You are an inspiration. The Dremel was the smartest way to do the cutting of Kevlar. Time consuming, but a clean cut. I used a Jig Saw and had a lot of flaking of the Kevlar and less control of the helmet when cutting. I had to do a lot of fixing up. My next conversion I will use my dremel and other things. For those listening.........PASGT are really not suited for Fast Helmet conversions. Dimensions are wrong for rail system, but they are the cheapest to buy right now and with a little ingenuity, no one can tell. ACH would be better for this conversion. But they are still pricey right now. It cost me less than $100 to do my conversion. PASGT Helmet, pads, 4 point suspension, paint and rails. Note: DO NOT USE LIQUID NAILS on any of this. Takes Too long to dry and set. (trust me, I tried) May I suggest getting Fiberglass and Fiberglass resin to do any fixing. The resin is great and rock hard when dry. If you want that sandy finish on the helmet, get Rustoleum Bed-liner coating. It's cheap, great, goes on even and provides additional protection, but comes only in black. You can buy camo paint and go over that. Home Depot has it all.
I am doing this now with a $35, 89 PASGT. And like you, I ran into frustrations. First off. The Pasgt is not cut like an ACH or a Mich or a Tactical Helmet. . They are molded differently and ACH is better suited for the Tactical Helmet. Nor will any rail system fit with a PASGT. (heat gun melting and shaping/contouring will be needed) To the naked eye, you won't see the difference. But try doing a conversion and you will notice the difference. Don't Convert a PASGT. Maybe an ACH. Love the PASGT for what it is. Ultimate Protection. Gut it of the shit suspension system it has add pads and a 4 point chin strap and you brought it into the 21 Century. And it is awesome. I've done that with 3 already and love them better than an ACH. My advice... Unless you have REALLY good machinist tools, don't try it with your Home Depot tool set. Cutting Kevlar is a pain in the ass. No matter how old it is. It's solid as a rock. IT DOESN'T DEGRADE. Normal tools will make the Kevlar fibers flake out at the ends. And if you try to sand/file them down. They flake out more. You will need to use liquid nails with a mesh tape to reshape it OR if bold, fiberglass and resin. And sand down later on. I chose mesh tape and liquid nails to correct my mistakes and sand down later. liquid nails takes a long time to dry. Fiberglass/Resin is better, but not as easy to shape small areas. Also, saving the edge liner is not easy since it is molded to a PASGT shape and will look Ghetto on your Conversion. You are better off going out an buying that electrical heat forming rubber (Raychem Heat-Shrink Tubing) and heat gunning it to form to the edges of your Kevlar tight. It will be in the Electrical section at Home Depot. In Short.....Most of us can't work with pre-existing Kevlar helmets. You are never going to cut PASGT perfect nor will you find any rails to fit them perfect. Don't do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right now on Ebay, ACH are too expensive to play around with. Either start from scratch and mold your own Tactical helmet with many layers of fiberglass and resin using over a Small Airsoft helmet as your mold and work from there or just go out and buy a Tactical Helmet shell for $3-400 and over time upgrade it. We are Americans!!! I'm sure you, like me, are leaning towards finding our own path and looking at molding off the airsoft helmet and making a prototype of something that is.....Our own. And than going out and buying a Tactical Helmet shell for $3-400 and over time upgrade it.
It's just a fun science project, this shouldn't be taken seriously as a personal protection solution. For a science project fiberglass is fine, but there's a reason why we've moved away from fiberglass as an armouring solution. Countries are even starting to move away from fiberglass for vehicle armour. Fiberglass is cheap, but is also heavier, offers less protection, and can small sprays shards when hit.
Nice to see some cool progress, gonna look awesome in the end! As for the shroud and rails, they are definite repro because they both don't have Ops-Core branding and the rail is made by FMA which is a Chinese company. Personally I wouldn't trust it with anything I'd need to save my life, but then again that's just me.
