Attaching something flat but flexible to a round, "domed" surface... how?

[CZroe]

Without giving too much away, I want to neatly attach something flat to something round without folding or cutting it (though bending is fine). Think "piece of paper on a basketball." It's actually a bit smaller than a piece of paper.

I can easily tape, say, the top edge across and conforming to the cuved surface, but the bottom and sides would "hang off" mullett-style. Filling that gap neatly and professionally is what I aim to do. Heck, I could tape the bottom edge too but that would make it even harder to conform the sides to the round surface.

Any ideas? I have strips of "Confor" memory foam but I have no idea how to cut it properly and, even if I did, I don't know how to get measurements and cut curves. My next-best guess is to buy some of that hardening foam in a spray can, mask-off the sides, and fill that gap up but, if I can help it, I'd rather not use something hard like that kind of foam.

FWIW, the surface is round, but not perfectly spherical. Fine, I'll crack: It's the back of a full-faced motorcycle helmet; that's why I don't want to use hard protection-compromising foam or materials. Because it will be hidden under a "SkullSkins" helmet skin, it doesn't have to be pretty but it DOES have to be smooth/even.

 

[Sea Moose]

 

[lxskllr]

It's not possible. The only way you could do that is by heat shrinking. I don't know if that's a possibility in your case or not.

 

[ZOXXO]

Hot melt glue?

 

[CZroe]

It's not possible. The only way you could do that is by heat shrinking. I don't know if that's a possibility in your case or not.

Sure it is... I'm just looking for a neater way to do it. Though very flexible, the "sheet" is electronic and I have cut it down as far as I can. Thanks though.

Hot melt glue?

It would take a lot of it and I doubt it would be any neater than, say, stuffing the gap with foam earplugs and gluing them in there.

Fine... I'll spill the beans, but only because something I said elsewhere seems to have already put the idea out there: It's a sound-reactive EL panel that I'm going to be stealthing underneath a Skull Skinz helmet cover (looks to be a similar material to those stretchy book covers). Yes, I do have speakers in my helmet (Parrot SK-4000).

It looks like someone else got my idea and has been asking similar questions so I want to hurry up and finish mine. He even contacted me after seeing my purchase on eBay to ask about the transaction (that's when I found out that he planned something similar).

 

[Savarak]

Sure it is... I'm just looking for a neater way to do it. Though very flexible, the "sheet" is electronic and I have cut it down as far as I can. Thanks though.



It would take a lot of it and I doubt it would be any neater than, say, stuffing the gap with foam earplugs and gluing them in there.

Fine... I'll spill the beans, but only because something I said elsewhere seems to have already put the idea out there: It's a sound-reactive EL panel that I'm going to be stealthing underneath a Skull Skinz helmet cover (looks to be a similar material to those stretchy book covers). Yes, I do have speakers in my helmet (Parrot SK-4000).

It looks like someone else got my idea and has been asking similar questions so I want to hurry up and finish mine. He even contacted me after seeing my purchase on eBay to ask about the transaction (that's when I found out that he planned something similar).

why not just use a modified flexible video ad-like panel like the ones http://www.americhip.com/ sells for magazine ads for the sound-reactive panel... (or just loop a fake 40-minute EL display, noone'll know the diff anyway since they can't hear it)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10313064-93.html

 

[0roo0roo]

go to home depot
go to glue section
buy a epoxy putty stick $4
like plastercine/playdough that turns into plastic

 

[CZroe]

why not just use a modified flexible video ad-like panel like the ones http://www.americhip.com/ sells for magazine ads for the sound-reactive panel... (or just loop a fake 40-minute EL display, noone'll know the diff anyway since they can't hear it)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10313064-93.html

I've seen those. They are wedged between thick, multi-layer pages and aren't flexible. They are so small, they don't need to be (only thin w/ power source). The EL panel I already have is extremely thin, really cheap, and VERY flexible... it's just not "stretchy" to conform in any sort of neat way, hence, the need to fill in the gap. It's also somewhat large.

You're right about the sound-reactive to music thing, but it will also respond to my voice when I talk on the intercom/phone (Bluetooth) so people will realize that I am not some crazy person talking to myself (partly why I am doing this).

 

[CZroe]

go to home depot
go to glue section
buy a epoxy putty stick $4
like plastercine/playdough that turns into plastic

Thanks, but that's why I wanted to avoid the hard foam: It may compromise the helmets protection by absorbing and improperly deflecting impact, perhaps even creating a neck-snapping "bounce" that shouldn't happen.

Now, if I use that hard foam in a can, I wonder if I can easily detach it and hollow it out to a thin, weak, shell? The only time I ever saw the stuff as a kit, it looked pretty hard to remove, but perhaps if I tape the surface first? Hmm...

Thanks for getting me thinking!

 

[0roo0roo]

oh you are going to actually use it.
yes it would compromise the integrity of the shell.

 

[Sea Moose]

Duct tape fixes everything