How do I get my lenses to glow?

[Bigjohn9397]

I'm currently working on making a Clayton Carmine helmet and I've hit a snag in my project. I am a perfectionist and a purist. In all the pictures the lenses in the eyes of the helmet have a glowing effect to them and I've been racking my brain on have to achieve the same affect. If nothing I'm fine with a irridescent lens from a pair of sunglasses I have, but I really want to make the lenses glow. Can anyone help me?:cry

 

[Talisen]

Tinted blue plexi with a sheet of EL (or group of LEDs) behind it, leave a small slit between the bottom of the lens and the helmet to see through. Check a few of the Ironman Helmet threads, they do this a lot.

 

[Cal]

I'm trying to figure it out myself. I do not want to be stuck with a tiny slit to look out of.

 

[indiefilmgeek]

What if you mount 3-5 LED's at the top of the eye holes shining down and aimed slightly forward toward a blue-tinted piece of plastic (from cheap sunglasses maybe). Since the light of the LED's would make it hard to see out of the eye holes, maybe use some black masking over the LED's (where they are above the eye holes and place another lens behind the blue-tinted piece and just behind the row of LED's. If this last lens was made of a piece of mirrored sunglasses lenses, then it SHOULD reflect the remaining LED light toward the front of the helmet (through the blue lens-covered eye holes) while allowing the user to see out the ENTIRE eye hole (rather than a slit at the bottom of the hole). The mirrored surface of the lens would also mask the user's eye's, so from the outside the observer should only see an illuminated blue-tinted lens from each eye.

I've not tried this, so I it's only theory. :unsure

 

[aron42486]

Building off indiefilmgeek's idea, you could also take a piece of colored clear acrylic and use LED's to light it from the edge. I don't know what this effect is called but it produces an interesting glow appearance.

It is not very bright but I think it gives that nice "holographic touch" and remains see through. You could even play around with high grit sanding to change how the light is thrown, but this reduces your visiblity

These are clear rods but same idea as a sheet. Not very bright but still glowing.

Here is a side light frosted acrylic example. Nice bright glow but not transparent

 

[Alan Castillo]

Tinted blue plexi with a sheet of EL (or group of LEDs) behind it, leave a small slit between the bottom of the lens and the helmet to see through. Check a few of the Ironman Helmet threads, they do this a lot.

:thumbsup

 

[flinkazoid]

What if you mount 3-5 LED's at the top of the eye holes shining down and aimed slightly forward toward a blue-tinted piece of plastic (from cheap sunglasses maybe). Since the light of the LED's would make it hard to see out of the eye holes, maybe use some black masking over the LED's (where they are above the eye holes and place another lens behind the blue-tinted piece and just behind the row of LED's. If this last lens was made of a piece of mirrored sunglasses lenses, then it SHOULD reflect the remaining LED light toward the front of the helmet (through the blue lens-covered eye holes) while allowing the user to see out the ENTIRE eye hole (rather than a slit at the bottom of the hole). The mirrored surface of the lens would also mask the user's eye's, so from the outside the observer should only see an illuminated blue-tinted lens from each eye.

I've not tried this, so I it's only theory. :unsure

Get rid of the matte plastic and you will be able to see through it!

 

[aron42486]

What if you mount 3-5 LED's at the top of the eye holes shining down and aimed slightly forward toward a blue-tinted piece of plastic (from cheap sunglasses maybe). Since the light of the LED's would make it hard to see out of the eye holes, maybe use some black masking over the LED's (where they are above the eye holes and place another lens behind the blue-tinted piece and just behind the row of LED's. If this last lens was made of a piece of mirrored sunglasses lenses, then it SHOULD reflect the remaining LED light toward the front of the helmet (through the blue lens-covered eye holes) while allowing the user to see out the ENTIRE eye hole (rather than a slit at the bottom of the hole). The mirrored surface of the lens would also mask the user's eye's, so from the outside the observer should only see an illuminated blue-tinted lens from each eye.

I've not tried this, so I it's only theory. :unsure

That's a unique idea. I'd be worried that using that many layers of material would make it difficult to see out of. I'm curious to see someone try it though.

::Added pictures to my previous post::

 

[indiefilmgeek]

That's a unique idea. I'd be worried that using that many layers of material would make it difficult to see out of. I'm curious to see someone try it though.

YES. Delete the matte finish. I forgot to mention to ignore the matte finish plastic layer. This image is from a drawing I emailed someone showing them what I did for my Ironman build. I just replaced the 'white plastic' lens tag I used on my build with the 'mirrored' lens tag (and then forgot to remove the matte finish lens from the drawing).

I also agree with aron42486 about using the LED on the top edge (or very close to that) of the first layer of blue-tinted plastic. It will glow a bit and hopefully, the mirrored lenses behind it will reflect the light forward adding additional light.

Here is what five basic LED's shining down between a WHITE plastic lens and a blue tinted lens looks like...

Note: This Ironman helmet (since I used the white plastic rather than Mirrored lenses) only has narrow eye slits below the lights. I honestly wish I had thought of the mirrored lens idea prior to building this up... I certainly would have tried it out at least! :rolleyes

 

[Shades]

http://www.therpf.com/attachments/f24/war-machine-foam-build-photo-15-.jpg-62491d1312675626


For mine, I put a big strip of bright red LEDs infront of a mirrored red football helmet visor. The light bounces off enough to be bright The LEDs are just under the eyeline and visibility is pretty good all things considered.

 

[Bigjohn9397]

Thanks for all your suggestions.
@indiefilmgeek - is there a little hole atop of the lenses that you put the leds in or do they just shine into the lenses from above?