432fuuzz Exactly. This gear however used by most modern military forces and even police units down to SOF guys, at that point it's standard issue. I've heard some DG dudes didn't like the maritimes they were being issued with so they literally through them in the bin, like just straight in. For Dr, I suggest you just get real rails and a real shroud. I've seen a Ops skeleton shroud for 90 AUD so that'll be cheaper in US, so it might be a little steep but good for the added durability and satisfaction knowing that is a well tested product with good use put into it from other users, one of them I think being CIF, they have skeleton shrouds employed.
432fuuzz Yep. Ops-Core for civvies I think personally is a little bit of overkill, and only should be bought unless you really really need it. But if I got offered a chance to get one at a cheap price, I'd buy it. Anyways yeah, you could turn to alternatives like TW unless people still wanna boycott them, or the MTEK USA helmets.
***** I heard some buzz that Armacore wasn't really that safe or something when tested, or it might've been another brand, dunno. Also with the whole TW boycott thing, as much as i don't support HC, i think the boycott was kinda over the roof. TW is still in business because they make good products. I haven't tried them but from what i've heard their quite good, especially with the zap pads they make. I've been meaning to buy some, however their pretty damn expensive since i'm based outside the US.
***** Yep, Australia. Where essentially everything fun i like is pretty much banned. I'm still looking if the Zap Pads are worth it seeing how they're essentially 100+ Sucks to be here sometimes, gotta deal with conversion rates and shipping from the US. Also customs is a pain in the ass + our laws which confiscates anything that looks dangerous. Hell, they even thought about banning Nerf and water guns before.
Pleaaaassseeee please please let me know where you got that rubber edge stuff you got from China to go around the edge of your helmet. I want to mod a pasgt like you and don't know what to replace that rubber edging
Hey there. Sorry for the late reply. I got it on eBay, here’s a link: www.ebay.com/itm/10FT-300cm-Black-Car-Door-Rubber-Edge-Guard-Moulding-Trim-Protector-Strip-DIY-/322183407581?hash=item4b03a0a7dd
Hell just use flex seal! If your going with black just flex seal the whole thing! It actually increases its ballistic protection qualities* (Disclaimer- im most likely full of shit so test this out on the ear sides that you cut off before attempting use as a ballistic helmet cause ya might die n shit)
Oh lol , I thought cutting Kevlar would be problematic but drilling it sounds even worse . aThat helmet is going to look good with those black polymer side guards .
Actually drilling it was pretty easy, cleaning up the holes afterward was a pain. I'm stoked to finish this and reveal the final product. I'm just waiting on a few shipments to arrive.
Sorry for the late reply. Some comments/questions slip through the cracks, so to speak. I got it on eBay. Here’s a link: www.ebay.com/itm/10FT-300cm-Black-Car-Door-Rubber-Edge-Guard-Moulding-Trim-Protector-Strip-DIY-/322183407581?hash=item4b03a0a7dd
Your neighbors must fucking hate you. Haha. I make my share of noise but I love my neighbors, I don't know if they love me come to think of it. as always its good to see home style mods. i must add, as a viewer, its nice to see other peoples mistakes so we dont have to endure the pain of the same trials. lets hope the carrier with your edge banding didnt get lost at sea. from what i hear its not uncommon to lose a sea crate or 30 when those things hit choppy waters. nice to see the progress on this helmet.
30 shipping crates?? Damn! Luckily I do most of my work in the garage, and you really can't hear anything unless you're standing outside the garage door. Thanks, brother!
You are an inspiration. The Dremel was the smartest way to do the cutting of Kevlar. Time consuming, but a clean cut. I used a Jig Saw and had a lot of flaking of the Kevlar and less control of the helmet when cutting. I had to do a lot of fixing up. My next conversion I will use my dremel and other things.
For those listening.........PASGT are really not suited for Fast Helmet conversions. Dimensions are wrong for rail system, but they are the cheapest to buy right now and with a little ingenuity, no one can tell. ACH would be better for this conversion. But they are still pricey right now. It cost me less than $100 to do my conversion. PASGT Helmet, pads, 4 point suspension, paint and rails.
