Do-it-Yourself Projects

[Sport]

This is a project I've been working on for the last few days. It needs some work on the stripes, but I just want to know what you guys think. Is the finished product something you would like to actually see on the field or is too wild and best served as a fashion piece.

Step-by-step rundown of the process can be found here:

Custom helmet steps

Personally I like it, but I wouldn't want to ever see the team wearing it.

Has anybody else ever made their own helmet, stitched their own jersey, or put something together just for fun?

[neo_prankster]

I think this is a better fit for the Concepts board.

[Sport]

I think this is a better fit for the Concepts board.

Nah,

"Has anybody else ever made their own helmet, stitched their own jersey, or put something together just for fun? "

[meetthemets]

It looks like you started to paint a Bengals helmet and stopped half-way through.

[seahawk9]

It looks like you started to paint a Bengals helmet and stopped half-way through.

Always wondered what the Bengals helmet would look like if they had a slight white drop shadow around each of the black stripes. Would probably pop each of the black stripes better on the orange helmet.

[crashcarson15]

It looks like you started to paint a Bengals helmet and stopped half-way through.

Yes, but that's actually what Bengal Tigers look like.

[Jungle Jim]

Not that you asked for suggestions on technique, but one trick I've used is to very carefully rub Vaseline on the parts you don't want the paint to stick to. In this case, it would have been the black stripes. After the paint gets on the Vaseline, it wipes right off. It would've enabled you to buy only the one Bengals helmet and avoid the stripes cleanup of the sticky residue and paint seepage. Or I might have even tried just temporarily peeling the stripes off the Bengals helmet, painting the white, then reattaching them. Either way, interesting concept, and one I hadn't seen before.

[JJSCOTT]

very cool! i love seeing people take the concepts to real form!!! anybody else have anything they have taken to reality?

[oddball]

If I was doing this, I would've done the white first followed by the orange and black. It would've giving you a cleaner/crisper look right off the bat. It would brighten the orange up a lot and made life easier with just a couple coats of black for the stripes. I like the idea. I just would've kept it to the bottom of the ear holes and maybe the mask.

[Sport]

Well my own impatience cost me on the black stripes. I sprayed the helmet with a layer of black gloss, and I waited about 15 hours before I applied the stripes and then sprayed over it with the orange. I probably should've waited for the black gloss layer to cure completely before attaching the stripes. In hindsight I wish I would've left the black helmet alone and not tried to give it the gloss effect.

If I was doing this, I would've done the white first followed by the orange and black. It would've giving you a cleaner/crisper look right off the bat. It would brighten the orange up a lot and made life easier with just a couple coats of black for the stripes. I like the idea. I just would've kept it to the bottom of the ear holes and maybe the mask.

I had to do the black first so I could mask off the stripes saving the black layer underneath. I figured that would be a lot easier than individually painting the stripes once the orange and white layers were applied. Also, the look I was going for was that the facemask would be part of the white part of the helmet. That's why the white goes from the forehead and down the side towards the back. I didn't want the facemask to touch any orange whatsoever.

Inspiration for this helmet came from the old San Diego State helmets. I've had the idea for a long time, but I finally decided to put it into action. Being that this is the first time I've tried anything like this I think it turned out pretty good.

[Discogod]

Not a concept, but I made myself a 1975-76 New York Nets home jersey last year:

Cost me around £12 to make and took about 4 hours. A nice little project to fill a dull afternoon.

I'm hoping to finish off a DIY '86 Milwaukee Bucks home jersey soon.

[Buster]

I hope you're really built if you're going to wear that Nets 'jersey'. Otherwise, it will look REALLY bad.

Great concept on the Bengals helmet. Execution needs a little work but the idea of a realistic tiger scheme is great.

[robbman21]

I used to make jerseys, and was pretty decent at it and made some for some guys here on the boards, but it ultimately brought about WAY more trouble than it was worth and so I had to stop doing it. I really enjoyed it, though...was something really creative to do outside the normal artistic stuff.

[Sport]

Hey guys, I made a second attempt at this. This time instead of masking off the stripes I just painted a shell the same way I did last time, but applied the decals after it dried.

I think it turned out a lot better. Note the awesome helmet bed sheets

and how it would look with a black facemask

Generally I'd prefer the colored facemask better than the white one, but in this case I like the white facemask better.

[charger77]

#2 is WAY better!

[oddball]

Great job on the second version and yes, the white facemask is better as it blends into the look better.

[AJM]

Second attempt is a big improvement...nice work.

[Jahgee]

You should send the 2nd one in to the bengals

[ram29jackson]

It looks like you started to paint a Bengals helmet and stopped half-way through.

Yes, but that's actually what Bengal Tigers look like.

I would go a little lower with the orange on the side of the helmet and a little orange in front of the first black in front of helmet so you still have a white fade but not almost half and half which it kind of looks like now

[awuestenfeld]

This isn't a concept, but I do authentic reproductions... here is my Carson Palmer painted stripe helmet replicating the 2009 season.