I've been exploring making a vacuum former. You having your vacuum hose in the center bottom of the suction table is one thing I haven't seen AND IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! Put the suction where you need it most and you can reduce the space been suction and the surface. BEST table!
THANKYOU SO MUCH, the one thing that was holding me back from making a halo helmet was the visor, I didn’t have a vaccum form and this is such a great method
Shows you can make a quality informative educational video with low quality video gear. There may be better quality videos on youtube covering the same topic. But they are not any better in the way of information. Great job!
Great video!!! I just built a vacuum box tonight and an attachment for my vacuum to plug into it is on the printer right now. Just gonna seal it up tomorrow and use it for the eye lenses on my darth Vader helmet 😎
your helmets look so nice. I just finished making the popular halo helmet on thingiverse and am looking to make a cheap/easy visor. I like the method you've chose to mold them though, very neat.
I have almost exactly the same setup for my vacuum forming. :D One thing I would recommend is adding a perimeter of cheapest, tall door seal around the top of the table of your vacuum form. It will give you much more even contact and result in more consistent pulls. On the PETG - initially I tried using normal PET but with this setup it was almost impossible to prevent it from crystalizing in the oven. It woud crystallize, loose the transparency and become too brittle and stiff for vacuum forming. PETG doesn't have this issue. As for dying I found that just throwing them into the iDye Poly solution doesn't work for me since wherever the visor would contact the edges or the bottom of the bucket it would leave noticeable marks. That's why I tend to suspend them in the middle of the container on metal wires. As for aibrushing the mirror layer - How do you avoid static electricity causing the paint to form "patches" on the visor? In my case PETG always gets a static charge which deflects the paint droplets and gives me a slightly inconsitent finish. :/
Wow great feedback! As for the door seal, I know exactly the thing you're talking about. But I haven't found that a raised foam ridge would help get a better seal. In my experience the suction is pretty good without, but if I run into issues in the future I'll keep this solution in my head. Good to know that PET will crystalize while PETG doesn't. About the dye- in the bucket I do my best to make sure that the visors do not touch each other not rest face down on the bottom of the bucket. Typically I find they like to sit on an edge that will be hidden behind the visor so uneven dying hasn't been much of an issue. This may also be the case because I used a lot of dye for a short amount of time, instead of one pack of dye for an hour or so. Either way, suspending them with wires is a good idea and I'll likely do that in the future to be safe. I haven't had any issues with static causing an uneven airbrush coating, however, I have had airbrush issues in the past. If you're getting an uneven coating or paint is splattering, the airbrush needle may be bent, or there may be moisture in the compressor.
Bro! Thank you so much! Im going to be making my Halloween costume this year (master chief) and i have started recently, this visor tutorial is literally one of the most helpful things ive found! Plus i have something to show my friends when they come over, hehe, thanks!
I had a buddy try that, but it’s very difficult to get the plastic heated evenly. You may end up with a blobby mess. If you don’t want to use your oven, see if you can find a cheap toaster over to use
Awesome work! I’ll be trying this method on my next project. I do have a safety question. When your heating up the PETG sheets, does it produce any fumes that may linger inside the oven? I know from 3D printing that the usual printing temperature for PETG is about 220c (at least from my experience) and at that temperature, PETG does release a minimal amount of volatile organic compounds, but from the video it’s only heated to about 150c so I’m wondering if the plastic deformation is enough where the PETG releases any at that temperature. In the interest of protecting the oven, is it possible to do the heating up portion with a high power heat gun over the plastic or do you think it will be too inconsistent?
Great question! PETG can produce fumes that are harmful when it's heated to a high temperature. That being said, if you're vacuum forming only occasionally, and not going to an excessive high temperature, the fumes are minimal. When I vacuum form, I cannot smell fumes from the plastic. If you do start to smell fumes, allow the oven and house to air out after you vacuum form. Either way, the fumes are minimal enough to not be hazardous to your health. I have confidence that this is a safe way to do occasional vacuum forming, as many members on the RPF report using this method for years. As for the heat gun, I can assure you that it will be too inconsistent. I know a few people who tried on the 405th, but it just doesn't heat the plastic evenly enough. I have heard people have success using large space heaters mounted on their side, or making a makeshift oven enclosure with heaters or heat guns to try to evenly heat the plastic. In my opinion, the immediate fire risk space heaters with bypassed safety features and makeshift ovens provide is much greater than the potential risk of fumes being trapped in the oven. Ideally, for regularly vacuum forming, a separate oven dedicated for vacuum forming would be used. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have questions :)
@@N8TEBB hi! Sorry, I forgot to reply, and didn’t actually expect one so quickly! Thank you! This is a very helpful answer. And you’re right, the fire risk posed by making your own enclosure is far higher than just using an actual oven. Do you happen to have a tutorial on how to make your “vacuum forming table”?
