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[Jorbe Falco]

Hey! I had to burn some vacation days at the end of the year and finally got motivated enough to actually make some progress on my bucket.

A few weeks ago I took it to my brother's house and we used his heat gun to try and pop out the dent.

Before After


We were successful, although it kind of warped the dome a little and left the area around the dent a bit lumpy.



This was my first time working with Bondo. There was a slight learning curve, but I'm getting the hang of it.

It wasn't apparent to me how off it was until I sanded the second coat of Bondo. It wasn't totally off... but I didn't like it.



After a MASSIVE third coat of Bondo and A LOT of sanding..... I'm finally satisfied with the shape of the dome.



So that's where I am right now. I need to e6000 the inside of the dome and the seams. Then bondo the outside seams and the rim of the dome. I also want to fiberglass the inside to make the thing solid.

Not quite sure what I'm doing on the earcap. I may want to mount a light on the side.



Also, for you Bondo experts out there. What am I doing wrong? Every layer I put on I seem to have these pits in there. Are those air pockets? Ideas? Thoughts? Advice? Criticisms? Any feedback would be appreciated.

[Bowfanny]

Looking good. Those little pains are why they invented spot putty. Or if you're feeling adventurous you could mix up a small batch of rondo and paint it on and sand that back down and most of those pin holes will go away. I personally like rondo for that reason.

[Kavryn Falco]

That whole process is pretty much exactly what happened with my brother's bucket, haha.  Wish I'd just filled the dent in the first place instead of trying to push it out... oh well, live and learn.

Yup, bondo spot putty is the champ.  Bondo for large areas, putty for finishing.  The spot putty is really only good for pinholes and small divots because it doesn't set hard, so use it sparingly.

Give it a primer coat and see if there's any areas that need additional sanding.  Oftentimes the different colors can mask imperfections, and spraying it with a coat of paint will help you see if there's any additional areas that still need work

[Jorbe Falco]

Funny you should say that. I hit it with some primer, then sanded a bit, and hit it with primer again. It looks a lot better now, but I can still see some rough patches.



I'm using 120 grit sandpaper at this point. Should I be using something higher than that?

[Kavryn Falco]

I use 80 for big sections and heavy removal, 120 for midsize blemishes and feathering, and 300 for finishing (basically, removing the scratches left by the other two grits, haha). If it's not as smooth as you want it, I'd say keep going with the 120.

[Jorbe Falco]

Awesome. Thank you. I'll pick up some 300 and give that a shot.

UPDATE

Didn't have much time tonight, and didn't get to pick up the 300 grit or spot filler... but was bored. So I primed the rest of the helmet.



ANOTHER UPDATE

Ordered a coverall/flight suit



Also, I have revised and finally (I hope) come up with a color scheme that I like.



I'm going to replace the RF with a light and/or camera. Haven't worked out the exact placement or mounting. But I'm also going to build some tools and apply to be a Mechanic in the Support Division.

Lastly, I picked up some 2 part Bondo Spot Putty / Glaze and some 320 grit sandpaper. So I hope to finish that part of my bucket soon.

[Jorbe Falco]

Haven't update this thread in a while, but I have been working.

I fiberglassed the inside of my bucket! Totally not as scary as it was in my head.
 

Just about finished with the sanding and priming.
 

The one spot over the earcap is still a bit wonky, but it's going to be covered with a light, so I'm not worried.
 

Trying to get the light positioned correctly was a pain... so I found an old piece of paracord and used that to find the center of the bucket.
 

Waiting for glue to dry.
Put down painters tape, glued the light in the correct position. Will remove the light and then go to work with Bondo and/or Apoxie Sculpt to fill in the voids and build up a platform.


Once I had a center line, I was able to position the light so it pointed forward.


I also fabricated this to go over the light so it looked less like a modern tactical flashlight. Will most likely greeble it up as well.


The mirror tint for my visor should arrive tomorrow. I also have the spray paint I need for my kit. Hoping to have the bucket at least display ready by the end of the week.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Questions?

[Raestin Ke'Varek]

That's some really great work so far vod!  The bondo work came out great, and I love the idea for the flashlight cover.  Very cool. 

[Jorbe Falco]

Light is on! Just need to clean up the mounting area and prime it.

[Kavryn Falco]

Oooh nice! You gonna blind some people

[Jorbe Falco]

Yes ma'am. I aim to misbehave.    It does strobe too...

[Kruser]

Keep up the good work!

[Jorbe Falco]

Haven't updated this in a while... so here goes!

I made this! I have since cleaned it up and primed it. I also attached it to my bucket TODAY. Pics of that will follow. Trying to stay in order.


Cut my keyholes slots out! Also, cleaned up the area that the mount/light will go.


Mirror tinted a visor today.... also tested a blue gel on it. Not sure which way I will go. Will depend on what goes better with paint.


Here is me gluing the rail on.


Done and done. Need to actually bolt it on and throw some Bondo around it where it meets the bucket.


Finally, I glopped on a second layer of fiberglass resin. There were some rough parts inside that I had sanded down, but I wanted the inside to be smooth and I figured it would add a little more strength.


I cut out some armor plates as well, but I'll save that for my armor thread.

[Kol Varek]

Glad I caught this! Before you go ANY further, I would get in touch with an app team member about that side mount. They might see it as too "earthy" and it could get you dinged in your OM application. So before you paint or anything, PM one of them and see if they'd want you to take it off. Keep in mind that you can always rig something else up to attach something to the side of the helmet, so no loss if it has to go. Good work so far though!

[Jorbe Falco]

Thanks for the concern, but I'm not worried. Once the light is attached, you can't even see the mount. It's the light itself that I need to swarz up a bit.