I was thinking of making a Master Chief Helmet, but what should I do when it comes to Tinting the Visor?

[CAPEDCRUSADER39]

I know other Cosplayers do this Technique where they tint the Visor after Vacuforming it, then paint it with this One Way Mirror tint on the inside, but I don't know how long that paint method would last for long term use & abuse with constantly wearing the helmet & taking it on and off over & over again?

But I was wondering what if you took the Plastic sheet Applied some actual Gold One Way mirror tint like what's used on gold sunglasses on top of it first, then Vacuformed the plastic to the Mold, would this work, I don't know if this has been done before with any success?

 

[N8TEBB]

I made my chief helmet in 2020 with the dye and chrome method and the visor is still holding up today! You just have to take care of it. That being said, if the chrome ever gets too worn, you can always wipe it off and re-apply.

I don’t have experience with that second method you mention

 

[CAPEDCRUSADER39]

I made my chief helmet in 2020 with the dye and chrome method and the visor is still holding up today! You just have to take care of it. That being said, if the chrome ever gets too worn, you can always wipe it off and re-apply.

I don’t have experience with that second method you mention

I've never seen anyone do the 2nd method it's just an Idea I had.

The idea is essentially you apply the Mirrored Gold Window tint to the plastic you're gonna use for the Visor, heat it up then Vacuform it. But I'm not 100% if the tint will crinkle up due to the heat or get all deformed due to the Vacuforming, it'll probably depend of the material the tint is made of as well?

 

[Benton188]

The coloration of the visor after vacuum forming and then applying the dye will never wear out. The dying process bonds the dye to the plastic through heat transfer so it can't be accidentally wiped off. The chrome on the inside however is subject to it getting worn out over time. Humidity and wiping it with any type of wet cloth will remove the chrome. There is one more advanced method of adding chrome, but it's a very messy and costly process that only 1 user I know of currently does it. Hydrodipping.

As for the other method you suggested, I don't think it would work due to the heat required during vacuum forming. I feel it would either shrink the gold mirror tint sheet, or burn away the color. PETG plastic has to reach around 280-310° F for it to work.

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Correct. Window film can not withstand the temperature needed for heat forming. I know vinyl car wraps can be applied with a heat gun. But most would be white vinyl, not clear, and the pressure needed to form it is pretty great.

The first method you mentioned is the norm and my visor has lasted 5 years with a couple dozen days worn each year. I also clear coated overtop the interior chrome so it wouldn't wipe away. The chrome has lightened more recently, but I can reapply if I wanted.

 

[Nimitz]

I made my chief helmet in 2020 with the dye and chrome method and the visor is still holding up today! You just have to take care of it. That being said, if the chrome ever gets too worn, you can always wipe it off and re-apply.

I don’t have experience with that second method you mention

Can anyone link and references to how this "dye & chrome method is done. I was just going to purchase a gold visor from GA since I'm using their helmet 3D files but found out that they only make visors that fit their helmet at 100 % scale and I have to scale my scale up to fit ...

 

[Cadet]

Can anyone link and references to how this "dye & chrome method is done. I was just going to purchase a gold visor from GA since I'm using their helmet 3D files but found out that they only make visors that fit their helmet at 100 % scale and I have to scale my scale up to fit ...

Dying and Chroming Visors (Cheap) TUTORIAL

It seems that the 405th is in need of a visor dying and chroming tutorial so I shall volunteer be the first to step up to the plate! In this tutorial we will be covering how I dye my visors any particular colour, and how I use spray chrome to block others from seeing my face while allowing me...

www.405th.com

 

[Nimitz]

Dying and Chroming Visors (Cheap) TUTORIAL

It seems that the 405th is in need of a visor dying and chroming tutorial so I shall volunteer be the first to step up to the plate! In this tutorial we will be covering how I dye my visors any particular colour, and how I use spray chrome to block others from seeing my face while allowing me...

www.405th.com

Thx! After posting this I found the 'tutorials' thread and the visitor thread. Wish i knew about this prior to doing my mandalorian helmet! This is a WAY easier method with pretty much guaranteed great result ...

 

[Nimitz]

So I saw a recent YT video about tinting visors where they used the yellow tint. Anyone use the yellow vs the orange and is there a real difference?

 

[N8TEBB]

So I saw a recent YT video about tinting visors where they used the yellow tint. Anyone use the yellow vs the orange and is there a real difference?

buried in the replies of the tutorial:

 

[Cadet]

This thread shows a mix of 1:1 Yellow and orange iDyePoly:

Visor chroming help

If my mark V visor is tinted orange and I use a silver alclad spray will this make it an orangey gold color or will the silver overpower the orange tint? I’m still a bit new to this lol.

www.405th.com

 

[Nimitz]

I think what I saw was a video from Galactic Armory where he used the yellow and it looked like the orange one in this thread , at least with the lighting. Since I have to practice the tinting technique anyway I'll just get both orange and yellow tint and dye a piece of clear petg and see what looks the best ...

 

[N8TEBB]

I think what I saw was a video from Galactic Armory where he used the yellow and it looked like the orange one in this thread , at least with the lighting. Since I have to practice the tinting technique anyway I'll just get both orange and yellow tint and dye a piece of clear petg and see what looks the best ...

Mind sending pics our way when you're done? It would be a very useful resource for the community! You are certainly not the first person to ask about this

 

[Nimitz]

Mind sending pics our way when you're done? It would be a very useful resource for the community! You are certainly not the first person to ask about this

No problem, it will included as part of my build thread