Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build - FINISHED! p.16 for pics & vid
Oof. That is a hefty list of lessons learned. In order of the process itself, here's some tips for whoever tries to copy this build:
...thats all I can think of for right now. If I come up with more, I'll be sure to toss them out here.
Oof. That is a hefty list of lessons learned. In order of the process itself, here's some tips for whoever tries to copy this build:
- Start with a lifecast or a head form to get the helmet size correct. I got lucky, but in retrospect, that idea with the cardboard profiles would have worked much better if I had a head (not my own!) to scale them to.
- The clay/foam thing wasn't a bad idea, and I might even do it again for building up mass. Using apoxie sculpt so early was kind of dumb though.
- Spend less time finessing little imperfections when the general shape isn't correct yet. I had a lot of work which eventually got buried under more bondo, making it ultimately pointless.
- Make a mounting rig for leaving things to dry. Balancing a sculpt on a roll of tape is stupid.
- Krylon Ruddy Brown primer CAN be wetsanded - Krylon Dull Gray CAN NOT!
- Waxing the sculpt seemed to make pulling casts much easier. I used turtle wax (automotive)
- Make the vacuumform buck out of something that cant melt - like plaster. A hollow, resin buck won't hold its shape for long.
- Don't wax a vac-form buck that will be pulling clear visors. The wax transfers to the plastic and clouds it.
- When chroming, ask the platers to use their own primer. It works better with the paint. Make sure to tell them NOT to oven-dry it, unless you use polyester resin and glass fibers. Urethane resin will melt.
- Test boards before installing components.
- Molex plugs don't make things easier if you're using 24ga wire. You're just wasting money - solder them directly to the boards.
- Test boards before installing components, dammit.
- 3M Weatherstrip adhesive could fasten an egg yolk to a sheet of glass. Use it outside, because its horribly toxic. DON'T put the damn helmet on until it cures completely.
...thats all I can think of for right now. If I come up with more, I'll be sure to toss them out here.
