This is a tutorial on "making horns for your helm" and attaching them to your favorite helmet. This is a fun project and a very easy one to add life and character to any piece, albeit not exactly historically accurate, but still very nice. Materials and tools needed you probably already have, if you've done any foamsmithing.
Materials/tools needed:
scissors
bulk, flat open cell foam,about 4-5 inches thick. Best and easiest source of this I've found is old thrown out couch cushions. Just watch your neighborhood for someone throwing out a couch and you have it.
Cloth medical tape. Thin type that is used to attach gauze pads over a wound. I've found these very cheap at local dollar stores. Just make sure they are not the plastic variety but the soft cloth version. I used about 2-3 rolls per pair of horns.
Liquid nails caulk glue. Come in long tubes like the kind you load a caulk gun with,available at most harware stores for about $3 per tube, which will last you for quite a few pairs of horns. I made 6 helms complete with a variety of horns and still had plenty left with one tube.
For mounting the horns to the helm, I bought some large rubber washer type fitings at home depot. I cannot remember what they are called, but they are readily available in the plumbing section. They look like this:
You could very easily though make your own "washers" out of cut close cell, covered in normal duct tape though, with a beginner pattern like this and then taped together into a cone shape:
1. You want to make some patterns for your "horn " shapes to whatever other shape you want to use. Do some research and look at some horned animals for some ideas.Anything is possible.
2.Trace your patterns onto the bulk open cell foam.dont worry about cutting them into 3 dimensional pieces, just cut them out on the flat open cell.
3.Wrap your medical cloth tape aroung the horn starting from the base and working to the point. Wrap as tight as you like, as you wrap it will take the 3 dimensional horn shape that is very nice. Make sure you overlap the tape about halfway over itself, giving it adhesion, strength and the nice organic look of actual horn. Dont worry about getting this dirty here, the dirtier the more authentic they look.
4. Once you have your horns wrapped, your ready to attach them to the "washer" then your helm. work your washer from the tip of the horn to the base. Once you have it at the base of the horn, make sure you leave a little of the horn under the washer, to anchor. Take your liquid nails and run a seal along the rim of your washer attached to the horn, adhering it to the horn.
5.Attaching your badass horns to the Helm.
Repeat basically the same step you used to attach the horns to your washers to attach to your helmet. Make sure you are sure on the position because the Liquid Nails is a permament adhesive.
And Viola! You have "horned" your helm. As far as re-attaching and maintenance of the horns, you can easily cut of the washers from the helm, as the Liquid Nails, while being strong and durable, can easliy be cut by a razor blade and then reattached in the same way. These horns are so cheap and easily made, that I feel they are well worth the time in maintenance for the tyle they add. The liquid Nails and soft open cell are so flexible that the horns usually last a long time. I can pull with all my might on the horns on my sons helms and they do not give at all. Still, time and tackling will eventually take their toll, so have some extras made for such. But all in all, these should last for many a battle and tourney to come!
Example of a play helm I made for my son:
What is best in life?"
CONAN: "To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you,
and to hear the lamentation of their women."
Good Luck!