1st Build Alternatives for alclad II

[Hector]

Hi!

This is my first post so apologies if I did anything wrong. I live in the UK and I am at the beginning stages of building my Noble 6 cosplay (just the base look with the dark steel MKV armour and bronze-ish visor), I understand the creation process for halo visors is a somewhat hot topic on here with a lot of posts asking about it; but alclad II chrome is near impossible to get here.

I also don't own an airbrush (but I am willing to get a cheap-ish one for this purpose), I'm mostly asking if you guys have any alternatives for achieving the same effect for the visor? There is a place which offers a vacuum forming service near where I live and I'm pretty sure I can source the iDye poly stuff here (for a large markup I assume), there is a paint brand called AK interactive which has an airbrush chrome but does it share the same properties as alclad (being mirror chrome but still see-through?

I'm also curious, if anyone can explain, how and why this works (the one way visibility) I understand it's because it's darker on the inside of the helmet but how can you see through the paint? And what is special about alclad? What's the difference between this method and just using a Chrome rattle can for example?

Any advice on alternatives that'll still be see through would be really appreciated and if there's anyone here from the UK who's been through the same process and has any advice even better!

I've looked through hundreds of posts on here over the last few weeks and I've learned so much!
Thank you all

 

[scifibuckets]

Hi there I'm from the UK as well , I have used the AK Chrome on a old vacuum formed visor I made, it does work for making it a solid colour and not being able to look inside, but didn't make it reflective. It makes it difficult to look out of like blurry, I think I did put to much chrome on the visor, but yeah was difficult to see out of, but it was bright, so might work well if I applied less. (By bright I mean It doesn't darken what your looking at, don't know how to explain, but most tints makes it darker but this didn't)

I use TECHWRAP which is a great looking Tint you apply onto a acrylic sheet, it works really well, especially for looking through, its reflective and clear to look out of, You don't have the detailed of a vacuumed formed helmet, but it does still look good.

Hopes this help in any way, I know its been a couple months.

 

[Ulfhedinn073]

There are some, but for vacuum-formed visors, there are few.
A popular one is to get it hydrochromed. This is what is done to sunglasses to make them chromed but still see-through. The upside to it is that visibility is perfect through the chroming (barring folds in your visor for dimensionality) and it won't rub away, but the downside is that it can be expensive, due to the hazardous chemicals that are used. (I've seen $75-100 USD)
Another option, as mentioned by scifibuckets is the techwrap - you can technically put that on a vacuformed visor, but you also have to heat it. The technique of heating it AND getting it onto the heat-formed visor without deforming said visor is very difficult.
Another option, like my current visor, is to resin cast (or resin 3d print - cheaper) a visor that is transparent. You can apply any of the three above options to it, but the downside to this route is that you must have a very clear pour (or clean vat for the print route) and then you have to POLISH it to make it have see-through visibility. (It will otherwise be frosted.)

Really, it depends on which kind of work you want to do, or which one you feel you will be most successful at.