BonzRus
New Member
Hello Everyone! I am new to the Lair and in the process of creating my first bio. I am using a method that is a bit different from what I have found in all my searches here but that does not mean it hasnt already been documented here and I have just missed it. I have successfully employed this method to make a plug for a fiberglass fuselage I designed for a radio controlled helicopter and thought some others might find it helpful. While this is a P1ish bio, I would more call it a custom as I am not attempting to make it screen accurate. Being a very budget minded individual I tend to research a LOT before diving into a project. I enjoy experimenting with new materials and methods and as a part of my modeling background I have experience with just about every discipline required to make a pred. In high school I even made a plaster bust of my head, applied modeling clay and cast it to make a 2-part mold for a latex alien mask that worked quite well. Anyway, this is what I have so far. I took full size top, side and front view drawings and cut from scrap ¼ plywood I had lying around two matching pieces for each pattern. Any rigid material would probably work but it needs to be able to resist being cut by a wire saw (more on that later).
I then drilled two ¼ holes in each piece along the center lines for the top and front.
Then I took a 4 x 8 sheet of 1 thick rigid foam insulation (Lowes $15) and a can of 3M 77 spray adhesive (Walmart $10) to build up a foam block large enough to place the templates on. In my case I needed 17 12 x 15 pieces to make the block. It does not have to be exact. I then drew center lines on the top, bottom, front and back using a combination square to make sure my lines were true.
Starting on the top I located one template and marked the foam along the center line where the holes were. I then repeated this step on the bottom making sure the template orientation was the same. Next I took a 36 piece of ¼ All-Thread (Lowes $2) cut in two and chucked one end of the rod in a cordless drill.
This next part was tricky in that I had to line up the All-Thread to penetrate the other side of the block in the right spot. Working it from both sides eventually proved successful and I repeated this for the other rod location. Once both rods were through the block where I wanted them I Installed the templates on the top and bottom with ¼-20 nuts and flat washers (Lowes $1) and gently tightened the nuts keeping my centerlines lined up between the block and the templates. I think you get the idea and hopefully the pictures are clear enough to help explain.
I also picked up a couple pieces of ¾ x 1-1/2 pine strips, a couple ¼-20 carriage bolts, washers, lock nuts and a turn buckle (Lowes $10). This was to make a frame to tension a wire saw I had (Amazon or sporting goods store for about $8).
For the next part you need a helper to guide the wire saw on one side while you work the other, trying to keep the saw moving slowly and at the same rate to make the cut as consistent as possible. Dont force it, just let the wire cut. This worked quite well as the intent here is to rough out the basic shape desired.
A repeat of this for the front/back and left/right created the need to help hold things together with some plain old duct tape as needed. Still, the templates clamped tightly to the sides of the block also helped to hold it all together in order to make the final cut.
Eventually the block will be cut on all three axises.
Now you get to peel the layers off the onion so to speak and you should have a very rough core of your intended shape.
It may not look like much right now but this is where the fun begins. Some of the benefits of this foam are that it is very light weight but it is dense enough not to crumble. It cuts and sands very easily and can easily be corrected by gluing a piece of foam in the desired location and reshaping it. It also does not have the tendency to be a static mess as it readily brushes right off your clothing. I would recommend wearing a dust mask when sanding it but overall it is not very messy.
As you can see I thought about the Pepakura approach and contemplated sculpting with clay but just did not want to spend the $$ and I have found that for me I enjoy sculpting with this foam quite well.
As I said, the material cuts quite well. I am using a cheap knife I got at Walmart for about $6 that has a rounded blade tip which I have found works great for cutting the sunken areas like on the cheek. I keep a sharpening mandrel handy for the blade and use a slight back and forth motion to make the cuts. Overall it cuts very easily.
Dont rule out a good old Exacto knife either. They work good for detail cuts or getting into tighter places.
100 or 150 grit sandpaper does a good job of rough shaping and smoothing. I use a rubber sanding block for large flat areas and smaller folded pieces for contours and such.
While it was starting to take shape I realized that the lower cheek needed more material so a scrap piece of foam and a little spray adhesive did just the trick to build the area back up. First though I had to cut a flat area to give the block a flat surface to stick to.
Patch in place
and reshaped gives me more of the desired appearance I was looking for.
Next I did not like the shape of the ridge over the left eye so I trimmed if back a bit.
As an experiment I picked up some Spackling Paste (Walmart $3) and used it to fill in the holes created by the All-Thread rods and where I had some low spots or gouges in the foam. I also used it to make fillets where needed. Sorry for the blurry pictures.
With the left side basically the shape I wanted it I began working on rough shaping the right side. An additional benefit of the foam laminations is that the lines created between each sheet can be used to help maintain symmetry from one side to the other. Sort of like how topography lines on a map help you understand the shape of the land.