@@rainydaytoast1490 PLA and sometimes cheaper 3D printing filaments, my friend lets me use her 3D printer to make them. As long as I pay for the file for the printer I can use it. It can take a few days to print just one helmet but it’s easier to print it in a few parts. To make it airsoft grade you have to add fiberglass and the visor needs to be plexiglass and have a few layers thick to make sure things don’t penetrate and hit you in the eye. I put a metal airsoft mesh lens in the inside.
I know im a little late, but is it possible for you to drop a tutorial on building the vacuum forming machine? I’ve built a few and have had a lot of trouble getting it right
What seems to be the problem you’re having? Make a wood box with pegboard on one side. Use a hole saw to make a hole big enough to accept the vacuum. If your clamps are really long, consider putting the box on legs to get it off the ground and to give the clamps some space.
@@N8TEBBit’s honestly the measurements of the box and wood that im using, whenever i put the plastic over the mold it will just not seal. I have yet to try your method though, hopefully that works. Keep up the great content though! I’ve watched a few of your tutorials and they’ve worked like a charm
How long did you let this cook? I've made a ton of stuff over the years, but you've inspired me to get into more difficult designs and start vac forming visors for the helmets I sell.
Do you know if we can mix certain dyes from iDye Poly to make certain colors? For example a bit of blue and silver to make a silver-blue visor for an ODST?
The frame holds a piece of plastic 12" by 12". The box is 11.5" by 11.5" The depth doesn't matter too much but I think mine is 4". It's made out of standard 2x2's and 1/2-inch plywood.
unfortunately yes. Pretty much the only instruction I give people if they want to try on a helmet is "don't touch the inside of the visor". Now, it doesn't hurt the look of the visor too much if you accidently touch a small part. You will notice yourself turning chrome before you see the visor starts to deteriorate. Usually, the inside of the visor is out of harm's way, so its not too much of a hassle.
@N8TEBB this is a great video thanks for sharing! Question, I wanna make a visor that looks like reflective silver. Do you have any thoughts on how to do that? I don't think the dye method will work as it needs to be silver. And enough of the chrome on the outside to make it look silver I would imagine would make it hard to see out of. Thoughts?
This looks awesome! I'm trying to get into making helmets and visors but don't think I can afford to invest into a good airbrush at the moment. Are there any good alternatives to using an airbrush or even a cheap airbrush that you may recommend?
Hey! This was really helpful. How long do you leave the plastic in the oven? Do you wait until it starts to sag? Does it give off toxic fumes? Also, is the dye on the plastic permanent or will it scratch off easily? Do you apply anything on the outside of the visor to protect it? Thanks!
Glad you found the video helpful! I just leave the plastic in the oven until it droops a bit. It shouldn’t give off fumes, if you smell it then the temp is too hot. For more info on fumes see the video description. The dye is very permanent but the chrome can scratch off easily. You can buy clear coats for spray chrome, but I find they do not help, and often critically reduce visibility, so it’s not worth the trouble. The dye will never leave the visor, but sometimes the chrome gets worn off so I’ll wipe it all off and reapply. Just do your best to not touch the chromed side of the visor.
@@N8TEBB awesome thanks, I’m making a full suit for the Infinite version of chief, trying to find a good helmet that has a buck but it looks like I may have to take a visor and make it myself
An idea/recommendation based on my own experience. You could try using perforated vinyl on the inside instead of spraying. It's an alternative to mirrored effects. You may have to go about it differently but it's worth experimenting. Alternatively I've used perforated vinyls for spray templates because the holes mean you can make a good one way effect with paint and without the vinyl. It's hard to kinda explain what I mean, you'd kinda just have to look it up to get it 😅
Perforated vinyl or vinyl in general works for flatter visors like the one I did in the video, but for visors with more texture or complex curves it can be exceptionally difficult to apply. That’s why I like this method especially- it works for any shape of visor. The mirror effect is not limited to needing a flat design. Vinyls certainly are very useful if they can be applied to your visor however.
So on your video you use a clear coat after applying the chrome, but on your tutorial on the 405th forum you say not to use a clear coat due to visibility issues. Which clear coat do you use and do you recommend using a clear coat? Just don't want the chrome to rub off as easy if possible.
In the video I used the clear coat made by spaz stix. The chrome still runs off if I touch it though. If you decide you want a clear coat, make sure to buy one made by the same brand that makes the chrome you used. If you use any old clear coat it will turn the chrome opaque. The 405th tutorial was written after the video, when I stopped recommending the clear coat. A clear coat offers diminishing return as I found out. I only know the chrome rubs off because I’ve had to redo the chrome on visors I’ve lent friends who didn’t realize they shouldn’t touch the inside of the visor. On my own personal visor that I’ve used heavily at conventions, the chrome is still in mint condition, because I know to not touch it.
@@N8TEBB About how long do you have the plastic sheet in the oven? I keep worrying the plastic is going to sag too much and hit the bottom of my oven. Obviously my time may vary but just to get an idea of how long it takes for you?
