Foam Sculpting My First Bio - Beyond The Final Rung

[BonzRus]

Whoa! Unbelievable!

I haven't been on the forums lately (just taking a bit of a break) and when I come back...I see many a new topics and this progress.

Dude, you are killing it with this bio. Absolutely stunning work brother. Keep at it so you can do more in the future. : )

Thanks REYALS! It is progressing well at this point...I am trying to keep the forward momentum going. Some days it is a bit slower than others but that is how it goes. Not much else to report at this time. I am working on the lenses and will update more once I have something to report on. I also have one of my sons working on a small circuit board to mount inside the laser housing cover that will drive some LED's tied to the battery and laser diodes. I want all the mechanical and electrical issues ironed out before I work to complete the final finish of the helmet in preparation to start making a mold for it.

Steve

 

[BonzRus]

This past weekend was full of more learning opportunities...wohooo. I am using two different types of window film to make my lenses. I originally tried Gila 'Mirrored' film on the back side of the front lense and found it to be a bit too reflective for me personally. I then tried Gila 'Platinum' and it produced a much better effect. It is still very reflective but at the same time allows for the mesh and darker film behind the mesh to show through. Soooo, in certain light you see a mirrored surface and in another light you get a darker mesh appearance. For the darker film I used the Gila 35% (allows more light through than say 25% so it is a lighter shade of film) and attached it to the front side of the rear lense. For the lense material I used some PETG sheet plastic after my silicone trivet idea still left marks on the Lexan after heating it to form to the shape I needed. As a result I am now making plaster forms to vacuum form the Lexan over so more updates to come on that as I progress. Using the PETG however, I was able to at least make up a set of lenses to give me an idea how they will go together and what they will look like. I simply cut them to fit and then took some 1" wide foam servo tape from Patriiot R/C to make a "gasket" and used the Wireform large mesh from Amaco to cut pieces that would just fit inside the gasket. To make the gasket I pulled off the amount I needed and applied it to a piece of the wax paper backing from a roll of carpet tape, the stuff you usually throw away, which kept it from sticking to anything until I had cut it out and was ready to place it. Just peel it back off and you are ready to go. With the PETG the lenses were flexible so I just pushed them in place and viola..they can easily be secured with a small amount of adhesive or even just tape if desired. They give a very clean look to the inside of the bio as well. The PETG would be a fall back if for some reason I still have problems with the Lexan. Here are some more pics that I hope help explain the way i did this.

While researching vacuum forming on the web I stumbled upon a really cool site http://www.xrobots.co.uk/ that describes using flexible or rigid foam to make parts and then coating them with PVA (just plain old white glue) to allow for polyurethane resin to stick to and cure over the foam. It makes for a hard plastic surface that can then be filled with plain old bondo if desired or just sanded and painted. This is probably nothing new to anyone experienced here on the Lair but I will definitely use this method to make my armor pieces when I get to that point.

Steve

 

[Impactor]

Beautiful Bio man.

 

[XPredX]

Those lenses are killer!!!!

 

[TriLaser]

Wow, every time i look at your updates im just blown away. Need to get one of these when there finished. On the edge of my seat. lol

 

[wonko]

Damn....... Just damn!

 

[Double H]

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>INSERT SHOUTING VOICE < DAYUM!

 

[REYALS1]

Awesome! This will actually help others with their lenses too...like me, lol.

 

[BonzRus]

Beautiful Bio man.

Thank you Spats!

Those lenses are killer!!!!

Hey XpredX, thanks...I like the way they turned out but I am having some trouble figuring out just how to make them efficiently. No worries though, I will get it.

Wow, every time i look at your updates im just blown away. Need to get one of these when there finished. On the edge of my seat. lol

Thank you Mike. I hope I do not disappoint...

Damn....... Just damn!

Hey Brian, it's getting there.

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>INSERT SHOUTING VOICE < DAYUM!

Hey HH, glad you like the update. More to come....

Awesome! This will actually help others with their lenses too...like me, lol.

Hey REYALS, glad you like the lenses. I have the 'what' down but I am still trying to work out the 'how' part. They are trickier than I though or rather I just haven't figured out how to be able to make them well enough yet. I have some more ideas to try and I will figure out a way to make them consistently and cleanly.

Sorry for the late replies all....

Just a brief update...my efforts thus far to vacuum form my lenses have taught me much. I have built a small table and tried it out last night with some 0.015" PETG that revealed I need thicker material, more heat and smoother plugs to form the plastic around. So I am regrouping a bit on the vacuum forming but this is what I have set up so far. Further research on vacuum forming Lexan is indicating that it is very tricky to do so it may be beyond my abilities to do well enough for what I am trying to accomplish. There is nothing too fancy about this...I made two wooden frames from 1/4" thick wood, taped my plastic sheet to one of the frames to help keep it in place and then clamped the other frame over it with medium binding clips. I then propped the frame between two bread pans in my oven which was set to 300F. I waited about 2 minutes for the plastic to sag about 2" and then turned on the vacuum and sucked it down over my forms. The table was made from a particle board shelf and a 1 x 2 piece of wood. I hooked it up to my shop vac and that part worked great. The plugs were made from plaster which I cast from some molds I made with a cheap molding material and they turned out OK but I was concerned about the surface marring the plastic so I covered them with a soft cloth material. What I learned is that the PETG picks up better detail than I thought it would so the final product shows the texture of the cloth in the lense. Not what I want but I learned something. So at this point I am looking to try a different approach to the plugs and will get some more PETG to experiment with soon. That's it for now...