Note: DO NOT USE LIQUID NAILS on any of this. Takes Too long to dry and set. (trust me, I tried) May I suggest getting Fiberglass and Fiberglass resin to do any fixing. The resin is great and rock hard when dry. If you want that sandy finish on the helmet, get Rustoleum Bed-liner coating. It's cheap, great, goes on even and provides additional protection, but comes only in black. You can buy camo paint and go over that. Home Depot has it all.
Were can I find the rubber edging after I cut mine up? Not going to start on mine till I know were to find it..
The reason why the rails wont fit is because there ment for a mich helmet not a pasgt but I love how you turned a pasgt helmet into a fast helmet
I am doing this now with a $35, 89 PASGT. And like you, I ran into frustrations. First off. The Pasgt is not cut like an ACH or a Mich or a Tactical Helmet. . They are molded differently and ACH is better suited for the Tactical Helmet. Nor will any rail system fit with a PASGT. (heat gun melting and shaping/contouring will be needed)
To the naked eye, you won't see the difference. But try doing a conversion and you will notice the difference. Don't Convert a PASGT. Maybe an ACH. Love the PASGT for what it is. Ultimate Protection. Gut it of the shit suspension system it has add pads and a 4 point chin strap and you brought it into the 21 Century. And it is awesome. I've done that with 3 already and love them better than an ACH.
My advice... Unless you have REALLY good machinist tools, don't try it with your Home Depot tool set. Cutting Kevlar is a pain in the ass. No matter how old it is. It's solid as a rock. IT DOESN'T DEGRADE.
Normal tools will make the Kevlar fibers flake out at the ends. And if you try to sand/file them down. They flake out more. You will need to use liquid nails with a mesh tape to reshape it OR if bold, fiberglass and resin. And sand down later on. I chose mesh tape and liquid nails to correct my mistakes and sand down later. liquid nails takes a long time to dry. Fiberglass/Resin is better, but not as easy to shape small areas.
Also, saving the edge liner is not easy since it is molded to a PASGT shape and will look Ghetto on your Conversion. You are better off going out an buying that electrical heat forming rubber (Raychem Heat-Shrink Tubing) and heat gunning it to form to the edges of your Kevlar tight. It will be in the Electrical section at Home Depot.
In Short.....Most of us can't work with pre-existing Kevlar helmets. You are never going to cut PASGT perfect nor will you find any rails to fit them perfect. Don't do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right now on Ebay, ACH are too expensive to play around with.
Either start from scratch and mold your own Tactical helmet with many layers of fiberglass and resin using over a Small Airsoft helmet as your mold and work from there or just go out and buy a Tactical Helmet shell for $3-400 and over time upgrade it.
We are Americans!!! I'm sure you, like me, are leaning towards finding our own path and looking at molding off the airsoft helmet and making a prototype of something that is.....Our own. And than going out and buying a Tactical Helmet shell for $3-400 and over time upgrade it.
It's just a fun science project, this shouldn't be taken seriously as a personal protection solution.
For a science project fiberglass is fine, but there's a reason why we've moved away from fiberglass as an armouring solution. Countries are even starting to move away from fiberglass for vehicle armour. Fiberglass is cheap, but is also heavier, offers less protection, and can small sprays shards when hit.
thank you for the information, right when i'm about to do the same thing (guess that's what led us here lol ). Saved me a lot of time and money.
does it still have its original ballistic protection?
Where can I buy the edge trim for the helmet I can't find it what size did you get or website
I seen someone used flex tape and then painted it and it turned out ok
Where did you get the rails?
what did you use to replace the helmet liner material around the edges of the helmet?
Nice to see some cool progress, gonna look awesome in the end! As for the shroud and rails, they are definite repro because they both don't have Ops-Core branding and the rail is made by FMA which is a Chinese company. Personally I wouldn't trust it with anything I'd need to save my life, but then again that's just me.
432fuuzz Exactly. This gear however used by most modern military forces and even police units down to SOF guys, at that point it's standard issue. I've heard some DG dudes didn't like the maritimes they were being issued with so they literally through them in the bin, like just straight in.