When I get the files for the helmet I also look to make sure there's a file for the visor included. MoeSizzlac on thingiverse is a great modeler and usually makes a visor buck. See his mkVII file: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4632670/files
I’m having a hard time getting the correct amount of chrome sprayed on my ODST visor😅😅How did you get yours so perfect and see through??? I’ve tried twice and I can barely see through it
Remember it will work better once you put it in a helmet. Just looking through it in a bright shop will make it look opaque. When the outside environment is much brighter than the environment on the chromed side of the visor (like when you put it in a helmet), you’ll see the full effect
You can do it digitally in a program like fusion 360 or blender, but it is easier to simply print the visor facing the sky with 5% overhang support angle. The support the slicer generates will fill the area under the visor
What do you mean by "get the molds"? Are you interested in getting a resin-cast helmet, or the mold to make a resin-cast helmet? Or do you mean the mold to form the visor to?
Does it not wrinkle when you try to get it to go around the curves and texture of a visor? That may work for a flat visor like the one I made in the video, but for a visor like the one use in the mk6 chief helmet, I don’t think that would work, no? If you have a different experience please share with me! I’m always looking for ways to improve
does this work for bigger visors? i'm working on a helmet of my own design that has a visor that covers most of the face, and possibly even up around the head. is it possible/ feasible / best to make it myself, or to find a different way to do it with a visor that big/complicated?
Vacuum forming is basically infinitely scalable. If you are using your oven, just make sure your plastic fits! If it won’t fit in your oven, there are lots of tutorials on YT that show you how to use space heaters to heat very large sheets of plastic.
Yes you’re right! I see that I wasn’t wearing a mask when sanding the raw prints. I assure you I had PPE for applying and sanding filler primer and bondo however. I’ve made a habit since this video to keep the respirator on for all sanding tasks. Thanks for looking out 👍
I was stressing about how I could make a visor for my Protogen (Robot Furry) visor but this tutorial made me realize I literally have everything except for the plastic and dye I'm actually so stupid 😭 But thanks for the great tutorial dude, really helps! I'll make sure to tell my friends about it :)
i would have someone mold it with epoxy but it has to be were you see through 1. get epoxy 2. make mold from cardoard or 3d print 3. color it with color (recommend like glossy or glittry epoxy dust) 4.wait 5.glue to helment ps. if you found this helpful like comment if you want or just say thank you in the replys
Doesnt the plastic off gas in the oven? Thay could be dangerous for real food. Thats why most folks get a toaster oven at a thrift shop #edit... just read the description and see your notes about rpf confirmation. Never mind, move along hahha
The problem is you can't get white dye. The closest you could get is just doing the chrome on the inside without dying the visor. This would make it chrome, not white, but I think that's the closest you can get.
Aah i have one more question, not sure if you'll read this. I'm working on a DJ Sona cosplay and I'm planning to put a led screen in my visor. Because of this i want my visor to be pretty dark but i still want it to slightly diffuse my led screen. İs there any way to achieve this?
@@Agnosiaofz Yes you should be able to use any vacuum, but the stronger the better. If you're putting LEDs in the visor I would suggest not going to heavy on the tint because it will dim the LEDs too much. I'm not to sure how well LEDs will show through the chrome so I'm not too sure that this is the best method for making that sort of visor. I would recommend reaching out to DJ Sona cosplayers and asking them what they did (I think you can find some on reddit). I did make a daft punk helmet a while back and I used a tinted piece of a face shield. It seemed to work alright.
Could I use my 600 degree C heat gun on half power instead of putting this in my oven? I think that it would be easier and I would feel better using the heat gun rather than using the oven.
I believe you could, but it might be tricky to get the plastic to heat evenly. Also, if it is heated too rapidly it can bubble in some areas, which makes it hard to see out of. If you heat the plastic slowly and evenly, I don't see why that wouldn't work. If you try it let me know how it works!
@@spidertrout I didn't provide you with a link because many of my viewers are not from my region, so the links I use are useless. If I can assume you're from the USA, you can find the product on the mcmaster carr website. Here is a link for your convenience: www.mcmaster.com/products/plastics/material~petg/thickness~0-030/thickness~0-03/color~clear/
Please do not do this in an oven you cook in! We have no idea about the fumes and plastic particles that will get all over your oven, which are very bad for your health!