Steve

 

[TriLaser]

Its all a learning experience mate. Im learning so much just watching your updates. I see you have watched that vid by Xrobots on vacuume forming. Very interesting how he puts that all together. I worked in a factory vacuume forming parts for cars years ago. Did have an idea about forming bios but i don't think it would pick up the detail that well. Anyway keep'em coming.

 

[BonzRus]

Its all a learning experience mate. Im learning so much just watching your updates. I see you have watched that vid by Xrobots on vacuume forming. Very interesting how he puts that all together. I worked in a factory vacuume forming parts for cars years ago. Did have an idea about forming bios but i don't think it would pick up the detail that well. Anyway keep'em coming.

Thanks Mike. With more time amd materials to play with I think I could do better...for now I need to press on with something a bit different.

I made another set of lenses in a different way and they turned out much better than the first. Doing so has also given me some additional ideas for how to improve on them even more so experience is going to pay off on this one I think. Each time I do a set they should get better and be quicker for me to do. At least I am satisfied with the materials I am using for now. I also figured out how I will be securing the detail pieces and elongated the area in the mouth to accomodate the 'enclosed AA with switch' type of battery enclosures that are out there. My next tasks will be to create the molds for the detail pieces, make some templates for the leather parts and wet sand the helmet to it's final finish. Then it will be on to making the mold for the helmet which is what I REALLY want to do but if I don't do the other things first I will have a harder time getting them done. I know me too well...

This is basically the approach I am taking for my lenses at the moment. I made two curved pieces of Acrylic to act as forms for holding the shape of the clear plastic sheets while the film is applied and dries. This is to relieve the stresses of applying the film in the flat and then curving the plastic. One of my last lenses had a problem where the film on the inside of the curved lense actually puckered over time. It is not very flexible.

The lenses fit very well but I don't have any more pictures of how I made them at the moment. As I hone this process I will post more.

Sorry there is not much more to report on but that is basically it for now.

Steve

 

[wonko]

So, where're ya at on this Steve? Anything to report?

Brian

P.S. Do you realize your only about 3 hours from me?

 

[BonzRus]

So, where're ya at on this Steve? Anything to report?

Brian

P.S. Do you realize your only about 3 hours from me?

Hey Brian, thanks for the inquiry. Yes I do realize we are so close. It has literally been years since I have been East of the Appalachians though. Perhaps one day we will be able to meet in person.

Currently I am in the process of wet sanding and priming the helmet. I took a little time to make some final changes trying to get a little closer to the original based on the photos I have of it, i.e. sunk the front part of the cheeks a little more, lowered and pointed more the center of the upper brow and cut creases into it from the upper back of the eye openings to the tri-hose and laser shroud areas. I also added some more material to the inside of the cheek areas to make it look more like in the interior detail picture. With that I completed a wet sand last night and primed it in light gray which highlighted a few minor placed that needed a little Fix-it Stick putty which I applied this morning before coming in to work. I have also been continuing to work out the details of my lenses. I have discovered that the Platinum film I am using just doesn't want to stick to plastic very well which can be a problem with the curve of the lenses. It just makes it harder to make them and keep them right if not installed and I want more forgiveness in the process and handling to be satisfied that they won't be a problem should I go into production. As a result I have been trying a few other approaches and I think I have about got it but I need some more plastic. The reason I have not updated in awhile is that there just really isn't much to update. Until I pin down how I am going to make my lenses or I finish smoothing out the helmet. I am looking at the silicone I will need to order soon to make the molds for the detail pieces and the helmet and contacted Smooth On yesterday to get some information concerning that. I want to use the 'Mold Max T' series product and tint the layers different colors with Silc Pig. After a couple thin brushed on beauty coats I would then start building it up using Thi-Vex II to thicken. Very similar to the way Jason (PredatrHuntr) made the mold for his awesome bio. I am going to go for a two part mold and will seal any clay I use with a couple coats of clear Krylon Acrylic Lacquer prior to applying the Ease Release 200. Smooth On recommended I go with the Mold Max 27T for what I am trying to do. So now with the Christmas holiday approaching (I have eight children) and my oldest daughter getting married the middle of next month I am trying to save my pennies to get the materials to make the molds. I will post more soon...still "plugging" away. Thanks for checking...

Steve

 

[TriLaser]

Pictures dude pictures! lol Every step of the way.

 

[BonzRus]

Well OK Mike...you twisted my arm... here are some pics.

Before

After

Right side

Left side

Inside (sorry it is a little blurry)

Lenses

One of my sons holding it

Look into my eyes....

Resting comfortably on my work bench

I hope you like....

Steve

 

[PredatrHuntr]

Just killer work there Steve. Youve come a long way in this process and the next step of molding it should be just as much fun

 

[BonzRus]

Just killer work there Steve. Youve come a long way in this process and the next step of molding it should be just as much fun

Thanks Jason. I am stepping into some unfamiliar territory with the silicone and resin...I hope I don't mess it up.

Steve

 

[Double H]

Ok, so where do I sign for of these? Hypnotism clearly had no effect


Awesome work bud, those lenses are kick ass. Have you considered making some and selling a couple?

 

[TriLaser]

How many WOW's can i fit on this page before i piss the moderators off? lol. Anyway times that one by.... well alot. Great work mate. Very smooth. Like that you added the slits next to the eyes as well (did notice them missing before but really didn't want to say anything because there is no way i can do any better haha) Looks awesome mate. Every update pic is an eye opener i can tell you.

 

[PredatrHuntr]

Thanks Jason. I am stepping into some unfamiliar territory with the silicone and resin...I hope I don't mess it up.

Steve

Dude...you nailed the entire process of making a foam bio...I highly doubt you could mess up the sculpting process! I have faith in you.