At the Invention Studio, there is a definite cycle of interest in types of projects. I’ve seen quad-copters, wooden pens, wooden bowls, cutting boards, and bottle openers suddenly explode in popularity around the space. So this year, when 3D printed masks became the trendy thing to make, I decided to hop on the bandwagon. I made a wearable replica of Corvo’s Mask from the video game, Dishonored.

How did I do it?

The project began with a trip to Thingiverse, MakerBot’s collection of community-generated, 3D-printable objects, where I spent the better half of a day searching for mask designs to create. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was looking for, although I was reasonably certain that I didn’t want to fill the Invention Studio with pieces for yet another Iron Man helmet. I stumbled on this series of high quality files from user Intentional3D. Dishonored was one of the last video games that I got serious about before my interests transitioned from gaming to making things, and, since it has such a special place in my heart, I knew that this would be the mask for me – regardless of how many things I had to print and assemble.

Of the 8 files (some with up to 5 pieces) I had to print for the mask, all but 2 of them were printed on the many, many Afinia and Up-Mini printers we have in the Invention Studio. Those printers have similarly sized print beds (roughly 4″x4″), so I used them for a number of the smaller prints – including the files for the lower jaws. Since the files were prepared for a printer with a larger bed, I made excessive and creative use of the free cut in Netfabb Basic to fit the pieces on the itty-bitty build platform. For the left and right sides of the mask, I had to resort to maximum levels of sorcery in using the Invention Studio’s Makerbots. (Until very, very recently, the Invention Studio has struggled with our 5th generation printers – to the point where only the most quixotic Prototyping Instructors attempted a print.) I got extremely lucky with my both of my prints, which completed in one shot.

Despite the deliciously high quality prints from the Afinia – and the almost high quality prints from the Makerbots – my pieces still had the ultimate characteristic of fused deposition modeling: noticeable layers. Because the in-game mask is smooth, I elected to do some post processing on my prints before painting them. I spent some good quality time in the Invention Studio paint booth, applying layers of spray-on primer filler, alternated with hours of sanding (not in the paint booth, because I am a considerate maker). [As a note to those of you interested in doing 3D printing props, there is a product called XTC-3D, which is effectively a layer of resin over the top of your part. It works marvelously well for smoothing out surfaces, but it also a) adds a layer of extra material and b) covers up small details. Since my mask has a lot of little detail work, and a lot of pieces that have to fit together, I elected to use the filler/sanding method. For other prints who aren’t either of those things, I would happily recommend XTC-3D.]

Once my pieces reached a desired smoothness, I applied a layer of black satin spray paint over the top of all of my pieces. I painted my detail work in acrylic paint over the top of the black base coat, and then I used a wash of black acrylic paint to rub fake grime all over my shiny pieces. Because all of the support parts of the mask are kind of flimsy when they print, I made my own metal crossbars using some scrap brass and tin snips. I beat the strips with a ball-peen hammer to give an uneven forged look, and then I weathered the strips in the same way. Acrylic paint has a well-known tendency to chip at the slightest provocation, so I covered everything with a layer of shellac to guard against my own clumsiness.

Because I couldn’t resist procrastinating on studying for my finals, I did a dry run assembly using hot glue. I even secured my fancy cloth backdrop (acrylic washed burlap with a red, breathable polyester lining), which was sized from the instructions on Thingiverse. I rigged up a method to wear the mask that involved looping twine around my crossbars and then over my ponytail. It was a stylish and fashionable accessory, which I wore for much of that week – even doing mundane tasks like writing lab reports, packing my room, and whatnot.

Post-graduation, I decided that I wanted to give my mask some leather straps with a little buckle, so that my non-ponytail-having friends could have a chance to enjoy the full experience. I also wanted to strengthen the joints, as hot glue is pretty flimsy. I disassembled the whole thing, scraped off the hot glue remnants, and hit it with some epoxy.

People who see me with my mask in the Invention Studio freak out, and I’ve received a number of questions related to it. Am I going to Dragon Con in the fall? Almost definitely. Am I going to cosplay as Corvo? Probably not. I really don’t want to sew that coat. Where can I get one of those sweet masks? Well, with a nice set of files and a little bit of elbow grease, you can make one of these yourself. Right here. For next to nothing. Welcome to the maker movement.