Helmet Paint

[salty_monk]

Has anyone here tried custom spraying a helmet? I know the MFG say don't do it but I've also heard of people having success (look at the racer's lids...)

Any recommendations as to what I should use? I guess I need some kind of plastic paint to allow for a bit of flex in the surface.

I plan to just scuff the clearcoat on the helmet & go right over the top with a gloss....

Dan

 

[Griffin]

Is your helmet injection molded plastic or fiberglass? That would make a difference as to what type of paint one would use.

 

[PAULYBOY]

I've used auto enamel , laquer , model airplane colors , t shirt type paint (createx with binder and hardener) , as well as lettering enamel. All worked, although, be choosy on the clearcoat. I once used some rattlecan clear and ayear later the whole helmet was suffering from crazing and cracking. a pity too because the helmet was a wrap around ocean scene with dolphins jumping in the back, fishes, seahorses, starfish, etc. And on top was a sun and full moon ringed by clouds, with sunbeams striking the surface of the water at different places.

 

[Ironriot]

On the DoTheTon forums there's an admin that's into painting helmets. Maybe he can give you the finer points of it. His name is loco leon i think. His stuff looks pretty good BUT he does mostly vintage paint jobs

 

[Zooks]

We've covered this in great detail here before. If you like your head DON'T paint your helmet. The paint will weaken the structure of it. In most 'western' countries painting of motorcycle helmets is actually illegal.

 

[Nessism]

We've covered this in great detail here before. If you like your head DON'T paint your helmet. The paint will weaken the structure of it. In most 'western' countries painting of motorcycle helmets is actually illegal.

I think it depends on the type of paint used. Paints with lots of solvent that bites down into the old paint layers, and into the substrate in the case of a helmet, are to be avoided. This is particularly important in the case of a plastic helmet. A less aggressive paint, on a fiberglass helmet, should be fine. Helmets come from the factory with paint as evidence of this. Problem is knowing what kind of paint to use. I'd try to find someone that paints this kind of thing for a living to find out what they use - follow Ironriot's suggestion for a start.

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

The issue is not it damaging the hard outer layer of the helmet. This is only what holds the helmet together. The styrofoam underneath is what saves your brain. Styrofoam is many little sealed bubbles of gas. When you expose it to solvent, the walls are weakened and destroyed. Anyone who has ever dropped styrofoam into gasoline to make crude napalm knows this. (I once saw someone try to transport gasoline in a styrofoam cup - now that was funny).

The same thing happens when you smash your head into the pavement, the bubbles rupture, releasing energy, that would otherwise go straight to your skull.

In either case, the helmet should not be "used" to protect your brain, because it is not very useful.

The helmet will still work in the sense that it will distribute the force over a broader area of your head, but it will not help to slow your head down within the 1" between you and the pavement.

 

[mriddle]

I emailed SHOEI about painting my ugly helmet

I emailed SHOEI about painting my ugly helmet

THIS IS THE RESPONSE FROM SHOEI
(formatting is off because it is stored in my PDA)

We at Shoei North America recommend professional painters and it is always important to get the advice of a professional painter before painting your helmet, but this is what is recommended. You do not want to remove any lower vents or rubber beading on the helmet though they should be taped off to avoid getting unwanted paint on them. The helmet should also be lightly sanded just to remove the clear coat on the outer layer of the helmet. The only paint recommended on a Shoei
helmet is acrylic enamel based paint. When drying the helmet do not use a high heat drying method as it may damage the protective quality of the Polystyrene liner on the inside of your helmet.


Shoei Helmet Corp.

 

[Ironriot]

The one thing I'd worry about is the paint prep fumes destroying the stryofoam. Those fumes are killer. I have a high tolerance for strong smells but even I can't stand them. To the best of my knowledge those fumes are made up from the chemicals which are known to eat through foam. Maybe after you sand the clear coat off just wash it with warm water and soap. Don't use paint prep liquids.

 

[beergood]

This has been brought up before. I did some research, and I think that with a little care and prep you will be fine. Paint in a ventilated area and mask off your helmet's interior to start with.

