Spray painting helmet

agnes · 17 Dec 2013 at 09:50

My girlfriend has my spare helmet, it's too big for me so it's practically new, she loves it, fits her perfectly. After her moaning about it looking boring, I jokingly said I will respray it black and then she can draw what ever she wants on it with paint then I will spray lacquer over it to finish it off.

Bugger... Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's not that hard to do right? All I have to do, is mask up all the bits I don't want spray on, sand down, prime, spray black (Satin black will be the choice as I have a can of that somewhere) and then let her use some sort of acrylic paint to paint pretty flowers and what have you.

With spray lacquer on top, it should be ok right?

It won't be some amazing air brush job, but it will be 'her' helmet. And seeing that I have no use for it, I don't care if it's ruined.

PieEater · 17 Dec 2013 at 10:47

I think you should check this with the manufacturer. If the helmet shell is made in whole or in part of plastic/polycarbinate then the solvents in some paints and lacquers could weaken the helmet reducing its effectiveness in an accident.

wazza300 · 17 Dec 2013 at 11:21

I sprayed my old helmet just fine

grey undercoat,black paint then clear laquer

Steampunk · 17 Dec 2013 at 13:05

You have to be careful painting helmets. They may end up looking good, but the wrong paints will weaken the helmet, and you won't find out until you're in an accident.

dangermouse425 · 20 Dec 2013 at 14:09

You could try ringing someone like http://www.altamura.co.uk/ and ask their painting experts for any specific paints to avoid/use?

Griffo · 20 Dec 2013 at 15:29

wazza300 said:
I sprayed my old helmet just fine

grey undercoat,black paint then clear laquer

Steampunk said:
You have to be careful painting helmets. They may end up looking good, but the wrong paints will weaken the helmet, and you won't find out until you're in an accident.

Verily. I took out a good ten jenga blocks and the tower stayed up 'just fine', but ... well, yes you understand obviously! Just fine is fine until impact.

wazza300 · 20 Dec 2013 at 15:49

nah I painted mine after impact

it was missing chunks so I filled it in with filler/sanded it/painted it but aint used it yet,was mainly a test piece

PieEater · 20 Dec 2013 at 18:09

wazza300 said:
nah I painted mine after impact it was missing chunks so I filled it in with filler/sanded it/painted it but aint used it yet,was mainly a test piece

Please tell me you are not seriously considering ever wearing this again. I'm also a bit perturbed that you would advise someone that painting their helmet is OK based on this limited experience.

wazza300 · 21 Dec 2013 at 18:05

I would wear it,it wasn't badly damaged,just scuffed but that's me,id advise anyone to paint there own helmet if its not damaged

the original paint used cant be much if any different from ordinary paint?

I hear what your saying with the risks ect

mine was a fibreglass composite underneath the paint

Tefal · 21 Dec 2013 at 18:44

yes it can be quite different from ordinary paint. as ordinary paint isn't meant to go on helmets so contains solvents that make it cheaper and easier to use but will affect resin and plastic such as polycarbonate which has poor chemical resistance.

Steampunk · 21 Dec 2013 at 19:12

wazza300 said:
I would wear it,it wasn't badly damaged,just scuffed but that's me,id advise anyone to paint there own helmet if its not damaged

the original paint used cant be much if any different from ordinary paint?

I hear what your saying with the risks ect

mine was a fibreglass composite underneath the paint

Crash helmets are sacrificial. They get damaged instead of your head. So if they get significantly hit, they should be replaced. Patching over the damage is like putting sticky tape over a cracked windscreen.

PieEater · 22 Dec 2013 at 09:55

wazza300 said:
I would wear it,it wasn't badly damaged,just scuffed but that's me,id advise anyone to paint there own helmet if its not damaged

the original paint used cant be much if any different from ordinary paint?

I hear what your saying with the risks ect

mine was a fibreglass composite underneath the paint

I am really concerned about your posts, if we weren't talking about lifesaving safety equipment I wouldn't be so bothered, but following your advice could have potentially fatal results for anyone who isn't well enough informed.

Yes it is possible to re-spray SOME motorcycle helmets NOT ALL. If anyone is considering doing this they should contact the manufacturer of the helmet and confirm whether it is possible to re-spray that SPECIFIC MODEL and what types of paints / solvents should be used and which should be avoided. Using the wrong paint on the wrong helmet WILL weaken it sufficiently so that it proves next to useless in a crash.

Repairing a crash damaged helmet is EXTREMELY RISKY the integrity of the shell will have been compromised regardless of the construction type. Some cheaper helmets need to be replaced if they have been dropped, let alone been through a crash.

Whilst you may be happy to take these risks I hope that you can see that your advice could be putting peoples lives in danger.