How To Make A Helmet From Pep To Finish

[monk]

you my friend are a true god O.O thanks to you all my fears with my gundam project starting in the next couple of weeks are fading, i first intented to do with eva foam (really expensive, and almost impossible to find 4mm sheets in my country), but now i'm tending for fiberglassing as i can't find bondo in my country (Portugal-.-').

Thank you so so so much

 

[Starvinartist80]

Ben,
These vids are a great resource. I'm working with several of my high school students to create a suit and you have become one of our go-to resources for instruction. Your explinations are thorough yet simple enough to follow. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. Hope to have some progress pics up soon so you can see how much the guys have learned from you.

 

[scruple3]

My first attempt.

 

[ironpredator]

I know im only a newbie here, but all your help and videos from Ben will really help me lots!!! Just trying to find my way around here with so many posts and threads ha thanks again

 

[Eternal Phase]

Thank you very much Ben, this helps a ton

 

[cian2d2]

hey this helped a lot but i have a question I'm using bondo so how do i get detail like the vents in recon helmets?

 

[EMAW09]

Questions about latex molding.

1. I only saw two videos on youtube and it looks like there should be more. Am I missing something?
2. You mention using cheesecloth for latex molds. Is that just for the keys like when molding with Rebound?
3. Do you make the outer shell the same as when molding with Rebound? I.E. with plaster cast cloth or fiberglass cloth
4. I noticed in your Rebound Tutorials you don't make a cone that you slice down the middle, you just roll the mold off the helmet. Is it the same way with latex? I will be molding a Mark VI chief helmet for some friends and I am concerned about trying to roll it off because of the large protruding visor.

Thanks a bunch for these videos. They have been lifesavers.

 

[BenStreeper]

1. I only saw two videos on youtube and it looks like there should be more. Am I missing something?

Nope, my camera broke during the rest of that molding process, I have since bought a new one

2. You mention using cheesecloth for latex molds. Is that just for the keys like when molding with Rebound?

no, in latex molding cheesecloth is used as a thickening agent, you use some after the 10th coat, and 20th coat to help make sure the latex doesn't rip apart. You also use it to make registration keys;

3. Do you make the outer shell the same as when molding with Rebound? I.E. with plaster cast cloth or fiberglass cloth

Yes

4. I noticed in your Rebound Tutorials you don't make a cone that you slice down the middle, you just roll the mold off the helmet. Is it the same way with latex? I will be molding a Mark VI chief helmet for some friends and I am concerned about trying to roll it off because of the large protruding visor

.
Yes I make them the same way, this is referred to as a "Glove" mold. it is used to make a single solid casting with no "flashing" marks on the separation lines.

 

[EMAW09]

Thanks Ben,

So far I've got about 5 layers of latex on the sucker. I am using my noble six helmet for practice before I make from for my master chief. My visor still isn't in for the Mark VI anyways. One more question. I was going to make the cast with rondo. Would you recommend going with a fairly running batch (i.e. more resin) for the first coat to make sure it picks up the details?

 

[OXM Chase]

This thread's been quiet for sometime. Let's get it back up and running shall we. Any tips or tricks for creating a visor for any helmet since they're not all gonna be the basic motorcycle pattern?

 

[chefwurm]

Will rondoing the inside help fill in these gaps? First timer. 0_o

 

[J326]

take scrap pieces of paper and glue them on the inside to fill the gap. then you can resin the inside and outside just fine.

 

[chefwurm]

Thank you.

 

[BenStreeper]

 

[chefwurm]

Ben, I see that you have the holes after Rondoing and resining, I take it you posted this video also because you can use the same patching method even before resining. Or would it be best to resin with the holes then patch it before Rondoing?
PS. I love your taste in music too. With most videos I have seen so far I've heard A7X, Pearl Jam, etc. awesome.

 

[Mstruvmgc]

Ben thank you for reminding me that we all make mistakes. I have been afraid of messing up my helmet by sanding to much because i messed up on the bondoing of the outside lol. Dont bondo the outside with a brush, it leaves to many indents.... ok anyways Thanks again man! Keep up the great work

 

[Serepheth]

Super awesome videos man, i've been dreading doing the inside of my pieces cuz i had absolutely no idea what to do or how it looked or should look. Thanks a ton.

 

[BenStreeper]

Don't be afraid to mess up, If I could count the times I've messed up it would take everyone's fingers, toes, and tongues to count it

 

[Carpathia]

Super awesome videos man, i've been dreading doing the inside of my pieces cuz i had absolutely no idea what to do or how it looked or should look. Thanks a ton.

I agree with Ben. The best way to figure out how to do this stuff is to try it yourself. You can watch all the videos you want, but you will very quickly learn your own technique when you actually start doing it. The best part is that when you try it yourself, you've got something to physically hold in your hands afterward (good or bad), which is always better than simply seeing a picture of someone else's work.

 

[TheBearMan]

Hey Ben,

Gota say i love the vids man! They have been very informative and helpful.

So i started the hardening process on my ODST build and all the resin stage went well, but the rondo has been a little tougher.

heres the pieces I've rondoed...

The rondo worked but i guess i didn't use enough resin because it was hard to slush, and the other thing was it didn't turn red with the hardener...did I do something wrong?

The other thing is when i finish Rondoing, i'm supposed to use the body filler on the outside of the helmet to smooth it and detail it, right?

Other than that thanks for doing the videos man! I love your work, and any advice you can give me will be great.

Thanks