| Author | Message | ||
     Doughnut |
Where does one go for a custom painted helmet? What are some off the things to consider? And while we are here lets see some nicely done helmets.  | ||
| Bads1 |
300 TO 500 to do it right??? Call Will at the Sign Shop. He did the shirts for Homecoming..... the sign that everyone signed. Hes done helmets and Hard Hats for Court. Tell him I sent you. 262-634-3000 | ||
| Doughnut |
Are there helmets that take better then others? My current may be hard to cover. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I don't have a custom painted helmet, but I've considered it before and always thought I'd go to a tattoo artist with some ideas. It shouldn't take long to find one that has experience painting or airbrushing. | ||
| Bads1 |
Doughnut anything can be painted. I can be honest though a used helmet with scratches and imperfections in it costs more because all that needs to be fixed and smooth before a helmet is primed and ready for paint. | ||
| Blackm2 |
PM "Wolf" and ask where he had his done. I believe it was pretty reasonable and it looks pretty awesome with the Buell Pegasus with the California flag star and colors(besides the black). http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/boar d-profile.cgi?action=view_profile&profile=socalbue llriders-users | ||
| Tbolt98 |
Working on painting one of my old lids as a tester... just spray-bombing it but I think it may come out pretty good. My painter friends tell me the key is in the prep work! | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
my race helmet is custom painted dont know how to post pics here, sorry But it cost me 175$ to get it painted and it turned out really nice for what its worth, the helmet is an Arai protracker | ||
| 86129squids |
IIRC, and I'm old, paint can damage helmet shells. Ask Vern. I'll put a sticker on anything, but be careful with brain buckets. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Jon, You MUST check out some of Will's work. To top it off, he's in your neighborhood! He has done some REALLY nice stuff plus he's a great guy. Brad | ||
| Iman501 |
have any of you guys seen the artcle in the last cycle world about the girl who took her helmet then her monster and "sharpie'd" it? she litterally took sharpie markers and colored the entire thing, it looks awsome! | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
Some things to keep in mind... "Please note that, when painting, applying stickers, or varnishing, the paints, adhesives, or varnishes may contain components which negatively affect the stability of the helmet and thus its protective effect." "Petroleum, petroleum products, cleaning agents, paint adhesives etc may damage the helmet and make it ineffective." "WARNING: Stickers, markers, paints, etc. may contain ingredients that can damage the helmet and reduce its protective properties. Before applying any of these products to the helmet, verify their compatibility with expanded polystyrene and polycarbonate." "DO NOT paint your helmet. Stickers may have adhesives that can degrade the helmet shell material." Above info from google search. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Another caution point on helmet painting is that they are sanded prior to painting, not sure if this has any effect on the structure? | ||
| Sifo |
Some helmets are molded from plastic. I would not paint one of these as the plastic may be affected by the paint. I also wouldn't own one because they are very cheap helmets. The resins used in laying up fiberglass and carbon fiber get painted all the time with no ill effects. The sanding that is done prior to paint would be minimal and wouldn't hurt the structure. If it requires more than simple "paint prep" then the helmet should be replaced anyway.  | ||
| Bearracing |
helmet structure: I knew someone that would remove the liner in there helmet. then place the whole thing in there dishwasher. put two table spoons of baby shampoo in. Then let it wash. The helmet did come out real nice and clean! anyones thoughts one this LOL. | ||
| Britchri10 |
So long as it's not on the hot "pots & pans" cycle it shouldn't harm the helmet. I clean mine w/soap & warm water all the time. (well, whenever I clean it) Chris c | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
the manu's doa cya thing with the warnings. even the molded plastic ones can be safely painted IF the proper paint chemistry is used. most anyone that paints a helmet should probably make you sign a waiver releasing them of any future liability. it is not something to be taken lightly but it can be done safely if done right. | ||
| Sifo |
helmet structure: I knew someone that would remove the liner in there helmet. then place the whole thing in there dishwasher. put two table spoons of baby shampoo in. Then let it wash. The helmet did come out real nice and clean! anyones thoughts one this LOL. I have thoughts on this... Don't put soap in your dishwasher that is designed to make suds! It can really make a mess. I also wouldn't use dishwasher soap on a helmet. That stuff eventually etches glass. Is it really that hard to clean a helmet shell? One last thing... And I think this is what Britchri10 had in mind with his no pots & pans cycle... There's a heating element in the dishwasher. Depending on the model dishwasher that may activate in cycles other than pots & pans. Heat is bad for the helmet. If you really need a shortcut to cleaning your helmet, ride through the car wash! | ||
| Bads1 |
Many pro racers helmets are painted. Paint does not harm these shell's. You guys better let Troy Lee that hes messing up. Sign a waiver??? LOL | ||
| Aeholton |
Keep checking this thread....can't believe that not one picture has been posted, yet.  | ||
| Tbolt98 |
