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[jett drexel]

lol i'm getting there slowly mate.

[Kol Varek]

Oooooh...stay away from my money!!

[Daxar Arkada]

ranger finder stalks that can be wired? Color me interested...

[Syko Voss]

Drop me a PM!  Trying to get time to update Trading a Store post properly

[Ruus bal'Neta]

Question on the Shoulder Screws. How do they differ from using a Chicago screw? Does the smooth barrel part of the screw spin around the screw itself?

[Syko Voss]

Sorry, I'm not a super-expert on screws I just did a bit of research on Google.

The smooth portion of the shoulder screw doesn't spin around, it's just designed to be the axle for whatever's attached.

I don't how they would compare to a Chicago Screw as I don't know if you can get Chicago Screws that are long enough for the purpose.  Also, I don't know if the Chicago Screw's design might allow for traction that would cause them to come unscrewed more easily than something that has been specifically engineered and designed to create an axle.

But they're pretty cheap - I picked up a pack of 4 for a few pounds on eBay and immediately saw the difference between them and trying with a conventional bolt.

[Ashen Kelborn]

Sorry, I'm not a super-expert on screws I just did a bit of research on Google.

The smooth portion of the shoulder screw doesn't spin around, it's just designed to be the axle for whatever's attached.

I don't how they would compare to a Chicago Screw as I don't know if you can get Chicago Screws that are long enough for the purpose.  Also, I don't know if the Chicago Screw's design might allow for traction that would cause them to come unscrewed more easily than something that has been specifically engineered and designed to create an axle.

But they're pretty cheap - I picked up a pack of 4 for a few pounds on eBay and immediately saw the difference between them and trying with a conventional bolt.

To answer your question, Chicago screws would unscrew, its why a drop of superglue is generally needed to stop it happening.
the shoulder screw you showed holds position at the ends where tension is and the smooth body allows movement like you described 

[Syko Voss]

Okay folks, an image-heavy helmet painting post.  Uploading everything so maybe it's useful to anyone new here.

Quick summary of how I do my paints/weathering/dirt washing...

Mask off the bits that you want to keep metallic and paint on the first layer of masking fluid (in this example a blast pattern with streaks emanating from the centre)  I apply masking with a Q-Tip...which as it gets clogged is good for loading with small amounts of masking fluid and using the irregular edges of it to get fine-line streaks and irregular blotch patterns.

Once masking fluid has gotten at least tacky, a quick spray of hairspray and throw on some rock salt.



Spray on your first coat of faux primer, leave it to cure then peel off all the masking (I'll use my fingers, a hard eraser or a scrunched up piece of aluminium foil to coax the more stubborn bits of masking away)



Then apply more masking/hairspray/salt, painting over the original exposed metal area and adding on an irregular border to mask over some of the first layer of faux primer.

Spray over second coat of faux primer and take off the masking...


And finally the same again - masking, hairspray, salt and your top coat of paint...



Then after it's all dried, the masking's been cleaned off, apply a dirt wash - in my case I use Payne's Grey, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, a splash of Yellow Ochre acrylic paints and some cold Espresso coffee - applied randomly and rubbed and cleaned back.

In the case of this 'blast mark' I applied a lot of Payne's Grey in a radial pattern, let it sit for a while and then rubbed back putting more effort into the centre than I did at the edges...



And here's the helmet from all angles as I decided to document building up the paint job...

















































And finally, the whole thing - Syko's helmet MK II - finished...











Mercury switch + Flashing LEDs + coin cell hidden in the R/F topper works a treat - no need for running wires down the stalk (although I could if I wanted) but it means the R/F topper can be pulled off/knocked off/removed without trauma






So, there we are - first ever cold cast + fibre glass + carbon fibre scratchbuilt helmet finished!

Now - time to start masking up Mrs P's and get it ready for our next troop on 2nd September.

[Boxception]

Yup..... I'm jelly now.

[Syko Voss]

 

Thanks to several recommendations I've used some 3mm smoked grey perspex to create a new visor for Jayne - advantage being that it's a little easier to see through than the polycarbonate welding visor.

Having played around with glass cutters the best results I've got for cutting it was with the following type of jigsaw blade - I understand that there are some specialised acrylic cutting blades but couldn't find any with a U-shank to fit my jigsaw.

The whole process went pretty smoothly - kept on the protective film for cutting and as well as heatforming.

After cutting I put the heat gun on it, evenly heated it and shaped it to the inside of Jayne's helmet.



