First time pep helmet

[socom]

Thanks cuse. Hopefully you saw the completed helm on the first page, and not the post above.

 

[socom]

Update

Hey guys. Thought I would give an update as to where my progress is at. The resin is now all done(3 coats). Next will be the rondo, then fibreglass then another coat of rondo.
Since my dremel died, I can see I will have to invest in a new one. One of those must have tools. And I've been hinting for Christmas...so here's hoping.
Here are some pics for you to see. Enjoy the pics and thanks for looking. Any comments welcomed.

 

[cuse]

Looks fantastic! No warping

 

[Drewhinkle09]

Looks excellent! You're doing it in the exact same order as me! If you have any issues feel free to pm me. I just put the visor in mine after doing the resin. So if you need any insight into that lemme know! Keep up the great work!

 

[spartansonny]

Socom your build is looking great! You pulled the resin off nicely, can't wait to see the bondo work start. you seem to have the patience and willing to pull it off nicely. keep up the good work buddy!

 

[socom]

Looks fantastic! No warping

Thanks cuse, there is a small amount of warping but it is very minimal and easily fixed.

Looks excellent! You're doing it in the exact same order as me! If you have any issues feel free to pm me. I just put the visor in mine after doing the resin. So if you need any insight into that lemme know! Keep up the great work!

Thanks. Yeah, I have the visor made up and have been wondering if I really need it or not. Makes sense to put in.

Socom your build is looking great! You pulled the resin off nicely, can't wait to see the bondo work start. you seem to have the patience and willing to pull it off nicely. keep up the good work buddy!

Thanks Sonny. I'm getting a little itchy to do the bondo myself. Always seem to have more patience for these kinda things(no patience for dumb drivers)

I am hoping to get the first coat of rondo in today(23rd). No more after that, family over for Xmas...don't want the house to be to smelly, door closed and window open, my wife don't mind at all...but my mother-in-law, very sensitive.

But I'm off til the 2nd so lots of play time

 

[Drewhinkle09]

It seems like this is always a bad time of year for this hobby lol, good luck on the rondo, if you need to accomplish more with less you could brush on a layer and then lay fiberglass cloth pieces in and then brush rondo onto them. Might be able with doing the whole helmet in one batch of rondo if you work quick enough. Prepare the fiberglass pieces ahead of time and just take no prisoners lol. This way you get significant strength without having to do multiple batches of rondo if you're crunched for time, either way can't wait to see an update!

Drew

 

[socom]

Well guys, between cooking a pot of chili, a large ham, and a pizza in there, the day is shot so not rondo for me now til after Christmas.

I wish all of you a great Christmas, and hope all your pep dreams come true. Thanks for all the great comments, and the words of encouragement. And any progress, I will keep you posted.

 

[Carter Locutus]

WoW awsome pep. Someone has some skills here hehee. I hope myn is as crisp when I start myn , good job!

 

[socom]

WoW awsome pep. Someone has some skills here hehee. I hope myn is as crisp when I start myn , good job!

It will look as good and thanks for the comment. Just remember to take your time and use a ruler and ball point pen...your lines will always be straight and clean.

Ok guys, got some rondo done last night so thought I would give an update and some pics. Lot of pics so you are warned.



Ok, there was a slight bit of warping in the brim so I decided now to fix, you can't see it much but it bugged me. A little piece of support and good to go.

We had fast food last night so this is the cup I had on hand. I pre measured and marked lines for 12oz, 13oz, and 15oz. Ended up using the 12 and 15oz marks.

Ok, here are the needed tools(respirator a must, don't be stupid).

And then the bondo to 12oz, and top up resin to 15oz. Then adding you required amount of hardener(I did both resin and bondo hardener). I went with this mixture only to make sure it was good and runny, and it was what I wanted. This is not the only method to do this, just what I chose. Sorry for the bad pic.

After you stir well, simply pour into the helmet and rotate the helmet around...this is what you get...

The support gets covered nicely...good and solid now.

 

[socom]

And as you can see the brim is now straight and solid.

And a little tip for you all just about to do this...it is really messy. Did I say really messy. Notice anything odd about this pic...

Yep the rondo is done and my watch is still on. I was doing some brushing as well as casting, so my hand was inside...DUH. Don't do this, remove your watch. Hard to get rondo off. And if it is an expensive watch(that your wife bought you) do what I did...panic, realize she was asleep, then hit up her nail polish remover, and then relax.

Anyone looking to do this method should be prepared for the added weight...quite surprising how much really, but I'm used to a fullface MC helmet so for me not too bad.
Well guys that is the last of the update for now, hopefully didn't bore you too much, and helps some others.

As a note, these are not my methods so much as how I did them. All the info I got right here from the smart folks at the 405th.

 

[gin tekidan]

noice, looks good dude. i hope my helm comes out like that

 

[thorn696]

Your helmet in looking great.

 

[socom]

Thanks for the words guys. Got a new dremel for christmas so will help alot for the shaping. Should be doing some fibreglass tomorrow, more updates to come

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

Got a new dremel for christmas

lol, my christmas gifts were a can of resin, a can of bondo, and a few packs of Eva foam. Sorry, random comment alert!

Your helmet is looking great! One tip I can give you is when you bondo it, use thin layers and DO NOT RUSH!!! (I learned this the hard way, I put really thick layers and it took hours to sand). Sand between layers and be sure to check back at reference pictures often to make sure it looks right. Good luck! Subscribed

 

[socom]

Update

Ok guys here is the newest update on my helmet, thought you might like to see the progress.

Got a new dremel for christmas so this will help alot.

And, right off the bat it did. Needed to trim to fit a fat head.

So this is what I used...although next time I may pay a little more and go with the mat instead of fibre.

Here are the results I had with the fibreglass.

As a tip for those who have never worked with this stuff...wear gloves and if you get a glass splinter(and you will) in your hand(or else where) wash with cold water...it will close the pores and not allow the splinter to work in more.

After the fibreglass was done, I went on to the last coat of rondo inside. Did a slush cast again sort of...poured in then brushed most of it around.

Now that that is all done, it is time to move onto the bondo....Yay!
Thanks for looking,
Andrew.

 

[anime fan]

Your off to a strong start, look forward to seeing more.

 

[TheMagicNumber]

Looking pretty much perfect so far dude - good job

 

[02 Hawkeye STi]

For it being your first try at it you're doing great!
The pep work looked really good, clean folds, and the rondo and fiberglass came out great as well.
Keep up the awesome work

 

[socom]

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. Definately makes me want to push on.