# Helmet paint #4



## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

I just finished helmet #4. Getting better. Learning more.


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## shiggy (Dec 19, 1998)

Very Nice!

Good job, bt.


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## Sway? (Feb 22, 2006)

HAWT!! Nice colors. You paint bikes too? If so, got pics?


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

shiggy said:


> Very Nice!
> 
> Good job, bt.


Thanks



Sway? said:


> HAWT!! Nice colors. You paint bikes too? If so, got pics?


No frames yet. definitely a future possibility.
Thanks


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## Guyechka (Jul 19, 2005)

Now that's one nice helmet! It's incentive not to fall on your head!  

Just out of curiosity, how long did that paint job take?


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## FireDog46 (Jan 13, 2004)

*Question?*

First: nicely done!

Giro does nor recommend paints or solvents of any kind be used on their helmets.

"They can damage a helmet so that its protective capabilities are significantly reduced."

Is this marketing hype to maintain their logos or colouring schemes?

I've often thought of having a helmet painted in the style of one of our local sports teams.
But have shied away honouring Giro's recommendation.

michael


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## Verewolf (Oct 13, 2005)

FireDog46 said:


> Giro does nor recommend paints or solvents of any kind be used on their helmets.
> 
> "They can damage a helmet so that its protective capabilities are significantly reduced."
> 
> Is this marketing hype to maintain their logos or colouring schemes?


I painted my Giro and it's no where near as nice as biketiger's helmet.
Great job!

I was concerned about painting mine for the reasons you stated but Rustoleum
and others make a plastic specific paint. I figured. hey they know paint
and if they say it's for plastic, what the heck. I felt that Rustoleum would
not sell a plastic paint that would damage or reduce the strength of the plastic.
Especially in light of liability lawsuits.


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## kneecap (Dec 20, 2003)

I think helmet manufactures are probably concerned about chemical reaction to paint on the styrofoam liner. I know from experience that fiberglass resins will desolve some styrofoam polymers, perhaps some paints may have the same results.
Just don't paint the foam.
I should mention, nice paintjob


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

Guyechka said:


> Just out of curiosity, how long did that paint job take?


Approx. 10 hours total over 3 days.



kneecap said:


> I think helmet manufactures are probably concerned about chemical reaction to paint on the styrofoam liner. I know from experience that fiberglass resins will desolve some styrofoam polymers, perhaps some paints may have the same results.
> Just don't paint the foam.
> I should mention, nice paintjob


That is what I have also heard. I haven't seen the effects of paint on foam and I hope I never do. I'd hate to destroy a perfectly good helmet. 
IMHO, the warning is mainly to keep everyone from painting their helmets improperly and damaging the foam. Every time I have painted a helmet, I have been very tedious with my masking. Luckily, I have had no problems.

Thanks


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## Spero (Apr 6, 2005)

What do you use as masking material? I'm having trouble finding something pliable enough to resist wrinkling and disfiguration. You know how teflon tape can be streched and it can keep its form without warping? Something similar with an adhesive backing would be awesome.


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## Stevirey (Jul 16, 2005)

*helmet*

Very nice.How did you do the letters?


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## Sway? (Feb 22, 2006)

Stevirey said:


> Very nice.How did you do the letters?


my guess is freehand mixed with talent. Still have pics of 1, 2, and/or 3 around? If so, cough 'em up.


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

Spero said:


> What do you use as masking material? I'm having trouble finding something pliable enough to resist wrinkling and disfiguration. You know how teflon tape can be streched and it can keep its form without warping? Something similar with an adhesive backing would be awesome.





Stevirey said:


> Very nice.How did you do the letters?


Answer to both. Low tack frisket paper. I am still having some issues with that particular subject. Gotta work on it.



Sway? said:


> Still have pics of 1, 2, and/or 3 around? If so, cough 'em up.


Here's #1. Just started. Paint is pretty basic. Made decals on the 'puter and cleared over everything.


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

*#2*

Helmet #2

My buddy gave me free range on this one. I had quite a few issues, but it turned out pretty well. I think it is my favorite so far.


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

*#3*

Helmet #3

Same buddy let me paint his snowboard helmet. Accidentally dropped it while clear was still soft. You can see some of the corrections. Turned out decent, otherwise.


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## Spero (Apr 6, 2005)

Cool cool - I just looked into a liquid frisket (latex) and that might be perfect for me supposing the enamels don't eat at it. Also, I found this 'Artool stretch mask' that seems like it might do the trick. Are you using the normal frisket?


