# Spraying a helmet



## joshcowin123 (May 27, 2014)

Hi their im looking to spray mine and a couple of friends helmets. I have done a fair bit of acrylic airbrushing but never used car paints so i need a fair bit of advice on this.

What paint would you guys recommend that is good quality and that wont break the bank at the same time.

what would be the best lacquer to use for this and will i need to bake it as my last coat?

How do i apply metal flake to paint, ive seen some guys sprinkle it on and others mix it with paint.

thanks Josh


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## PaulaJayne (Feb 17, 2012)

Be very careful as you can damage the integrity of the helmet.

Check with each maker of helmet before doing it.


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

As above helmets are not meant to be painted as it weakens the structure of it, this goes for any crash helmet. God for bid anything happened you would be responsible as you had painted them.


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## joshcowin123 (May 27, 2014)

thanks guys i have seen a few of the guys use house of kolour paint on helmets and they do helmets for nascar riders and motocross riders around the world so would that be a safe bet to go on?


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

There's a place near us that specialize in motorbikes and custom bikes called sudden impact, it may be worth seeing they have a website or contacting them saying your thinking about having a crash helmet painted, but are unsure because you think there not meant to be painted and want to know if its ok to be done.


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## supernova-dw (Apr 26, 2014)

I'm sure this will be a controversial post but the subject of painting helmets seems to always draw comments about it being dangerous....Which it isn't! Painting a helmet has no effect at all on the structure or integrity of a helmet at all! There is no special process or products used, you just simply paint it as you would anything else! 

All the 'Specialist' helmet painting companies use the exact same process and products as anyone else so go for it and use standard products such as base and 2K Lacquer. a

As for the glitter then don't add it to the paint but add it to the lacquer itself, one coat with a mix of lacquer and glitter and then another coat of lacquer without glitter, you may need to flat it back down once dry with 600 and give it another two coats of lacquer to truly bury any glitter and give a perfect smooth finish.


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## Guest (May 29, 2014)

Just about every pro racer out there is wearing a custom painted helmet...be it Arai..Shoei or any other make.Back in the day there were helmets that should not be painted (polycarbonate) or something similar

http://rage-designs.com/


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

Whilst I agree that many helmets do get customised I would personally be looking into what type of paints and lacquers can safely be used so that I could be reassured that I wasn't compromising the strength of the helmet.

It's all very well someone saying 'you can just paint them' ... but there are many different paints and lacquers available - all of which use different chemical make-ups that may or may not affect the safety of the helmet.

I also can't believe that 'painting a helmet damages it' is purely an urban myth ..... there's got to be some truth in there somewhere.

Please do some proper research into which paint and lacquer combo you can safely use before possibly putting yours and others lives at risk :thumb:


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## Rundie (Oct 2, 2007)

It really depends on the helmet construction and the solvent used in the paint, you can't say that it's OK to spray all helmets as the structure can be affected in some cases. The bottom line is that impact testing is carried out on standard factory finished helmets, modify them and the protection might be compromised.


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## supernova-dw (Apr 26, 2014)

The idea that a helmets construction can be affected by painting it comes from the fact that on old helmets (70's & 80's) The solvents could cause the plastic to become softer.

On modern helmets there is no problem with painting them! As for products then no need to research just use the same as you would when painting anything else.....


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

fibreglass helmet=OK to paint
poly carbonate helmet = not OK to paint


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## supernova-dw (Apr 26, 2014)

GleemSpray said:


> fibreglass helmet=OK to paint
> poly carbonate helmet = not OK to paint


Who says so? All modern helmets are OK to paint regardless of if they are plastic, fibreglass, Kevlar or Carbon.

Helmets are of course painted from the factory and painted with the exact same normal paint that anyone else would use for automotive use so with painting a helmet all you are doing is the same has been done already.


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

GleemSpray said:


> fibreglass helmet=OK to paint
> poly carbonate helmet = not OK to paint


exactly this. if the helmet is of the polycarbonate (plastic) type then you cannot have it sprayed as the spray will react with the helmet making it brittle,you shouldnt even put stickers on thease type of helmet. Fibreglass is fine as its no different to painting a fibre glass shell. Plus you need to also make sure no paint comes into contact with the polystyrene inner either as it will deteriorate it.


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

supernova-dw said:


> Who says so? All modern helmets are OK to paint regardless of if they are plastic, fibreglass, Kevlar or Carbon.
> 
> Helmets are of course painted from the factory and painted with the exact same normal paint that anyone else would use for automotive use so with painting a helmet all you are doing is the same has been done already.


if you want to kill someone wearing a polycarbonate (plastic ) helmet then paint it. At least before you give an answer make sure its correct or research it more. Thus making sure you give the right advice, by saying who says so means you don't really know. Leave it to the more experienced with knowledge.


