Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - 5/31 update

Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - Casting the Helmet!

I'm thrilled to offer more photos from the shop casting the helmets & faceplates!

Here is a picture of the helmet after the first half (right side) of the jacket was filled with silicon and allowed to cure for 24 hours. The 'filler' clay on the left side has also been removed.
7748138830_f1b8bb2c1a.jpg


And here is a pic of the same thing with the left side fiberglass jacket setting beside it.
7748139230_f8f89fdb7a.jpg


The left side jacket will be reattached now, and the silicon will be poured into this second half of the two-part mold. In 24 hours the whole thing will be ready for its first roto-cast! :):thumbsup
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - Casting the Helmet!

I love coming back to this thread and seeing the amazing progress and superb attention to detail of this project.

Waiting with bated breath for the finished article

(y)thumbsup
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - Casting the Helmet!

I really appreciate all the support everyone has offered! Casting a piece of mine for the Junk Yard is a totally new endeavor for me, so I certainly want to thank everyone for their patience as I walk through the rest of that process.

Very soon I'll have my own copy of the helmet to play with again and then I can start to really tear into the fine detailing and painting! :):thumbsup

For now, I've got another picture from the shop - this one showing two of the first fiberglass faceplates for those folks that signed up on the FS thread (the black ones).

7754957924_526e8e24b0.jpg
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - Casting the Helmet!

mark0017 said:
I love coming back to this thread and seeing the amazing progress and superb attention to detail of this project.

Waiting with bated breath for the finished article

(y)thumbsup
Click to expand...

I check this thread out every day, also. HOPEFULLY, when Indie is finished with this article, he will continue on with the rest of the suit. I so enjoy reading about his brain storming ideas. It get my creative juices flowing.
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - Casting the Helmet!

Randavian said:
I check this thread out every day, also. HOPEFULLY, when Indie is finished with this article, he will continue on with the rest of the suit. I so enjoy reading about his brain storming ideas. It get my creative juices flowing.
Click to expand...

Ditto!


Have you had a chance to check the alignment yet? It looks like it will be outstanding!:cool
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - Casting the Helmet!

Randavian & Electraflier, the plan is definitely to have the full suit ready for official unveiling at Dragon*Con 2013. That gives us one full year to build the full suit (and finish the helmet).


*****

And, since you mentioned 'brain-storming', I'll run through my recent experiments with lighting the goggle lenses!

First off, I'll explain the design problem I'm facing... The thickness of the lenses looks GREAT, but they are still clear so you can SEE through them to whatever is behind them (read: the electronics/LED/etc). This could be solved with one of those cool EL panels that folks are using for their Tron costumes - but I don't know if that will provide enough light. So, I've been working with LED's. The issue with those is how to employ them as a light source without having them be seen as individual LED lights.

I tried several different options, but every thing I tried was visible from the front view of the lens.... until I tried the following!

Here is the tiny LED I'm using (from a set of battery-powered X-mas lights):
7758198834_64649dcba0.jpg

*Yes, my wife LOVES the fact that our kitchen table is covered with hot glue drops. Thanks for asking. :rolleyes

I carefully cut the protective plastic sleeve off the LED and bend the leads into the position I want. Then I PAINT the top and one-half of the LED with black latex fabric paint.
7758198018_4a4fdd7dd9.jpg


This still allows the LED to shine brightly when it's powered...
7758197072_6e0a6a90ae.jpg


...but the light is almost completely obscured on the painted side!
7758196260_e5d820d232.jpg


Placed into it's position (inside the lens assembly with the unpainted side facing the BACK of the unit - where a reflector would be placed) it looks like this.
7758195468_f71080bcfa.jpg


NOW, the real question is: Can you see this painted LED from the front of the lens? And the answer is...
7758194722_9d53bfc13c.jpg


NOPE!!! Completely invisible! :love

But, you ask, will it be visible once LIT? That's a GREAT question! First, here's a look at the LED lit from the back side (unpainted side toward the camera).
7758193806_389e8af359.jpg


....and now...for a look at the front side LIT.
7758192994_329c2314c1.jpg


Just to prove I'm not just PRETENDING the LED is lit, here's a picture with a white paper behind the lens so you can see the LED light.
7758192148_bc218b1c53.jpg


And THAT is the effect I'm hunting for! You get the light, but no discernible source.

