Quick and Dirty Visor for an Ithica EVA Helmet

thorssoli · Sep 24, 2010

Before anyone gets too excited, this will not be perfect. I do expect it'll look the part though.

Here's how I've been going about it...

Step one, cut out the recessed areas:

Step two, cut out pieces of 1/8" amber acrylic, cook them in the oven until they're soft and flexible, and press them into the holes with a rag so that they become convex:

Step three, spray the helmet with black primer and test fit:

Step four, tack the acrylic pieces in place with CA adhesive and test fit again:

Step five, caulk around th edges with clay:

Step six, mask off the inside of the acrylic where you'll need to see through:

Step seven, pour a batch of black casting resin inside and coat everything:

Step eight, after the resin has started to cure and before it is fully hardened, peel out the masking tape to uncover the acrylic viewports:

Stay tuned for painting the outside and mirroring the inside. Also, keep your fingers crossed in the hopes that this will work out...

FoolOfATook · Sep 24, 2010

Dude this is really cool!

Ruze789 · Sep 25, 2010

You've always got such cool ideas thorssoli! Very neat approach to this helmet, very excited to see how it turns out.

thorssoli · Sep 25, 2010

Step nine, mask off the viewports, pack the edges with filler putty. Then, when the putty has dried, spray the visor gloss black:

Step ten, spray on a coat of Mirrachrome, allow to dry, and then remove the masking tape:

Step eleven, test fit:

Step twelve, wipe down the inside of the acrylic parts with acetone and/or rubbing alcohol:

Step thirteen, dry out and remove fumes from inside the helmet:

Step fourteen, lightly spray the inside of the acrylic parts with Mirrachrome:

Step fifteen, smile for the camera:

Step sixteen, test fit:

Next up: candy-coating the outside of the whole thing to make the silver parts look gold.

Stay tuned...

skylow · Sep 25, 2010

I think it actualy looks kind of interesting with the orange on silver but i can't wait to see it done. great job i'll keep watching !

thorssoli · Sep 27, 2010

Step seventeen, spray on a coat of Tamiya "clear orange" acrylic:

The color looks about right in sunlight, but it loses a bit indoors:

Still, it seems to fit in with the rest of the stack okay:

Sooner or later, someone's going to ask about visibility. Here's a shot from the inside of the helmet:

The dark spot is where I put the Mirrachrome on a bit too thick. Otherwise, it's a bit cloudy but it works.
Next step, masking off the gold-tone parts and painting the rest of it. I should be able to call this thing done next time I post here.

Stay tuned...

kenster1000 · Sep 27, 2010

OMG, great job on the helmet. I can't believe how well it turned out. What was the stuff that you sprayed inside the helmet on the visor to give it a mirrored finish and where can i get it?
Thanks.

kupokitty · Sep 27, 2010

Woah. I was thinking something like that might work, but to actually SEE it working, that's amazing! Props to you, Thorssoli!

mustang2500 · Sep 27, 2010

That's so cool, it should be illegal. Nice work!

thorssoli · Sep 27, 2010

kenster1000 said:
OMG, great job on the helmet. I can't believe how well it turned out. What was the stuff that you sprayed inside the helmet on the visor to give it a mirrored finish and where can i get it?
Thanks.

Here you go: http://www.alsacorp.com/products/mirrachrome/mirra_prodinfo.htm

It's teh same stuff I used to metalize the outside too, it just looks worse because of my crappy gloss black basecoat.

Nintendude · Sep 27, 2010

In a way I like the look of these EVA Visors and in a way I don't, it just does'nt look like a true EVA. I mean if someone wanted to make a true EVA style helmet all they would have to do is cast it out of clear casting resin (not sure if you would have a clear view or not), and I know for a fact this could be vacuformed why not clear plastic vacuformed? Then just use the paint your own visor tutorial and you got a accurate EVA helmet you can look out of.

ender9492 · Sep 28, 2010

Wow. The helmet is amazing. Simply wow.

I agree with Nintendude; I wonder if your method of mirroring/tinting the acrylic could be applied to a full, vacuum-formed, transparent visor?

Otherwise, props! That is a beautiful looking helmet! (my wife would kill for one!)

Zat German · Sep 28, 2010

This looks really nice, but I see why you did not do a full acrylic helmet. $20 an ounce for MirraChrome is a little cost prohibitive. :eek

thorssoli · Sep 28, 2010

Zat German said:
This looks really nice, but I see why you did not do a full acrylic helmet. $20 an ounce for MirraChrome is a little cost prohibitive. :eek

If someone made a full acrylic helmet, I'd go that route instead. The price is steep, but I've got a bit leftover from when I did my car:

Still painting the rest of the helmet. No pics yet.

SeamusRocks999 · Sep 30, 2010

What is Mirrachrome? And where can I purchase it? I'm making an Emile visor(I'm not a noob to this stuff) and I wanted to know if you airbrushed your paint on(I don't think there is another way though).

Zat German · Sep 30, 2010

SeamusRocks999 said:
What is Mirrachrome? And where can I purchase it? I'm making an Emile visor(I'm not a noob to this stuff) and I wanted to know if you airbrushed your paint on(I don't think there is another way though).

http://www.alsacorp.com/products/mirrachrome/mirra_price.htm

Link to Mirrachrome is the first hit on Google.

SeamusRocks999 · Oct 1, 2010

Haha. Sorry and thanks. I didn't know which one to click on.

calladar · Oct 6, 2010

holy crap that stuff is expensive. was interested but... well i am cheap. great job though really impressed.

thorssoli · Oct 6, 2010

Step eighteen, mask off all of the metallic parts and spray on a coat of satin white paint (the primary color):

Step nineteen, hand paint the brown portion (the secondary color):

Step twenty, test fit:

Step twenty-one, hand-paint the black details:

I picked out some black details that were supposed to be left white. I felt like taking some license in making the paintjob a little more interesting.

Step twenty-two, sit back and marvel at what you've wrought:

So that's it. Done.

desolate · Oct 6, 2010

greatness. thanks for sharing this great method on this helmet.. i will be putting it to use..

Quick and Dirty Visor for an Ithica EVA Helmet

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