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

supernova-dw said:


> Who says so? All modern helmets are OK to paint regardless of if they are plastic, fibreglass, Kevlar or Carbon.


You may be correct, I guess the manufacture of crash helmets has moved on since my youth - but without sounding harsh if it were me wanting to paint a helmet then rather than taking the words from 'some random guy off the internet' as gospel I'd like to see some kind of official/expert scientific/technical evidence before I could be convinced that it was safe to do so.


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## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

Id be very carefull regarding painting lids , as has been said if solvents get to the interior liner it will degrade it . Im sure you cant paint polycarbonate ones but the rest are ok .


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## Ge03 (Jul 19, 2011)

Airbrush paints from SpecialisedPaints.com are popular for helmet art.


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## SadlyDistracted (Jan 18, 2013)

GleemSpray said:


> fibreglass helmet=OK to paint
> poly carbonate helmet = not OK to paint


Spot on, polycarbonate or thermoplastics basically should not be painted.
Fibre / related laminated helmets are fine to paint, and all the best helmets are not polycarbonate / thermoplastic.


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## Drew_B (Feb 3, 2010)

Lots of conflicting information here guys.

Five minutes spent researching (googling) the helmet importer then giving their technical team a call.

That's how I did it. Straight from the horses mouth. You only get one head. Don't mess with the helmet protecting it.


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## supernova-dw (Apr 26, 2014)

Andyb0127 said:


> if you want to kill someone wearing a polycarbonate (plastic ) helmet then paint it. At least before you give an answer make sure its correct or research it more. Thus making sure you give the right advice, by saying who says so means you don't really know. Leave it to the more experienced with knowledge.




I don't need to research in to it more as I know all about painting helmets, there isn't any negative effects at all so long as done properly. The helmets are of course painted from the factory and there are no special helmet coatings which further goes to prove there is no problem in doing so...If there were then all polycarbonate helmets would be supplied in the bare plastic which of course they are not.

Also if refinishing a helmet you are of course just doing as the name suggests and re-finishing, I.e. painting over the original paint after keying it.

The key things to do are make sure the interior of the helmet is fully masked up as paints can damage the lining. A good tip I think is to blow a balloon up inside the helmet before masking as of course this protects the liner from any contamination.

When I said 'Who says so' I was rather asking what evidence you have of the statement made and not asking a question as I already know the answer :thumb:


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## Andyb0127 (Jan 16, 2011)

supernova-dw said:


> I don't need to research in to it more as I know all about painting helmets, there isn't any negative effects at all so long as done properly. The helmets are of course painted from the factory and there are no special helmet coatings which further goes to prove there is no problem in doing so...If there were then all polycarbonate helmets would be supplied in the bare plastic which of course they are not.
> 
> Also if refinishing a helmet you are of course just doing as the name suggests and re-finishing, I.e. painting over the original paint after keying it.
> 
> ...


Not much of a convincing answer, from someone who states they know all about painting crash helmets doesn't fill me with confidence that you actually know what your talking about. Which is why i said to the op about a company that does it for a living to ask them for advice. And as another member said find out from the manufacturers who made the helmet be better coming from them.

sorry but your answers just aren't very convincing and don't hold much substance, don't need to say anything else on the matter think the answer is pretty conclusive what the op needs to do.


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## Paintguy (Oct 31, 2005)

We are talking many years (probably decades  ) ago but I remember seeing a film about this very thing, where a helmet was painted and it severely affected it, making it shatter under a relatively minor impact.

Now I'm certain things will have moved on by now but I would still be extremely wary of painting a helmet. I'd be reasonably confident about a fibreglass / SMC / carbon fibre being "safe", but I'd still rather check with the manufacturer.


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## Rundie (Oct 2, 2007)

I work for BSI, testing PPE, this is not my actual field of expertise but the helmet testing lab is based on our site. 
Someone I do consider an expert, a guy who runs the helmet testing lab with 40+ yrs advises against painting or modifying any helmet, that'll do for me :thumb:


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## mr paint (Jul 11, 2009)

I do custom painted helmets a lot and use auto air air brush range 

if the polystyrene layer is removable do so ...if not mask up all areas and plug all holes in the helmet so the so the solvents from the clear dose not enter the polystyrene layer 


There is lots of large companys out there that do it for all f1 and superbike riders ...if its passing Fia standards they must be ok in my thoughts ...how many super bike riders come off per year and there helmets have not split in half 


Tommy


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