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

Spero said:


> Cool cool - I just looked into a liquid frisket (latex) and that might be perfect for me supposing the enamels don't eat at it. Also, I found this 'Artool stretch mask' that seems like it might do the trick. Are you using the normal frisket?


Yep. Badger brand low tack frisket paper.

The others sound interesting. I will have to try them.


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## DeskoFipps (Sep 28, 2005)

Ohh... a subject near and dear to my heart!

If you look at the sheer amount of painted helmets out there, I would tend to believe that either Giro and the other helmet co's are just covering their butts with their suggestion to not paint them. In fact, if painting helmets wasn't safe, Troy Lee would have been out of business years ago.

I would suggest going with a simple acrylic laytex paint. I have used Createx (airbrush paint) on all of my RC Car bodies for ages, and it works great. RC bodies are clear lexan, and flex a LOT more than helmets do, so if any paint stands up to that much abuse, it will work fine for lids. The main thing with painting anything plastic is making sure that the vehicle for the pigment won't eat or weaken the material of the helmet. I have used denatured alcohol as a thinner/vehicle to make the paint dry more quickly and it works very well, but its not really needed. I would just avoid anything with a lacquer base, as that tends to not get along with plastics that much. The foam in most bike helmets will get eaten by any sort of laquer.

As for the masking tapes, go with 3m/Scotch professional tapes, there's a ton of them out there, and they're perfect for what you need to accomplish:

http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/...us_aad_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html

I also recommend Friskit, but haven't used the liquid masks that are out there.

There's been a few articles in Airbrush Action on painting helmets that you may be able to get back issues of that could help too. I am looking forward to seeing your progress as you paint more!


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

Yep. Createx. Friskit. Airbrush Action. 3M. Familiar with them all. I have found a ton of info on the net(ain't it great). Bearair.com is great. They have had everything I have needed, so far. I need more practice and a lot more patience. I get impatient and tend to rush through. It's hard when you know what you have to do to get the result, but don' want to wait for the paint to set. I'm working on it. Getting much better. 

Gracias for the input.


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## Sway? (Feb 22, 2006)

biketiger said:


> Yep. Createx. Friskit. Airbrush Action. 3M. Familiar with them all. I have found a ton of info on the net(ain't it great). Bearair.com is great. They have had everything I have needed, so far. I need more practice and a lot more patience. I get impatient and tend to rush through. It's hard when you know what you have to do to get the result, but don' want to wait for the paint to set. I'm working on it. Getting much better.
> 
> Gracias for the input.


Dude, thanks for putting up the other pics. I like them all, but I'd have to say #4 is my fav. Just the fact that you paint your own helmets is cooler than the other side of the pillow anyway.


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

> Dude, thanks for putting up the other pics. I like them all, but I'd have to say #4 is my fav. Just the fact that you paint your own helmets is cooler than the other side of the pillow anyway.


Thanks for the compliment, Sway?.



DeskoFipps said:


> As for the masking tapes, go with 3m/Scotch professional tapes, there's a ton of them out there, and they're perfect for what you need to accomplish:
> 
> http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/...us_aad_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html


I noticed that the link you posted was actually for "striping" tape. Striping tape is a permanent application. I'm pretty sure this is what you were referring to. This stuff made a noticeable change in my results. Cleaner, crisper lines. I love this stuff.

I haven't searched for it on 3M's website, but it is available from bearair.com in quarter inch and eighth inch thicknesses. I have also found it at NAPA Auto in 1/8", 1/4", and 1/2".


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

very nice talent


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## avalanche165 (Aug 7, 2006)

great job man, really love all the helmets. my fav is your friend's snowboarding helmet, cool design. 

its asking a lot but do you think you could post up a tutorial or something of the sort? i really wanna try this out on some helmets i have laying around. i just need to know the more detailed things like, what grit sandpaper, how many times over, what kind of basecoat, how many layers paint, how many clear, etc etc. i know this varies from person to person and helmet to helmet but, just wanna know a little more before i get started.


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## Steel Ridr (Sep 25, 2005)

Hey, great job on the helmets!

What I'm wondering is there some kind of warranty and/or liability issues with painting helmets? If someone "deploys" a helmet that is painted can the painter be liable if the helmet for some reason fails to do it's job? Does helmet painting automatically void the warranty? 

Just curious.