I hope you don't use that oven for food... Plastics release fumes and particles when heated and they'll transfer over time onto whatever else you heat up in that thing. Obviously, that's not good for your health
PETG can produce fumes that are harmful when it's heated to a high temperature. That being said, if you're vacuum forming only occasionally, and not going to an excessive high temperature, the fumes are minimal. When I vacuum form, I cannot smell fumes from the plastic. From what I understand, the fumes are minimal enough to not be hazardous to your health. I have confidence that this is a safe way to do occasional vacuum forming, as many members on the RPF report using this method for years. I have heard people have success using large space heaters mounted on their side, or making a makeshift oven enclosure with heaters or heat guns to try to evenly heat the plastic. In my opinion, the immediate fire risk space heaters with bypassed safety features and makeshift ovens provide is much greater than the potential health risk of fumes being trapped in the oven. Ideally, for regularly vacuum forming, a separate oven dedicated for vacuum forming would be used. In my case, the risk is so minimal that it does not justify the cost of a second oven. Edit: As you are the second person to bring this up, I have added this same safety statement to the video description.
Why? Any toxins will literally cook away and I’m hoping you won’t put your plastic in there long enough to gas something up. It’s PETG, food safe plastic.
Just so you know, it's a "two-way mirror". A "one-way mirror" is just a regular mirror. A two-way mirror is one where on on side you can see a reflection and on the other side you can see through.
This is one of the best tutorials for vac forming I've seen on UA-cam. You should be very proud of what you've taught us here mate.
Thank you!
Such a detailed video. A shame it hasn’t gotten as much attention as it deserves.
I've been exploring making a vacuum former. You having your vacuum hose in the center bottom of the suction table is one thing I haven't seen AND IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! Put the suction where you need it most and you can reduce the space been suction and the surface. BEST table!
THANKYOU SO MUCH, the one thing that was holding me back from making a halo helmet was the visor, I didn’t have a vaccum form and this is such a great method
Shows you can make a quality informative educational video with low quality video gear.
There may be better quality videos on youtube covering the same topic. But they are not any better in the way of information. Great job!
Thanks for the tips, currently 3d printing my ODST cosplay and was wondering what to do for the visor
Great video!!! I just built a vacuum box tonight and an attachment for my vacuum to plug into it is on the printer right now. Just gonna seal it up tomorrow and use it for the eye lenses on my darth Vader helmet 😎
You sir are the greatest I plan on making full suits of spartan armor and the visor was my biggest concern thank you!
your helmets look so nice. I just finished making the popular halo helmet on thingiverse and am looking to make a cheap/easy visor. I like the method you've chose to mold them though, very neat.
Thanks for making this I've been wanting to make a visor for my master chief helmet and I needed to know how. Subbed!
Glad I could help! Thanks for the sub!
Once again the youtube algorithm gives me what i needed... awesome tutorial!! Especially the rundown of the homemade vacuum forming table thing !!
This tutorial is bloody amazing! Love your work! But about the plastic.
this is the most satisfying thing
Just came across this and wow, awesome vid. Thanks so much for sharing how to do this as I've been thinking about making my own visors for my helmets.
Dude, this is the best tutorial, thank you so much
Amazing video. Many thanks for putting in the time to put this together.
Thank you for the support!
could you tell me how clever you are! you remind me of my old creative self.♡
Never in my life have I seen somebody brave enough to pour boiling water next to their feet while wearing crocs. I’m impressed.😅
I have almost exactly the same setup for my vacuum forming. :D One thing I would recommend is adding a perimeter of cheapest, tall door seal around the top of the table of your vacuum form. It will give you much more even contact and result in more consistent pulls. On the PETG - initially I tried using normal PET but with this setup it was almost impossible to prevent it from crystalizing in the oven. It woud crystallize, loose the transparency and become too brittle and stiff for vacuum forming. PETG doesn't have this issue. As for dying I found that just throwing them into the iDye Poly solution doesn't work for me since wherever the visor would contact the edges or the bottom of the bucket it would leave noticeable marks. That's why I tend to suspend them in the middle of the container on metal wires. As for aibrushing the mirror layer - How do you avoid static electricity causing the paint to form "patches" on the visor? In my case PETG always gets a static charge which deflects the paint droplets and gives me a slightly inconsitent finish. :/
Wow great feedback! As for the door seal, I know exactly the thing you're talking about. But I haven't found that a raised foam ridge would help get a better seal. In my experience the suction is pretty good without, but if I run into issues in the future I'll keep this solution in my head.
Good to know that PET will crystalize while PETG doesn't.
About the dye- in the bucket I do my best to make sure that the visors do not touch each other not rest face down on the bottom of the bucket. Typically I find they like to sit on an edge that will be hidden behind the visor so uneven dying hasn't been much of an issue. This may also be the case because I used a lot of dye for a short amount of time, instead of one pack of dye for an hour or so. Either way, suspending them with wires is a good idea and I'll likely do that in the future to be safe.
I haven't had any issues with static causing an uneven airbrush coating, however, I have had airbrush issues in the past. If you're getting an uneven coating or paint is splattering, the airbrush needle may be bent, or there may be moisture in the compressor.
Bro! Thank you so much! Im going to be making my Halloween costume this year (master chief) and i have started recently, this visor tutorial is literally one of the most helpful things ive found! Plus i have something to show my friends when they come over, hehe, thanks!
