Magneto Helmet-Xmen 1992

Hi there,

This is my magneto helmet from the X-men cartoon back in 1992 and I'v been working on it for the past few months. I wanted to make this helmet in a way that I could make duplicates pretty easy so in this tutorial I can show you how I made block molds, silicone jackets along with a fiberglass shell to reinforce your molds. Here is a the list of materials and tools I used for the making of it.

Materials

Sheet of MDF

1 tub of Poly filler (U-POL)

8 meter of fiber glass tissue

Silicone

2 cans of red primer

1 can red car paint

Stiring sticks

Masking tape

Fiberglass resin

1 kg Bi resin

2 mill foamex

2x 6m bolts

1 can lacquer

Ambersil release spray

1 can purple spray

Tools

Power drill

Dremil

4 Clamps

Sand paper various grades

sanding blocks

weighing scales

Scissors

Ice cube tray

Super glue

Belt sander

respirator

Goggles

jump suit

Box of latex gloves

Step 1: Make the Cardboard Frame

The first thing you need to make here is the cardboard frame for the helmet. I made this the easiest way possible which was just cutting out a band of cardboard from a cereal box and wrapped it around my head. Make sure you loosen the band around an inch just to make sure your going to be able to get the helmet on and off your head! with these images you should be able to get the idea where I was coming from anyways...

After the cardboard frame was complete I used paper mache over the helmet to make it a bit more sturdy once that was dry I then poured in a small amount of fiberglass resin on the inside of the helmet and slushed it around. There's no need to use the fiberglass tissue yet I just used the resin.

Step 2: Adding the Layers of U-pol Poly Filler

This is the longest part of the project and will take you a fair amount of time to get just right. I started by mixing up large amounts of U-Pol poly filler until the entire helmet was completely covered. At this point it will look awful but don't worry now you have to sand it until you start to get a nice smooth, uniform shape all around the helmet. Do this over and over again to the areas that need more or less poly filler. When you think it's close to being completely smooth it probably isn't. you then have to spray the helmet with red or yellow filler primer.These were the colors I chose because they were bright and easy to see a lot more of your scratch marks, lumps, holes, etc. if there are any of these on the helmet add more U-Pol to the area and sand down until the helmet is perfect;y smooth. don't worry about the fringe going around the helmet just yet that is the next stage of the project.

Step 3: Adding the Fringe

When your helmet is completely smooth its time to add the fringe. This part was made using the 2 millimeter foamex. I began by drawing a rough outline of the fringe directly onto the helmet once i was happy with the outline I got a piece of grease proof paper and drew the shape out in segments the stuck the drawing onto the foamex and cut the pieces out. when you have the piece all you have to do is match up the markings that are on the helmet with your foamex pieces and super glue them onto the helmet. when the fringe is attached you need to prime the whole helmet again just to make sure no glue or scratches are visible.

the main helmet should be completely finish now apart from the emblem that will be at the at the end of the project.

The next step is to prepare the model for the molding process.

Step 4: Making a Silicone Mold

The first thing you need to do for this part of the project is to be completely prepared have all your materials laid out. Have your silicon, catalyste, weighing scales, mixing cups mixing sticks, ice cube tray, lacquer , ambersil release spray, vaseline and clay ready.

First get your bag of clay. Fill the helmet with clay and stick it firmly to a piece of MDF. smooth the clay inside the helmet to the point where it is a nice smooth wall just behind the fringe of the helmet. once the clay is smooth its time to seal the clay and helmet. Spray everything with the lacquer and wait for it to dry. you need to WAIT! once the lacquer is completely touch dry its time to release it with the Ambersil. again you need to wait. When the Ambersil is going off you can mix up you silicone and pour it into you ice cube tray. and wait for that to go off as well.

the next step is the hardest part. read the instructions on your tube of silicone and see what the measurements are for the catalyst its usually like 10% of whatever the silicone is. use your weighing scales to get accurate measurements. Begin pouring the mixed silicone on top of your helmet. make sure you cover everything including the clay! if you start getting puddles scoop it up and pour it on top again. the jacket needs to be quit thick it its too thin it will tear gradually so make it think enough. mix up a about two or three layers for this then and on the last layer take the cured silicone from the ice cube tray and stick them onto the curing silicone on the helmet. to get them to really fuse. mix up a small batch of silicone and paint it around the silicone keys. After this all you need to do is wait.

