Why make a disco ball helmet? Because it's awesome. Nuff said.
I've seen disco ball helmets before, but they didn't satisfy the perfectionist in me. No haphazardly glued plastic mirror pieces here, this is the real deal. If you would like to make a proper disco ball helmet, read on.
• Note: This disco ball helmet uses real glass, as it is intended as a costume piece (to be paired with a disco backpack, coming soon!). If you want it to be functional, acrylic mirror would be safer and lighter weight (though not as shiny and reflective).
I've seen disco ball helmets before, but they didn't satisfy the perfectionist in me. No haphazardly glued plastic mirror pieces here, this is the real deal. If you would like to make a proper disco ball helmet, read on.
• Note: This disco ball helmet uses real glass, as it is intended as a costume piece (to be paired with a disco backpack, coming soon!). If you want it to be functional, acrylic mirror would be safer and lighter weight (though not as shiny and reflective).
Step 1: Supplies
You will need:
Mirror tiles: I used mirror tiles that come backed with fabric. This makes the whole process MUCH faster. You can purchase it from Kit Kraft. I had quite a bit left over, I probably used one half to two thirds of it. They also sell mirror tile by the row, but it's still more cost effective to buy the sheet.
Contact cement: I just barely made it through with one bottle. I would recommend getting two.
Helmet: I spent a lot of time choosing what kind of helmet I wanted. I settled on this vintage Bell motorcycle style because of it's spherical shape and clean lines. Real bell helmets of this style are quite expensive, but you can find cheap knock offs on ebay. Search for "vintage open face motorcycle helmet" to find a helmet similar to the one used here.
Glass cutter (not pictured): For cutting the tiles to shape along the edges of the helmet. Easy to get at a hardware store.
Metal Saw (not pictured): Most of the vintage style helmets have snaps for a visor which need to be removed. There may be another way to remove them, but I happened to have a jeweler's saw handy which did the trick.
Mirror tiles: I used mirror tiles that come backed with fabric. This makes the whole process MUCH faster. You can purchase it from Kit Kraft. I had quite a bit left over, I probably used one half to two thirds of it. They also sell mirror tile by the row, but it's still more cost effective to buy the sheet.
Contact cement: I just barely made it through with one bottle. I would recommend getting two.
Helmet: I spent a lot of time choosing what kind of helmet I wanted. I settled on this vintage Bell motorcycle style because of it's spherical shape and clean lines. Real bell helmets of this style are quite expensive, but you can find cheap knock offs on ebay. Search for "vintage open face motorcycle helmet" to find a helmet similar to the one used here.
Glass cutter (not pictured): For cutting the tiles to shape along the edges of the helmet. Easy to get at a hardware store.
Metal Saw (not pictured): Most of the vintage style helmets have snaps for a visor which need to be removed. There may be another way to remove them, but I happened to have a jeweler's saw handy which did the trick.
Step 2: Prep Mirrors and Helmet
Cut your mirror tile fabric into strips. I alternated between a knife and scissors to do this.
If your helmet has snaps for a visor, you will need to remove them. I did this with a jeweler's saw, however you might be able to pry them off, or remove some other way if you don't have a jeweler's saw lying around. Better yet, find a helmet without snaps.
If your helmet has snaps for a visor, you will need to remove them. I did this with a jeweler's saw, however you might be able to pry them off, or remove some other way if you don't have a jeweler's saw lying around. Better yet, find a helmet without snaps.
Step 3: Start Gluing Tiles
Apply Glue: First, apply contact glue to a few of your mirror strips, then in a few inch band around the widest circumference of your helmet as shown hatched in red. The mirror strips will take longer to dry because of the porous fabric. Wait until both are dry to place your tiles. Upon contact of the two surfaces, there is not much ability to reposition. If you want to play with how your tiles will look, do so before applying glue.
Align Your First Row: They key to making your helmet look awesome is to make sure that your first row of mirror tiles are well placed. I wanted the tiles to lay flat against the rim of the helmet in front, and used this as a guideline for the angle of the first row of tiles. If I started with them against the front rim and continued this line straight back, it follows the largest circumference of the helmet and ends about an inch up from the back rim of the helmet.
Glue Mirrors in Back: As the angle of the first row left an inch in back and I wanted things to be exact, I started by gluing two small rows of mirror in back to serve as a guideline for when I placed my first row.
Place Your First Row: Now that you have the rim in front and mirrors in back as guides, carefully place the first row of tiles around the entire helmet, taking care both sides are symmetrical. All the tiles will be based on this row, so this is the most important part!
Align Your First Row: They key to making your helmet look awesome is to make sure that your first row of mirror tiles are well placed. I wanted the tiles to lay flat against the rim of the helmet in front, and used this as a guideline for the angle of the first row of tiles. If I started with them against the front rim and continued this line straight back, it follows the largest circumference of the helmet and ends about an inch up from the back rim of the helmet.
Glue Mirrors in Back: As the angle of the first row left an inch in back and I wanted things to be exact, I started by gluing two small rows of mirror in back to serve as a guideline for when I placed my first row.
Place Your First Row: Now that you have the rim in front and mirrors in back as guides, carefully place the first row of tiles around the entire helmet, taking care both sides are symmetrical. All the tiles will be based on this row, so this is the most important part!
Step 4: Continue Gluing Tiles
Continue gluing tiles in circular rows based on your central row of tiles.
In order to make the rows fit neatly, my technique was to lay down half a row or so, and then carefully hover another row of tiles around the other side for length, cut to size, and place. If when measuring the second strip there is a significant gap (you can't quite fit that extra square), stretch the tiles as much as possible when placing the second strip to distribute the space evenly. This is one of the advantages of having tiles backed in fabric, as it was relatively easy to make the rows fit without any large gaps.
