Red Hood One way Visor??

[TheRealTalon]

So I'm thinking of making an arkham knight/red hood build, but I need to be able to see through the red hood helmet, which has no eyeholes. Ill be 3d printing the hemet most likely, so I could leave some holes to put some acrylic lenses in or something, but when I paint it, I don't want to be able to see through it from the outside. There are several really good fibreglass red hood helmets out there that I know are see through but completely solid from the outside. I've seen tutorials for making one way reflective visors (Halo,etc...), but what about making a one way visor that is a solid color from the outside? Also, would you still be able to tell apart the different textures in the helmet from where the lenses are vs the 3d print? If so, would it work better if I made it from fibreglass or carbon fibre?

 

[Vox]

Making a "solid" looking piece that you can still see though is very difficult. Most either find some slits that they can cut and barely see out of, or (like you said) they use a reflective/mirrored visor. The only way I've seen people do this is wire up their phone to mount right in front of their eyes, and use a fiber optic camera mounted somewhere on their helmet, wired into the camera, to basically function as a janky H.U.D. But that's not a great solution since smart phone battery life is limited, and having your phone that close to your face is not great for your eyes.

My best recommendation is to do what many other people do and insert small slits on the existing design of the helmet, so that you have some sort of visibility.

 

[TheRealTalon]

Making a "solid" looking piece that you can still see though is very difficult. Most either find some slits that they can cut and barely see out of, or (like you said) they use a reflective/mirrored visor. The only way I've seen people do this is wire up their phone to mount right in front of their eyes, and use a fiber optic camera mounted somewhere on their helmet, wired into the camera, to basically function as a janky H.U.D. But that's not a great solution since smart phone battery life is limited, and having your phone that close to your face is not great for your eyes.

My best recommendation is to do what many other people do and insert small slits on the existing design of the helmet, so that you have some sort of visibility.

View attachment 1053168

Thanks for the advice. I’ve seen the slits before but the reason I was thinking of making a one way see through helmet was because I want to try and make a two part modular helmet, like in the video game. A red hood underneath with the Arkham knight overtop. They could both be worn at the same time or you could wear the red hood helmet by itself. Do you know if it would work to cast it in fibreglass or carbon fibre, and just lay in a piece of clear plastic and layer the composite around it?

 

[Vox]

I want to help you figure this out, but I need a little more info so that I get a clear idea of what you are going for. On the Red Hood part, do you envision it being a one piece helmet? If yes, do you want to be able to see out of the entire thing from inside (without people seeing your head from outside), or are you just thinking of having a portion of the front be your view port, with the rest being opaque?

 

[TheRealTalon]

I want to help you figure this out, but I need a little more info so that I get a clear idea of what you are going for. On the Red Hood part, do you envision it being a one piece helmet? If yes, do you want to be able to see out of the entire thing from inside (without people seeing your head from outside), or are you just thinking of having a portion of the front be your view port, with the rest being opaque?

I was thinking I could make it in one part, but have a viewport section that was one way see through. I thought maybe when I was laying the fibreglass or carbon fibre with the resin, I could put in a sheet of something clear and put the Fiberglas around it and the resin would cure and make it all one piece, but with a section that was clear

 

[xl97]

The phone approach wont work.. its WAY to close to your face to see anything legible.

You'll need some very small screens and then optics in front/over them to help the perspective. (I did this in my IronMan HUD project...works fine)

Perhaps some 1 way mirrors acrylic could be formed/used?

 

[Vox]

You could definitely try mirrored acrylic, like xl97 suggested, just be sure to read any warnings about it before you buy. Certain types are not made to heat up and bend, as that can severely warp or outright ruin the mirrored portion.

You could certainly leave a spot in the fiberglass mat or carbon fiber for a view port, but the trick will be getting it to look like one seamless, opaque red piece from the outside. It's not the construction that will be problematic, it is the outward appearance. I advise using an airbrush and using Auto-Air Colors Transparent paints. They are made for letting whatever is beneath them to show through, rather than completely covering the base layer (for example, they look really good over metal and metal paints because they still let the metallic shine of the paint through). This, combined with the fact that it will be dark inside your helmet, might be enough to let you see through the visor area you created without allowing others to see your eyes.

 

[laellee]

Just jumping in, (and this has yet to be proven) Pull a thin full front for your Red Hood in acrylic. Do the rest as well. Gloss the hell out of the surface, and then spray transluscent red on your surface. Repeat.

We've been trying to pull this off for years. Cameras and goggles work, but they don't. We end up with limited visiblility, and that's after the fact that they are impossible (go ahead, fight me) to hide on a standard helm. (By the way, we all have to breath, so think about that). If you can vac the face-piece of your helm clean (or all of it to save headaches), You can spray a TON of translucent red over it and still see out. Wear a black baclava and use a neck seal, it does work. There's a huge caveat to appreciate, though... Every coat reduces vision in light. A bright Con space might be good, but you will get hit by a car on the street if you think you can walk around outside.

Let us know what you come up with, I'd love to find something easier.... Best of luck.

 

[TheRealTalon]

You could definitely try mirrored acrylic, like xl97 suggested, just be sure to read any warnings about it before you buy. Certain types are not made to heat up and bend, as that can severely warp or outright ruin the mirrored portion.

You could certainly leave a spot in the fiberglass mat or carbon fiber for a view port, but the trick will be getting it to look like one seamless, opaque red piece from the outside. It's not the construction that will be problematic, it is the outward appearance. I advise using an airbrush and using Auto-Air Colors Transparent paints. They are made for letting whatever is beneath them to show through, rather than completely covering the base layer (for example, they look really good over metal and metal paints because they still let the metallic shine of the paint through). This, combined with the fact that it will be dark inside your helmet, might be enough to let you see through the visor area you created without allowing others to see your eyes.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I'll give it a try on some smaller test pieces before making an entire helmet, but if you can tell through the paint that there is a clear section, I might just make the clear portions shaped really cool so that if someone does see it, it would look intentional. If I could make slits to see and actually have a decent field of vision, I would. But I'd rather have a hazy red view than a very limited view.

 

[TheRealTalon]

Just jumping in, (and this has yet to be proven) Pull a thin full front for your Red Hood in acrylic. Do the rest as well. Gloss the hell out of the surface, and then spray transluscent red on your surface. Repeat.

We've been trying to pull this off for years. Cameras and goggles work, but they don't. We end up with limited visiblility, and that's after the fact that they are impossible (go ahead, fight me) to hide on a standard helm. (By the way, we all have to breath, so think about that). If you can vac the face-piece of your helm clean (or all of it to save headaches), You can spray a TON of translucent red over it and still see out. Wear a black baclava and use a neck seal, it does work. There's a huge caveat to appreciate, though... Every coat reduces vision in light. A bright Con space might be good, but you will get hit by a car on the street if you think you can walk around outside.

Let us know what you come up with, I'd love to find something easier.... Best of luck.

Thanks a bunch for the advice, but I don't actually have access to a vacuum forming machine. The helmet will be one of the last things I do, right now I'm planning out the jacket and muscle suit, but If I come by a vac form before the end of this project, maybe I will.

 

[Borg69]

I would use one of those Spider-Man mask shells and just stretch red fabric over it you can see out of. From the outside all you see is red.