Just bought a 3d printer and always wanted to do a helmet when the time comes and I actually make one I'm definitely coming back around
"I'm about to add too much" lol hilarious
Some nice tips. And a good tutorial. Thank you!
Masterclass Video. Perfect tutorial. Thanks a lot sharing this. Many greetings from Germany.
Thank you so much. im gonna use this to help me with some visors ima do. Im in the middle of a Doom Helmet so this works Great!!
Dude what a great tutorial! And I've never seen this before from anybody else.. I'm tempted to use a heatgun for the plastic mold instead of an oven
I had a buddy try that, but it’s very difficult to get the plastic heated evenly. You may end up with a blobby mess. If you don’t want to use your oven, see if you can find a cheap toaster over to use
Thank you so much for this tutorial young fella
Man this is awesome I'm going to use this to make my ODST visor
Anyone know how to get a reflective visor like jazz ware? Perhaps a tint wrap for cars?
Do you have a link for the PTEG you use? Nice tutorial!!
Awesome work! I’ll be trying this method on my next project.
I do have a safety question. When your heating up the PETG sheets, does it produce any fumes that may linger inside the oven? I know from 3D printing that the usual printing temperature for PETG is about 220c (at least from my experience) and at that temperature, PETG does release a minimal amount of volatile organic compounds, but from the video it’s only heated to about 150c so I’m wondering if the plastic deformation is enough where the PETG releases any at that temperature.
In the interest of protecting the oven, is it possible to do the heating up portion with a high power heat gun over the plastic or do you think it will be too inconsistent?
Great question! PETG can produce fumes that are harmful when it's heated to a high temperature. That being said, if you're vacuum forming only occasionally, and not going to an excessive high temperature, the fumes are minimal. When I vacuum form, I cannot smell fumes from the plastic. If you do start to smell fumes, allow the oven and house to air out after you vacuum form. Either way, the fumes are minimal enough to not be hazardous to your health. I have confidence that this is a safe way to do occasional vacuum forming, as many members on the RPF report using this method for years.
As for the heat gun, I can assure you that it will be too inconsistent. I know a few people who tried on the 405th, but it just doesn't heat the plastic evenly enough. I have heard people have success using large space heaters mounted on their side, or making a makeshift oven enclosure with heaters or heat guns to try to evenly heat the plastic. In my opinion, the immediate fire risk space heaters with bypassed safety features and makeshift ovens provide is much greater than the potential risk of fumes being trapped in the oven.
Ideally, for regularly vacuum forming, a separate oven dedicated for vacuum forming would be used.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have questions :)
@@N8TEBB hi! Sorry, I forgot to reply, and didn’t actually expect one so quickly! Thank you!
This is a very helpful answer. And you’re right, the fire risk posed by making your own enclosure is far higher than just using an actual oven. Do you happen to have a tutorial on how to make your “vacuum forming table”?
Thank you so much for this bro. Super detailed video... love it. Best regards from Chile.
Thank you for translating to Fahrenheit for the water temp 🫡🇺🇲
2:30 It's called a buck.
14:32 Here's the thing when it comes to that dye. You can use acetone to clean that up. At least on surfaces.
buck, noted. Thanks :)
What is acetone? What do you mean about cleaning it up?
Like and subscribed.Keep up the great work.
Amazing video!!🔥🔥🔥 i gotta make my own now 🔥🔥🔥
It’s a pain but I use airsoft grade visors since I rock an ODST helmet and set up when I play against my friends. Your visors look awesome!
Do you make them? If so what plastic is it?
@@rainydaytoast1490 PLA and sometimes cheaper 3D printing filaments, my friend lets me use her 3D printer to make them. As long as I pay for the file for the printer I can use it. It can take a few days to print just one helmet but it’s easier to print it in a few parts. To make it airsoft grade you have to add fiberglass and the visor needs to be plexiglass and have a few layers thick to make sure things don’t penetrate and hit you in the eye. I put a metal airsoft mesh lens in the inside.
This is a godsend. THANK YOU!
I know im a little late, but is it possible for you to drop a tutorial on building the vacuum forming machine? I’ve built a few and have had a lot of trouble getting it right
What seems to be the problem you’re having? Make a wood box with pegboard on one side. Use a hole saw to make a hole big enough to accept the vacuum. If your clamps are really long, consider putting the box on legs to get it off the ground and to give the clamps some space.
@@N8TEBBit’s honestly the measurements of the box and wood that im using, whenever i put the plastic over the mold it will just not seal. I have yet to try your method though, hopefully that works. Keep up the great content though! I’ve watched a few of your tutorials and they’ve worked like a charm
You're a legend. Great tutorial
How long did you let this cook? I've made a ton of stuff over the years, but you've inspired me to get into more difficult designs and start vac forming visors for the helmets I sell.
