Make a Daft Punk Helmet

Step 3 Cover in Fiberglass Resin

I covered the whole thing, section by section with small amounts of the fiberglass resin jelly. You mix the Resin with the hardener, and then apply it to your helmet. The label says it takes 30 minutes to dry, but I wouldn't really listen to that, because it takes a lot longer than that. If you have previous experience using Bondo, this stuff takes more than twice the time it does to start to set, so you have more time to smooth it out. Try to get it as smooth as possible before it dries, because there is a lot of sanding to do no matter what you do.

Comments

[MrCoolDudeGuy]

I don't have live in the US. So I can't buy bondo. But I got a thing called Plastic Padding Fiberglass (Body) Filler. I really hope it will stick to paper. Acctually I use photopaper. I works perfectly. And I also have a sanding machine, so I think this will go perfect:D

[hellonfire30]

ok so i bought the fiberglass resin but i have no idea what 1/2 inch thick to 3 inch strip of hardener means so im probably gonna mess upbut who cares. im gonna do a small part now and then do the rest after a while. I also bought 320 grit sanding paper but no sanding block but ill find something

[hellonfire30]

Oh yeah what do i apply the fiberglass resin with

[Ben Harden]

I use disposable gloves and cardboard scraps to apply Bondo and fiberglass resin.

[hellonfire30]

ok thanx yesterday i applied it but forgot to put on the ears but i only have a bit left and barely any hardener but itll do the only problem is it still smells funky

[hellonfire30]

Well i finished the whole paper on gaps thing but it doesnt look as good as yours. First of all its huge. Tommorrow ill try making the ears and then ill try putting the fiberglass resin ittl take me anywhere from tommorrow to 3 days from now to buy the fiberglass resin

[hellonfire30]

I havennt started this step yet because im working on the insides. Installing LED lights seems too expensive so instead im going with headphones. I already taped them to the dents and im going to cover it up with paper. I made a pocket out of tape right behind a protective pad and i keep all the wires in there. I will post ALL pictures from begginning to end when i finish.

[hellonfire30]

Oh isee i went througha ton of helmets but none of them covered my ear but i saw in the picture that you use something, paper i think to lengthen it right.

[hellonfire30]

I thought of something you could add. Since there is a dent for your ear and you cover it up with paper i got some old but EPIC headphones and after a half hour i ripped them off of the band that connects it to your head and now im going to put them in the helmet. Oh yeah they are proffesional headphones.

[Ben Harden]

Yea I used paper to complete the gaps.

[DIYn1nja]

is it just me, or is the paper part really wide? cos i made the paper bit, the stuck it to my helmet, but yeah... it looks too wide.

[Ben Harden]

Not quite sure what you are saying, but it could be upside down.

[etkirk]

okay okay... what was the point of the fiber glass resin??? what does it do? lol sorry if im whining lol... but yeah does the fiberglass resin jelly make the paper like stone? or does it make it stick to the helmet lol???? how much did everything cost you aswell lol?

[unholyknight]

Bondo does not stick to the paper or the helmet well on its own. The fiberglass resin jelly serves as a layer that sticks well to both the cardstock and helmet base and the bondo layers that will follow it.

**Be sure you are using cardstock and NOT regular paper** You can pick up cardstock at any office depot, staples, etc.

For more reference I attached pictures of my helmet when it was just a helmet and cardstock.

Once a layer of fiberglass resin jelly is applied to the entire surface of the helmet and the face mask the mask will be noticeably sturdier, but will still bend under pressure. The bondo layers afterwards will make the mask much more solid than the fiberglass alone, but be careful since bondo is a more brittle. I have a crack on the bottom half of my visor because I was too rough with it during sanding. I'm going to patch it although it isn't noticeable.

As for cost altogether for my build I did not have a proper mask or cardstock to begin with so I pretty much had to buy everything. My 3M mask ran me around $30 at the hardware store, sanding block was $5, sand paper was around $15, 1 can of fiberglass resin jelly $17, 2 smaller cans of bondo $35, bondo spreading tools $4, a box of vinyl disposable gloves $5. I have yet to buy primer, spray paint, or the mask and tint since I am not at that stage in the build yet. By the end of my project I'll have spent about $150 I'm guessing. The $150 includes a programmable LED board for messages to be displayed in the visor of the helmet as well.

[Ben Harden]

Thanks dude. Its nice to have someone else answer questions for you every once and a while

[daft punk fan]

hey man this is really nice two thumbs up i have been into daft punk along time and will defeintly build one of these good job also i cant spell lol

[Ben Harden]

Thanks! Post pictures when you are done if you can.

[daft punk fan]

sure will i gotta question does the resin make the cardstock firmmer and stronger

[Ben Harden]

Umm Not this fiberglass jelly I don't think. I believe if you use actual resin, it will make it stronger, but the jelly actually didn't help at all.

[daft punk fan]

k thanks man but how were you able to sand the cardstock with the jelly was it kinda hard to sand cause mine is and i used the same stuff lol

[Ben Harden]

Oh yea. I waited a couple days, but it still screwed up my sandpaper, I just went through a bunch of sandpaper. It was sanded after about a week.

[daft punk fan]

dude you are so helpful no joke ill sand it down and let you know when im done

[Ben Harden]

ok cool

[daft punk fan]

hey first off i used a bike helment and second i found this really cool stuff spray on adhesive to spray on first before the jelly coat it works really well if you ever build another one how much did you sell the other one for

[Ben Harden]

85$. I'm working on another one right now, and it is almost fully bondo'd. I didn't use any fiberglass this time. I'll post pics on the last page when I finish

[daft punk fan]

were can i get a visor like you got and the tint

[Ben Harden]

I went to a hardware store, and bought a replacement visor for a safety mask, and I bought the tint online.

[Ben Harden]

ok sorry. Thanks for the correction. I was trying to conserve the hardener

[Virtuous]

I think the time it takes to dry actually depends on how much hardener you add. I've had some dry in UNDER 30 mins.