HOWTO make a disco-ball helmet

On Instructables, Natalina explains how she turned her motorcycle helmet into a disco ball: "This disco ball helmet uses real glass, as it is intended as a costume piece (to be paired with a disco backpack, coming soon!). If you want it to be functional, acrylic mirror would be safer and lighter weight (though not as shiny and reflective)."

Disco Ball Helmet (Thanks, Karen!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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The Snowden Principle

Tyler Riddle

Putting a mirror on your head then driving around blinding other drivers is pure brilliance, especially when those other blinded drivers could wind up hitting you due to being blinded. There’s a Top Gear where Jermey Clarkson builds his own car out of polished aluminum. It subsequently blinded the driver and random people all around them on the streets and in other cars.

I think what we really need is a solar oven helmet used to cook mock McDonalds for 3 year olds and a built in cheap plastic cruddy label maker so the kids can write “obesity” all over it before they eat it.
- EvilTerran
  
  … did you miss where she said “it is intended as a costume piece”? Or did you just ignore that bit because it got in the way of your perceived opportunity for righteous indignation?
  - renke
    
    I think you missed the second piece: “if you want it to be functional, acrylic mirror would be safer”. Not exactly an invitation to use this thing on the streets, but also not a warning…
    - xian
      
      But then you must have missed the last piece that said it wouldn’t be as shiny and reflective.
      - http://profile.yahoo.com/672UATFG6SID4LW6KETD6RJAFQ Stephen
        
        You missed the part where it still is shiny and reflective…
      - xian
        
        I’m not saying this is or isn’t a good idea, but I can think of plenty of things shinier and more distracting than this… chrome bumpers, headlights of oncoming cars, headlights of the guy behind me in the jacked up truck, police lights, the sun.
      - renke
        
        reflectivity of a floating glass mirror is (best case) around 90-95%, Plaskolite claims for its acrylic mirrors “approximately 85-90%”.
        
        “not as shiny” is a relative measurement :)
http://twitter.com/vikkiorlando Vikki Fraser

I was thinking the same thing Tyler, as a motorcycle rider this is the most idiotic helmet I’ve seen. Worse than the dingbats with Crystals or CDs hanging from their rear view mirrors.
http://twitter.com/fondleshark Shaun McDonald

Which part of “this is intended as a costume piece” did you two have difficulty parsing?
- http://profiles.google.com/joshuabardwell Joshua Bardwell
  
  Which part of, “if you want this to be functional,” did you have difficulty parsing?
  - http://illustratorhints.com/ Jesseham
    
    I’m guessing he doesn’t want. Nor did the designer.
SpaceOtter

Brilliant!
falnfenix

no me gusta. can’t imagine how heavy that thing’s gotta be.
therealkuri

In some jurisdictions, motorcyclists can be ticketed for even having stickers on their helmets, on the rational that they hide damage, making it not compliant with the law to wear a proper helmet. As pretty as this looks, I can’t imagine the cops in my city would be too happy with it.
- http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby
  
  Actually a lot of stickers can damage the surface too, making it weaker. Any weak spot is a very bad thing with a motorcycle helmet; even if you drop the thing on the floor from waist height you should ideally replace it.
  
  As a costume piece (as advertised) it’s awesome, as anything else it’s a bad idea on many levels.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_FJUUROIMFNYWV53SAYZ7TGNX6I Sherm

Now when you get into an accident the paramedics can sing “Staying Alive” to you.
- http://illustratorhints.com/ Jesseham
  
  And then their CPR will be perfectly timed!
Chris Lee

I used the same technique on my stormtrooper armor for Disco Trooper.
http://discotrooper.com
- suburbanhick
  
  Would that make you a Storm Trouper?
  - Chris Lee
    
    Yes.
    And +1 for the ABBA reference.
grimc

If you want your helmet to be functional, don’t slather it in glue which could weaken the shell and render it useless when you crash, which you probably will if you’re a rider stupid enough to slather your helmet with glue.
suburbanhick

The mirror shades are a nice touch. I’ll picture the next motorcycle cop who pulls me over wearing one of these helmets. Sweet revenge!
screwt

Obligatory boring comments for anyone wanting to try this on a real helmet…
- don’t ever put glue on a helmet – it can critically weaken the structure (same goes for stickers & permanent markers, sorry)
- as others have pointed out, shiny things that blind the people you want to avoid you are a bad idea.

Sorry to rain on the parade, but this stuff is important.

Of course, as a costume-piece it’s ace!
- Marktech
  
  - as others have pointed out, shiny things that blind the people you want to avoid you are a bad idea.
  
  But shiny things that attract the attention of the people you want to avoid you are a good idea; and if we can live with chrome on a vehicle without it occurring to anybody that it might blind – BLIND!!! – other road users, I suspect acrylic mirroring on a helmet isn’t really going to be a problem to get worked up about. In the UK, we’re obliged by law to have reflectors on our vehicles, and encouraged to wear reflective clothing; it could be argued that having more reflective material might do more good than harm.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Gurman/540906907 Dave Gurman
  
  Obligatory correction, polycarbonate helmets can be seriously damaged by some glues but this does not apply to fibreglass variety that us sensible riders choose (and cover in stickers!).
  
  As for the possibility of blinding the drivers who cause all the SMIDSY (Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You!) accidents – that goes way beyond mere irony!
Cunning Amphibian

Bonaparte has had one of these for years:
http://www.szenerostock.de/uploads/pics/18.11._Do_20.00_MS_Stubnitz_-_Bonaparte.jpg
(btw, free “Louie Louie” download on their website http://www.bonaparte.cc)
http://illustratorhints.com/ Jesseham

I saw an awesome one here in Seattle once that was completely plastered in googly eyes.
Ipo

I’ve never been blinded by a disco ball, but that’s just me.
I have been blinded by windshields, which break into thousands of tiny glass pieces for safety.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Whittle/1215485531 Brian Whittle

It amuses me that people automatically think someone would use this to ride a bike and not as the costume piece it obviously it.