How to Make a Gladiator Helmet

Gladiators wore helmets not only to make them look fierce to their competitors, but also to protect their faces.

Whether you need it for role or costume playing, a themed party or if you are just readying yourself for Halloween, a gladiator costume is incomplete without a helmet. To make a good looking, durable gladiator helmet, you will need an old helmet, cardboard and a few other materials you may have around your house.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• A riding, batting or skateboard helmet
• Corrugated cardboard
• Ruler
• Duct tape
• Glue gun
• Glue
• Scissors
• Gold, silver or bronze spraypaint
• Utility knife
• Marker
• Paint pens
• Ink pens

Making the Faceplate

1. Look for gladiator faceplate designs on the internet.Choose a design you think you can replicate.

2. Sketch your faceplate design on the cardboard with a pencil. When you are happy with the design, trace it with an ink pen.

3. Cut out your faceplate. Cut the eye holes and the breathing holes out of the faceplate with a utility knife, as scissors might not be able to do the job.

4. Add duct tape or masking tape to the edges of the faceplate to smooth it out.

5. Roll your faceplate into a tube shape and the unroll it to give it an arched shape that will fit inside the helmet.

Finalizing the Helmet

1. Use the glue gun to adhere the faceplate to the helmet.

2. Spray paint your faceplate and helmet gold, silver or bronze.

3. Leave the newly-painted helmet and faceplate overnight to dry.

4. Add additional details, such as shading, to the faceplate and helmet with a dark metallic pen.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not want to use spraypaint, you can glue tin foil on the entire helmet instead to give it that metallic luster without the hassle.

• You can also use the duct tape to add texture to your helmet.

• To give your helmet color depth, use paper and masking tape to "mask" or cover the parts that you want to keep reserved for another color.

• Create your helmet a few days before you need it, as the glue and paint you use may take some time to dry.

References

• Costumezee: How to Make a Gladiator Costume
• Enrichmentforyou.com: History: Roman Gladiator in Focus
• Ravensblight.com: Medieval Helmets