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

avalanche165 said:


> great job man, really love all the helmets. my fav is your friend's snowboarding helmet, cool design.
> 
> its asking a lot but do you think you could post up a tutorial or something of the sort? i really wanna try this out on some helmets i have laying around. i just need to know the more detailed things like, what grit sandpaper, how many times over, what kind of basecoat, how many layers paint, how many clear, etc etc. i know this varies from person to person and helmet to helmet but, just wanna know a little more before i get started.


I am the wrong person to ask for a tutorial. I am still learning. I make plenty of mistakes that I am still learning from. This is just a hobby to me, and I am unlikely to pursue it further than that. I have spent a lot of time looking at other peoples work. Here are some links for reference;

http://www.bearair.com
http://www.troyleedesigns.com
http://www.dylandeandesigns.com
http://www.maberacing.com/LD_Designs/lddesigns.htm

You can also find a lot by searching "helmet paint" on this and other forum sites like ridemonkey.com.

I can tell you that you need to be very patient with letting the paint dry. Most of my larger mistakes have come from my impatience. Give the project some time and your helmet will turn out a much better result.

PROPER MASKING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. You don't want ANY of the paint to get on the foam. Be sure that the shell, and only the shell, are exposed to paints, primers, and clear coats. You will, of course, want the helmet to be capable of protecting your brain when the paint is done. I spend as much time masking as I do painting.

If you are going to do your painting at home, like I do, water-based paints are good to use. With proper ventilation, they are much safer for the home environment. They are also significantly cheaper. I use Createx colors. They are often too thick for my airbrush, so you can cut them with water to make a little paint go a long way.

I hope this helps give you some ideas.


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

Steel Ridr said:


> Hey, great job on the helmets!
> 
> What I'm wondering is there some kind of warranty and/or liability issues with painting helmets? If someone "deploys" a helmet that is painted can the painter be liable if the helmet for some reason fails to do it's job? Does helmet painting automatically void the warranty?
> 
> Just curious.


I believe it does void the warranty. I wouldn't blame the helmet companies if they did void the warranty. The warranty would only cover manufacturers defects anyway. Painting would be a modification, not a defect.

I'm not quite sure of the liability placement if the helmet failed. That would be enough to keep me from ever painting a helmet for a "customer".

The helmets I have painted have been for good friends or for myself. I have been very careful about masking the helmets properly. The baby Red Bull helmet has a removeable shell. I felt much more confident about painting it without worrying about the foam.


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## k-stein (Jan 5, 2005)

warranty or not those are some sick lookin helmets.


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

*Revive an old thread*

I thought I would revive my old thread instead of creating a new one. I just finished my new helmet (#8). Star Wars fans will dig it.

Lukes helmet from "A New Hope".


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## spongstick (Feb 6, 2004)

*1#*

I like helmet number one.That was my candy of choice as a kid and it look's nice:thumbsup:


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## volleybrad (Dec 20, 2007)

biketiger said:


> I thought I would revive my old thread instead of creating a new one. I just finished my new helmet. Star Wars fans will dig it.
> 
> Lukes helmet from "A New Hope".


Awesome! I love that you even gave it the distressed/worn look!


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

Here are number 5 and number 6. If you have any custom / painted helmets, feel free to post them here. Keep it going.


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## chadmeeh (Jan 2, 2005)

That is some seriously nice work. I love it. Now, I'm going to have to give this a try. I've never done airbrush work, but always wanted to learn. What is some decent equipment to get for a beginner? 

Of course I'll do a lot of practice before ever trying a helmet, but eventually I think a custom would be an awesome project.


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## biketiger (Mar 25, 2004)

I learned a little way back in High School. I did a lot of homework before purchasing my brush online. Use the internet to your advantage. Thee are a lot of how-to articles out there. 

1. I use Createx paint. Water based, non-toxic and dries fast. Good for me since I do not have a pro booth and do all my work outside of my garage.
2. Clear coat from rattle can. It is a sacrifice you will have to make, because a pro clear coat is extremely difficult.
3. Use good tape. Tape can be the most expensive supply you purchase. Buy automotive grade masking tape at places like NAPA auto. 
4. Get a dual action airbrush. Keep it clean between use. 
5. Start on an old helmet that you are planning on replacing soon. It's a lot less disappointing if you make a mistake. 
6. MASKING! If you don't protect the foam inside from the paint, the safety of your helmet will be compromised. Take the time to mask the helmet thoroughly. 

I can't really teach you much on technique, since I am still learning myself. There are a lot of talented artists on this and other websites who are willing to answer questions and share info. Search them out. It's worth it. 

Hope that helps.

BT


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