JayhawkJumper 0 #1 April 1, 2003 Ok, if your building a helmet, I know fiberglass can get kind of heavy from looking at some other custom helmets. Does anyone know much about the composite materials other manufacturers are using like carbon-fiber, kevlar etc... and what the process is. I know some require complicated pressure and heat curing, so that wouldn't be ideal, but any general info would be good. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #2 April 1, 2003 Ok, call me nutty, but why in the world would -anyone- take the time and trouble to learn how to work with composite structures just to build a camera helmet?I mean, camera helmets are pretty inexpensive when you consider how much time, money and effort it would take to build a nice one from scratch.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JayhawkJumper 0 #3 April 1, 2003 call me crazy, but I just like to learn about things like this and take on projects like building a helmet. Yes it will take a long time, but I have to have SOMETHING to do when its too windy to jump. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #4 April 1, 2003 Wooooooo doggie! That's a tall order. Keep u up-to-date on your progress.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
newshooter12 0 #5 April 1, 2003 You could always build a wood/composite kayak or boat... a guy i work with has been since last august. Chesapeake 18 Kit It's a beautiful boat i don't even want to think about the total # hours he's got into it b/c it's more and more becoming a work of art then just a seaworthy touring kayak. I even got to help him a couple days with his bulkheads and some of the fibreglass/epoxy work. matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rdutch 0 #6 April 1, 2003 ***Ok, if your building a helmet, I know fiberglass can get kind of heavy from looking at some other custom helmets. Does anyone know much about the composite materials other manufacturers are using like carbon-fiber, kevlar etc... and what the process is. I know some require complicated pressure and heat curing, so that wouldn't be ideal, but any general info would be good. Almost every manufacturer that builds helmet's use's Fiberglass. Bonehead for example uses fiberglass with an outer layer of carbon, for appearance. Anyone that has drilled through one can testify. The weight of the material's in something the size of a helmet has little value, and the cost is considerate. Also a 100% carbon helmet is a lot more brittle than fiberglass. In true crash helmet's, manufacturer's use a fiberglass outer with an Kevlar inner, mainly because kevlar sucks to work with, especially when trying to get a clean edge. The heat curing has nothing to do with the material, it has to do with the resin used, some resin's have a higher temperature (glass transition temperature) to fully cure. But for a camera helmet you can buy a cheaper resin that will cure at room temp, it will just take a longer time to cure. Advanced composite can be very expensive, with a vacume pump, vacume bagging, peel ply breather bleeder, needed as well as resin, and material. But since this is just a skydiving helmet, you can make it cheaper and easier. Resin rich is weak, that is why you vacume bag, but you can get away with a mildly rich part. Wes Rich of Rim World Video makes his helmets without using any vacume, and all fiberglass, and they look great and are very light. If you are interested in making your own helmet, Wes has a do it yourself CD you can buy with step by step instruction's. And for composite tips and accessorie's try www.fibreglast.com They have an excellent how to section. Hope this help's Ray Small and fast what every girl dreams of! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