Do you know if we can mix certain dyes from iDye Poly to make certain colors? For example a bit of blue and silver to make a silver-blue visor for an ODST?
Never tried it! Might be worth doing some experiments...
@@N8TEBB for sure, I might try it then and record what happens 😂
Any ideas on how to get the odst shape correctly?
Bruh... I can make my own vac form tool....... i'm about to vanish into my crafting room for MONTHS
Amazing work sir!
Awesome vid bro super satisfying
love the video! what’s the measurements for the box? and the wooden frame?
The frame holds a piece of plastic 12" by 12". The box is 11.5" by 11.5" The depth doesn't matter too much but I think mine is 4". It's made out of standard 2x2's and 1/2-inch plywood.
Very nice well done. How you reach the gold color for the visor? With yellow and chrome finish?
I dye the visor orange, then spray with regular chrome
muuuuuuuuuy buen tutorial!!!!,,,felicitaciones!!!
will the chrome still smudge after it dries?
unfortunately yes. Pretty much the only instruction I give people if they want to try on a helmet is "don't touch the inside of the visor". Now, it doesn't hurt the look of the visor too much if you accidently touch a small part. You will notice yourself turning chrome before you see the visor starts to deteriorate. Usually, the inside of the visor is out of harm's way, so its not too much of a hassle.
@N8TEBB this is a great video thanks for sharing! Question, I wanna make a visor that looks like reflective silver. Do you have any thoughts on how to do that? I don't think the dye method will work as it needs to be silver. And enough of the chrome on the outside to make it look silver I would imagine would make it hard to see out of. Thoughts?
Just use chrome on the inside, no dye. It will give it a nice silver look. Follow the exact same process in the video, just skip the dye step
@@N8TEBB Doesn't the Chrome make it hard to see through? I tried this with some chrome spray paint once and I couldn't see through it at all.
So just a clarification, the part you're referring to as the mold is called the buck in vacuum forming.
Yes
This looks awesome! I'm trying to get into making helmets and visors but don't think I can afford to invest into a good airbrush at the moment. Are there any good alternatives to using an airbrush or even a cheap airbrush that you may recommend?
I just use a cheap $30 airbrush from Canadian Tire
Hey! This was really helpful. How long do you leave the plastic in the oven? Do you wait until it starts to sag? Does it give off toxic fumes?
Also, is the dye on the plastic permanent or will it scratch off easily? Do you apply anything on the outside of the visor to protect it?
Thanks!
Glad you found the video helpful!
I just leave the plastic in the oven until it droops a bit. It shouldn’t give off fumes, if you smell it then the temp is too hot. For more info on fumes see the video description. The dye is very permanent but the chrome can scratch off easily. You can buy clear coats for spray chrome, but I find they do not help, and often critically reduce visibility, so it’s not worth the trouble. The dye will never leave the visor, but sometimes the chrome gets worn off so I’ll wipe it all off and reapply. Just do your best to not touch the chromed side of the visor.
Nicely done, I do have a question about your mold. Did u print it out using pla? Thanks
Yes it’s PLA
I want to make the head for the Bomb Devil from CSM and wanna make the front something I can see through without resorting to making holes
how did you create the bucks? and if you found them online can you link them please?
I 3D printed them. The STL is in the zip files along with the helmet model.
@@N8TEBB awesome thanks, I’m making a full suit for the Infinite version of chief, trying to find a good helmet that has a buck but it looks like I may have to take a visor and make it myself
great video!
What do you do with the dyed water? Is it safe to just dump out or is the a process you have to do to safely dispose it?
I just pour it on the lawn ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@N8TEBB Thanks, just wanted to make sure before I got started on anything
Where do I get the petg sheets? Do I get it at like my local Home Depot/Lowes?
Dumb question, does the petg touch the peg board, I really hope it make sense
Yes the petg plastic gets pulled down to the peg board
Apparently the mold for vacuum forming is called a "Buck"
"mirrly, mirrly, less reflective" :D
This is great! Will acrylic plastic sheets work?
Maybe??? I haven't tried acrylic. If you try let me know how it goes!
Omg you genius.
👌👍
An idea/recommendation based on my own experience. You could try using perforated vinyl on the inside instead of spraying. It's an alternative to mirrored effects. You may have to go about it differently but it's worth experimenting.
Alternatively I've used perforated vinyls for spray templates because the holes mean you can make a good one way effect with paint and without the vinyl. It's hard to kinda explain what I mean, you'd kinda just have to look it up to get it 😅
Perforated vinyl or vinyl in general works for flatter visors like the one I did in the video, but for visors with more texture or complex curves it can be exceptionally difficult to apply. That’s why I like this method especially- it works for any shape of visor. The mirror effect is not limited to needing a flat design. Vinyls certainly are very useful if they can be applied to your visor however.
So on your video you use a clear coat after applying the chrome, but on your tutorial on the 405th forum you say not to use a clear coat due to visibility issues. Which clear coat do you use and do you recommend using a clear coat? Just don't want the chrome to rub off as easy if possible.
