A Question for A Messed Up Helmet

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CCx Killa Days

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Alright, so I think I made a mistake. But I think it might be salvageable? Basically I had the pepakura bones all set up and then I did a few layers of fiberglass resin on the inside and outside of the helmet for support - now I did the bondo stage and my dad thinks I didn't use enough hardener. But I think it might be ok? It's quite solid, and it did warp a little bit but it still looks ok. Anyway, he was suggesting that perhaps we could use the messed up helmet as a casting thing and perhaps fill it with a material that would make a new helmet. It would work well because the scale is too big for for my head and I was planning to use foam so it would sit correctly.

So any ideas? What materials should we use? Would it be salvageable? Because I'd rather not do the blood, sweat and tears of peakura again especially since I'm in the middle of the chest piece :p


Here's the helmet:
Messenger_5964953530505846308_14221557451653473.jpg
 
Do you think you messed up the bondo stage because the bondo is still tacky? That would be the result of not using enough hardener.

Making a silicone mold over that would not work if it is still tacky. Also, it is very expensive, over $200 in materials to mold and cast a helmet.

Maybe wait a few days and see if it cures, maybe do a very thin coat of bondo over it again but with a lot of hardener to compensate. I'm not sure if there is an official procedure for something like this.
 
No, it's dry. I was thinking maybe if I sanded it it would be smooth enough to paint - molding and casting is out because I don't have 200 dollars to spend right now. I think it will be ok if I sand it down. Its just around the visor where it doesn't have as much support I'm worried about it warping from the heavy bondo putty.
 
Not sure why your dad thinks you didn't use enough hardener. The Bondo color is right and you say its hard. Did the resin underneath not set? If not, position a warm lamp to shine on the helmet and give it a couple of days. If your helmet is slightly warped, put some heat directly on the warped areas with a heat gun or hair dryer and flex the warped areas back to a better shape as they cool. Only you can decide if your piece is too warped to continue. Nearly everyone who peps has discovered that the pain of re-pepping is very small compared to the pain of fighting a badly warped piece into submission. The cost in materials and time is much greater in the end (done that). If you are worried about strength, put a layer of fiberglass mat on the inside. Honestly, you should do this anyway, otherwise your helmet will always be brittle.

If the Bondo is hard, sand it before adding another layer. Many inexperienced builders try to solve all their problems in one go by applying too much Bondo at once. Its a patient process. If your pep is good, the Bondo layers shouldn't be that heavy.

Bottom line, if it isn't warped too badly, stay the course of traditional pepakura and finish the piece. Keep the Bondo thin, use fiberglass mat inside for strength (because Bondo doesn't add strength). Don't try the internal mold thing, you'll just use more material, dollars, and time to end up with a rough casting that will take the same amount of work to put right (also have done this).

We used to have a mentor program for new recruits to pair them up with an expert at whatever they were having trouble with. Feel free to PM me or anyone else who's active that has a solid build or two under their belt.

Good luck

Redshirt
 
give it a few days to dry like they said. when it comes to hardener and bondo and resin. If it is exposed to any hardener at all it will harden. I had a section on my helmet when I did my fiberglass and resin stage I didnt add enough and it took a couple of days for it to stop being tacky
 
Take flour and rub it on your helmet for a while. Let it on onsoreb to the bondo for a while. And then you will have to use a few pieces of 80 grit sand paper and sand it. The dust from sanding will dry up the rest of the bondo. Or take the hardener and rub some all over the helmet and let it sit for a few days.
 
Take flour and rub it on your helmet for a while. Let it on onsoreb to the bondo for a while. And then you will have to use a few pieces of 80 grit sand paper and sand it. The dust from sanding will dry up the rest of the bondo. Or take the hardener and rub some all over the helmet and let it sit for a few days.


The flour is good advice. So long as the whole thickness of Bondo has generally set, the flour will remove surface tackiness. I have applied hardener to the surface without result other than getting a mess. Remember that the hardener is the most toxic of the Bondo or resin components. Treat it with care! If you have any hardener in the Bondo or resin at all, it will eventually set. Get some gentle heat (like a plant light, shop light, etc) on it for a couple of days and you will see results. Just make sure its not a fire hazard where you plan to leave it unattended for long periods. Winter definitely slows the costumer/prop maker in some parts of the world as the best solution is usually to set the parts in the sun--just not in January.

Redshirt
 
Yeah, I can't really set it in the sun in Canada in January - it has been really ridiculously nice, like at the record setting high of +17 near where I live the other day, but its back to -20c this week, so same old, same old. Luckily my helmet is in a heated shop. Also my dad and I figured it out about the strength thing - I did not apply fiberglass cloth so thats what we did yesterday. I'm really like the feel of it too with the mat, it's like an actual sturdy helmet :D Except if I do that to the entire suit, wouldn't it add quite a bit of weight? I'm a little concerned about this because I will be wearing the full suit of armor at a con all day. Also, since it isn't really too bad, Im going to wait one more day before I rub some flour on it. Thanks for the help everyone, I was all freaked out about nothing lol :)
 
Yeah, I can't really set it in the sun in Canada in January - it has been really ridiculously nice, like at the record setting high of +17 near where I live the other day, but its back to -20c this week, so same old, same old. Luckily my helmet is in a heated shop. Also my dad and I figured it out about the strength thing - I did not apply fiberglass cloth so thats what we did yesterday. I'm really like the feel of it too with the mat, it's like an actual sturdy helmet :D Except if I do that to the entire suit, wouldn't it add quite a bit of weight? I'm a little concerned about this because I will be wearing the full suit of armor at a con all day. Also, since it isn't really too bad, Im going to wait one more day before I rub some flour on it. Thanks for the help everyone, I was all freaked out about nothing lol :)


No, they are good questions and good to get through them on the first piece. You may want to set the helmet aside though. The helmet is your signature piece. You want it to be best. Improve your skills on other pieces and then come back to the helmet with hard-won skills. If you do the helmet first, it's likely to be a disappointment to you after every other piece comes out better. I started with the hand plates and worked them through until I was happy. Guess what? I still revisited them with improvements at the end of the project because I was better.

The fiberglass shouldn't add too much weight. Remember excess resin doesn't add strength, only weight. I apply the resin to the piece with a paint brush, then lay on the mat. I then go over the mat with the brush and more resin, but no need for excess, just enough to saturate the mat. The helmet will end up heavier due to more resin and Bondo to solve the complex shape. You said both fiberglass cloth and mat. Not sure which you have, but both is good. Given no choice, I prefer mat. Where you have complex shapes, use mat. Keep working it with the brush and it will conform. Cloth does not like to conform except for specialized cross-weave cloths. You'll pay more for that. Cloth will go around curves, but not corners. A trick to get the most flex of of cloth is to apply it with its weave diagonal to any curves you are trying to follow. It's easier to tame than applying the lines of the cloth perpendicular to angles your trying to get it to follow. The benefit of cloth is that it needs less resin to saturate so your piece ends up lighter.

Redshirt
 
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