Now, I need to get a decent white highly reflective material (maybe reflective safety material), for the 'reflector' and wire up 4-5 more painted LED's to each lens.


So, what do you think???
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - LED eye work

I think I would like to order a set of lenses and light units to go with the helmet! That is absolutely brilliant! (pun very much intended) ;-)
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - LED eye work

Yes, I seem to remember you saying this was a re-purpose of something Indie? Can you please tell us what you used? I appreciate it... I can start looking for it now! :)
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - LED eye work

That is the type of creative thinking that puts pieces over the top! Excellent job. Since we are on the topic of the lenses... are you going to be able to see out of them with any type of clarity? Not really refering to the lights as I am the thickness of the lenses.
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - LED eye work

Randavian said:
That is the type of creative thinking that puts pieces over the top! Excellent job. Since we are on the topic of the lenses... are you going to be able to see out of them with any type of clarity? Not really refering to the lights as I am the thickness of the lenses.
Click to expand...

Since I'll be wearing it, it's impossible to see through these lenses. They are basically a hemisphere of glass, which means that everything is really distorted and upside down. After just a couple of minutes, I think I would be getting sick in the mask.
We have done some tests, and I think there will be a enough room between the "nose" and the eyes to see some. If I really need to see, I'll have to have the faceplate up.
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - LED eye work

Warning: The following post contains images that might be upsetting. If you are at risk of heart sickness, are easily bothered by the destruction of months of work, are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant, please skip this post!

*****

GOOD NEWS!

The roto-casting of the resin helmets has started, and the first copies to come out of the mold look GREAT!!!! Soon I'll have a shinny new helmet to begin detailing! :love:thumbsup

7775265868_9ace84085d.jpg


*****

BAD NEWS!

It looks like the silicon of the mold found a tiny hole in my work (around the ear pieces) and trickled down behind both of them where it hardened and 'locked' the original helmet into the mold.

Try as they might, the only way to remove the helmet from the mold was to 'separate' the ear pieces from the dome of the helmet - forcibly.

7774254922_f18682e52b.jpg


In Hollywood, they call a casting like this where the build will continue from a clean resin copy, a 'JUNK MOLD'. Now, I know why! :unsure

I'm actually completely and totally OK with this process. We've been planning to work from the resin copy for weeks now and a nice clean mold that produces beautiful resin copies of itself is the best possible gift this beat-up, heavily modified skateboard helmet could have provided us. Thank you ole girl, you did us proud! :):thumbsup


I'll start the process of moving the build forward again as soon as the roto-casts are complete and the helmets/faceplates that have been ordered and paid for are all packaged up and shipped out to their buyers!

Have a GREAT Monday!
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - LED eye work

Omg! I almost threw up until I got to the end and saw everything was ok!:sick Sad for helmet mk1 for sure, but glad it all came out ok!:)
 
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Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - LED eye work

Did a bit more work on the communicator while I wait for the helmet and faceplates to be delivered.

Back of the piece... the only person that even gets to see this is Digitizit. :rolleyes
7792709096_3ee1b088f2.jpg


Here is the front.
7792707924_5259390542.jpg


And here's the side...
7792706892_6ddf9865e6.jpg


I know this is not a major part of the suit (it will be behind the faceplate most of the time), but I did enjoy making this little piece! :)


*****

Regarding the eye lights, I picked up some reflective tape (don't know if this will work better than bright white plastic, but for $2.50 it was worth trying).
7792710130_a73ab79ce2.jpg


And here is the arrangement I'll be attempting for the LED's. I think I'm going with 6 of them.
7792711288_08253e5044.jpg


I've now have the holes drilled for the LED's to pass through and all the LED's painted with thick black fabric paint on the lens side. Assembly and wiring coming soon! :):thumbsup
 
Re: Steampunk Ironman Helmet WIP - LED eye work

Always admiring your creativeness! The junk mold has served its purpose and the cast looks great!!
 
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