Ok, i'll bite... this is what i'm working on. Basic retro look but i'm gonna do kind of a ghost flame job on the side and spray the whole thing with a matte-clear. It was an old helmet that was in ok shape but I didn't wear it... so no sweat if I ruin it! .... ok I can't just take a pic on my Droid and post it!?!?! | ||
| Tbolt98 |
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| Rpm4x4 |
Keep checking this thread....can't believe that not one picture has been posted, yet. X2 | ||
| Etennuly |
This was a black with blue trim Asphalt helmet that matched my former City-X in Hero Blue. When I bought the Barricade Orange Uly that would just not do. So.....   There are certain Urethanes that can melt the hard shell coating on what you would think is a fiberglass helmet. This particular helmet is not of fiberglass with a gelcoat finish as was old school. It is more like a plastic smooth coat cured on the fiberglass inner shell. I can't say for sure without more study of who makes them and how. I painted it in 2007 with no ill effects thus far, but then it has not been fully tested, thank goodness.  | ||
| Skinstains |
I had some clown who was tech'ing my gear and my bike at a NESBA trackday at VIR try to gig me on my painted lid. He told me that the chemicles in the laquer are damaging my helmet and it is no longer usefull as a lid but would make a nice trophy.?! I asked him if he had painted it (he didn't) then how did he know it was laquer. Then I told him that all of the AMA guys go through tech with their lids and I would have to see his boss as I was going to challenge his rediculous assumption. All of a sudden it was deemed acceptable. Of all the things to worry about hurting you on your bike I think the helmet paint would be low down on the list. It isn't even on my list. Give me my green glitter or give me death dawg-gone-it! | ||
| Ducxl |
We took our Ducatis' to Italian bike day nearby where,we met this girl who used a SHARPIE to carve graphics into her bike and helmet.Then had them clear coated.Cool job.  Can you make out her notice of BMC's demise? I once used a famous hockey helmet painter. He did motorcycle helmets as a side gig. Artco designs. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
Etennuly, I like the fact that you added the reflective strips. Very clean looking too. | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
never posted pics on here before, hope that it works       | ||
| Froggy |
Ducxl, I've seen that bike, it is beautiful! | ||
| Sifo |
I'm planning on painting a buddies helmet Monday. It's going to be fairly simple color change while keeping some of the original graphics, then a pearl coat over the entire helmet. The new color will be just about a perfect match for his white pearl Daytona 675. I'll try to get some pics along the way. | ||
| Sifo |
So my buddy Vern had a Ducati and had a nice Aria helmet in Italian colors. The Duc is gone an he now has a white Triumph Daytona 675. Vern's a great guy, but a bit of a poser. He'll tell you so. Anyway he was talking about trying to do something to make his helmet look better with his 675. I had to repaint some pieces for my wife's Street Triple after she dumped earlier this year. It had already been pearled and was an exact match for the Daytona Pearl white, so I volunteered to do his helmet while I was doing the fly screen for my wife's bike. Here's how things went... Original colors. I've started wet sanding the clear coat with 600 grit. Just enough to take down the gloss. Vern had taken the vent out on the chin piece. We didn't want to chance breaking the others so they will get taped off.  The plan is to paint the green, white, and red areas to match the pearl white of his bike. We both agreed that keeping the checkered flag, and Aria decals was the way to go.  Tape everything up real well. All paint lines on the helmet have been taped with 1/8 inch fine line tape. It's expensive, but give a nice crisp tape line. Blue low tack tape was used where it will be unmasked after shooting the white coats. Normal high tack tape was used every where that would stay taped through the entire paint process.  Here's the garage ready to start painting. I've learned that using heavy canvas tarps on the floor, then wetting them down real well really keeps dust to a minimum when you don't have a spray booth. That's the fly screen on the second horse. Note that the top of the 2X4 the helmet is on has been well padded with rags taped to the end so you don't damage the styrofoam liner with the sharp corner of the 2X4.  First tack coat goes on very light.  Three coats of white covered well. The race flag and Aria decals are untaped, and the first coat of blue pearl has just been sprayed. This is another very light tack coat, just like the first coat of white.  Four coats of blue pearl gives an exact match to the Daytona 675 white. It really stands out over the black areas. I didn't tell Vern the black would turn that blue. It actually came out similar to the color of the decals on the 675. Damn cool!  I threw it in the back of my van that was sitting in the sun to force dry it for 15 minutes (check the directions on your paint to make sure it can be force dried). 30 minutes later it was untaped. Here it is out in the sun.  Not bad for only having the helmet for 22 hours before Vern came to pick it up. He was pretty blown away with how it came out. He says he may go to a graphics place to get some decals made to dress it up just a bit. Probably add a Union Jack decal on the back in the white area. He said he may also find a pin striper to finish it off a bit. This wasn't meant to be a full blown custom job, just a freebie freshen up while I was already shooting those colors and had purchased the materials already. Vern was very happy. I had fun doing it too.  |