If anyone wants to pick up the same kind of perspex in the UK - here's the link: https://www.trentplastics.co.uk/acrylic-plastic-perspex-sheets/tinted-acrylic-perspex-sheets-sub/tinted-acrylic-perspex-sheets - 3mm smoked grey is what I used.

[Aden Banto]

By far the best method of weathering I've seen! Impressive! 

[Hik'aari]

After cutting I put the heat gun on it, evenly heated it and shaped it to the inside of Jayne's helmet.

Putting it on a baking tray (greaseproof paper optional) in the oven at 130-150 DegC is a good way to really evenly heat visors.
Temp and time depend on your oven, but within 5 minutes it should start becoming flexible enough to take out and put straight into the helmet and shape.

I had to do this as I have actually curled the central portion of the visor to keep it from squashing my nose.

[Kris Jasra]

Given the potentially slightly more see through nature of these on their own - they work well when paired with reflective coating.

[Syko Voss]

Finished Jayne's new helmet...









So we're ready for next week's troop for the Nottingham Hospitals Charity

Plus I finished the helmet I'm donating to Feel the Force Day



Discovered that cold cast aluminium, brushed up with fine wire wool + Brasso looks pretty badass, but if you then take the teensiest bit of Silver Rub 'n' Buff to select sharp edges it takes it to another level entirely.

[Bowfanny]

That's awesome!

[Kryamla Redalur]

Wow! Impressive!

[Syko Voss]

Thank you, guys.

Just one more thing - I've updated my section on the Trading Post where I'm now selling cold cast and slush cast helmets, r/f kits and other goodies

Syko's Props - UK-based Helmets, Ear Caps, R/F Kits & Hand Props

[jett drexel]

any plans to do a resin version of the 1313 carbine yet mate?

[Syko Voss]

One day! 

Just been able to afford a 3D printer kit and am beginning to assemble it.

If it works, hopefully that means I can build more complex and interesting greeblies (that will not get applied to anything until they're cleaned up and don't look like they're 3D printed) ...and then maybe make a 1313 kit that's designed for casting.  (Right now the current one would lock a mould within seconds and likely weigh 5kg of solid resin!)

Probably knees and gauntlets next though - both of mine need significant improvement, especially the knees (super uncomfortable still)

[Syko Voss]

Here's some comparison pics of our new mkII versus the monstrosities that were our original skateboard-helmet scratchbuilds...

[Kol Varek]

Looks like your helmets got hit with a cartoon mallet!  Kidding of course vod, you guys make great stuff and it's just getting better!

[Syko Voss]

Absolutely.  First time I've put them side-by-side!

Biggest difference is the depth of the dome.

We used skate helmets as a base on those.

The problem that a shallow dome causes is that you end up tilting your head forwards a lot of the time to see through the visor which until you've tried on a Boba-proportioned helmet you don't appreciate.

Also - putting the helmet harnesses in is so much better than padding - they really move with our heads, there's far less 'bobbling' and there's more airflow around the inside of the helmet as a result.

Oh, and it's nice looking at the ear caps and not immediately seeing all the sauce bottle lids and bits of plastic chopstick...

[Syko Voss]

Wow..what a crazy year.

It's been non-stop since I started selling helmet kits, and building helmets for other folks has absolutely obliterated all the time I could spend working on my own kit or interacting here on the site.

So much so that I've decided to retire the moulds (a few pieces of the key-slots started to come away during the last pull) I made back in May and am just about to create a whole new set for 2018...



After that, it's a few castings and fingers-crossed, over the holidays use my newly assembled 3D printer kit (Anet A8) to design some cool new props for my kit that I intend to mould and cast and share with everyone else.

Happy holidays, everyone!  Hope to get more time here on the forums in 2018.

[Syko Voss]

Sooo..I ran out of silicone on the 23rd and I'm still waiting for those lovely folks at Tomps to get back to work so I can get my hands on a bunch more of that pink rubbery stuff.

In the meantime, I set myself a holiday challenge to get back into some complex 3D modelling in Blender3D and make a start on a prop that I've been wanting to try for quite some time - a probe droid that can house a GoPro and can be carried around or mounted on an acrylic stand so that taking photos while trooping is possible.  (At Legoland last year I carried a GoPro set to timelapse in a small pouch I'd made for my belt - the results were terrific.)

So here's the 3D model and the first few parts coming out on the printer...






Fingers-crossed it works as I'm hoping, and if I can get it to functionally work, I'd love to cold cast it...and if that's a success...create a few kits for the Trading Station.

[Kol Varek]

Oh I'm really gonna have my eye on this!