Not sure if this is new to others or not, but I tried a new technique on hollowing today and it worked very well. I had picked up a few of the CORPS! mini-jets on clearance and didn't like that goofy face the pilot had, but liked the helmet. The head was of that softer plastic that bores out good with a dremel. The problem I always had was finding a good way to hold the head still while I dremeled it out.

I had a small stack of pop bottle caps sitting on the workbench that I use for mixing paint, epoxy, etc. I decided to fill it with my kids play-doh and jam the head down in it. The idea was that the dough would keed the head protected and still while I could keep a good grip on the cap. Unfortunately the play-doh was too soft and the head spun out, but super sculpy worked perfectly. You may have to pick off a few chunks of super sculpy when you are done, but the set up allows easy and safe drilling. It also was easier shaving the edges off with an exacto without getting your fingers in the way. The ridges on the cap allow for a good grip too. Thought this might come in handy for someone.

A problem I could see being a factor is that you don't know where to stop dremeling, especially on smaller close-fitting helmets like the Clones have. Holding the helmet in my fingers allows me to feel the heat of the dremel thru the plastic, and thus to back off before I drill right thru.

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Ditto, Plus I don't use and exatco knife to shave I use a fine dremel wheel.

You could also tape up the drill bit so you know when to stop. I measure the bit next to the head to see where to stop and then mark it with the masking tape. This technique hasn't failed me yet.

Wow- so many methods for hollowing out helmets. Good tips, guys. I usually hold the helmet with my fingers so I can feel the heat of the bit, plus hold the helmet up to a light to see how close I am to going through. The more light that shines through, the closer you are to going through. The clay method sounds good up to the point where you know you're getting close, then the heat,light, and even tape method would be good from there, I'd imagine.

The heads I was doing were flesh colored plastic with medium grey paint for the helmet. Even while plunged in the clay you could start to see the 'shadow' of the painted part, and stop with a few mm left. That said, it did take several removals from the cap to check the fit. I just can't seem to hold the hollowed out head with my fingers without the dremel flinging it out of the way. If I grip tighter, the helmet squishes closed too much. It is interesting to hear all the different methods out there though. I haven't tried a sanding wheel to smooth out the inside, figured the grit would pack up too fast with that soft plastic. Might have to try and see.

How many fingers are you holding the helmet with? If it's just your thumb and index finger I can see this being a problem, but I get a full grip on it with all five fingers at once. But, if you've got a method that works for ya, stick to that.

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OK, tried the bullet nosed sanding point and the damn thing looks like a production helmet inside. No clogging problems either. Thanks for the tip gijoey.

Oh and AV, I have tried all five fingers and still don't have any luck. I think it is partially just worry over having the dremel bit gash my finger. You definately can get a better feel for the part though.

I don't have that problem because a) the only part significantly exposed is my thumbnail, and b) I'm not holding the dremel so fiercely that the head digs into me on the rare occassions it has slipped. It's basically hit my flesh and just rolled right off.

And I always break the tip off my x-acto blades before using as I stab myself a *lot* otherwise.

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All great tips, do these thechniques work for neck ball removal as well? I got some ideas for head swaping some of the ARAH and others with the 25th line. My mind is on fire with all the ideas I have, can't wait to pump some out and get feed back.

So back to the original question, will the thecniques mentioned work?




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