Thorssoli's First Order Builds - Captain Phasma FINISHED on Page 21!

Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

Fantastic helmets cant wait to see this one all chromed up :), ps ive loved all your builds and will be getting your book :thumbsup
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

thorssoli; So I"m about to start the silicone/mothermolding of a faceplate like this and I am immensely pleased with the photos you've shown. They will help a lot.

The sprue is basically a cut in the silicone where you made the pour spout? I like the word sprue, I'll use it from now on! Are you just using that syringe as a funnel, or filling it with resin and injecting it in?
 
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Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

The sprue is basically a cut in the silicone where you made the pour spout? I like the word sprue, I'll use it from now on! Are you just using that syringe as a funnel, or filling it with resin and injecting it in?

A sprue is the place where the casting material enters the mold. In this case, I just cut it into the cured silicone, but you can also plan where it's going to be by gluing a piece of rod or tubing (or a nail or whatever) to the area where you want it to be prior to molding. In this case I was just using the syringe as a funnel, but I do occasionally have molds where it's a good idea to inject the resin into the molds.

A vent is another channel that allows air to flow up and out of the mold in order to keep bubbles from getting trapped in the high parts.

UPDATE:

Last night I formed the first couple of pairs of tinted acrylic lenses:


I'm pretty happy with how they came out and I'll be posting a step-by-step with photos to explain how they were made once I've got the photos.

Once I had the lenses figured out, I went ahead and sprayed the helmet with black primer:


Once it dried I couldn't resist the urge to grab a can of silver spraypaint and see how it would look:


It's just a crappy rattlecan paintjob and I really didn't do any masking, so I'm really looking forward to seeing this with a proper chrome finish:


This is going to be pretty sexy.

Stay tuned...
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

Stunning....I'd love to see a tie pilot or resistance trooper next if you were wanting any other suggestions. The tie pilot helmet seems fairly similar to the flame trooper helmet.
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

Can i ask where or what you used for the grill? what sort of material? and where i could find some? :cool
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

Can i ask where or what you used for the grill? what sort of material? and where i could find some? :cool


The grill was 3D printed from a design specifically made to fit into the space on this helmet.
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

Really enjoy and learn from your work. Thank you ! You inspire...
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

Mind still blown.
Eagerly awaiting your "lens" method.

Me as well. I'm about to form my own and could do with some learning from @thorssoli;


I guess I couldn't have asked for a better setup than that.

Here's how the lenses are made:

I start by casting a particularly thick copy of the area around the eye holes:


I cast this particular copy in plurple because YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME:


With the cast copy out of the mold, I cut a nice, level slice off of the top:


Then I mark a line parallel to that one, but under the eyes so I can cut that part off too:


Then I cut the ends square so it'll sit flat on the bench while I cut out the eye holes with a tile cutting bit on the Dremel:


After a bit of touch-up with the sanding drum, the eye holes are nice and smooth and ready to go:


Then I build a box around this piece of the helmet:

The circular hole is where the shop-vac will be attached later.

After gluing the faceplate in place and bonding all four sides together, I tape off the edges, set the whole thing upside-down, and pour in some resin to seal the edges:


Then I glue the last piece of plywood in place to seal up the bottom and flip the whole thing upright again. Here's the view from the top:


With a tool adaptor screwed on and a descriptive label, the lensmaker is ready to go:


Now it's time to cut out a strip of tinted acrylic and cook it. For little pieces like this, I use a toaster oven:


Acrylic is porous and the surface pores tend to fill up with moisture from the surrounding air. This means it needs to be pre-dried at about 100°F for a few minutes before cooking it to forming temperature at about 400°F for a few more minutes. Eventually it gets hot enough that it'll flex and stretch a bit:


Then it's time to place it into the vacforminator and turn on the shop vac:


The acrylic is sucked into the hole, but only so much. The shop vac stays on until the plastic has cooled enough to keep its new shape. Then I shut off the vacuum, pop the lenses out, and stick them in a helmet. Then I take a selfie:


If you want the lenses to be more convex, it's just a matter of making the plastic softer by cooking it a bit longer.

And that's how lenses are made.
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

Brilliant post. That's as good a tutorial as one could hope for.

David
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

*Jaw on the floor* Wow, that looks awesome! I cannot wait to get mine!

A sprue is the place where the casting material enters the mold. In this case, I just cut it into the cured silicone, but you can also plan where it's going to be by gluing a piece of rod or tubing (or a nail or whatever) to the area where you want it to be prior to molding. In this case I was just using the syringe as a funnel, but I do occasionally have molds where it's a good idea to inject the resin into the molds.

A vent is another channel that allows air to flow up and out of the mold in order to keep bubbles from getting trapped in the high parts.

UPDATE:

Last night I formed the first couple of pairs of tinted acrylic lenses:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5730/21742664331_339715e85a_c.jpg

I'm pretty happy with how they came out and I'll be posting a step-by-step with photos to explain how they were made once I've got the photos.

Once I had the lenses figured out, I went ahead and sprayed the helmet with black primer:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/757/21746245961_67cdd70186_c.jpg

Once it dried I couldn't resist the urge to grab a can of silver spraypaint and see how it would look:
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/21545348550_71bc0ef95c_c.jpg

It's just a crappy rattlecan paintjob and I really didn't do any masking, so I'm really looking forward to seeing this with a proper chrome finish:
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/684/21721731652_7403e4e148_c.jpg

This is going to be pretty sexy.

Stay tuned...
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

I know folks have said it before, but it's beyond awesome that you take the time to show us how you make things.
 
Re: Thorssoli's Episode VII Builds

Please tell me you are going to start the new TIE helmet next! eagerly awaiting that one!! :D
 
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