Painting your own helmet

[bEN_]

So i've looked around and can't find any good tutorials or anything that gives me any confidence to give it a go.

I'll basically be using an old karting helmet, ( an Arai sk5 - laminate construction )

https://s23.postimg.org/7lxoh152z/DSC00872.jpg


The only colours i want to use will be white ( gloss ) and black, the base colour will remain the same but i'll be sanding it all back i think to get rid of the years of stone chips and the odd scratch and my actual 'design' will be black.


Are there any specific types of paint i need? i'd like to get the same sort of white glossy look back if that can be done with spray cans?

i've got various bits of paper, all the way down to 2000 grit
and the one good bit of info i did pick up was that to not use masking tape as it can bleed under it

it's not 100% essential i get this perfect as it's an old helmet.

help / advice appreciated
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2010 Ducati 848 Dark

Lamp Post Enthusiast

[Shaft]

Standard masking tape is basically self adhesive paper, so the adhesive tends not to go to the very edge and that edge isn't as clearly defined as you would want.

To get a really sharp colour to colour edge, you need a product called fine line tape, which is plastic and much more precision cut; it's also possible to stretch it and bend it, so you can get some quite tight curves (with practice) which is more suitable for something of a small scale, like a helmet.

As for paint, you can get a shine on anything, if you put enough material on and polish it like mad.

The problem with the kind of aerosols you buy from places like Halfords is, the paint consistancy is very thin, like water, which makes it quite difficult to build up enough material, because when you start dumping it on, it runs very easily.

I've seen loads of rattle can jobs that look very even and shiny, but they have no depth, because there isn't enough paint there; black is also an issue, because most premixed car colours have other pigments in them, which tend to make it look grey when the paint is too thin.

My preference is for aerosols made by specialist automotive paint suppliers, which are more concentrated, allowing you to get more paint on; you can also ask them to supply you with what's known as unreduced (sometimes called taxi) black, which will give you a true black, not very dark grey.
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Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Just_James]

To be honest, painting a helmet is not a simple thing to do and if you're not experienced you're more likely to make a mess of it than anything else.

Don't use solvent based aerosols such as those for cars etc as they can weaken the shell, they have more thinners in them than anything else. You'd need to use water based or acrylic paints and then clearcoat over them with either an acrylic or 2k lacquer.

It really is a bit of a specialist thing and is generally something left to airbrushers. I have a fair bit of spraying experience and I wouldn't attempt to do a lid.

If you really feel like you want to give it a go, I'd do it on a knackered lid you have no intention of using and have a practice with that.

[bEN_]

I thought it would be a do able DIY job but to get a finish i'd be happy with is sounding quite difficult, the design i want to do is quite simple with the black, i suppose i could try vinyl

thanks for the advice
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2010 Ducati 848 Dark

Lamp Post Enthusiast

[Shaft]

The hardest thing with helmets are the complex compound curves.

Firstly, masking and marking out designs is OK when you're following a line that's already there, like round the base or visor, but once you get round the back (especially if you're going diagonally across) it's a nightmare to get a line dead straight and getting multiple lines equidistant will drive you batshit mental!

Often the easiest way is to start with measuring and marking out centre lines, front to back and side to side, so you've got a marker to work with.

Then when it comes to painting, if you aren't careful, getting an even coat on a surface that is always curving away from you is a bit of an art; you often see people who paint them a lot mount them on turntables, so they can stay in one place and set up their spraying distance, then rotate the helmet to get an even finish.

You could try vinyl, but don't forget those curves again, which will make it quite difficult to get it flat, if you use too big a piece.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[bEN_]

decided to chicken out and ordered a few meters of black gloss vinyl and a a cutting board

i think it's a better option as the only colour i want to use is black and the shapes will only have a slight curve, mostly straight.

but yeah like you said i'll have to measure and mark out the center and getting each cut the same on either side will be fun, this is new to me so i guess i'll be practising alot, i'll update the thread when i've made progress
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2010 Ducati 848 Dark

Lamp Post Enthusiast

[stinkwheel]

[Shaft]

Don't try and cut the exact shape on the board, by the time you've put it on the lid, the straight edges will be curved.

Start with the rough shape and oversize, put the piece on then cut it to a final finish with a scalpel.

