Hello Everyone, It has been years since I was on here, but times have been unkind to me, (Debts, Unemployment, Medical Problems) but now It's finally starting to turn around.

As with life we often forget what we have until we uncover it again; and with that I introduce to you my Don Post Deluxe Vader Helmet NO# 480, I also have a 665 but that one is in much better shape (see comparison pics)

Up first is 480.




You will note that this Helmet has seen some action, So I'm asking what Grit of Sandpaper should I use (I have an Orbital Sander)
to strip the old paint? What Bondo should I use? QuickSteel? Fiberglass?

Helmet 665

All opinions are welcomed and thanks in advance. R/Chris

Welcome

Swap the domes (helmets), 480 mask has a less flared neck

Hi Cerillo,

It's great to have you back!! I'm glad things are looking up for you

Coincidentally, last year I picked up another DP Deluxe that was in need of TLC and I'm going to restore it as well at some point. I started to work on it a while back but I have projects for others that I need to complete first.

I would start with around 320 grit wet or dry automotive paper (I usually wet sand everything). It's abrasive enough to cut well but not so much that it leaves marks to be filled in. I'd hand sand it first to see how easily the paint cuts (or not) before I brought out the orbital. With the orbital you risk taking too much off and eating into the casting. I prefer automotive wet or dry because it doesn't fall apart when you wet it.

As far as what to fill with; from the damage I can see steel stick would be great. I use it all the time to lock the mounting rings onto helmets and it's rock solid.

Dave

So after dermaling (if there is such a word) and wet sanding down the rest for fine tuning; I was able to re position dome. I'm very happy with the result. Here are comparison shots.





I plan taking this in to an auto body shop, as I don't want to use rattle cans on this. Special thanks to Dcarty for advise on taking on the this project.

So after continued sanding, priming, painting and repainting' I'm finally done. My original plan was to take this to a Auto Shop and have it professionally painted, but it's never a good sign when the people you want to deal with can't speak English. I had to have an
interpreter tell the painter what I wanted and by the way he looked at me, you'd think I had something growing out of my forehead.

Although I was disappointed I was not deterred, In all honesty I'm very happy with the results.

If you want to know the Stock No# of the Duplicolor Paints I used, just ask and I'll
post with the detailed paint scheme. Now onto the pictures.... Enjoy

Looks fantastic!! By all means, please share the paint info and your methods.

Cheers,
Dave

I couldn't help myself... After ensuring the paint scheme was correct; or as close as I could get. I sealed it. and here are the results.







These are the paints I used, THEY ARE FANTASTIC!!!!!!



Now on to the details, I used 3M painter's tape(the blue with yellow writing on it) this works really well and prevents over spray, especially in tight corners. for areas I did not concern myself with and to save money, I used sarranwrap. Curing time is 10 minutes, but it's a lot faster then the recommended time. But to ere on the side of caution I would suggest to staying within the 10 minute guideline because your location may be different. I live in southern California where the air is dry. (though lately it has been Humid, so I waited til nightfall ) It really wasn't as hard as I thought, so for those of you sitting on the fence. Don't let it hold you up.
If you got the time, do it. You wont be sorry. C

Looking great. Well done.

Thanks for the kind words. C