Helmet painting...

wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
I figured here would be a good place to ask, considering Mr. Dean is here.

I've been thinking about painting a full face, but I'm not sure about the best way to go about it. What I would like to know is, what sort of paints would I be able to use without compromising the integrity of the shell, and what sort of clear finish could be used.

Also, what is the best way to prep the surface? I figure the gloss finish would have to be rubbed back, but what if there are those pesky decals under the clear?
I don't expect anybody to give away any professional secrets, but any help would be much appreciated. Cheers, Shayne.
 
J

josh

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Im sure jeremiah from dylandeandesigns.com will be able to give you some advice! sit tight :)
 
D

DylanDeanDesigns

Likes Dirt
Hey guys-

My complete name is Jeremiah Dylan Dean....so I'll answer to any of these names! It's all good.

As for the helmets, we typically use automotive paints (from PPG and House of Kolor) sprayed through an airbrush/spray gun......

but let's start from the beginning. I won't get into all the details, but here's a brief overview of what we do.

First we sand the helmet/visor (basically to get the shine off). If the helmet has a decal kit, we sometimes sand through or sand just enough to get it as smooth as possible. From there we use a Primer on the surface (there are a few different primers...depending on condition of the helmet).

From there, you tape/design, and spray your colors (there are sooooo many different colors, pearls, neons, etc u can use) Just be careful to read the codes/ratios etc. Certain paints need certain solvants, reducers, hardners, etc to be mixed with...otherwise you can screw yourself big time!

Once you're done....you need a clear & hardner to seal & protect your work. We typically use a PPG brand clear (sorry don't know the codes off hand).

Anyway, this is just a brief overview of what we do & is needed for painting a helmet. There are actually a lot more solvents, cleaners, and chemicals that we use, but just takes too much time to get into. The best way to figure out what exactly you need is to talk to you local Automotive Paint shop. Tell them exactly what your doing (and what it's made out of - plastic, carbon, etc) and they should be able to run things over with you.
Please remember, this is an expensive process...with all the previous mentioned chemicals and materials you're sure to spend several hundred (US) dollars in materials for a professional job.

There are less expensive options that I've heard of, but I have no clue what their process is.

As for my prices....I typically start at around $400 (US Dollars) for a full face helmet. This includes prices for materials and labor. I'm hoping to redo my website soon and include a "custom paint" section which will include a price spec sheet.

Hope this helps! & Good luck!
 
G

Guest

Guest
cool thats a real help...i dont think i can afford to get my helmet painted no more:(
 
B

belly_up

Likes Dirt
Remember guys that Jeremiah is doing a professional job, so he's compelled to use the best products and methods, which cost accordingly. You and i however, are in no way, shape or form, professionals. Think of his advice as a guide to the process you'd follow, rather than a list of exactly what you need etc.

If you have an old helmet you can practice on, just sand it back, get some primer suitable for fibreglass / plastic / whatever your helmet is made of (in a spray can). Prime, sand, maybe prime again, sand, clean, topcoat (spray can), sand, clean, topcoat again as necessary, clean, clearcoat. All of the paints should be available in spray cans, and you should be able to do the whole thing for under $100AUD.

You can now get all those groovy color change paints in spray cans as well, from Autobarn or similar.
 
T

trobb

Likes Dirt
ive know someone that painted there helmet. it looks mad but dont screw it up or it will look shiter than in already does
 
D

DylanDeanDesigns

Likes Dirt
belly_up said:
Remember guys that Jeremiah is doing a professional job, so he's compelled to use the best products and methods, which cost accordingly. You and i however, are in no way, shape or form, professionals. Think of his advice as a guide to the process you'd follow, rather than a list of exactly what you need etc.

If you have an old helmet you can practice on...
Click to expand...

Exactly.... the materials that I use are the best and for professional work only (or someone that has a lot of money to waste! :lol: ) If you're inclined to paint a helmet yourself, use my info as a guide. You can definately get get by with other metods of painting (spray can, paintbrush, etc) It's less durable, and tend not to be as clean -- but it's definately a lot cheaper! It's defnately best to try it out on a "junk" helmet (or something you're not too worried about messing up) first...at least until you get the hang of it.

HAVE FUN!
 
wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
Thanks guys, that's all great info (hey Jeremiah, your nick should be bullfrog :p ).
Anyways, I'm looking at picking up a full face very soon, and I've found one I can get nice and cheap through work (I'd like a madmax but with all the bell crap it's hard enough to get anything from them, let alone a helmet to fit my "bucket sized" head.
But it's alright to use like the automotive spray cans from auto 1 and stuff? I wasn't sure if it would damage the shell or not, but if not that's great.
 
K

karl

Likes Dirt
The best advise l can give you is to go to someone that does it for a livivg, lf you do it yourself, it usually looks like you did it yourself. Try Krals Kreations, he's in Melbourne 03 59444 964, paints helmets fulltime, he's done 3 Moto x helmets for me and they are smoking, prices depend on what you want, but start at around 400 AUS
 
B

belly_up

Likes Dirt
The paint won't hurt the shell because it never comes in contact with it. It's the primer you have to worry about. Just make sure it's suitable for fibreglass / plastic, depending what your shell is made of, and you'll be right.
 
wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
belly_up said:
The paint won't hurt the shell because it never comes in contact with it. It's the primer you have to worry about. Just make sure it's suitable for fibreglass / plastic, depending what your shell is made of, and you'll be right.
Click to expand...
Cheers, I never thought of it that way :p .

Karl: I'd love to have it done by a pro, but there's no way I can justify spending $400 bucks on having a lid painted, when I'll be spending less than half that on the helmet itself. It's not something that I'll wear on a regular basis, so I just thought I'd have a play. Trust me, the outcome could not be worse than what's already there, but if it does go really badly, I can always just paint it a block colour (even I can get that right) and put some stickers on it.
 
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