Pepakura Clay Pour helmet Method

[skylow]

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 !

[Trooper0621]

Easy, simple, well written tutorial. Thanks for posting this!

[*Tayl0r*]

Dude, that's awesome! Thanks for this cool idea!

[kenster1000]

Great tutorial. It looks easy enough but it is always easier said then done i guess
Awesome job and keep it up.

[Nintendude]

Intresting, does the heat of the clay warp the paper at all? Would a gallon or two of clay slip material work for this? Looks like you have plans to "mold" the LT Helmet next.

[AlexSpartan177]

Also, when you pep, the flaps should go over the numbers instead of being under the number, so when you pour the clay and take it off, you dont see the ugly tab marks around the helm and you get a clean clay helm

[Nintendude]

One final question, would modelling wax work for this I know it can be melted down, but would it be a good option?

[bobvdijk]

Looking good!
i might give it a shot i the future!

[skylow]

I have actually since restarted this process with the halo reach helmet instead and i do have plans to mold it. I didn't bother hiding the tabs when i built my pep because the mark they leave can easily be smoothed off later but the better your pep the better the mold so if you wanted to hide the tabs it would be worth it.

Intresting, does the heat of the clay warp the paper at all? Would a gallon or two of clay slip material work for this? Looks like you have plans to "mold" the LT Helmet next.

I cover the outside of my pep with spray primer just to give it a little strength but i don't have a problem with warping while using card stock you only have to be careful with the first layer once its cooled nothing is going to move. just make sure everything is in the position you want and it should be fine, the only problem i encountered was i let the the top of the helm rest against the ground while the clay was still hot and it squished in a little but it was nothing big. I wouldn't know about clay slip I'm using non hardening clay for this so i can make changes as i want

One final question, would modelling wax work for this I know it can be melted down, but would it be a good option?

Any melt-able clay should work for this i just prefer a thicker clay because it will hold its shape and weight better if you wanted to try wax i would just try pressing a melted piece of it against the paper you're using and test if it sticks. And i would make sure wax was compatible with molding materials as well but i could see it working.

[sonic sod]

Also, when you pep, the flaps should go over the numbers instead of being under the number, so when you pour the clay and take it off, you dont see the ugly tab marks around the helm and you get a clean clay helm

thanks man that was a huge help to me just about to pour the clay,when i thought i would check 405th (6th sense i guess) thanks man