GremlinLord
Member
I've been working on a Mk6 helmet but I can't seem to find a HD pep of the domed visor. I need one to make a buck for a vacuum form so I can finish my project. Anyone got one or can make one.
Domed Visor Pep
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Underdogg13
Well-Known Member
Why don't you just use the one from the pep file you're using?
GremlinLord
Member
Underdogg13 said:
I'm using FlyingSqurriels HD helmet but the visor just looks a little off and it doesn't have any of the ridge detail. which isn't bad but I'd like a guide to go by when smoothing out the buck.
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GremlinLord
Member
Samuray said:
That would work. One more question I'm thinking about trying to pull some acrylic but I've never pulled that before. I know I need to get it to about 300°F but I'm not to sure on the thickness. The only stuff I could find locally was .093 (way to thick) so I need to get an order in. Any recommendations?
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GremlinLord
Member
Just an update, I decided to go with a custom sculpt with plaster of Paris. With the final buck being made of of Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty. That stuff is amazing. I got some pics of the helmet but I wont be able to upload them from my phone till tomorrow. Anyway as a side project I tried out some super cheap mold making techniques. Check'em out.
http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,39157.0.html
P.S. I wouldn't use these techniques on bigger pieces such as helmets and chest pieces. Also follow Adam's videos on how to make a proper mold with keys but beware silicone does bond to its self (use Vaseline). Anyway it mold materials are cheap and will work with cheap sulfur clays just do it outside and keep it outside cause it will stink... a lot... enjoy
http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,39157.0.html
P.S. I wouldn't use these techniques on bigger pieces such as helmets and chest pieces. Also follow Adam's videos on how to make a proper mold with keys but beware silicone does bond to its self (use Vaseline). Anyway it mold materials are cheap and will work with cheap sulfur clays just do it outside and keep it outside cause it will stink... a lot... enjoy
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GremlinLord
Member
I have pics enjoy.
First cast: This was a perfect dome in a inperfect helemt
had to do some revisons
Two casts later and some carving (cause I dropped one):
In my helmet:
The next step is to clean it up a little more, then cast in Durham's water putty then get it as smooth as possible before pulling some acrylic over it. Then I get to see if all this is worth it. Think shiny, gold, and domed... thats all I can say for now
First cast: This was a perfect dome in a inperfect helemt
had to do some revisonsTwo casts later and some carving (cause I dropped one):
In my helmet:
The next step is to clean it up a little more, then cast in Durham's water putty then get it as smooth as possible before pulling some acrylic over it. Then I get to see if all this is worth it. Think shiny, gold, and domed... thats all I can say for now
Multiverse Merc
New Member
Wow, that is insanly awesome. Can't wait to see the finished product.
GremlinLord
Member
Just a quick update. I smoothed out my original plaster carving and casted it using silicone caulk and plaster bandages... Its cheap and works (if your very, very careful) but man it takes forever. Once I get this casted in somthing stronger I can pull a visor and finally show my secret technique for see through gold... All I can say at this moments is that my samples look good but I make no promises untill I have one in my helmet. Maybe by next week I'll be able to spill some beans... Any way pictures of the mold:
Smoothed:
First layer, about 1/8" thick at the thickest:
Second Layer with acrylic paint about 1/2" thick:
Plaster bandage mothermold:
Inside of mold:
Smoothed:
First layer, about 1/8" thick at the thickest:
Second Layer with acrylic paint about 1/2" thick:
Plaster bandage mothermold:
Inside of mold:
JediStumpy
Well-Known Member
Hey! Looking great!!! I will be watching this bc if it works out for ya. I would be very interest in a pull for my new MC Helmet. And if I do mold mine I would like more possibly!
Keep up the great work!
Keep up the great work!
GremlinLord
Member
Still alive and as you can see I missed my weekend reveal (building a vacuum table is harder than I though). Anyway quick update but no pictures yet. This thread needs a 56k warning. Anyway I made my water putty buck and man that stuff is hard. I have one word of advice to those who use water putty, be very careful is you make a glove mold like I did. I have found out that water putty expands as it dries so... my mother-mold needed some surgery to get it out. The copy also was full of air bubbles so I had to go back and touch it up (Rule # 1: Take you time :unsure ). But alas I have a table, 20 gallon air tank, shop vac, hand pump converted to vac pump and plastic. Just need to get the heater done and finish the frame.
I got some .60 HIPS, PETG, and Acrylic. I'm hoping to do the final in Acrylic but from what I hear it is really hard to pull so I'm going to make my test with HIPS cause it is cheap then PETG cause it is easy. If all goes well I'll try the acrylic. This is a call out to our ODST builders. What Temp should I heat PETG to?
If this does work that way it does with my test then I think a CNC buck with a mirror polish is the way to go (optical clarity clarity is going to suffer no matter what I do cause the buck isn't perfect and vacuum forming distorts plastic).
I got some .60 HIPS, PETG, and Acrylic. I'm hoping to do the final in Acrylic but from what I hear it is really hard to pull so I'm going to make my test with HIPS cause it is cheap then PETG cause it is easy. If all goes well I'll try the acrylic. This is a call out to our ODST builders. What Temp should I heat PETG to?
If this does work that way it does with my test then I think a CNC buck with a mirror polish is the way to go (optical clarity clarity is going to suffer no matter what I do cause the buck isn't perfect and vacuum forming distorts plastic).
GremlinLord
Member
Ok, its been a while and I learned that I fail at vacuum forming... But I did say I would have pics last weekend... Wow I'm slack'n. Anyway here are some quick pics and a quick how to.
First off get your visor formed I did .60 PETG and if I had made my eff'n table bigger it would have worked .
Next get your airbrush. I recommend a brush with a very wide spray since my N0. 3 Paasche wasn't quite a enough (will use No.5 in the future). Next step is to get your paints.