In order to make the rows fit neatly, my technique was to lay down half a row or so, and then carefully hover another row of tiles around the other side for length, cut to size, and place. If when measuring the second strip there is a significant gap (you can't quite fit that extra square), stretch the tiles as much as possible when placing the second strip to distribute the space evenly. This is one of the advantages of having tiles backed in fabric, as it was relatively easy to make the rows fit without any large gaps.
Step 5: Finishing the Top
As you continue working your way up, the strips of tiles will get harder and harder to fit. At a certain point I needed to cut the tiles apart most of the way with an knife before placing them on the helmet.
When I got to the very top, because it was not a perfect circle, I placed the tiles as shown.
When I got to the very top, because it was not a perfect circle, I placed the tiles as shown.
Step 6: Finishing the Bottom
Finishing the bottom is the most time consuming part. If you are not a perfectionist, you can continue adding rows like on the top, fit as many squares as possible before reaching the rim, and call it a day. However this leaves an imperfect edge, and I wanted a clean edge.
In order to fill in the gaps, I marked the mirror with a sharpie, and used a glass cutter and large pliers to cut the squares to shape. Ideally one should use a proper breaker as the pliers I had sometimes shattered the glass, but it was what I had on hand.
Cutting such small squares is difficult. Have patience. You will get better at it by the end of the helmet! And be sure to reuse pieces. Often the discarded half of one piece was a perfect fit for another empty space on the helmet.
In order to fill in the gaps, I marked the mirror with a sharpie, and used a glass cutter and large pliers to cut the squares to shape. Ideally one should use a proper breaker as the pliers I had sometimes shattered the glass, but it was what I had on hand.
Cutting such small squares is difficult. Have patience. You will get better at it by the end of the helmet! And be sure to reuse pieces. Often the discarded half of one piece was a perfect fit for another empty space on the helmet.
Step 7: Finished!
To finish, clean off any surface glue with a razor blade and acetone.
Pair with some shiny clothing (like my awesome Betabrand hoodie), and you're ready to rock!
Pair with some shiny clothing (like my awesome Betabrand hoodie), and you're ready to rock!
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Been riding since 1983 and logged over 90,000 miles. 30,000 miles in the last three years.
Almost every ride, I get either turned into (by someone turning left in front of me, or pulling out in front of me) or cut off by drivers who do not "See me". Most do not even look. Some drivers are watching and seeing me.....some.
Only through defensive skills learned in training and weekly practice, do I make it safely to work and home again.
Too many times you read about a driver telling the Police "I never saw them." when standing over the wreckage.
If this helps a driver see a motorcyclist then it is fine by me.
Yes, I know there are bad motorcyclists who do stupid things....I am not one of them. Please do not lump every motorcyclist in to this one group.
I ride to live.
Ride Safe!
My mirror suit philosophy developed out of a desire to have portable art but be part of everyone else's art, and a myriad of lights and lasers at night and the really fun daytime effects with the sun. It really works nice and I have thus become a reflection of everyone and thing around me...
My camp there is Earth Guardians but I've often dreamt of a clan throughout the City of mirror women and men. That would be something...
I just finished making mine, didnt take all that much time at all ... THANK YOU so much Natalina for posting this, can't wait to rock out my disco ball helmet on the playa this year!
Check it out -
The glass added a good 2 - 3 pounds, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it's pretty heavy! I can wear it for an hour or two, but I'm sure plastic would be a lot more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
Awesome work on this one, it's utterly delightful. I'm looking at it and thinking how much fun it'd be to adapt to a bicycle helmet ;) hehe!
Cannot wait to the see the matching back pack x
Distract the HECK out of other drivers with little perfect flashes of sunlight.
I'd be willing to bet it was illegal based on that fact alone.
(great work on the writeup/project.)
And "distraction" would be a good thing with most of the car and truck drivers I see on road these days...distract them from their conversations. Distract them from their texting. Distract them from their eating and drinking whilst driving. Maybe, with enough "distractions" they MIGHT actually pay attention.
Yeah, I know...I kill me.
And I have seen plenty of cyclists (both motor and human powered) do some crazy stuff on the roads. Cutting in and out of lanes, changing lanes way too close to cars, riding the line when traffic starts to back up (not when it is stopped--that is okay with me) and jumping curbs to turn right on red, wheelies, not holding the handlebars and changing the radio on their console, flipping off drivers they pass...
Bad drivers come on all number of wheels--two and four. Is the kid who is blasting his stereo with 4 friends in the car worse than the old biker who think he owns the road with his straight pipes making it so nobody can hear anything for a half mile in front and behind him? I think they are one in the same. I don't think that loud pipes save lives and no study that I have ever seen has shown a statistical significance that loud pipes save more lives than not. I think better drivers would save more, and more difficult tests to even get your license would do more good than some loud pipes ever will.
You can do whatever you want, of course. I'm just providing a counterpoint to yours. I'm not even mad.
I do some deejaying and did the same thing once with a pair of headphones.
I used an old discoball(...) yes, one by one... every lttle mirror...
So if I'll have to make one again, I surely do like you and buy the sheets :)
I used a superglue 'cause I wanted to make sure that I won't have a bag full of little mirrors and a lot of bold spots on my phones, haha.
Mind you.... I'll bet a good few would want to ride with it and look real cool.
I guess in reality, fools will never listen to sense, and those with brains would figure it out for themselves, eh? {:o)
"If you want it to be functional, acrylic mirror would be safer and lighter weight (though not as shiny and reflective)"