Advice on Helm raised pieces

Hi guys. I currently have a peped helm, with fiberglass layer and a Rondo layer inside. About to start he outside Bondo.

I've bought a tub of Micro Glass Balloons to take some of the weight out of my Bondo. Should be an interesting experiment.

But my main question is, How have people been dealing with the raised areas?
I've seen threads where people stick on 2mm foam. (how do you harden this? or do you just primer it?)

Try to use hot air blower to adjust and correct the raised part and wrapped areas... make sure you have the right form before you start to apply bondo... otherwise its really hard to adjust afterwards....

While I have heard from people who actually cut out foam for the raised areas, another member as well as myself (see my "What a Lid" thread with pics of my helmet.) used double back foam tape, about 1/2" wide, applied to the outline of the raised area. Mark up the outline with a pencil, follow the boundary with pieces of the foam tape so you form an outline. Lightly press it onto the surface, no need to burnish it down since it is only temporary. You can then trowel Bondo into the outlined area using the foam as a form or dam. It doesn't even matter if you smear some onto the foam itself. Just do your best to keep the thickness about level with the foam where it meets the edge. The thickness in the middle of the raised area isn't as critical, just approximate a nice rounded curve. As soon as the Bondo sets up, just peel the foam away. It will leave a nice crisp edge. It's kind of like putting forms in to pour concrete. You will want to use a sharp blade or a scissors to cut the foam to match the tight curves like the back border and the corners on the sides. It will follow gentle curves fairly well. Just sand when finished !:$

I went a bit more old school with mine and built up the details using epoxy putty and bondo.

stormtrooperguy said:

I went a bit more old school with mine and built up the details using epoxy putty and bondo.

Click to expand...

Yes, the same as I did......just used the foam tape to provide a barrier guide and a sharp edge for the raised Bondo areas.

Thanks guys!!! very much appreciated!