painting my helmet myself

[zoltan]

i decided to paint my helmet myself, it's an arai signet gt in squadra black/silver. i spent about 5 hours sanding and masking it, then i primered it using tamiya gray primer. i then put about 6 coats of red up top using an airbrush and tamiya acrylic enamel, and i'm on my fourth coat of white on the bottom also using tamiya acrylic enamel.

reading up on thing, it looks like my best bet will be to clear coat it with polyurethane. from talking with other people it shouldn't hurt the paint i have on there now, and should provide a very durable finish. i'm definitely going to test it before i do the helmet for interaction wit the tamiya paint. the question is do i spray it from a rattle can or thin it down and spray it using my airbrush?

my biggest issue with the polyurethane is that the uv protectents they put in it tends to give it a yellowish cast, which would suck for my white, but i think that's something i'll have to live with.

this is just a picture i whipped up of what i'm shooting for:

[albionbiker]

Can't really help you on that one as i got my helmet sent away to be done by a pro as i'm not that good with the old airbrush. Try doing a search on this website or go to a general biking website such as www.motorcyclenews.co.uk and they might be able to shed more light.

One other thing is if you've had any guarantees left on your helmet they will now be void.

Hope if goes okay.  :guns:

[Sportbilly]

I believe all the safety standards stickers (Snell DOT etc) will be void also...  Then again, I've been wrong before...

[albionbiker]

Good point about the stickers, think you might be right as certain paints will affect the structure of the helmet and therefore in a crash the distribution of impact forces may be altered thus scoring lower marks and changing the Snell/BSI/Racing Classification.

Ride Safe  

[Baker]

Good point about the stickers, think you might be right as certain paints will affect the structure of the helmet and therefore in a crash the distribution of impact forces may be altered thus scoring lower marks and changing the Snell/BSI/Racing Classification.

Ride Safe  

thats complete BS.  The distrivbution of impact on the helmet has nothing at all to do with the paint on it.  Also those ratings won't be void, they don't have anything to void and it doesn't really matter if they are there unless you are racing.  They are there for you when you buy the helmet so you know that it is certified and has passed all the safety tests.

[Turbowaffle]

I think he means that certain paints can weaken whatever material the outter shell is made of by corroding it.

[Pam G]

I think he means that certain paints can weaken whatever material the outter shell is made of by corroding it.

Yeah, what he said.
Another thing to do perhaps if one's design is not very intricate would be to have vinyl decals made to your design & apply them to a solid color helmet.   That's what I would try.

[Sportbilly]

thats complete BS.  The distrivbution of impact on the helmet has nothing at all to do with the paint on it.  Also those ratings won't be void, they don't have anything to void and it doesn't really matter if they are there unless you are racing.  They are there for you when you buy the helmet so you know that it is certified and has passed all the safety tests.

I'm inclined to believe that the solvents in what I assume are oil based paints could well have an adverse effect on the shell of the helmet, exacerbated by the fact that it was sanded first.

Anybody know what procedure the pro's follow, and whether they have to have any standards in place?

Simply, I don't know for sure, just take all the extra information you can find...

[zoltan]

oh good grief.

let me set the record straight here. as long as you aren't painting a polycarbonite helmet you don't really need to worry about what paint you're using, as long as you aren't using something stupid like an etching primer. you aren't affecting the ability of the helmet to protect you as long as you don't sand into the shell material, but only the paint on it. the paint is not a structural member of the helmet. the part of the helmet you have to make sure to sheild from paint is the foam liner, since that can be damaged by solvents in paint.

the procedures pros use is just like the procedure for painting anything else: sand, clean, primer, sand, clean, color, sand (optional), clean, clear, buff.

again, since all i'm altering is the finish on the helmet i'm not voiding any certifications on the helmet, nor am i voiding any arai warranties on the helmet, besides, obvious, the warranty on the finish. again, if you don't sand into the actual material of the helmet or allow chemicals to get on the liner, you aren't affecting the helmet's ability to protect you one bit.

