Painting a helmet

[Beancooker]

So I bought a helmet, and didn't like the gloss black. I decided to give it some style and paint it. Originally the plan was to paint it flat black, but then I decided to give it some color and add graphics painted in.

This might void the snell rating on your helmet. It depends on how strict your track officials are.

Carefully peel off the snell sticker, and put sticker on a piece of backing paper, so it can be re-used.Start out with some 1000 grit paper, and scuff the clearcoat on the helmet. You don't want to break through the paint, just scuff so primer will stick.



After sanding is done, wash with alcohol to remove any oils from your hands.



Next, apply a coat of primer, then wet sand with 1000 grit. Clean well with water, and apply another coat of primer. Wetsand again, so that the whole helmet is slick and smooth.



After wetsanding



Clean really well with water. Then apply your flat black.



Now this is where I should have stopped, but I decided that I wanted to paint graphics into the helmet. So the plan was to paint it to the color I wanted my graphics, tape off the designs, then sand down the paint and re-applu the flat black. Pull off the tape, and the designs would be in the final colors, and the rest of the helmet would be flat black.

My problem is, that I chose a terrible color.I layed down a coat of lime gold metallic, then top coated with a candy emerald. The paint came out awesome, no runs, even coating, just great, except that the color is really freaking ugly. So I will sand it all back down, and stick with the flat black.

[Marenta]

That's "ugly" for a color? I didn't realize that Rosie O'Donnell came in fabricated paint. What color code is she, so that I know for future reference?

[dasoupdude]

Should paint it to match the G35.

[Mr1der]

where'd ya get the helmet beaner?

I'm gonna get a cheapy soon...hell, reading the tests in some of the bike mags...the cheap ones actaully performed better.

[dickie]

flat black with pinstriping, white and red. that's what i'd do.

[amolao]

Stars and stripes...alas Evel Knievel or Capt. America.

[suby01]

looks like halo 3 haha melee attack.

[krazydriver]

This might void the snell rating on your helmet. It depends on how strict your track officials are.

They'd really void the rating from painting it? is the factory paint structural??

Otherwise, it looks nice.

[joe603]

I was thinking green goblin! Looks good though!

[dickie]

captain falcon helmet?

[LEMHEAD16]

I kinda like the color.

Did you bomb-can it or use proper paint equipment?

[Omegamerc]

looks like halo 3 haha melee attack.

Was thinking halo green too. Doesn't match anything but if your happy with it grats!

[Slider4105]

http://forums.g35club.org/zerothread/356574

[isimon91]

nice helmet bro.

[Beancooker]

Guess I should update this thread so you all can have a great laugh at me and my stupidity.

Well, there was a sad turn of events spawned by impatience.

I started to sand with 60 grit. After an hour, I had barely broken through the candy color. So I went to Home Depot, and bought a "Rapid Strip" wheel for the angle grinder. (Cringes right?)

Being very careful, I start to strip the bottom 8 layers of paint that are left. All is going well, and it's stripping it right through the paint, and no deeper than the primer.

Then I notice styrofoam in the primer? At that point I realized that I stripped through all the paint, through the primer, into the fiberglass/Kevlar, and into the protective layer of foam.

Yes, I am a retarded window licker.

Cost of helmet; $120. Cost of paint and supplies; $35.

Cost of helmet that I originally wanted, that I was afraid to buy because the wife would be pissed at me spending money; $170.

Cost of replacement helmet that wife bought me; $170.

Ironic, isn't it.

To my wife for hooking me up with an awesome helmet. Normally $239. but they hadn't sold well, so they were discounted 30%

[krazydriver]

^ that sucks that you killed the helmet. but nice job with the new one!

How you like the HJC?

[Dittoz7]

JdM TyT3 Newspaper.

[Beancooker]

^ that sucks that you killed the helmet. but nice job with the new one!

How you like the HJC?

Like it a lot. Comfy and fits really well.

JdM TyT3 Newspaper.

It's my wife's newspaper, and it's KDM, not JDM.