Flying Universe Helmet or Steampunk Diving Helmet

I had this dream in which the people of a town would take take turns putting on a suit and flying around the universe. The only problem was, when they returned they had grown all sorts of tumors and their bodies would fall apart when the suit was opened. I woke up in the middle and wrote down "Tumor flying universe suit/Animal characteristics chamber" on a piece of paper and went back to sleep. Unfortunately, I do not remember what animal characteristics chamber means but I did remember the suit. It was basically an an old diving suit with way too many attachments. So...

To start, I needed a wooden ball. I really wanted to get started on this project while the memory was still fresh in my mind so I decided to make one myself. I glued together 4 1x4 of pine and cut out a basic ball shape with my band saw. I then used a belt sander to smooth down the edges.

From there, I tapered one side of the ball.

Then, I sketched out where to drill the holes for the various ports and hoses etc.

Drilled the holes...

Base coat...

Metallic paint...

Then I looked a picture of an old diving helmet. I had forgot to make the neck and shoulders. So, I cut a couple of pieces out with my band saw to make the neck/shoulder piece

Two coats of paint with light sanding in between later and it totally started to look like a diving helmet.

The next step was to dent the surface of the wood to make it look like it was hammered. I took a pachinko ball and put it in the round indentation by the wire cutters on a pair of needle nose pliers. I probably should have used a ball peen hammer, but I did not have one.

I pounded, and pounded.

And more pounding.

I wanted the the pieces for the port holes and such to be made of metal so I went shopping. I spent a good hour at the hardware store picking out randoms pieces from every department to put on my helmet.

I glued random pieces together to make the port holes, and filled the other holes with whatever I could find.

Now I just need a suit.

Head Creation - Part 5 - Painting and Accessories

Painting and Accessories. I did a little reshaping of the head after the glue dried. The table saw takes out about 1/8" from the middle so it actually changes to height of the head, which in turn changes the shape. I used a little wood putty to fill in the gaps made by the saw and then did a final sanding of the head. After covering the eyes with a bit of scrap paper so they didn't receive any paint, I was ready to go.

I changed the eyes out on two of my previous heads so I needed to paint all three at once.

I started with a black base coat. More on that in a minute.

Then I added a cream colored layer.

And finally a white layer just to the face.

I did a bit of sanding to make the head look aged. The black base coat will show through making the age lines much more pronounced. 

Lastly, I added some red paint for the makeup and a pair of glasses. The glasses were made by bending a piece of wire into shape. I used a tourch to age the wire to match the rest of the head.

Coming soon... Body parts.

Head Creation - Part 4 - Assembly

Assembly. Now comes the tricky part. In order to get the eyes into the head I need to saw it in half. I made a line right through the center of the eyes horizontally. This will be my cut line.

I used a table saw to make the cut. There are two things you need to remember when using a saw like that on a project like this. First, make the cut straight. If it's not straight the first time, you may as well start over because it never will be. Second, oh shit this thing could cut my fingers off!

After the cut is made I need to make a spot for the eyes to go. For this I used my Dremel with the sanding drum and 60 grit paper. I could probably cut it out but sanding it out gives you a lot more control.

And slowly...

carve out a socket for the eyes. You have to continually make sure that the socket in the top of the head and the socket in the bottom of the head match up. Otherwise...  well you know.

I put a little piece of foam weather stripping at the back of the eye socket to make sure the eyes stays in place when animating. Finally, I glued the two halves back together with wood glue.

I think he needs glasses.

Up next.. Clean up, paint and accessories.

Head Creation - Part 2 - Carving

Carving. This part takes the longest but is definitely the most fun. I found a set of Yasutomo Niji woodcarving chisels on Amazon for about 10 bucks and they are perfect for this size project.  Just remember to sharpen them before each use.

Speaking of sharpening, I cut my thumb about half way through so I decided to use my Dremel for the second half. I was wearing gloves and all, but these chisels can cut through anything if they are sharp enough. I made a time lapse video of the carving of the head to better illustrate the process.

At the end, I used a detail sander to smooth out the head. I really like the look of the wood once the sanding is completed. It is a almost a shame that I have to paint it.

Up next... Eyes

Head Creation - Part 1 - Wood

Wood. I get these 1x6's is pine for basically free so I use them for just about everything. They are only 13 inches long, but that is enough for most of my projects.

I stacked four on top of one another to get the height I wanted, then used regular wood glue to stick them together.

Using a table saw I cut the wood down to size.

I drew a rough draft of the final face on the front and side of the block to determine what to cut next. I started with the front and cut the edges off using a hand saw.

I did the same with sides.

From there, I used a flat chisel and a vice to round out the head.

Congratulations! That took an hour, and looks like a big wooden turd. At least I know I'm spending my time wisely.

Up next... Head Creation - Part 2

Wooden Head with Movable Eyes

This is a wooden marionette head I made for an upcoming project. It was my first model made out of wood and the first with actual eyes. The eyes are made of wood and are movable.