Paging the helmet paint-isti

I just bought myself a new helmet (an OGK FF4 for 170Eur, not bad methinks)
so I'm considering painting its polycarbonate predecessor something less
boring than black now that I can afford to mess things up. I had a look
around on the internets in order to see what sort of colours I should use,
but the few references I found mentioned automotive colours or other stuff
based on solvents that I wouldn't use on a helmet.

So what does the supernova of collective wisdom that is UKRM suggest? Being
a former scale modeller, I assume that acrylics might be a good bet, or
better still, the colours used by R/C modellers for the bodies of their
cars which are made of Lexan (which is polycarbonate iirc).

Another question I have is whether slight sanding to remove the helmet's
varnish along with several scratches is a good idea.


Geo

 

You don't sand, you use a grey Scotch-Brite. Not a fucking red one either.

Polycarb paints (or paints for polycarbonate) will work but you'll still
need to clearcoat the finished article and that's still going to be a
solvent based product. 2pack lacquer, but fortunately, it requires a max of
10% thinners (toluene) so your lid shouldn't suffer.

Remember, no sanding, just a Scotch-Brite pad. Grey.


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Beav

VN 750
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OMF# 19

 

What's the law on this now - wasn't everyone supposed to
start using water-based paints?

 

The base coats are now being manufactured in water-based.
The clear coat gloss laquer is still the same stuff, nobody has figured
out how to do that in water yet.

 

I had to have a look and I ended up finding three grey pads, the "ultra
fine" light grey, the "light duty" dark grey and the "blending" grey.
(Link:
http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/biophysics/technotes/fabric/finish.pdf )
Not that it matters much, as we don't have the entire range of pads around
here, or at least grey scotch brites aren't easy to find. Do you reckon I
could try and use the appropriate grade sanding paper (I realise you said
"no sanding") or steel wool instead?

Not knowing what 2-pack paints were I googled a bit and was pretty much put
off the entire thing. Are they really that bad (isocyanates)? Can't I just
use an acrylic finish instead and not mind that it won't last as long?


Geo

 

Just ask Beav if he'll paint it for you. Excellent service and quality
and no fucking around. Great value as well IMHO.


--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

It depends on the quantity of paint you use per year. Beav will be
able to inform you better. Take his advice, in fact he used to run a
website explaining how it all should go. Well Beav, is your chopper
site still going?

 

I dunno if Tamiya (model paints n kits) do an acrylic laquer, or if
it would be suitable for helmets... Beav?

 

January this year apparently, but it's been put on the back burner because
too many objections were raised, not least the cost of transfering all the
thousands of paint schemes over to aqua. It's bollox anyway, because wven
water based paints need a coating of something that's hard and shiny, so
that's 2 pack lacquer.


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Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

They've been done in water based for years. All Mercs, Porches, Beemers etc
come out of the factory with water based paints, as do lots of others
nowadays, but as you say down there...

They will do one day though.


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Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

And oddly, the less you use, the more 2 pck you can buy. That sort of fucks
things up for anyone doing it every day, but thankfully, the rule isn't bein
implemented quite as soon as we were led to believe. In fact, I doubt it
ever will, BICBW on that. It certainly won't be for a few more years though.

Probably, it's been a while since I checked it out. (Google "Beavisland" and
summat might come up). Plenty of painting info on there that suits doing
lid sized jobs.


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Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

If you can't get grey scotch, (the finer ones are better as all you're doing
is removing the shine from the lid) use sandpaper, but ffs, don't get
anything grittier than 800's. Forget wire wool, you'll NEVER fill the
scratches with either paint or lacquer and they won't polish out when the
job's finished.

Oh fucking hell yes. It's pretty cancer causing stuff that isocyanate shit.

You can, but it won't last even that long on a lid. Handling it will make it
look crapy and you'll have a job fnding something to clean it that you can
use regularly and not take the paint to the cleaners. So to speak.

What you CAN do though, is do whatever you want to do with the lid "pre
clearcoating", then take the lid to a painter and ask him to shoot a couple
of coats of clear on it. If you give him time to do it when he's lacquering
a "paying" job, the extra lacquer he uses for the lid will cost him next to
**** all, so you could get it done for minimal beer tokens. I do it all the
time, but it's up to "them" to deliver and collect, coz I won't get into
bagging those jobs up and posting them.



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Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I'm too fucking cheap is what I am


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Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

This is me *not* arguing.

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 145 2.0 Cloverleaf 156 V6 2.5 S2
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

I would normally consider it but:

a) it's not that I want a better looking lid, as much getting a chance to
mess around with it without being afraid I'll be lid-less when (rather than
if) everything goes tits-up. I'm pretty certain it'll look shite in the end,
but I'll have fun trying.

b) -this is a bigger one- I live in Greece so using Beav's services would be
logistically "inefficient"


Geo

 

[lots of advice regarding Scotch Brites, sanding, polycarbonate
paints,2-pack laquers etc.]

Thank you kind Sir, you have been most helpful.


Geo

 

I'm glad to hear it


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Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

If you like the idea of pissing about with designs and what have you on your
lid, get yourself a little Badger 100 airbrush and a pack of Badger airbrush
paint. It's used straight out of the pot and if you're not covering ALL the
lid in a solid colour, they're cheap too use.

If you want to completely cover the lid with a new colour, use polyurethane
in a rattle can, then get some luckless individual to give it a blast with
clear coat. Even a Greek paint shop should do that for you at minimal cost.

Take it to anyone all masked so they ONLY have to clout it with lacquer and
most places will sort it for a pint or two.

Indeed it would and Parcel Farce would be sure to lose it anyway.


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Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Get to it then.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19