Lenses for P1 Bio Helmet

[Art Andrews]

Thanks for the info, Paul! I will start looking for some plexi like that!

Check out my thread, I show how the original lenses were made using actual material from SWS.

http://www.thehunterslair.com/index.php?sh...20&start=20

Thanks for looking,

Paul

 

[Art Andrews]

So, Paul was kind enough to send some of the material for the predator lens that he picked up from SWS and I wanted to share the overall look and feel with you. It is essentially 2-way mirror covered acrylic which is just a thin film of reflective tinting on one side of the plastic. When light is placed behind the tinting, you can see it isn't really very dark at all. However, when light is shone directly on the front of the plastic, as can be seen in the third photo, you can see that it becomes a perfect mirror. I placed the battery behind the lens material so you can get an idea of just how transparent it can be. However, it wouldn't be very transparent for most of the movie since it was on the mask and no light could come from behind.


The material is approx .075 inch or 2mm thick... which seems like a weird thickness, but that is what it is.

I can't vouch for this being the same stuff, but it seems similar, although about twice as thick.

http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Plexiglas..._Sheet_Mirrored


Anyway, hope this helps.

 

[Tony Hughes]

Hey Art i also just came across this on ebay,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Two-Way-Mirror-12-x1...=item3f00661ca6

theres also a site where its cut to order

http://www.a1mirrors.co.uk/category/Two_Way_Mirrors,i.html

I'll be ordering some as soon as i get the quote so ill let you know what its like

 

[Art Andrews]

Looks like they have 3mm (.12 inches) as well. I would go with that if I were you. The 1/4 inch (.25) they are selling on eBay will be so thick you are going to have a tough time bending it to get it in the helmet.

 

[Tony Hughes]

Looks like they have 3mm (.12 inches) as well. I would go with that if I were you. The 1/4 inch (.25) they are selling on eBay will be so thick you are going to have a tough time bending it to get it in the helmet.

Thats the one ive just sent a quote request for,
Hopefully the shipping is cheaper than ebay though cuz nearly £20 just to send a square foot of plastic to the UK... well... ITS MADNESS!!

 

[Keith]

Has anyone used this two way mirror stuff yet?
I have found some for sale here: http://www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk/mirrored-sheeting/two-way-acrylic-mirror but I'm thinking it would just look like a mirror lens when fitted to the helmet, as it's going to be darker inside the helmet than it is outside the helmet.
Also, this two way mirror is not based on a smoke/tinted sheet, so I'm not sure if this is the correct stuff to use? Maybe it would look darker and less mirror like with black mesh fitted behind it though.

One more question.....can you heat this two way mirror acrylic so it can be formed to the shape of the helmet? I would have thought heating it up so much would damage the silver layer.

Keith.

 

[Broilermaker]

As i will begin building a new helmet soon i have thought about the lenses, what i think will work is start with a clear lens, with a chrome or chrome colored vinyl (used for sign making, you can see through the back of it) with the mesh on top. At work we have some expanded metal with extremely small holes and i may use that material for mine. Just my two cents

 

[wonko]

Has anyone used this two way mirror stuff yet?
I have found some for sale here: http://www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk/mirrored-sheeting/two-way-acrylic-mirror but I'm thinking it would just look like a mirror lens when fitted to the helmet, as it's going to be darker inside the helmet than it is outside the helmet.
Also, this two way mirror is not based on a smoke/tinted sheet, so I'm not sure if this is the correct stuff to use? Maybe it would look darker and less mirror like with black mesh fitted behind it though.

One more question.....can you heat this two way mirror acrylic so it can be formed to the shape of the helmet? I would have thought heating it up so much would damage the silver layer.

Keith.

I have some acrylic 2 way mirror that I tried to heat to shape and it became distorted and discolored.  Most of my bio helmets are for display purposes so I don't have to worry about being able to see through them.  In that case, I use thin polished aluminium sheet behind metal mesh.  For the one I wear with my suit, I have mesh only (it's bad enough trying to see out of the mask without worrying about tinted lenses on the bio).  I have a few display pieces with see through lenses that are made up of 3 layers.  The first is thin polycarbonate sheet, heated to shape, with a silver tint material over it.  The second layer is the mesh, followed by another layer of clear polycarbonate.  It looks good, but I couldn't imagine trying to see out of it while wearing a mask.  If the bio is going to be worn with a 1/2 mask, I would think adding tinted lenses wouldn't be a problem.  Keep in mind though that the loss of vision sucks, and can be dangerous.

Brian