Sorry for the delay, but it's been raining here non-stop for almost two weeks now, and I have had few opportunities to actually PAINT this thing, this thing being an Old-timey diving helmet. You guys have requested an old-timey style metal diving helmet for a while, and I thought I would come up with a way to make one cheaply for costumes. 

 

 

First, start with one of those "punchy balloons", they blow up really big, are much rounder than normal balloons, and have this handy rubber-band on them for easily hanging them up. Blow it up bigger than your head, and then hang it up somewhere where you have a lot of place to work around it. 

 

 

Now, start layering paper-mache on it. I used strips of newspaper soaked in water and white glue, and built them up on the outside of the ballon. Let each layer dry, then put the next layer on. Overall, do about 6-10 layers. You want it to have a decent amount of thickness, especially if you want to sand it smooth later. 

 

 

After I built up the layers, I finalized it by putting a layer of metallic tissue paper on the outter layer, to help smooth it out and give it a nice metallic look, I then took an X-acto knife, and poked a hole in the balloon and pulled it out of the hole on the top. 

 

 

I then took some scissors and took it to the hole on the bottom, slowly cutting pieces away from the hole and making it bigger. I kept cutting until..

 

 

you get it about the size of your head, and big enough to fit your head into it. 

 

 

I then set it down flat on the hole I just cut and using my eye (you could try to be more precise and use measuring tape) picked a point about the middle of the front of the "helmet", and poked a hole in it, then cutting a asterisk type hole in it.

 

 

I then cut the pieces out, and likewise expanded the hole just like I did with the bottom.

 

 

I then measured out a "neck" to the helmet, that is about an inch and a half tall piece of poster paper. 

 

 

I then cut out a square of foamboard a little bigger than the hole, and...

 

 

Cut it rounder, then rolled the edges on the table to help smooth it out. 

 

 

I then cut it in a similar way to the holes on the helmet. Peeling out the pieces and cutting them loose. 

 

 

I then glued the neck and port piece into place. 

 

 

Now it's just a matter of customizing it to your liking. You could sand it down and add more layers of paint and varnish to give it a smooth "new" look. Or you could leave it as it is, and paint some green details on it to get it an aged patina finish. You could glue brass paper fasteners in place as rivents on the edge of the port hole, Stretch plastic wrap (or even use a clear plastic plate) to make it look like there is glass in the port hole. Use dowels to create the supports on the hole, or add a spigot to the top and attach it to a fake rubber hose. How you customize from here is up to you and your needs. 

 

For the rest of the costume, I would just find an old jump suit, or painters suit, and paint it the right color, find some big heavy gloves and boots, and a big belt, along with a rubber hose trailing from your helmet, and you have a pretty cheap classic diver's costume without having to spend hundreds of dollars getting authentic gear. 

 

Also, remember, this is paper-mache, so if you go jumping into the ocean wearing this costume, and get your head eaten by a giant squid, i'm not liable, that's YOUR FAULT.