In the video I used the clear coat made by spaz stix. The chrome still runs off if I touch it though. If you decide you want a clear coat, make sure to buy one made by the same brand that makes the chrome you used. If you use any old clear coat it will turn the chrome opaque. The 405th tutorial was written after the video, when I stopped recommending the clear coat. A clear coat offers diminishing return as I found out. I only know the chrome rubs off because I’ve had to redo the chrome on visors I’ve lent friends who didn’t realize they shouldn’t touch the inside of the visor. On my own personal visor that I’ve used heavily at conventions, the chrome is still in mint condition, because I know to not touch it.
@@N8TEBB About how long do you have the plastic sheet in the oven? I keep worrying the plastic is going to sag too much and hit the bottom of my oven. Obviously my time may vary but just to get an idea of how long it takes for you?
how do you make the molds though? do most files come with a visor or do you have to design it separately from the helmet?
When I get the files for the helmet I also look to make sure there's a file for the visor included. MoeSizzlac on thingiverse is a great modeler and usually makes a visor buck. See his mkVII file: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4632670/files
I’m having a hard time getting the correct amount of chrome sprayed on my ODST visor😅😅How did you get yours so perfect and see through??? I’ve tried twice and I can barely see through it
Remember it will work better once you put it in a helmet. Just looking through it in a bright shop will make it look opaque. When the outside environment is much brighter than the environment on the chromed side of the visor (like when you put it in a helmet), you’ll see the full effect
I’ve looked everywhere, I have the 3d file for the visor, but how do I turn it into a vacuum seal mold?
You can do it digitally in a program like fusion 360 or blender, but it is easier to simply print the visor facing the sky with 5% overhang support angle. The support the slicer generates will fill the area under the visor
Is there anyway to get the moulds for the helmets, especially the normal master chief helmet? BTW, loved the vid and am keen to try this!!
What do you mean by "get the molds"? Are you interested in getting a resin-cast helmet, or the mold to make a resin-cast helmet? Or do you mean the mold to form the visor to?
How got is the oven and how long did the petg been in there before you took it out?
You have to keep an eye on it. Once it starts dropping, you are good to take it out.
Heads up on an easier way.. get stick on chrome window tint and line your visors with it. Cheap 2 way mirrors are made with it.
Does it not wrinkle when you try to get it to go around the curves and texture of a visor? That may work for a flat visor like the one I made in the video, but for a visor like the one use in the mk6 chief helmet, I don’t think that would work, no? If you have a different experience please share with me! I’m always looking for ways to improve
Legend!
Is there anything else i can use to make the mold without a 3d printer that'll be safe?
You may be able to make a buck out of clay or other sculpting material
does this work for bigger visors? i'm working on a helmet of my own design that has a visor that covers most of the face, and possibly even up around the head. is it possible/ feasible / best to make it myself, or to find a different way to do it with a visor that big/complicated?
Vacuum forming is basically infinitely scalable. If you are using your oven, just make sure your plastic fits! If it won’t fit in your oven, there are lots of tutorials on YT that show you how to use space heaters to heat very large sheets of plastic.
Could you put the mold designs in the description?
Linked in the description! Here as well: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4960835
How do you find the bucks for the visors?
Often they are included in the zip file with the helmet stl’s. I make sure the helmet files include a visor buck before printing anything.
how would one make the kinda copper like color on a noble 6 helmet ?
You would have do do a very light amount of brown/orange dye and lots of chrome on the inside to give it more of a metallic look
PLEASE wear PPE. If you are sanding plastics this can get in your hair way and have SERIOUS negative effects to your health.
Yes you’re right! I see that I wasn’t wearing a mask when sanding the raw prints. I assure you I had PPE for applying and sanding filler primer and bondo however. I’ve made a habit since this video to keep the respirator on for all sanding tasks. Thanks for looking out 👍
Would you be willing to sell just a visor? Looking to make the MKVI Halo 3 costume out of foam. Don’t have a 3D printer to make the vacuum mold
I do not do commissions. I have seen Branfur Studio’s visors in other cosplays and they are very nice. I’d look into buying from him
@@N8TEBB thanks, great job with your videos as well.
I dont know if I missed it but what temp is the oven supposed to be?
300F.
I was stressing about how I could make a visor for my Protogen (Robot Furry) visor but this tutorial made me realize I literally have everything except for the plastic and dye
I'm actually so stupid 😭
But thanks for the great tutorial dude, really helps!
I'll make sure to tell my friends about it :)
i've seen peopIe use rectangular and circular iron man Ied eyes for their protogen heImets
Glad I could be of help!
