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).
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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.
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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)"