Making the rocketeer helmet update

Ok so it has been a long time since I updated the progress on my Rocketeer helmet.  I could use a variety of excuses, I moved to a different state, the majority of my stuff was in a storage shed for 6 months, I was abducted by alien pirates, that last one was just to see if you were still reading or just skipping ahead to the pictures. 

The air dry clay worked great until it dried, popped off the helmet and shattered into a million bits.  Actually it was about a dozen, but you get the idea.  I had to epoxy them back on and repair the spots 

with bondo.  

I learned from the other side and turned the helmet onto it's side when letting the clay dry. The first time it was straight up and down (on top of a high dresser so that my kids wouldn't mess with it.  Which is why they broke into a million/dozen pieces).  This new way resulted in a piece that was unbroken until I tried to epoxy it on. Which it proceeded to snap into several pieces.  Which I had to repair with bondo and sanding.  Despite that, the air dry clay gave me a very good way to add oddly shaped pieces.

The right vent never really had the right shape to me, so add some bondo to try and straighten it out.

After numerous times bondo and sanding and bondo and sanding I sprayed a primer coat on it.  People always ask me if I changed my mind on the color.  Um no. I am impatient and I sprayed it the copper color because I just wanted to see what it looked like with the copper like finish.

I hit it with some hammered black finish mainly I wanted to see if I could get it glossy and since that was the only gloss spray paint I had, I used it.

It turns out I hated the hammered black finish.  It never seemed to dry. It stayed sticky. (It might have been old paint.)  I sanded it some and sprayed it the copper color again.

I needed it to look like I welded the pieces together, so I used hot glue to make the weld marks.  I wasn't sure if the glue would hold the spray paint or not, but I figured I would test it. 

The hot glue did take the spray paint and didn't flake off or anything.

I ended up not liking the welds so I ripped them all off sanded down the small leftover spots and put hot glue on it again.  This time I used a minimal of hot glue and it looks better I think.

Next I needed the four rivets that go around each eye.  I took a brass brad paper holder thing and cut off the two tails.

I bent the leftover pieces inside being careful not to scratch the outside.

Then I hot glued them in place.  I spray painted them and they didn't really want to take the paint.

It left little pools of spray paint which i had to sand off.

I found out several light coats are far better than one heavy coat.

Next up Lenses.

The Monster Key

I have been wanting to make the Monster Key from my book The Monster Key.

In the book the key unlocks the portals that exist under every bed.

You can get a copy of my book at themonsterkey.com

  I have tried in the past to do this but I have met with dismal results.  This is really an attempt to make something by making a liquid rubber mold of the object first, then cast it in resin.  I have never really done this before so it will be a learning experience.  After this I hope to be able to finish and cast my rocketeer helmet.  But enough of that.  Back to the Monster Key

(I forgot to take pictures again)

Before this picture: I got a dowel rod that would just fit into my drill press.  It wasn't thick enough so I added bondo all around it.  Then once the bondo dried I put it in my drill press and used it like a lathe.  I sanded down the bondo to the shape I wanted.  There are small holes that were there from when the bondo was applied.  I might fix them later, we will see.

I added some oil based clay to the back end.  This is Hard clay.  I tried medium but it just wouldn't hold up.  

I formed the rough shape and started working with the clay tools to shape it better.

Mostly finished needs to be smoothed.

I added the other end and attempted to smooth the eye part.  So far It looks the part!  I am real pleased with the progress.  

The next step, get some rubber and find out how to make a mold.