[sprint_9]

I too am getting into airbrushing helmets and various other things such as motorcycle skins and snowmobile hoods.  There is no way you will ulter the protection capability of the helmet unless you really use some really hard paint or sand the hell out of the shell.  I wouldnt use an airbrush to spray clear, the main reason being it is very hard to get an even coverage with an airbrush, I plan on buying a little spray gun to do this, but that depends on what you plan to do, you probley dont want to spend the money if you are just doing one helmet. I would either use a rattle can of clear, or take it to someone that will clear it for you, I personally would take it to someone else to clear because it will probley look a lot better.

[zoltan]

i'd don't want to do the clear using rattle cans because i don't think it mists fine enough, plus, it's too easy to lay down too much paint. my airbrush can put out a surprising volume of paint, so i'm kinda hoping that i can get by with doing a lot of thinner coats rather than fewer thicker ones, especially if i thin it enough.

[albionbiker]

Baker - Not complete BS actually as the composite of the shell can be altered if incorrect paint finish is used. Zoltan may well be using the correct stuff but is worth pointing out.

If you have a degree or experience in composite materials or engineering then fine comment and call it BS but if you haven't then comment and say you disagree.

Sportbilly & TUrbowaffle got where i was coming from

Zoltan - Thin the clear and use your airbrush as you will get a cr*p finish as you can guarantee that straight out of the can you'll get a nice smooth and even spread and then all of a sudden it'll go pearshaped and you'll get blotches. Arai warranty - double check it's not void as whilst the paint your using may well be fine Arai might be be a bit finicky about a non professional (assuming your are a non professional) sprayer doing the work. No offense but America appears to be a society to frequently sue so Arai might say "paint your own helmet and something happens if you come off then we don't want to know" or something to that effect.

When the helmets done are you going to put a pick on the msg board??

[Baker]

Baker - Not complete BS actually as the composite of the shell can be altered if incorrect paint finish is used. Zoltan may well be using the correct stuff but is worth pointing out.

If you have a degree or experience in composite materials or engineering then fine comment and call it BS but if you haven't then comment and say you disagree.

Sportbilly & TUrbowaffle got where i was coming from

Zoltan - Thin the clear and use your airbrush as you will get a cr*p finish as you can guarantee that straight out of the can you'll get a nice smooth and even spread and then all of a sudden it'll go pearshaped and you'll get blotches. Arai warranty - double check it's not void as whilst the paint your using may well be fine Arai might be be a bit finicky about a non professional (assuming your are a non professional) sprayer doing the work. No offense but America appears to be a society to frequently sue so Arai might say "paint your own helmet and something happens if you come off then we don't want to know" or something to that effect.

When the helmets done are you going to put a pick on the msg board??

no I do not have a degree in composite materials, I have a degree in physics with a minor in chemistry, any paint that a normal person with any brain capacity would use on a helmet wouldn't in any way have a significant enough make up to cause any change in the way impact is distributed across the helmet.  Also how exactly would the paint alter the compostie of the shell?  The shell is molded out of whatever different materials mixed together, paint simply coats the shell and has no part of the actual physical make up of the shell material.  anything painted on can be removed later leaving the shell still intact.

[sprint_9]

If you ask any professional airbrush artist out there in the would they will tell you that the airbrush is not designed for even coverage. Do what you want, but Id take to someone else that has the equipment.

[albionbiker]

Can't be f*****g arsed, if people are goign to get tetchy about something then its no worth entering further. If iwanted tetchy then i'd speak to my mates 4 yr old kid.

Just looking forward to the picky.

:nana:  

[sprint_9]

Whatever that is supposed to mean.    :guns:

[zoltan]

Can't be f*****g arsed, if people are goign to get tetchy about something then its no worth entering further. If iwanted tetchy then i'd speak to my mates 4 yr old kid.

Just looking forward to the picky.

...um...i have absolutely no clue what that all meant...