Albuquerque Storm Trooper Helmet Mold

[walt[501st]]

any way to regulate the vacuum flow?

[Elumusic[TK]]

any way to regulate the vacuum flow?

I guess the first thing I need to see is how much of a pull I am going to get with two and then if too much try just one.  If I still don't get what I need I will install a ball valve to regulate the flow.  For now it's balls to the wall.

[Pyro[TK]]

Hey Jeffrey If you havent already signed up on the forums the Dewback Ridge Garrison could possibly help you. Come on over and share your progress there 

http://www.dewbackridge.com/forums/

Edited May 8, 2014 by Pyro

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

I've been silently watching this for a little while. Looks like you're getting ready to pull some ABS!

 

Very exciting. I'm living vicariously through this for the moment, because I won't dare try anything like this until I'm retired and stop moving all around the country/world. LoL

[Elumusic[TK]]

Yeah, I'm doing the oven portion of the vacuum table build this weekend.  Already have the wire, table, hardibacker, etc.  Good thing I have engineering experience on electrical so I shouldn't blow myself up.  I'll post pictures.

[Stormie200]

Wow, this is looking amazing! Did you make the model? It looks great!

[Dday[501st]]

Elu, go check out mynocksden.com he is a member here who poses a lot about what he is doing. He did a full build out on how to create a vacuum table that might give you some ideas.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited May 9, 2014 by Dday

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

 

the lay down angle of the buck is very important here.

 

compared to

 

 

 

 

notice how the vac table uses a lift to bring the buck upwards into the plastic.  he's using a bubble of air to pre stretch it upwards.

 

so his vac table has the following features

 

1 a large air chamber with a lift. to lower and raise the buck.

2 a heating element with the frame on rollers to quickly move the sheet without disturbing the form

3 a blower to introduce an air bubble to pre form a bubble shape

4 a vertical lift to bring the buck upwards into the bubble.

Edited May 12, 2014 by TK Bondservnt 2392

[Fiddlers Green[501st]]

Great work! Definitely got me interested! I may start small in the near future.

[walt[501st]]

Ya..them ain't cheep...tell em vern

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

thanks for your support walt.. I'm sure anyone can gain from this.

there is a great amount of information contained in understanding that

the forming table used in making helmets as I have shown in my little animation taken

from the same person, using the same molds as photographed in 2007 shown in this thread.

 

having the heater on rollers with the frame over a lifting table shoud

be on everyone's list of vac table design for making helmets.

 

flip tables will usually result in webbed parts.

this is where the original former has overcome the shortcomings

of other designs.

Edited May 13, 2014 by TK Bondservnt 2392

[Elumusic[TK]]

Did my first pull this weekend with 1/8" ABS.  Unfortunately it was way too thick to get any detail and it didn't like the small crevices in the mask.  The good thing here was there was no webbing even with the flip table design.  I'm trying to locate some .096 or .08 locally.  

[Stormie200]

Is this your pepakura model? The one I'm using isn't too great, so I'm wondering if this is publicly available.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Stormie200

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

glad to hear you handled the challenge..  let us know how you do with the thinner materials.. we're looking forward to it!

 

do you have vent holes drilled into the faceplate at the locations

shown on the photo of the faceplate mold you posted from shepperton studios?

Edited May 13, 2014 by TK Bondservnt 2392

[walt[501st]]

Pics or it never happened

[Elumusic[TK]]

Is this your pepakura model? The one I'm using isn't too great, so I'm wondering if this is publicly available.

This was a combination of two separate pepikura models.  I mixed the top of one with the bottom of another.  I can send you the models if you pm your email.

[Elumusic[TK]]

Pics or it never happened

You don't want to see the pics...it wasn't pretty.  the first pull came loose from the frame and the second also tried but I managed to get a good vacuum on it regardless.  Already threw them out.  I was beyond frustrated and disappointed and the whole picture thing didn't even register...but beer...beer registered.  So that's what I did instead.

[Elumusic[TK]]

Hey Jeffrey If you havent already signed up on the forums the Dewback Ridge Garrison could possibly help you. Come on over and share your progress there 

 

http://www.dewbackridge.com/forums/

I tried signing up...and got no response from the forum administrator.  So I am unable to post anything.  

[Elumusic[TK]]

On another note...I am doing a living mold this weekend for a female chest piece.  I will provide some tasteful pictures of the process on this string.  In the mean time...I am having a really hard time trying to locate white ABS, smooth on smooth, .09 to make the helmet work.  I had some haircell material that was smooth on one side, but the haircell pattern is distorting the smooth side. Locating smooth on smooth is turning out to be very difficult unless I am willing to buy 2000 lbs of the stuff...which I am not.

[walt[501st]]

Lol..Thats what it is man.It is not cheep..i just got 3500 lbs of it.....can anyone say..broke:-)

[walt[501st]]

But my suggestion would be start wkth styrene..its cheeper and more available in smaller amounts....welcome to vacuforming

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

being a fan of people who form in plastic, perhaps you can purchase some stuff from walt to get your project rolling along?

[walt[501st]]

Wont be a problem..but...i want to see styrene pulls first..not to long ago i guy took me under his wing and REALLY helped me.as you are seeing vacuforming is not as simple as hot plastic over a mold...that is a quote from TM..practice on cheep styrene first,post pics ..one step at a time

[Elumusic[TK]]

Yup.  Because of my determination on this I went ahead and paid $61 a piece plus shipping for .090 white ABS smooth on both sides for a stupid 24"x 48" piece just so I can try this out.  I am super bummed about the cost and I have exhausted my search and I don't want to have a crappy styrene pull because the material is just not very strong and resilient, not to mention the color is off.  So Walt...If you can see clear into letting me purchase some of your stock after I get this next pull successfully completed I would be grateful.    We are working on a female torso live casting this weekend to start a female trooper chest plate mold.  I am determined to do some fun stuff with this.

[usaeatt2]

Seems like it would be worth doing a few proof of concept styrene pulls.  Less cost for you, more experience with your rig and greater potential for assistance from Walt with pictures of successful pulls.

 

Yeah, and can't wait to see the live casting process - my wife has been asking about femtroopers...  She's DD (and that's not Doopy Doos  ), so I'll be curious how you do your molds.