Here's one I striped up earlier

https://i1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff426/zedheadchap/DSCF0949.jpg

Because of an administrative cock up, I got that the night before a race and all I had time to do was put some car striping tape on it.

I started with the top red stripe, which was easy because it followed the natural line of the helmet and gave me a marker to work with.

The black lines look OK in that picture (if you look closely, they aren't exactly evenly spaced, because of the angle I chose) but round the back they're all over the place, because I did it quickly by eye and there's no reference point to use.
____________________
Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035

[Shaft]

[ScaredyCat]

What about trying paint pens?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/188253/_bcf/paintpens.jpg
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Honda CBF125 ➝ NC700X
Honda CBF125 ↳ Speed Triple

[Just_James]

[bEN_]

those paint pens look impressive, wonder how tough the paint is tough
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2010 Ducati 848 Dark

Lamp Post Enthusiast

[sidewinder]

They should be ok with a decent clear coat

[deadwolf]

(From the helmet thread) I painted this matte black helmet with Posca acrylic markers and an oil-based white marker. Didn't sand it beforehand which lead to multiple strokes needed to build up enough colour, resulting in a bumpy finish which is more obvious when viewed IRL instead of the photos. I also only gave it one proper coat of clear which makes the bumps even more apparent. Recently showed the helmet to a guy who works on custom bikes and he recommended more coats so that looks like the way to go with marker-painted lids.

The paint is also pretty vulnerable to getting nicked and by the time I'd finished painting there were lots of little scratches and dings, which is nice if you want a distressed appearance but not so nice for clean shapes and lines.

Posca is quite a forgiving medium and if in a pinch you can actually paint over black Posca paint with white Posca paint. Stuff rubs off with wet tissue too. Altogether, like the other painted helmet posted above, markers are more suited to 'illustration' style designs. The 'handpainted' effect is all to obvious which is good or bad depending on what you're aiming for. If you want smooth surfaces, straight lines and clean, sharp and minimalist stuff I'd recommend sticking to good masking tape and spray paint.

This was my first time doing this and I was somewhat afraid that the clearcoat would catastrophically vaporise the helmet's lining. I just went ahead and sprayed it and it was totally fine.

https://i.imgur.com/IsCb6bG.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5lF0AYS.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/S8X1wAl.jpg

I'm going to try vinyl tape myself next time, find some rolls of the stuff which is close to as wide as I need and cut away as needed.
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Motorsapien Art

[deadwolf]

[bEN_]

that looks really cool deadwolf

well i've ordered a few meters of vinyl and i'll give it a go, what would be good to use as a template before applying the vinyl to get the shape right when it's applied to the lid? i guess i could cut it in vinyl and test it before peeling off the sticky but i think with my lack of skills i'll need a few 'practice' goes at it
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2010 Ducati 848 Dark

Lamp Post Enthusiast

[bacon]

Painted my mates helmet a few years ago...

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v218/mikejbry/10032010584.jpg

[Nash GT]

[Azonicben]

Ben have you got access to a compressor?

got a few airbrushes knocking around if you wanted to have a play.

if no compressor you can always use canned air or a valve adaptor to run off an old tyre.
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Cbt-23/09/07.....Theory-16/09/08.....Das passed 10/10/08.....
Current bike- GsxR750 K4. Broken: Cbr400rr (Nc29) Sold: Hyosung GT125R

[Diggs]

Am I alone in reading this thread title and thinking it may go in a different direction entirely?
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Now - Speed Triple, old ratty GS550, GSXR750M
Gone (in order of ownership) - Raleigh Runabout, AP50, KH125, GP125, KH250, CBX550, Z400, CB750FII, 250LC, GS550, ZXR750H1, Guzzi Targa, GSX750F, KH250 x2, Bimota SB6R and counting...

[wr6133]

[bEN_]

[Azonicben]

Whereabouts are you now mate still local?

Will have to grab those fairings at some point dude, track toy a gogo as soon as the gsxr is back on the road.
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Cbt-23/09/07.....Theory-16/09/08.....Das passed 10/10/08.....
Current bike- GsxR750 K4. Broken: Cbr400rr (Nc29) Sold: Hyosung GT125R

[Shaft]

[malteser273]

All this talk of helmets and no innuendo.....
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Honda Hornet 600