This chapter covers the process of priming and smoothing an exterior surface. This chapter takes place after applying Bondo over top of the fiberglass. Originally, I thought this step would take all of twenty minutes.
Boy, was I wrong.
Boy, was I wrong.
At this point I was finished with the biggest construction parts of the projects. After I was satisfied with the surface of the dome, it was time to begin the priming it. I'm using Rust-Oleum's automotive sandable primer. Some brands of spray paint don't bond well with other brands, I only used Rust-Oleum brand paints for this project.
In the past, I've had problems with getting an even coat of primer. Considering this was the first time I used a spray booth, I took my time with the painting. To avoid large buildups of paint, I made several dozen light passes. I placed the the helmet on a large cardboard circle, which allowed me to rotate the helmet without touching the wet paint. Definitely one of my better ideas.
As soon as I finished priming the helmet, I started noticing things. Like little holes and weird textures.
The primer gave the surface just enough contrast to show me every single imperfection in the fiberglass and the Bondo.
The back of the helmet looked absolutely terrible. The entire surface had a very distinctive pattern left by the fiberglass.
On top of the fiberglass fiasco, I didn't sand the ear caps well enough. I needed to go back and resand each ear with some 400 grit sandpaper. There were a bunch of tiny imperfections in the Bondo that needed to sanded down and filled.
Either way, I needed to fill and smooth and fill all the imperfections on the helmet.
Durham's Water Putty quickly became my best friend throughout this process. It's a handy material to work with because its thickness depends on how much water you add. I had to mix several batches to fill all of the holes in the fiberglass.
I originally used my fingers to press the mixture into the holes. After the first few batches, I started using a sheet of cardstock. The cardstock was gave me much better results because it didn't leave behind air bubbles or streaks.
The back of the helmet took an obscene amount of work to coat. Upon taking this picture, I had already put on three coats of Durham's. I would eventually put eight coats of Durham's on this area.
Talk about overkill, right?
This is what the helmet looks like between applications of Durham's and primer. After the most recent coat of Durham's had dried, I would spray the patch with primer. The primer would highlight any uneven areas or ridges, which meant that I knew where to sand. I'd take a square of 150 grit sandpaper and give the area a quick scouring. Low areas and pockets wouldn't get touched by the sandpaper and would show up grey. Then I could sand the area until I saw a uniform color.
I finished this phase of construction just in time to present it to The College of New Jersey's IMM Department. I secured my visor in place with a bit of gaffers tape.
It was a huge hit with the visitors, and looked amazing when it was combined with the rest of the costume. Now that I have a coat of primer, its time to start painting.
So in hindsight, what did I learn?
1: Using the cardboard as a swivel stand worked very well. It allowed me to spray the entire piece without having to move. Because I didn't have to touch the helmet, I avoided putting fingerprints on top of drying primer.
2: I shouldn't have fiberglassed the outside of the helmet. When most people build a helmet from scratch, they will put a coat of resin on the outside and two layers of fiberglass on the inside. This way they don't have to go back and fill holes on the exterior.
3: Use cardstock or a sheet of spring steel to apply Durham's putty. Using fingers leaves rough patterns in the finish, which translates to more sanding in the long run.
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