The next step is the fiberglass jacket.

Step 5: Making the Fiber Glass Jacket

(Important wear the jumsuit, respirator and goggles for this part)

This is a 2 part fiberglass jacket and the seam is along side the helmet as you can see in the images. The first thing you need to do is make a clay wall going vertically up the helmet, around the silicone and down on the other side. Once that is done you need to insert registration keys along the clay so the two parts can fit together with ease. I used a small ball that I dipped into water first then pressed into the clay to give an impression. The water on the ball acts like a release agent. Do this along the clay wall. Once this is complete spray the clay with lacquer to seal it and then ambersil to release it. Remember to wait for each layer to dry.

You are now ready to fiberglass! tear up different lengths of the fiberglass tissue into long medium and small strips. mix up the fiberglass resin. Place the strip onto a board of Mdf and mix the resin into it until it gets sloppy then pick it up and place it over the mold. make sure you use around 4 meters of the fiberglass get everything covered silicone and clay wall also get the fiberglass into the embedded keys. this part is completely cured and rock solid remove the clay that's behind the fiberglass jacket. turn the model around and then its time for the second piece. Add a small wedge of clay onto the fiberglass wall this will be a pry hole to separate the two pieces in future, rub vaseline onto the fiber glass wall to make sure both walls don't fuse together and destroy your mold. apply another 4 meters of the fiber glass and wait to cure. once the mold is finished you need to do one more thing drill holes going completely through the fiberglass flange and make sure you are able to fit a bolt with a wing nut through it. these will be your locks to hold both pieces tog

once both sides are finished its time to demold.

Step 6: Demold

For the love of god take you time with this if you mess up the mold will be destroyed. the area where you inserted the wedge of clay should still be visible between the two walls of fiberglass. dig it out with wooden tools once you do that gently try to pry it open. use wooden lolly pops sticks. insert them when ever you get a gap and slowly separate the pieces.

once the jacket is off you need to flip the mold upside down and scoop out all the clay that's inside the helmet. After that its time to get the original helmet out of the silicone mold. slowly begin to roll up the silicone mold up and over the helmet take your time with this and you will eventually get it out.

You now have the silicone and fiberglass mold and now you can start making your helmets. its time to get ready for casting using Bi-resin.

Step 7: Casting

You now have the silicone and fiberglass mold and now you can start making your helmets. its time to get ready for casting using Bi-resin. fix up the fiber glass jacket around the silicone again and make sure the mold looks right on the inside.

Mix up you by resin using equal amounts of both A and B and pour it into the mold and slush it around until it cures completely. after that demold again.

Step 8: Masking and Painting

You now have one of the bi-resin casts of the Magneto helmet. the first step now is to drill 2 6 mill whole in the center of the forehead of the helmet. these will be the bolts to attach the emblem to later. Prime the helmet using the red primer. and sand down until nice and smooth. then use masking tape and completely cover everything but the fringe of the helmet. we are going to spray that first. once that is sprayed using the purple car paint do the complete opposite and mask only the fringe that is now purple and spray remainder of the helmet red. wait for helmet to dry and then spray the entire helmet in the lacquer to completely seal it. the helmet is now finished! The last part that needs to be done is the emblem.

Step 9: Emblem

The Emblem is very straight forward. start by cutting out a Hexagon shape in styrene and cut it down the the middle. glue them back together but as an angle.then add styrene walls to the back of it to give it a thickness. the horns are cut out using styrene again and has a spine going down the middle of the horn. mix up a small amount of upol and fill in the negative spaces. allow to dry and sand until it's finished. glue the horns to the hexagon and and sand until completely smooth.

now fit a small amount of clay to the back of the emblem and stick it to a rectangle of foamex and build walls around it to make a mold. pour in the silicone and wait for it to cure.

Demold and and cast in resin again same as before. when that is cures prime it spray it car paint allow to dry and seal it with lacquer. drill 5.5 mill holes into the back of the emblem and make sure they align with the the holes you drilled out earlier in the helmet. the last thing to do is attach both pieces together and your finished!

Step 10: Finished Helmet