For Dr, I suggest you just get real rails and a real shroud. I've seen a Ops skeleton shroud for 90 AUD so that'll be cheaper in US, so it might be a little steep but good for the added durability and satisfaction knowing that is a well tested product with good use put into it from other users, one of them I think being CIF, they have skeleton shrouds employed.
432fuuzz Yep. Ops-Core for civvies I think personally is a little bit of overkill, and only should be bought unless you really really need it. But if I got offered a chance to get one at a cheap price, I'd buy it. Anyways yeah, you could turn to alternatives like TW unless people still wanna boycott them, or the MTEK USA helmets.
***** I heard some buzz that Armacore wasn't really that safe or something when tested, or it might've been another brand, dunno.
Also with the whole TW boycott thing, as much as i don't support HC, i think the boycott was kinda over the roof. TW is still in business because they make good products. I haven't tried them but from what i've heard their quite good, especially with the zap pads they make. I've been meaning to buy some, however their pretty damn expensive since i'm based outside the US.
***** Yep, Australia. Where essentially everything fun i like is pretty much banned. I'm still looking if the Zap Pads are worth it seeing how they're essentially 100+
Sucks to be here sometimes, gotta deal with conversion rates and shipping from the US. Also customs is a pain in the ass + our laws which confiscates anything that looks dangerous. Hell, they even thought about banning Nerf and water guns before.
You got that right! Lol.
Pleaaaassseeee please please let me know where you got that rubber edge stuff you got from China to go around the edge of your helmet. I want to mod a pasgt like you and don't know what to replace that rubber edging
Hey there. Sorry for the late reply. I got it on eBay, here’s a link: www.ebay.com/itm/10FT-300cm-Black-Car-Door-Rubber-Edge-Guard-Moulding-Trim-Protector-Strip-DIY-/322183407581?hash=item4b03a0a7dd
Hell just use flex seal! If your going with black just flex seal the whole thing! It actually increases its ballistic protection qualities*
(Disclaimer- im most likely full of shit so test this out on the ear sides that you cut off before attempting use as a ballistic helmet cause ya might die n shit)
It's better if you don't use a PASGT to mod, you're going to be doing a lot more work.
Oh lol , I thought cutting Kevlar would be problematic but drilling it sounds even worse . aThat helmet is going to look good with those black polymer side guards .
Actually drilling it was pretty easy, cleaning up the holes afterward was a pain. I'm stoked to finish this and reveal the final product. I'm just waiting on a few shipments to arrive.
I can't wait for that!
Yeah , that things going to look sweet when its all together , looking forward to it .
Thanks, guys!
Hey my , friend...haven't heard from you in a while. Have you seen my new video featuring your Predator tri-lasers?
awesome project, great video, keep it up.
Thanks a lot!
doctorsatan where did you get/find the edging for the helmet?
Sorry for the late reply. Some comments/questions slip through the cracks, so to speak. I got it on eBay. Here’s a link: www.ebay.com/itm/10FT-300cm-Black-Car-Door-Rubber-Edge-Guard-Moulding-Trim-Protector-Strip-DIY-/322183407581?hash=item4b03a0a7dd
Your neighbors must fucking hate you. Haha. I make my share of noise but I love my neighbors, I don't know if they love me come to think of it. as always its good to see home style mods. i must add, as a viewer, its nice to see other peoples mistakes so we dont have to endure the pain of the same trials. lets hope the carrier with your edge banding didnt get lost at sea. from what i hear its not uncommon to lose a sea crate or 30 when those things hit choppy waters. nice to see the progress on this helmet.
30 shipping crates?? Damn! Luckily I do most of my work in the garage, and you really can't hear anything unless you're standing outside the garage door. Thanks, brother!
i jest out of love and understanding. im sure there are plenty of us making noise in our garage late night.
You should go in to business doing this.
Thank you, friend! I certainly wouldn’t mind doing that once I perfect the process.
EXELENTES VIDIOS DE LOS CORTES DE CASCOS BALISTICO