A Flaming Ghost Rider Helmet Is Just What We Need for Halloween

Most of 2020 may have been canceled, but you can still celebrate Halloween at home. This project isn’t meant to get you into building your own flaming helmet and get you riding through the neighborhood with your head on fire, but it could serve as a nice reprieve from the flaming dumpster that’s been this year. Plus, it offers some insight into the challenges building one such helmet poses.

James Hobson of Hacksmith Industries declares his three most favorite things are fire, motorcycles and Nic Cage, though not necessarily in that order. As such, Ghost Rider, the comics-inspired movie franchise, ranks high with him, so he decided to see if he could make a convincing Ghost Rider in real life.

As you probably know, Ghost Rider is on fire when he rides to right the world’s wrongs. His skull-head is engulfed by flames and he also wields a flaming chain as his weapon of choice. Hobson throws a chain in, too, as a bonus.

As he explains, the biggest challenge to the helmet was finding a way to set it on fire without it, you know, actually burning his head. He eventually came up with a copper wire frame that goes around the upper part of a skull-shaped helmet, with tiny holes for flammable gas to come out and be ignited. As long as the flames blow away from the helmet, he runs little risk of being set on fire and, as he proves, he can even ride his motorcycle at slow speeds without the fire going out.

The chain was just as challenging, especially since Hobson also wanted to swing it through the air (and, as you’re about to find out, destroy some pretty random stuff) without going out. He weaved a kevlar thread through the chains, to allow the flammable liquid (a mixture of oil lamp and camp fuel) to become imbued and burn longer.

The result was very impressive. Hobson tested out the chain inside and then took the flaming helmet on what we assume was a short, slow-speed ride in a deserted area. He then proceeded to freak out co-workers by hiding around the corner and jumping at them, with his head on fire. “Wow, that is so awesome!” was one man’s reaction. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you recognize a fellow nerd.

Check out the video. Happy Halloween, and don’t try this at home.