Batgirl helmet (2014 redesign)

[Cosmic Ash]

so i got a bit inspired a couple months ago and started sculpting up the new helmet for batgirl



the way her new helmet looked and sat on her head read to me as a cross between a catwoman and captain america helmet, so as i formulated gameplan i had that in mind with the approach.

so first run out i started blocking the clay out


then primed it and started filling and sanding to smooth out more


my usual step after this phase is to seal it up with a thick clear coat coat before starting the molding process, BUT i didnt have my usual stuff and thought "hey, i got gloss spray paint thats pretty much the same thing concept isnt it? ill just blast a few coats of that on there."


famous last words



i had let it air out overnight and begin molding the next morning, i thought everything was well and good until i removed the mold and found an absolute gooey stew of despair....
the silicone had been messed with from the degassing of the coats of spray paint and damaged the sculpt a bit and a few places. but most damaging of all stabbed me right in my ego and confidence haha



after a day of pouting i picked myself up and started to fix the damage and resculpt a few pieces and try molding again

BUT the second attempt at molding something strange happened that i still cant explain.


the either the sculpt or mold had shrank because what was designed to fit a head of 22 inches (the same as the armature i was using) now became more of a childs helmet at being able to only fit a head size of about 19 inches.
the weirdest part is that it shrank evenly all the way round and still proportional. so yes it was a loss because not what i wanted but not a complete loss because i can now produce child sized helmets.

so this called for yet ANOTHER sculpt of the helmet along with a another mold.

it was a nice 95 degrees the day i decided to mold for the 3rd time so the sun helped the cure




third time was the charm and it came out wonderfully!



and heres a couple lovely ladies sporting there new helmets


this was a project that i gained a TON of experience points from and was just as rewarding as it was frustrating haha


let me know what you guys think or if you have any questions!

heres my page for other stuff
https://www.facebook.com/CosmicAshStudios

 

[Daniel Nelms]

If you do a run of the child's size please let me know. My daughters would LOVE to have something like this.

 

[DAVIDYR1]

If your silicone rubber is Rebound from Smooth On - Great Silicone BTW, but it's a platinum silicone which reacted with your high gloss spray paint. Only use clear coat, never anything with color in it as your sealant...otherwise the silicone wont set up against it. Not sure it had anything to do with the spray degassing...that's silicone inhibition.
Great looking cowl!

David

 

[Cosmic Ash]

If you do a run of the child's size please let me know. My daughters would LOVE to have something like this.

i will for sure let you know when i do, itll be coming up soon. i kinda put in on the back burner for a bit since i had previous commitments and runs with the adult size and the child was an accidental gem haha but when it happens itll be a run on here and ill link it

If your silicone rubber is Rebound from Smooth On - Great Silicone BTW, but it's a platinum silicone which reacted with your high gloss spray paint. Only use clear coat, never anything with color in it as your sealant...otherwise the silicone wont set up against it. Not sure it had anything to do with the spray degassing...that's silicone inhibition.
Great looking cowl!

David

it was rebound 25, i normally use a clear coat (no particular reason besides me liking it to be clear) but didnt have any so i thought i could just use any glossy paint...which obviously failed...lol

but i didnt know that all paints with color will inhibit curing with silicone. ill keep that in mind when working in the future, thanks for the heads up and the compliment! it means alot

 

[Daniel Nelms]

Would it work with oomoo?

 

[DAVIDYR1]

it was rebound 25, i normally use a clear coat (no particular reason besides me liking it to be clear) but didnt have any so i thought i could just use any glossy paint...which obviously failed...lol

but i didnt know that all paints with color will inhibit curing with silicone. ill keep that in mind when working in the future, thanks for the heads up and the compliment! it means alot

I can't say for sure that all colors will do that, but platinum silicone's are very temper mental... so just for that reason I'd use the clear in the future, just to be sure. I used to use flat back, and that one worked fine...but better to be safe than sorry.

David

 

[Cosmic Ash]

I can't say for sure that all colors will do that, but platinum silicone's are very temper mental... so just for that reason I'd use the clear in the future, just to be sure. I used to use flat back, and that one worked fine...but better to be safe than sorry.

David

yeah ill probably just stick to the sure fire shot of clear coat and not be too lazy to drive to the store for more when im out haha. i just sometimes get into a groove where i skip errands and dinner if ive found my stride working that day

 

[stormtrooperguy]

platinum silicone cure is inhibited by phase of the moon, color temperature of the light in your room, and whether your name has a p in it. (says the cranky guy who just finished fighting his way through molding a knife with a handle made with something that inhibits cure )

 

[Rickhemingway]

Very cool cowl / helmet, nice work! I loved seeing your progress on it. My daughter would love the child size as well if you have extra

 

[Cosmic Ash]

platinum silicone cure is inhibited by phase of the moon, color temperature of the light in your room, and whether your name has a p in it. (says the cranky guy who just finished fighting his way through molding a knife with a handle made with something that inhibits cure )

that sucks! hopefully it wasnt to much material and time gone to waste

Very cool cowl / helmet, nice work! I loved seeing your progress on it. My daughter would love the child size as well if you have extra

thanks! it was a wonderfully aggravating learning experiance haha and most likely within the next week or two ill be casting some up for halloween. i have the mold,the resin and the paint. just dont quite have the time right now.
ill keep you in the know my friend!

 

[Rickhemingway]

Sounds great thank you

thanks! it was a wonderfully aggravating learning experiance haha and most likely within the next week or two ill be casting some up for halloween. i have the mold,the resin and the paint. just dont quite have the time right now.
ill keep you in the know my friend!

 

[Rickhemingway]

So my 6 year old has a 20.5 inch head, is that too big?