How I Made <PERSON> (<PERSON>) Helmet
Introduction: How I Made <PERSON> (<PERSON>) Helmet
Hi world!! I've decided to do this <PERSON> helmet as my first Instructable since this is the project that introduced me to Instructables a million years ago :] Let's get to it.
Video Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Supplies
Helmet:
1.75mm PLA Filament - 1kg Spool (2.2 lbs)
Epoxy
Bondo
Bondo Putty
Zip ties
Wet/Dry sanding sheets assortment pack
6in. clamps
Visor:
1” x 4” x 8’ pine board (frame)
2’ x 2’ BCX plywood (bottom of the box)
48” x 24” Pegboard (top of the box)
Wood glue
Big clamps
Plastic wood
Foil tape
Staple gun
Hole saw
Jig Saw
Bucket vacuum (or any vacuum)
The visor plastic: Clear Polyethylene Terephthlate Glycol-Modified Sheet, 0.03" Thickness, 24" Width, 24"
Lens Tint
Clear enamel
Electronics:
Dragon Board 410c
Sensor Mezzanine Board
Addressable WS2812B 5V RGB LEDs
Potentiometer
Microphone
Voltage Regulator LM2596
Speaker USB audio adapter
12V battery pack
Details:
Wire rainbow ribbon
Old school button caps (from my local electronics shop)
Step 1: Start 3-D Printing!
There are 58 parts to print (including the visor) and each part took me about 2.5 hours on average to print. So start printing! I used @bendiger’s files on Thingyverse.
I started with the visor prints since those were the bigger prints and also to get started on the visor. @bendinger made it so it is super easy to assemble with zip ties. I did have to add tons of support to print the parts and the support messed up the zip tie holes, so I had to finish those with a dremel to make the holes.
Once I had all the visor and helmet prints I put them together with zip ties, added a bit of epoxy to bind all the parts together and make it sturdier. I had to hold the parts together with clamps overnight to allow the epoxy to cure. I sanded the epoxy imperfections with the dremel.
Step 2: Bondo, Sanding, and Priming (or Making the Helmet Super Smooth)
I put a thin layer of Bondo on the visor and helmet to hide the print lines and make them super smooth. Be careful to not cake the Bondo, by applying a thin layer you are making sure you stay true to the shape of your helmet and visor and also you are saving yourself a lot of sanding time.
I tried using a flexible putty knife to apply and scrape off the Bondo, but it was very hard to do this. The easiest way I could apply the bondo was with my fingers. 485
Do it with gloves and at your own risk.. It cures very fast, so I made small batches and applied by sections. Once the helmet and visor were covered and the bondo had cured, I sanded starting with the lowest grit I had and moved up until it was smooth.
When I thought it was completely smooth I primed it, but that is when I noticed all the imperfections. So I used Bondo putty to fill all the dips and started sanding again. This took about 2 weeks of sanding almost every day.
I decided to paint the helmet black since it is my favorite color and I knew that I would not be able to achieve the original chromed gold look with the budget and tools I had at home.
Step 3: Make a Vacuum Forming Rig for the Visor
To make the vacuum forming rig I made a box with holes on the top and attached a vacuum to it.
I measured my kitchen oven as a baseline since I was going to use that to heat the plastic. Keep good ventilation around you and make sure you don’t melt your plastic inside the oven (like I did).
I cut the plywood and board to make a box with no top. I used wood glue to put them together, clamped and waited 24 hours. I added plastic wood to the inside to make sure it was sealed and also taped it with foil tape on the outside. You need to make sure it is completely sealed so the vacuum actually works.
I made a hole on the side of the box to fit the vacuum hose and glued a peg board on top of the box. 959