necessary.

and i don't think that bondoing the area inside the visor area, it'd be a big pain to dremel all that out.
 
Well I bondo'd the main crack and that made the helmet far more rigid! I wasn't going to bondo the whole inside of the T'visor area just the area between the cheek indentations and the edge. I will try and get some pictures up of what I am talking about!

Now were these craft rings metal? I got a wood one that is used for cross-stiching but I am not sure if that is going to work so well. I like the shape of the dome but the bottom needs to be pushed out more.
Is there a link that you could show me of these? My ben franklin store does not have anything of the sort that is metal.
 
i've used wood rings to great effect. getting the ring in place will take care of the shape of the bottom of the helmet.

I was thinking about this, when you glass the helmet, don't cover the visor area. it won't provide any extra strength after you remove it, and it'll just make cutting it out that much more of a pain.
 
The main reason I was thinking about covering that area with fiberglass was to make the helmet more stable and sturdy while I was sanding and then eventually painting the outside of the helmet. But the helmet got more rigid when I put a small bit of bondo around the crack

0711091345.jpg


That is before I sanded down the bondo. As you can see the helmet is very elongated and will shorten up when the bottom is spread out wider.
 
This thread is more than 14 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top