This is where I am at this time. It continues to take shape quite nicely. My plan it to fiberglass over it with cloth and polyester resin. Then I will continue to final shape it with Bondo and many coats of automotive primer, wet sanded between each coat. Once I get the fiberglass on it I will then look into hollowing it out so I can get to the back side of the eyes so I can shape it properly for a lens to fit. I desire to use as many materials as I can get locally and I will eventually create a Silicone mold of it to make the actual helmet to be worn. More to come as it progresses.
I then drilled two ¼ holes in each piece along the center lines for the top and front.
Then I took a 4 x 8 sheet of 1 thick rigid foam insulation (Lowes $15) and a can of 3M 77 spray adhesive (Walmart $10) to build up a foam block large enough to place the templates on. In my case I needed 17 12 x 15 pieces to make the block. It does not have to be exact. I then drew center lines on the top, bottom, front and back using a combination square to make sure my lines were true.
Starting on the top I located one template and marked the foam along the center line where the holes were. I then repeated this step on the bottom making sure the template orientation was the same. Next I took a 36 piece of ¼ All-Thread (Lowes $2) cut in two and chucked one end of the rod in a cordless drill.
This next part was tricky in that I had to line up the All-Thread to penetrate the other side of the block in the right spot. Working it from both sides eventually proved successful and I repeated this for the other rod location. Once both rods were through the block where I wanted them I Installed the templates on the top and bottom with ¼-20 nuts and flat washers (Lowes $1) and gently tightened the nuts keeping my centerlines lined up between the block and the templates. I think you get the idea and hopefully the pictures are clear enough to help explain.
I also picked up a couple pieces of ¾ x 1-1/2 pine strips, a couple ¼-20 carriage bolts, washers, lock nuts and a turn buckle (Lowes $10). This was to make a frame to tension a wire saw I had (Amazon or sporting goods store for about $8).
For the next part you need a helper to guide the wire saw on one side while you work the other, trying to keep the saw moving slowly and at the same rate to make the cut as consistent as possible. Dont force it, just let the wire cut. This worked quite well as the intent here is to rough out the basic shape desired.
A repeat of this for the front/back and left/right created the need to help hold things together with some plain old duct tape as needed. Still, the templates clamped tightly to the sides of the block also helped to hold it all together in order to make the final cut.
Eventually the block will be cut on all three axises.
Now you get to peel the layers off the onion so to speak and you should have a very rough core of your intended shape.
It may not look like much right now but this is where the fun begins. Some of the benefits of this foam are that it is very light weight but it is dense enough not to crumble. It cuts and sands very easily and can easily be corrected by gluing a piece of foam in the desired location and reshaping it. It also does not have the tendency to be a static mess as it readily brushes right off your clothing. I would recommend wearing a dust mask when sanding it but overall it is not very messy.
As you can see I thought about the Pepakura approach and contemplated sculpting with clay but just did not want to spend the $$ and I have found that for me I enjoy sculpting with this foam quite well.
As I said, the material cuts quite well. I am using a cheap knife I got at Walmart for about $6 that has a rounded blade tip which I have found works great for cutting the sunken areas like on the cheek. I keep a sharpening mandrel handy for the blade and use a slight back and forth motion to make the cuts. Overall it cuts very easily.
Dont rule out a good old Exacto knife either. They work good for detail cuts or getting into tighter places.
100 or 150 grit sandpaper does a good job of rough shaping and smoothing. I use a rubber sanding block for large flat areas and smaller folded pieces for contours and such.
While it was starting to take shape I realized that the lower cheek needed more material so a scrap piece of foam and a little spray adhesive did just the trick to build the area back up. First though I had to cut a flat area to give the block a flat surface to stick to.
Patch in place
and reshaped gives me more of the desired appearance I was looking for.
Next I did not like the shape of the ridge over the left eye so I trimmed if back a bit.
As an experiment I picked up some Spackling Paste (Walmart $3) and used it to fill in the holes created by the All-Thread rods and where I had some low spots or gouges in the foam. I also used it to make fillets where needed. Sorry for the blurry pictures.
With the left side basically the shape I wanted it I began working on rough shaping the right side. An additional benefit of the foam laminations is that the lines created between each sheet can be used to help maintain symmetry from one side to the other. Sort of like how topography lines on a map help you understand the shape of the land.
This is where I am at this time. It continues to take shape quite nicely. My plan it to fiberglass over it with cloth and polyester resin. Then I will continue to final shape it with Bondo and many coats of automotive primer, wet sanded between each coat. Once I get the fiberglass on it I will then look into hollowing it out so I can get to the back side of the eyes so I can shape it properly for a lens to fit. I desire to use as many materials as I can get locally and I will eventually create a Silicone mold of it to make the actual helmet to be worn. More to come as it progresses.
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