How do I attach Flat Green Lenses?

[Shooter]

Hey Guys,

I've been searching around and can't find a thread on this, so if I missed it and you can point me in the right direction that would be great.

 

Otherwise, I have an AP lid and some stellar flat green lenses from Runnriott (thanks Nathan) but can't figure out for the life of me what would be the best way to install them. I've tried double sided tape and some extra foam that I had laying around, but it wasn't sturdy enough.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have my first troop on Sat!

 

Thanks,

[FIVE[501st]]

There's not really any one way to do it. Some people "trim" the green lens so that it fits the shape of the eyes, some put it in how it was originally put in, all wonky and "sort of" in there.

 

I opted for the 2nd option. Mine is simply taped in on the sides with blue painter's tape. The lens just (kind of) goes across the eyes and there's a pretty big gap on both side. I don't have a pic of mine (yet) but-----

 

Hope that helps.

Edited January 26, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[Shooter]

Thanks Noel, but my issue is that they're two separate pieces that are just slightly bigger than the eyes, not one big strip which would be a lot simpler.

 

There's not a lot of surface area so you can't really get glue in there. I've read that some people use putty for reinforcement to increase the contact area, but I don't have the time for something like that.

 

Thanks for trying and sorry for not being clear before

[TK6237[501st]]

----------I´ve used this method to install lenses in a couple of helmets now, including one TS - works great!

Edited January 26, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[Shooter]

That's a cool idea, I wonder if I can find this Fimo stuff (or equivalent) in Canada. I also, like your idea of "doubling up" definitely gonna do that too.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Yes, Fimo and Sculpey are commonly available at most craft and hobby stores in Canada. Michael's crafts carries them. You can also use 2 part epoxy putties like Aves or Milliput.

[Shooter]

Thanks for chiming in with the Canadian Content Terry Looks like this is the way to go, I'll try it tonight.

[TK6237[501st]]

Here´s a bonus tip, should you decide to go with Fimo or a similar material, that´ll cling to the surface of the helmet while sculpting the fixtures...Take some cling film, moisten it with a drop or two of water, and put your little barrels of clay (or whatever you decide on using) inside. Then wrap the cling film gently around the clay, and press it against the surface where you want to place the fixture, to get the right shape. The cling film will then keep the clay from sticking to your helmet, and the drops of water will keep the clay from sticking to the cling film.

 

I just did this a couple of days ago, making fixtures for my TS helmet. I kept ruining the sculpt of the clay fixtures while trying to peel them out of the helmet after fitting them, as they would stick really well to the helmet surface.

 

Just remember to gently remove the cling film before baking the fixtures in the oven...And be very careful when you drill out the holes in the finished fixtures and set the screws in place!

 

Good luck!

[JohnBlackk]

Hey Matt I have mine held in with the same method that No'l mentioned, but I'm using gaffers tape to hold flat lenses into my AP helmet. I also plan to go the FIMO mounting route once I find the stuff.

Note: I bought my gaffers tape at Guitar Center.

Edited March 18, 2010 by JohnBlackk

[TK_LEPER]

On 3/18/2010 at 11:59 PM, JohnBlackk said:

Hey Matt I have mine held in with the same method that No'l mentioned, but I'm using gaffers tape to hold flat lenses into my AP helmet. I also plan to go the FIMO mounting route once I find the stuff.

Note: I bought my gaffers tape at Guitar Center.

 

This was the method I used:---------

Edited January 26, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[TKTrev]

Cool! Fimo! I never thought of that stuff... I was just looking for the exact same solution for my AP helmet after having fought for hours putting bubble lenses in my MRCE. I just ordered some Fimo off Amazon! They have all sorts of colors so it's not hard to find black if that's what you need.

[TK_LEPER]

Cool! Fimo! I never thought of that stuff... I was just looking for the exact same solution for my AP helmet after having fought for hours putting bubble lenses in my MRCE. I just ordered some Fimo off Amazon! They have all sorts of colors so it's not hard to find black if that's what you need.

 

I used Plumber's Putty. It's not as brittle as FIMO. Actually it turns rock hard, and you can drill it, sand it, paint it. Cool stuff. You can get it at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

Edited March 18, 2010 by jawa001

[SolderMaster]

For those of you using a welder's shield.

 

This is how the RT helmet comes. I just replaced the smoke lens with a chunk of green welder's shield. With some wire loom over the edge, it's looks pretty nice. I will email Rob and ask if I can post the dimensions of the shield.

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by gmrhodes13
photo updated gmrhodes13 2021

[ABS80]

You can use a mini hot glue gun not the big heavy duty ones, just hold lense in place and apply glue all around eye, the good thing about hot glue is it dries fast and fills the gap between the lens and rim eyes socket, it's easier if you detach the face plate, you can also use clear silicone that comes in a tube, it takes more time to dry so lens has to be held in place while it cures. But I prefer hot glue, you can always remove the glue and clean it up with some varsol if you decide to remove them in the future.

 

Mark

Edited March 21, 2010 by ABS80

[Shooter]

Thanks guys! It's really cool to see all of these different ideas. I was in the hardware store on friday and looking around at all the options (Michael's is in another city about 20km's away) and it was actually pretty funny what I came across.

 

"Mighty Putty" the as seen on TV product as promoted by the late great Billy Mays, lol.

 

It was $10 and takes 20 mins to seal/harden after it's activated. A very quick and easy solution and it worked GREAT! Zero mess and very little time.

 

Thanks again,

 

PS - My first troop was awesome! It was a library event for kids, a whole day of pics and autographs. We even popped in and suprprised a birthday party at the same community centre. Can't put it into words what an awesome feeling it was

[Plastic Fury[TK]]

I used clear automotive RTV silicone. It holds the lenses in like glue but if you ever need to remove them, silicone peels right off with no effort. Been this way for many months and has worked great!

[Chunk[501st]]

Lots of good info here.

[Crimotaku]

Foam + Webbing .. attached to helmet via sticky velcro spots/strips.

 

bought some Grade6 Green lens and trimmed it.

 

Fit it into that foam, attached to helmet with velcro sticky spots/strips as well

 

Thats about it. Trim foam to fit. This is an AP helmet.

 

Well this is pretty much what i did.

[Werstrooper]

Jean that looks amazing mate, if you dont mind I might use that same method!

 

just awesome!

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

I used plumbers epoxy putty to build up a surface to glue to, then hot glued my lenses in.

 

My old helmet had a single piece of plastic that was taped in, but my new lenses are scraps from clone helmets, so they are 2 separate eye shaped pieces. The putty cures fast, so it was a pretty easy way to do it.

[john danter]

One thing i will add here guys.....

 

I like to only glue the TOP of the eyes

Leave the bottom loose and with a gap (kids never see this)

 

This way hot air escapes the lid and helps prevent condensation

 

PS: I use hot glue

[TK6237[501st]]

Huh, where did my posts go?

[Calculon]

One thing i will add here guys.....

 

I like to only glue the TOP of the eyes

Leave the bottom loose and with a gap (kids never see this)

 

This way hot air escapes the lid and helps prevent condensation

 

PS: I use hot glue

 

Brilliant! Thank you!

[Tray[TK]]

i hot glued mine in. With the faceplate off I glued it in place holding it with my hand while gluing with the other. I blew on it for a little while until it cooled and was held in place. I brought the glue over the edge to lock it more in place.

 

Then I used headliner material to finish it off. This was for a display helmet I made. I haven't done the headliner material for my current wearing helmet.

 

---------

Edited January 26, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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[jnnfr72[TK]]

Having you TK number inside the helmet is very cool!