iron man motorcycle helmet

so in honor of th new movie and because i think itll look awesome ive decided to build myself a fullsize carbon fiber replica of iron mans helmet fo use as a motorcycle helmet now onto the good stuff

for this project first im going to need to make a life size cast of my own head so i have an acurate model to sculpt onto for this ill be using plaster bandages

to make the negative mold as i doesnt need to be of intricate detail... once it has dried and has been removed ill either be filling it with expandable foam

or just plain plaster ill probably go with the foam as it will be stronger and cheaper

from there ill be building up a layer of pottery clay approximatly 5/8 of an inch thick (1/2 for padding and 1/8 for carbon fiber) very similar to this

initially ill be leaving the face shield off because i want it to be a seperate piece once i have the helmet and jaw done ill lay down a piece of plastic over the face so the clay wont stick to the helmet portion to make the positive mold for the face shield

anyway enough words heres the refeence material iv found so far and will be basing my design off of

if anybody runs across any more really detailed pics please feel free to post them for me as i still need a good one of the back and the top

(sorry havent started yet still waiting on the mail for my plaster and clay)

Looks interesting. I'm also a huge fan of everything Iron Man, and very happy with the movies (so far at least). :D

One thing I would caution you on this is that if you keep to the original proportions, you're not gonna have much room for any shock absorbing material at all. There's a good reason why all DOT-certified helmets are fairly thick. In fact, that makes me think of another possible problem. IDK about where you live, but I know in Maryland, state law requires that you use a DOT-certified helmet. IDK if there's a process for getting a self-made helmet certified though.

oklahoma is one of those states where you can go without a helmet so no worries on that part as for the padding im still on the fence if i want to only use 1/2 inch or maybe 3/4 inch 1/2 should be enough with the foam i plan on using (this stuff http://www.carbon-fiber.us/density-u...a4df299d058224 )

That's gonna look very cool. Can't wait to see more.

first materials should be in tomorrow so I should have something posted by monday as I'm going to visit the fam tomorrow as well

Will watch this for sure!

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Originally Posted by x88x

IDK if there's a process for getting a self-made helmet certified though.

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If there was it would probably require more than one made and have to submit to destructive testing. I think this is more of a prop than a proper helmet. At least it's going to look awesome. In the interest of safety I suggest always riding with a proper DOT approved helmet, and using this for shows/events.

so im still waiting on the mail but once it gets in ill be doing an update asap and great news on the update front the parents gave me a new camera so better pic quality considering it has built in macro and super macro shooting modes gotta love fujifilm

So I finally got my stuff in the mail and heres the first bit of work i've gotten done on this thing

once the cast has completely hardened it'll get a coat of sealer (watered down wood glue) to fill in any holes or gaps then a thin layer of plaster is goin inside followed by expandable foam insulation (great stuff) and this should all be getting done tomorrow or rather later on today

by the way just a tip for anyone who ever does a cast of their head dont bump the straws while they are in your nose it dont feel good and if your luck runs like mine youll end up with a bloody nose while your entire head is casted up not a fun experience

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Originally Posted by chaksq

If there was it would probably require more than one made and have to submit to destructive testing. I think this is more of a prop than a proper helmet. At least it's going to look awesome. In the interest of safety I suggest always riding with a proper DOT approved helmet, and using this for shows/events.

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That was my main thinking behind this as I do charity rides occasionally or used to before my bike was wrecked (hit and run in a parking lot) but once I get it fixed I'm going to continue with it. but anyway updates pulled my cast from the mold and am laying on the first layer of clay

This should be an interesting project. Will be watching.

I need to second everybody on the thoughts that this will be pretty useless as a brain bucket and you should probably reserve this for shows and such.

Even if you're not concerned with it's pavement-bouncing ability, realize that those eye-holes will tunnel your vision and restrict your ability to see cagers who aren't watching for bikes, dogs running into the street or aliens attacking.

The helmet is an awesome idea. Just saw the movie last night and it was great.

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Originally Posted by The_Crippler

those eye-holes will tunnel your vision and restrict your ability to see cagers who aren't watching for bikes, dogs running into the street or aliens attacking.

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That's why he's also gonna build in the full computer interface with cameras on several angles on his bike, as well as radar and auto-collision-avoidance systems. ...right? :D

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Originally Posted by x88x

That's why he's also gonna build in the full computer interface with cameras on several angles on his bike, as well as radar and auto-collision-avoidance systems. ...right? :D

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Oh.


I stand corrected, then.

OMG this is so fscking awesome!!!!

Ask if you need any 'glassing help, got my start in a body shop.

lol, now you can make clones of your head

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Originally Posted by x88x

That's why he's also gonna build in the full computer interface with cameras on several angles on his bike, as well as radar and auto-collision-avoidance systems. ...right? :D

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I wish man...but I do have something planned for this electronics-wise that I think you guys will go ape **** over...more on that later if i can get the sponsorship

well i have the base layer of clay applied and its almost dry enough to smooth out completely then it gets a coat of paint then sealer then i can start the actual sculpt

thnx for the offer kayin once i get to that phase of the build i'll be dropping you messages alot ( ive done a little glass work but not much)

I too am concerned with your visibility in a helmet like that, but ...

Why stop at just the helmet? :)

http://i590.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1271100866

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=34519

I agree

One possible option to help visibility, make the whole section from the chin protrusion to the eyes out of yellow tinted plexi then do a mist coat of gold paint over it. If you get the paint light enough you can still see through it, all be it not perfectly. I've seen some guys that have had the whole helmet to include faceshield painted, they say it's like a tinted shield with a little blurring. If your main vision is through the slots it would be periferal vision through the painted area. Just my 2 bits.

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Originally Posted by msmrx57

One possible option to help visibility, make the whole section from the chin protrusion to the eyes out of yellow tinted plexi then do a mist coat of gold paint over it. If you get the paint light enough you can still see through it, all be it not perfectly. I've seen some guys that have had the whole helmet to include faceshield painted, they say it's like a tinted shield with a little blurring. If your main vision is through the slots it would be periferal vision through the painted area. Just my 2 bits.

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not a bad idea but I have my doubts on how strong that would be vs. carbon fiber...well that and im not painting it its going to remain bare resin over carbon... i may tint the resin with some dyes but thats all ive planned on so far

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Originally Posted by OvRiDe

Why stop at just the helmet? :)

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Mainly because it would take a lot more plaster...:D

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Originally Posted by The_Crippler

Mainly because it would take a lot more plaster...:D

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Its not the plaster that will cripple my bank account it'd be the carbon fiber lol but should I win the lottery you guys will se a full suit lol

you could do it like i did

love the idea of an iron man mc helmet . i wish i could have used carbon fiber for my helmet instead of fiberglass.

Well unfortunatly I've run into some trouble with this thing the foam I used to make the intial cast kept shrinking and finally imploded on itself so I'm gonna have to start over But hey this gave me an excuse to go bigger and better with materials I'll be using alginate for the mold instead of the plaster bandages and casting it with casting stone instead of foam (think plaster concrete hybrid) so yeah materials should arrive sometime this coming week

just a bumb to let you all know that this project isnt dead It just got shelved for a bit while i was in vegas but i am back now and hope to get the mold and cast done by this weekend

Some pretty cool helmets.

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Originally Posted by aintnothang

Some pretty cool helmets.

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true, but they are just paint jobs.

works for spiderman though.