The real key to make this happen is this stuff, Alclad 2 Chrome:
Spray it on thin so you cans till see through it when you cup your hands over it. This might take a few tries so be take your time. Remember we are building a 2way mirror and you can't see through those when they have lights on both sides. One more thing if you take too long the chrome will settle giving you darker spots that are hard to see through so only use as much chrome as you can spray withing a minute. Reload when you need more. When you done let it sit for a while then polish out any over spray, if forgot to do this and the finish suffered. Don't get to crazy as you can very easily rub off the chrome.
Next step is to mix our color. I used 2 parts yellow to 1 part orange from TAYMIA plus enough clear to make it go. We want this layer to be as thin as possible yet still give us that trademark orange/yellow/gold look. Be warned this step has the greatest effect on visibility.
Last step is to clear coat it. For super insane glossiness I use Taymia's Clear. This is probably the only clear that doesn't dull the chrome (its really shiny like a mirror).
Here is the end result on a piece of scrap...
And visibility, btw this was a really bad spray since it is dry, dusty, and windy here today but winter is coming so its now or next spring.
No visor:
Visor:
First off get your visor formed I did .60 PETG and if I had made my eff'n table bigger it would have worked
.Next get your airbrush. I recommend a brush with a very wide spray since my N0. 3 Paasche wasn't quite a enough (will use No.5 in the future). Next step is to get your paints.
The real key to make this happen is this stuff, Alclad 2 Chrome:
Spray it on thin so you cans till see through it when you cup your hands over it. This might take a few tries so be take your time. Remember we are building a 2way mirror and you can't see through those when they have lights on both sides. One more thing if you take too long the chrome will settle giving you darker spots that are hard to see through so only use as much chrome as you can spray withing a minute. Reload when you need more. When you done let it sit for a while then polish out any over spray, if forgot to do this and the finish suffered. Don't get to crazy as you can very easily rub off the chrome.
Next step is to mix our color. I used 2 parts yellow to 1 part orange from TAYMIA plus enough clear to make it go. We want this layer to be as thin as possible yet still give us that trademark orange/yellow/gold look. Be warned this step has the greatest effect on visibility.
Last step is to clear coat it. For super insane glossiness I use Taymia's Clear. This is probably the only clear that doesn't dull the chrome (its really shiny like a mirror).
Here is the end result on a piece of scrap...
And visibility, btw this was a really bad spray since it is dry, dusty, and windy here today but winter is coming so its now or next spring.
No visor:
Visor:
GremlinLord
Member
Awww... I thought that I was the first to come up with this idea. Just did a quick search for someone with a cnc buck for a visor and I found this:
http://405th.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18292&hl=airbrush&st=0
Looks like someone has done something close to this before. We'll I gota give the props to Redshirt looks like he beat me by quite a bit . Still Alclad 2 gives a mirror finish unlike Model Masters just make sure your test piece is extremely smooth.
Any way I need to expand my vac table from 16x11 to 16x16 and try again at my pull. Not sure when that will be as winter is coming real fast up here in the North East. So the search for the perfect visor continues.
http://405th.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18292&hl=airbrush&st=0
Looks like someone has done something close to this before. We'll I gota give the props to Redshirt looks like he beat me by quite a bit
. Still Alclad 2 gives a mirror finish unlike Model Masters just make sure your test piece is extremely smooth.Any way I need to expand my vac table from 16x11 to 16x16 and try again at my pull. Not sure when that will be as winter is coming real fast up here in the North East. So the search for the perfect visor continues.
GremlinLord
Member
Ok a little update. My vactable is the right size for a good pull and little waste. Got a new heater setup to get the plastic hot real fast and it works fairly well...ish. You see in the pics.
First off I did this pull out of HIPS since I ran out of PETG doing really bad test pulls (I'm just a noob at this). Here is the pull I did and I know I messed up on it since I had to move it after it touched the mould.
As you can see there is a line in the middle that was cause by me really missaligning my frame to the tabled .
The next images are of the test pull in the helmet.
What do you guys think? I know I'm still a ways off from making a workable lens but it's a start.
First off I did this pull out of HIPS since I ran out of PETG doing really bad test pulls (I'm just a noob at this). Here is the pull I did and I know I messed up on it since I had to move it after it touched the mould.
As you can see there is a line in the middle that was cause by me really missaligning my frame to the tabled
.The next images are of the test pull in the helmet.
What do you guys think? I know I'm still a ways off from making a workable lens but it's a start.
Have you thought about trying to use some mirrored window tinting from an auto parts store? It could be applied after the visor has been cast. I'm not sure how well it would adhere all of the details of the visors surface though. Its just a thought.
The other question I had is, have you thought about leaving a few tabs on the visor so that there would be attachment points for when it is put in place?
Great job so far! Keep up the good work!
The other question I had is, have you thought about leaving a few tabs on the visor so that there would be attachment points for when it is put in place?
Great job so far! Keep up the good work!
GremlinLord
Member
I;m going to do a spray of Alclad 2 chrome just thin enough to make a one way mirror then coat is with clear yellow Tamyia acrylic then with a Tamyia clear coat. The auto parts film won't work with a domed visor. Also I just noticed I forgot to put indents in the visor . Last but not least I leave a large amount of lens inside the helmet to provide a place to mount it. I'm hoping to get a good pull and get it painted soon. It is really hard to see through the visor in the daylight so inside the helmet has to be real dark so no light sources on the inside.
. Last but not least I leave a large amount of lens inside the helmet to provide a place to mount it. I'm hoping to get a good pull and get it painted soon. It is really hard to see through the visor in the daylight so inside the helmet has to be real dark so no light sources on the inside.Ice065 said:
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