Doctor Doom Mask [WIP][VIDEOS][new user first post]

[recludo]

​

Hi guys,

I've been working on a Doctor Doom mask for a few weeks now and wanted to share my progress with some like minded people. After looking around, this looks like a good forum! Normally I'm a lurker but I wanted to share this. After having a look around it seems I've gone a bit of a different route to what a lot of others have done. I hope you might find it interesting.

Ive never made anything like this before so I'm making plenty of mistakes but learning as I go. I'm really enjoying it and decided to start filming myself while I do stuff. I've made a youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/recludo/ to show the videos I make. I'm also totally new to editing video, so I'm learning as I go there as well.

The mask is a custom design I have made by looking at various images I've found on the web.

What I've done so far:

• Sculpted Doctor Doom mask in wet/ceramic clay (PIC)(VIDEO)
• Covered clay sculpt in plaster to make a 5 piece mold (VIDEO PART 1, VIDEO PART 2)
• Split apart the mold (VIDEO)
• Prepare plaster mold for polyurethane resin cast (Video)
• Slush cast with polyurethane resin (filmed, making video)
• Tried to remake helmet using EVA foam (no success yet)
• Make 2D template of mask in inkscape
• Make cardboard version of mask

What next:

• Make metal version of mask (using 2D template)
• Finish / paint mask
• Make armor (again custom, not sure of materials etc yet)

I hope to post updates as I go.

Also I'm Australian so hello to any aussies on here! (are there any of you?)

 

[montified88]

nice start!

 

[recludo]

update:
managed to cast with polyurethane resin in the plaster mold.

mold was destroyed upon demolding but the cast went okay (given that the mold was pretty dodgy).

 

[recludo]

update:

cut the head into two pieces - mask and helmet.

Turns out it doesnt quite fit ... i did the sculpt on an estimated sculpt of my own head... turns out i was a little off.

in the photos where it looks like it fits im squishing the mask hard against my face... so i need to do some modifications to make it fit better

 

[recludo]

update:

did a heap of cleanup on the mask (hours grinding with a rotary tool)

 

[recludo]

update:

decided to remake the helmet due to asymmetry and poor fit.

not wanting to go through another plaster mold (it was horrible) ive been trying to make helmets using EVA foam with limited success. Its difficult because I dont have any pre-existing patterns to use, so there is a lot of trial and error (and waste).

I havent got any pics at the moment of the results, but I'm not happy with them and am changing direction again.

 

[recludo]

update:

posted a video about my troubles with the plaster mold:

 

[recludo]

update:

i got the mask to this state but the asymmetry is driving me crazy:



but decided to remake the mask and helmet using the existing polyurethane ones as reference / patterns. my new plan is to make the mask out of metal.

i've got some sheet aluminium that i'm going to try but i have a feeling steel might be easier to work with (more malleable?).

but before i cut any metal i need a template / pattern!

so here i go:


How I made a template:
1. sticking duct tape onto the different parts of the mask, drawing the shapes and then cutting them out. This process was done for one side of the mask only.
2. scan all the little shapes into the computer
3. Used inkscape to trace over the shapes and duplicate them (reflection)
4. print new templates for victory

At this stage the test mask has shown up a number of small modifications i need to make to the templates which i have done. Next is to cut some metal and see how i go.

 

[Dargas]

Wow!!! I LOVE the detail on it!!

If you ever do make a metal version, is it possible to enlist myself in like and order one for myself? I really really love the pattern and detail!

 

[recludo]

Wow!!! I LOVE the detail on it!!

If you ever do make a metal version, is it possible to enlist myself in like and order one for myself? I really really love the pattern and detail!

hey thanks for the encouraging words!

I've made some progress on the metal version but it is proving very difficult. I think i would need to sell the metal version for about a million dollars due to it taking me so long to make - unless i can find a way to make it quicker / easier. I do intend to offer a version for sale - but more likely it would be a hard plastic or fiberglass cast in order to make it affordable.

at the moment i'm cutting the aluminium (aluminium) sheet with a jig saw and dremel and then bending / shaping the pieces by hand (hammer). so far it is working ok, but the aluminium gets brittle easily. also some of the bends inherent in the paper template are difficult to replicate in metal - they require some "dishing" of the metal which is hard to do in the first place and harder to do symmetrically.


^ note: the metal is white, and therefore looks a bit like paper, due to a powder-coating - when the pieces are joined / finished the coating will be removed

im also unsure about how to join the pieces - i had 3 ideas:
1. bolts/rivets
2. glue/epoxy
3. brazing/solder

at the moment ive ordered some brazing rods from http://www.ultrabond.8m.com/ with the intention of joining the pieces in a way that it all looks like one piece of metal. bolts and rivets would be tricky to look "fantasy" instead of "hey look i just bought some pop-rivets from the hardware store".

so i'm at a bit of a crossroads at the moment. I might even try again with thin steel or something if the aluminium doesnt work out.

 

[Dargas]

Awesome!

We´ll I´ll be fine with a fiberglass or hard plastic version of it. You are doing a stupendous job my friend! I´m very much looking forward to seeing the end result. I plan on collecting every single type of Doom Mask I can put my hands on and this is one sexy baby.

 

[recludo]

Update:



Ground off the white powder-coat on most of the pieces.

Received brazing rods from http://www.ultrabond.8m.com/ so now i can start joining pieces together!

I've started by practicing on a few scraps and then started filling in some gaps where the metal is folded. So far the ultrabond rods work great - just like tin/lead solder except for aluminium.

Starting to look pretty cool. Got a fair way to go yet though.

 

[recludo]

Update:


Current state of the mask pieces (messily duct-taped together)

I've cut the last few pieces.

Started to shape the forehead piece, but I'm having a lot of trouble because it has to line up with so many other pieces.

It's really hard to get metal to go where you want it without bending something else the wrong way!

Now I have to fiddle with each piece to get them all to fit nicely, then i can move on to polishing and joining.

 

[recludo]

Update:






I've found the aluminium sooo difficult to work with - its pretty unforgiving in a few ways.

1. Soft relative to steel. Because it is softer than steel, most tools (pliers, clamps, hammers etc) used to work it will deeply gouge into the surface. This can be prevented by being super careful and padding the tools with tape etc, but it adds to the complication of everything.

2. Hard relative to everything else. Being a metal it is a lot of work to do almost anything - cutting, bending, grinding etc. You cant just fold it like the paper template it's based on! Every operation performed on the material has to be done carefully but with a lot of effort.

3. Very prone to work hardening / cracking. If you make a mistake with a tight bend, its almost a death sentence for the piece. This is because when you try to bend it back or try to fix it instead it will crack.