How-To's
Chicken Wire Covered Helmets
By Patrick Breaux
Nov 1, 2004, 16:18

Here are the instructions again:

The mesh is made from 32ga wire (craft store I think its in the beading section). The spacing is done with a #2 pencil, but I think those older style bic pens might work as well. Each twist is 4 full turns clockwise. You start with 11 pieces of wire (this will be wide enough for a Dragon helmet) about 2 feet long. Bend each loop in half around the pencil (historical reference: Sherman's bowties) and twist it four times. The result will be a hexagonal loop with 2 tails about 1ft long. Next place one loop on each side of the pencil with the twists against opposite sides of the pencil and twist the adjacent wires 4 turns. Keep joining across until all the loops are together. Then advance to the nest row etc....its a little tedious at first, but once you have it going it gets easier. The best look is achieved by always twisting in the same direction, and getting a good tension to the twist. Don't stop until it is at least 14 "twists" long, this will be enough to do 1 dragon helmet (full cover). If the wire is Galvanized you then need to soak it in vinegar overnight to remove the coating, this will allow it to rust naturally and help paint to stick. You can save the vinegar and use it again, just be sure to label it "not for salad". Next time I sit down to make some wire I'll try and get some pictures. Its sort of a visual thing. The rim on the 3/4 basket is made from 28ga wire, as are the wire straps. Its not that hard to do, its just a matter of patience and time.

Here are some pictures to help you out:

Step 1: You have your "loops" of wire, a strip of paper with 1/4 inch "tic" marks, and double stick tape.

Step 2: Using the tape secure the "loops" to the paper strip as shown, for the sake of expediency, I'm only showing 4 loops. For the full helmet cover, you will need a row of at least 11 of these. For the 3/4 style you need only 8. Note the way the tails of the wires criss-cross, maintaining this "lay of the wires will make it easier to "sort out" which pairs need to be twisted.

Step 3: Next you will start your first row of "twists", laying the pencil in as shown. Please note that I am left handed. If you look closely at the picture, you can see that the wires coming in from the left go under the one coming in from the right. Twist the two together clock-wise, two complete 360 turns.

Step4: Keep going back and forth, completing the whole row before moving on to the next. As you move along it will get easier.

Step 5: Once you are a few rows out, you can remove the tape and paper, this picture shows the technique I use for holding the "sheet". Note how the sheet is held firmly and the tails of the wires are held out of the way, so as not to get tangled in the twisting.

Step 6: Here you can see I've pulled out the wires needed for the next "twist", while the others remain out of the way. For the full helmet the sheet will need to be 14 loops long, for the 3/4 it will need to be 10 loops long. Soak it in vinegar to remove the galvanizing, then toss it outside for a few days to weather it.

At first your results will look horrible, but as you practice, you will get better. Also, bear in mind that you are going to stretch this over a helmet, and a defect here or there will not be as noticable.

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