BOBA FETT #2

So I've finally started work on my ASOK Cold Cast Aluminum Fett Pride Helmet.

I broke my own rules on this one and started working on it before I photographed anything...GRRRRR!!! Sorry about that. What is NOT photographed below is the cutting and trimming of all the excess flashing and resin and the trimming of the visor area.

I also started buffing the dome of the helmet before I realized I better start taking photographs.

So how does resin come out looking so metalic? It's the buffing and the metal powder in the resin. You see, there is aluminum powder in the resin which is used to pour into the mold. After everything is cured, you use some .000 steel wool to buff the resin and it comes out looking like the photos below. I tried to also photograph what it looks like before it goes from dull gray to brushed aluminum! I was very pleased with the results!

Now, this is not a perfect casting and there are flaws in the surface of the helmet. That's why this is what is known as a "B" pull helmet.

Once I remembered I needed to start photographing the helmet, I stopped. Here's a shot of the partially buffed helmet. The top dome is nearly completed. The bottom cheek on the pictured left side has not been started. You can see the difference in color.

The above four photographs are more pre-buffed resin

And now, what it looks like after all the buffing is nearly completed.

This will save me a LOT of time later when it comes time to paint the helmet. I won't have to primer the whole thing, find a silver paint and paint it, then mask off the areas that will look like exposed metal and paint over all that...instead, having the cold cast aluminum will eliminate two layers of paint. That will leave about 6 layers to go for the different colors and weathering.
It also prevents a problem I had on the first Boba Fett Helmet with the final layers of paint not wanting to adhere to the silver metallic paint. (A common problem)