This was my more lengthy reply:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=109146&page=2&highlight=helmet+paint

 

[salty_monk]

Thanks guys, this is on a Nolan, really nice helmet at a great price but the colour (metallic silver) is not visible enough for me...

I want to turn it bright yellow (or actually some kind of vintage, maybe yellow with black or silver centre stripes or something).

The helmet is not polycarb, it's some kind of fibreglass composite.

Here's the link: http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produ...Id=401&productId=prod661870&leafCatId=&mmyId=

• Snell and DOT certified
• Painted lightweight composite fiber shell (Carbon, Kevlar, Kural & fiberglass), with Hi-Brite protective clear coat
• Optically correct, tool-less quick-change Lexan face shield
• All shields offer total UV protection
• Multi-position anti-scratch flat racing shield; ready for NFR antifog insert and equipped with tear-off pins
• Two position air intakes with aerodynamic ventilation system
• Integrated chin bar vents
• Fully removable and washable interior on snaps and tabs
• Removable cheekpads
• Velour chin strap padding
• Sanitized anti-microbial hypoallergenic interior
• Double D-ring retention system
• Weight of medium helmet 3lb. 15oz.

I would have got a bright one but I really don't like those bright busy helmets that most of them do. Now we are seeing retro bikes it's about time we saw some retro lids....

Dan

 

[jonesti]

Use AutoAir http://www.autoaircolors.com/ then have the local paint pro throw down some uro clear. Did this for a buddy racing...he likes attention

Here's a useful site for painthelp http://www.kustomkulturelounge.com/forum/

 

[salty_monk]

hehe - I won't be replicating that paint job!!

 

[jonesti]

hehe - I won't be replicating that paint job!!

HAHA nobody should! He has a "look at me" defect!

 

[TheCafeKid]

On the DoTheTon forums there's an admin that's into painting helmets. Maybe he can give you the finer points of it. His name is loco leon i think. His stuff looks pretty good BUT he does mostly vintage paint jobs

Noel...he is a bit loco for sure..lol They call him the "Destroyer of NOS" because he thinks nothing of cutting up a perfect NOS seat pan or tank to build something out of it. He catches all kinda flack for what he does to his vintage helmets...some of them do look kinda cool tho IMO and its his stuff so to each his own...

 

[Kris V]

I will post a picture of mine next week when I get it back,it is a simpson and it looks crazy cool and it is a fiberglass helmet\\/

 

[Steve]

...the colour (metallic silver) is not visible enough for me...

Sometimes I am rather fascinated by the logic that makes one think that a brightly-colored helmet makes them more visible. 8-[

Way back when, when Dr. Harry Hurt did his rather extensive study on motorcycle crashes, he found that in an overwhelming majority (I think it was about 70%?) of two-vehicle crashes that involved motorcycles, the other vehicle came from the front of the bike. Take a good look at your helmet. Even a full-face helmet does not show much color to the front. How does a bright color help in that situation?

I have worn silver 3/4 and full-face helmets, white full-face, and now a black full-face, and have not noticed any difference in apparent visiblity to others. Maybe it's because I am also riding a bike that is almost as big as a small car. Maybe the headlight modulator I have been using for the last 6 years helps. Maybe it's because the color really does not matter. :shock:

Just to break up the monotony of an all-black helmet, I have installed two stripes around the bottom edge, one is reflective white, the other is reflective blue. They really show up at night, just in case you can't see all the lights on the Wing.


.

 

[salty_monk]

I read a report in a UK magazine where they tested visibility at different distances etc.

Compared against a bright bike, bright clothing or bright colour anywhere else a solid yellow or orange helmet provided the best visibility by far in all situations. It made the difference between being seen or not in a lot of the tests. A friend of mine commutes in London & says he noticed the difference when changing from a Yellow AGV to a silver one...

I would think your modulator makes a big difference too....

Every little helps... I saw a guy with bright LEDs as running lights front & back the other day, they really stood out too.

 

[jbs80106]

A couple of thoughts...

A couple of thoughts...

1) in the back section of my motorcycle mag there's an ad for a place that sells helmet 'skins', not sure what these are but they look interesting.

2) As for night visibility, I bought reflective flame stickers that light up bright white when hit with headlights. They're black/grey in day light so not too visible on my black helmet....