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Post by river on Apr 2, 2007 14:56:57 GMT
Hi, I need to make a face sheild for my helmet. Trouble is I wear glasses so the sheild has to be moveable. ( i tried goggles over the helmet but this severly reduces field of vision)
I reckon some kind of perspex (or something) cut to shape and fix it using the visor mountings already on the helmet? Any body got any experience or tips for this little project. (its an Azonic AZX if thats of any use)
Cheers, River.
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Post by will on Apr 2, 2007 16:07:42 GMT
DO NOT TOUCH PERSPEX!!! i made a fairing out of it once crahed it and it went splinters of plasitc in all directions very sharp and nasty! use lexan (Polycarbonate) there's a really good website where i got my 6mm (u'll probally use 2 or 3 mm) stuff from form my fairing and its pratically bullet proof, been shooting it with the precharged rifle and it bounces off! here's the website www.365plastics.com/acatalog/Polycarbonate_Sheet.htmlthey were very and quick! hope it helps Will |
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Post by boneless on Apr 3, 2007 6:55:49 GMT
hey rivers i've got the same prob and was thinking about making something similar.
Will that stuff sounds good but £44 a sheet is a bit steep - I only need a little bit!
-any cheaper pocket money sized alternatives...?
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Post by TomW on Apr 3, 2007 7:56:38 GMT
The easiest way is to just go and buy a helmet with a visor already fitted. The "Airoh Tyger" is the current downhill favourite.
But if you insist on making your own - Will is right, AVOIT ACRYLIC, PVC, etc... ONLY use Polycarbonate.
Ebay - Search for "Polycarbonate Sheet", usually plenty of off-cuts or small pieces available. I wouldnt use anything thicker than 1mm / 1.5mm for a face shield, otherwise you'll have problems getting it to fit the contours of the hat.
Cut some big round "washers" of felt to fit between the poly and the helmet where you screw it on. Makes it much easier to open and close.
Cut yourself a card template to find the right shape first, then cut out the poly. Leave the protective film on the poly until you have completely finished the visor - peel it off last of all, its there to protect from scratches during manufacture.
You can clean up the cut edges with some wet & dry paper and a splash of water. Then finish off with cotton wool and "brasso" for that crystal finish.
Do not attempt to drill it - you can get a much cleaner hole by selecting a drill bit of the appropriate size, clamping it in a pair of mole grips, and then heating up the drill bit in a gas flame. Then carefully use this to "melt" your holes where you want them.
You can also heat it up in the oven for a bit beofre "draping" it over the helmet. Hold it in place with oven gloves unti it has cooled down. (Then peel the film off).
Ride hard, stay safe.
Tom W.
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Post by river on Apr 3, 2007 9:24:59 GMT
The easiest way is to just go and buy a helmet with a visor already fitted. The "Airoh Tyger" is the current downhill favourite. Tom W. its the laziest option i give you that. Definatly not the easiest on my pocket though.(the helmet i have is fine, I just wanna Keep the bugs and dust outta my face) Thanks for the good advise, Im gonna hunt down some cheap polycarb off cuts and make me own. (good to know it doesnt drill too well, I would have found out the hard way!) Cheers lads. |
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Post by TomW on Apr 3, 2007 11:45:58 GMT
We're glad to be of help - Remember to post us some piccys of the finished article...
Ride hard, stay safe.
Tom W.
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Post by JasonA on Apr 3, 2007 16:10:56 GMT
You gotta love Tom W.
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Post by wookie on Apr 3, 2007 16:19:36 GMT
Thought I'd weigh in on this quickly,
The helmet you've got is quite a popular one, I use it myself as well and although I've not done it personally I've seen people make some really tidy visors for it in a way similar to what TomW has described. So yeah, basically it should pan out pretty well
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Post by river on Apr 4, 2007 8:55:01 GMT
UPDATE: bought some 3mm lexan off cut. EBAY!
xpensive stuff, but cheaper than the reccomended website earlier on this thread. now wait for the postman to deliver the goods (should be a good post week, also waiting for some big blue kryptos in prep for pipay) er, will try and put a picture up here when the jobs done so you can all laugh at my poor craftmanship.
Not only that, but the torn anterior hip ligament is almost fully healed, which means i can go skating again! (three weeks of down time) its wednesday, im slightly hungover but in a good mood cos lots off cool stuff is soon to happen. cheeers.
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Post by TomW on Apr 4, 2007 11:59:28 GMT
Hi River, 3mm for a visor is a bit on the thick side, so you'll almost certainly need to heat it to get a decent shape / fit. Here is the datasheet for Lexan : bildz.altronix.se/mekpro/9030.pdfScroll down to page 4 for the heating temperatures & guidelines. I'd strongly recommend you try out a small "test pece" with an off-cut in your oven first, just to check out the correct oven temperature and experience the properties of the heated lexan. (Never trust your oven thermostat - get yourself an in-oven thermometer from a cookware shop). Be careful because the forming temperature is quite close to the melting point for this material. Dont be tempted to just put it on the oven shelf unsupported, otherwise it will ooze between the bars... Put it on a baking sheet to support it, and use a layer of tinfoil between the lexan and the baking sheet to keep it all clean. Once you have formed your visor, you can use a hot-air gun to make small final adjustments to get the fit perfect - but be very cautious as the localised heat may bubble or burn the lexan. Good luck! Ride hard, stay safe. Tom W. P.S. Go down to the local Chav-Car supplier and get some reflective film (Window tint) to stick over the finished visor for that NASA look! |
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Post by river on Apr 12, 2007 8:35:31 GMT
hello again. Well the lexan arrived this morning, so today the project begins. Just thought id mention that the seller made a mistake and sent me 2mm instead of the 3mm that was advertised. From earlier comments this seems to be a good thing.
In addition, he or she sent me a enough lexan to do maybe six shields! I only payed for a small off cut, the sheet sitting in my house is bigger than my fireplace!
so if anybody wants a bit lemme know, i can post it out to you.
cheeers.
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Post by boneless on Apr 23, 2007 13:02:02 GMT
Nice one rivers.
-also on this subject when I chatted to Longy he'd made his out of a welding visor cut with a stanley knife, gaffered onto the lid. Looked thin and easy to cut but because of that prob too thin and flexible to make a folding up and down visor from like yr wanting for glasses use. Could be helpful to others tho...
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Post by Longy on Apr 24, 2007 5:26:49 GMT
Nice one rivers. -also on this subject when I chatted to Longy he'd made his out of a welding visor cut with a stanley knife, gaffered onto the lid. Looked thin and easy to cut but because of that probably too thin and flexible to make a folding up and down visor from like yr wanting for glasses use. Could be helpful to others tho... Yeah, its a disposable face shield... www.milesworkwear.co.uk/Safety-Products/Face-Visors/c-1-161-185/Just cut to shape using a template leaving maybe 4cm excess then gaffa tape to lid. You can use scissors on it as its quite easy to cut. I then used cross weaved transformer tape to hold it in place. Looks a bit Mad Max but its high velocity rated ie stones and bricks. You can adapt it to flip up as its quite robust when in situ. |
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