I saw this method a little while ago and tried it out. It works surprisingly well and i thought id put together a little tutorial if anyone else was interested in giving it a shot.
To start this off you will need:
Melt-able Modeling clay (NSP recommended)
A Styrofoam mannequin head
A completed pep file of your choice
Step 1:
Go ahead and construct your pep file as usual simply cut it out and glue it. There is no need to resin the completed piece because you need to be able to pull it off later. Afterward i do like to coat it with primer just to give it some stability and it also helps with the high heat you'll be dealing with. If there are any gaps or holes in the seams of your pep you'll need to fill them or clay can leak out. Hot glue or tape is good for this.
Step 2:
You'll start off by melting bricks of clay to pour straight into the pepakura "mold" you've just made. I would highly recommend doing this step outside on a portable stove or grill side burner because it generates a lot of smoke that will choke you and burn your eyes if you do it in a closed space. Also try to do it in an old pot of some kind because lets face it its going to get ruined. NSP clay medium is what i used and it is by far your best bet on this and i find it overall to be cheaper as well. Keep in mind that in total this will require 18+ pounds of clay to complete and it is sold in 2 pound bricks. Melt your clay on low temp because it can burn.
Step 3:
Now once you have a good bit melted pour it into the Pepakura mold and roll it around the sides a little and let it cool. This is just to give it a nice thick coating before you put the mannequin head inside. Depending on the pepakura size and the head size you might have to do some bulking out with cardboard to take up a little more space in the helmet just so you arent wasting clay also you should wrap it in tin foil. Once the first layer has cooled place the mannequin head inside and while holding it in place begin pouring your other layers and let them cool this should now give the head a good sturdy setting and you can just pour the rest as you go. I would only melt one or two bricks at a time as you go. (keep in mind it will be extremely hot and you should take safety precautions)
Step 4:
Once you've poured enough clay into the mold and filled it up set it aside to cool for an hour or two then the fun begins. Now simply begin peeling of the paper from your pep little by little to reveal your clay helmet. Now it can be smoothed and detailed as you wish and when you're happy with it mold it ! this method is great for giving you an accurate and scaled place to start for sculpting a helmet to cast and when you're done you can remove the clay from the head and re use it for another helmet. Good luck and post any questions !
To start this off you will need:
Melt-able Modeling clay (NSP recommended)
A Styrofoam mannequin head
A completed pep file of your choice
Step 1:
Go ahead and construct your pep file as usual simply cut it out and glue it. There is no need to resin the completed piece because you need to be able to pull it off later. Afterward i do like to coat it with primer just to give it some stability and it also helps with the high heat you'll be dealing with. If there are any gaps or holes in the seams of your pep you'll need to fill them or clay can leak out. Hot glue or tape is good for this.
Step 2:
You'll start off by melting bricks of clay to pour straight into the pepakura "mold" you've just made. I would highly recommend doing this step outside on a portable stove or grill side burner because it generates a lot of smoke that will choke you and burn your eyes if you do it in a closed space. Also try to do it in an old pot of some kind because lets face it its going to get ruined. NSP clay medium is what i used and it is by far your best bet on this and i find it overall to be cheaper as well. Keep in mind that in total this will require 18+ pounds of clay to complete and it is sold in 2 pound bricks. Melt your clay on low temp because it can burn.
Step 3:
Now once you have a good bit melted pour it into the Pepakura mold and roll it around the sides a little and let it cool. This is just to give it a nice thick coating before you put the mannequin head inside. Depending on the pepakura size and the head size you might have to do some bulking out with cardboard to take up a little more space in the helmet just so you arent wasting clay also you should wrap it in tin foil. Once the first layer has cooled place the mannequin head inside and while holding it in place begin pouring your other layers and let them cool this should now give the head a good sturdy setting and you can just pour the rest as you go. I would only melt one or two bricks at a time as you go. (keep in mind it will be extremely hot and you should take safety precautions)
Step 4:
Once you've poured enough clay into the mold and filled it up set it aside to cool for an hour or two then the fun begins. Now simply begin peeling of the paper from your pep little by little to reveal your clay helmet. Now it can be smoothed and detailed as you wish and when you're happy with it mold it ! this method is great for giving you an accurate and scaled place to start for sculpting a helmet to cast and when you're done you can remove the clay from the head and re use it for another helmet. Good luck and post any questions !
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