My kid loves Deadmau5, and I have to say, I like him, too. Pretty interesting character, great music, if you're into EDM, gaming and pop culture. My son is a crazy gamer, Deadmau5 is in several games as a character as well as his music is also in some games. I asked him what he wanted to do for Halloween, it was obvious. In this picture he went as Deadmau5 and I'm Skrillex. Please tell my son, I am the coolest Mom ever.

Note: I use 2PE as an abbreviation for 2 Part Epoxy throughout this post.

Step 1: Wait for the Drop... Deadmau5 Head

I used pictures from the internet to get the approximate size and ratio of ears to head and angles for the placement of the ears. Having the right proportions is important to getting the right look. I was unhappy with a lot of projects online that just didn't look right.

Deadmau5 project I chose fiberglass, I used a marker to plot out and plain paper to indicate eyes and mouth.

Step 2: Fiberglass: Must Be Only Used With the Proper Respirator.

That sh!t is nasty. Protect yourself with goggles, Tyvek suit, latex gloves and respirator rated for vapor barrier. This was my first time working with fiberglass and it was surprisingly like papier-mâché, in that it's really important to saturate the material and smooth the air pockets out. I used the fabric kind. The resin is really noxious and it starts to eat away/melt at the polystyrene mixing cup, so I switched to paper. They last longer and stacking the used one underneath a new one gave extra structure.

After the shell is built up and dry, pop the ball, trim the excess - I used a Dremel with a cutting wheel. It felt so thin with about three layers of fiberglass, but very rigid.

Step 3: The Ears

The real thing is dimensional, so I built a cardboard support and built it up using papier mache. I used some galvanized sheet metal flashing from the building department to make a rigid support and 2PE to adhere.

Step 4: The Eyes Have It.

This feature inks the costume. Without the lighted eyes, it just doesn't look authentic. I cut holes so the LED pucks didn't have to shine through two layers, attached with velcro. I used 2PE to adhere the velcro to the pucks, avoiding the battery compartment. The on switch is pushing the LED light directly, so you have to turn them on then velcro them then put it on. I used another smaller ball, it was filled with water and glitter, about 1/8" wall of clear, low density plastic. It worked well. I sanded the surface with a fine sandpaper to help the paint stick. It's plain ole' spray paint. I bought the cheapie kind thinking the coverage wasn't going to be as good. That worked. 2PE to the head.

Step 5: Fit and Securing the Head

I used a hard hat on the inside; 2PE and scrap PVC pipe cut with tin snips to position. I seemed like a logical way to suspend the head and make it wearable and spread the load across the whole melon. I lined the mouth with insulation foam to give it thickness and still keep it light. That foam comes in rolls by the doors section of the hardware store. It's self adhesive, but I glued it too. I closed the pores with a layer of 2PE.

Step 6: Assembling...

2PE gluing the ears on. I made a wire mesh screen with heavier 1/4" mesh and another with window screen to cover the mouth and disguise the wearer. I was careful to try to make the angle of the ears and axis even. I spray painted it white. You can see how much the galv extends past the base of the ears. I thought that would be a weak spot. The screen sufficiently disguises your face, but still allows good visibility.

Step 7: Finishing

I used automotive Bondo to create a smooth paint-able surface, this also took any sharpness from the fiberglass points off as I sanded the thing for about eternity. I used spray paint, but I will re-sand it and have my body shop friends repaint it in a metal flake or something more interesting, you know, in my spare time.

Step 8: The Finished Mask.

Here it is, done. It was quite an effort - I left out the fact that it takes a lot of sanding. I mean A LOT. I may have mentioned eternity. Good thing the rest of the outfit was easy. The finished product was fantastic and we received many compliments. It was on the heavy side and at the end of the night, he was super tired of having it on. Girls wanted to take pictures with him. It was a great night hauled in a load of candy, too!

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Introduction: Deadmau5 Head >Project Title Goes Here<