Do you know if this will protect from bbs? Trying to make a custom suit for Airsoft
Nooooo it will not! Would not recommend this method for airsoft
bruh i got the same ad
i would have someone mold it with epoxy but it has to be were you see through
1. get epoxy
2. make mold from cardoard or 3d print
3. color it with color (recommend like glossy or glittry epoxy dust)
4.wait
5.glue to helment
ps. if you found this helpful like comment if you want or just say thank you in the replys
What is the black spray u used on the visor buck
Just regular gloss black spray paint
@N8TEBB OK thanks any particular brand I should try?
Do you think i could use PET? I know PETG is just a different type of PET so do you think it'll work?
I haven’t tried it. Unfortunately I don’t know. I believe it will vacuum forum but I’m not sure how the visibility will be.
Doesnt the plastic off gas in the oven? Thay could be dangerous for real food. Thats why most folks get a toaster oven at a thrift shop
#edit... just read the description and see your notes about rpf confirmation. Never mind, move along hahha
any tips for dying something white
The problem is you can't get white dye. The closest you could get is just doing the chrome on the inside without dying the visor. This would make it chrome, not white, but I think that's the closest you can get.
Can you just use any vacuüm for this :)?
Aah i have one more question, not sure if you'll read this. I'm working on a DJ Sona cosplay and I'm planning to put a led screen in my visor. Because of this i want my visor to be pretty dark but i still want it to slightly diffuse my led screen. İs there any way to achieve this?
@@Agnosiaofz Yes you should be able to use any vacuum, but the stronger the better. If you're putting LEDs in the visor I would suggest not going to heavy on the tint because it will dim the LEDs too much. I'm not to sure how well LEDs will show through the chrome so I'm not too sure that this is the best method for making that sort of visor. I would recommend reaching out to DJ Sona cosplayers and asking them what they did (I think you can find some on reddit). I did make a daft punk helmet a while back and I used a tinted piece of a face shield. It seemed to work alright.
why don't you just bolt the frame instead of clamps?
I could, but the clamps are just quick and easy
Could I use my 600 degree C heat gun on half power instead of putting this in my oven? I think that it would be easier and I would feel better using the heat gun rather than using the oven.
I believe you could, but it might be tricky to get the plastic to heat evenly. Also, if it is heated too rapidly it can bubble in some areas, which makes it hard to see out of. If you heat the plastic slowly and evenly, I don't see why that wouldn't work. If you try it let me know how it works!
@@N8TEBB I'll give it a try once I make a vacuum former!
How big did you make your one just as a point of reference?
@@sebastian_stars It fits a 12x12" piece of plastic nicely
What's the plastic and where can I get it again?
It’s 0.03” PETG. You can get it on eBay or mcmaster carr
@@N8TEBB link?
@@spidertrout I didn't provide you with a link because many of my viewers are not from my region, so the links I use are useless. If I can assume you're from the USA, you can find the product on the mcmaster carr website. Here is a link for your convenience: www.mcmaster.com/products/plastics/material~petg/thickness~0-030/thickness~0-03/color~clear/
Please do not do this in an oven you cook in! We have no idea about the fumes and plastic particles that will get all over your oven, which are very bad for your health!
Please see the safety disclaimer in the video description.
I hope you don't use that oven for food... Plastics release fumes and particles when heated and they'll transfer over time onto whatever else you heat up in that thing.
Obviously, that's not good for your health
PETG can produce fumes that are harmful when it's heated to a high temperature. That being said, if you're vacuum forming only occasionally, and not going to an excessive high temperature, the fumes are minimal. When I vacuum form, I cannot smell fumes from the plastic. From what I understand, the fumes are minimal enough to not be hazardous to your health. I have confidence that this is a safe way to do occasional vacuum forming, as many members on the RPF report using this method for years.
I have heard people have success using large space heaters mounted on their side, or making a makeshift oven enclosure with heaters or heat guns to try to evenly heat the plastic. In my opinion, the immediate fire risk space heaters with bypassed safety features and makeshift ovens provide is much greater than the potential health risk of fumes being trapped in the oven.
Ideally, for regularly vacuum forming, a separate oven dedicated for vacuum forming would be used. In my case, the risk is so minimal that it does not justify the cost of a second oven.
Edit: As you are the second person to bring this up, I have added this same safety statement to the video description.
bro says ''easy'' Hahahah
🤠😳
ONLY critique i have is NEVER use an oven you cook your food in. no Bueno! find a different method
Why? Any toxins will literally cook away and I’m hoping you won’t put your plastic in there long enough to gas something up. It’s PETG, food safe plastic.
There is a disclaimer in the video description. I believe it’s safe for occasional vacuum forming.
Just so you know, it's a "two-way mirror". A "one-way mirror" is just a regular mirror. A two-way mirror is one where on on side you can see a reflection and on the other side you can see through.
One-way mirror, two-way mirror, half-silvered mirror, semi-transparent mirror, reciprocal mirror, all the same en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-way_mirror
@@N8TEBB Thanks! I stand corrected.
You look fairly young