The Plug: this is essentially my first design from what is to be the "flash" series of helmets (more on this later). The helmet is designed to cover all of the major areas including the frontal, temporal and occipital parts of the head. A helmet for the everyday paddler on the local run but with enough security for running the sh*t and at the same time sufficiently casual not to look like a co*k. If you're not bothered by all the technical bits then please skip to the last paragraph now.
The Mould: the mould for this helmet needs to be made in two parts due to the complex inward curves at the back and the temple and peak areas round the front. For this a cut out of the center profile of the helmet is stuck to the center line and made flush with plasticine.
This done I have fixed domed screws through the plywood such that their indent in the mould casing can be used to position the two sides of the mould accurately. The plug was then waxed and polished with mould release wax before a coating of PVA releasing agent which has given things a slightly blue tint and a very glossy finish.
This is the gel coat (top layer) of the mould just gone on. It is a polyester based resin which is thicker than normal resins so it will sit in place on the mould and not go running off places. It is also extremely heat stable and chemical resistant so can withstand being exposed to other resins once it's cured.
In about an hour from now I will start building up the layers of the mould with various thicknesses and types of fibreglass mat.
The entire mould will take approx. two weeks to make and cure fully as each side must be made separately. After this the first protoype helmets will be produced in the L/XL size which is often neglected but before that systems for Vac-bagging need to be looked at
