commasense

I'm thinking it would be nice to paint my Bell M2 Pro helmet, possibly to match the car color, maybe put the Z logo on the back.

There are plenty of people on the Web who do this, but none near me who I could meet and get a feeling for. Prices seem to start around $200 and go up to $800 or more. But these are also for the wild screaming eagles, stars and stripes, flames, etc. designs that are way over the top for a dull and boring guy like me.

So I'm thinking I might have a go at it myself. I've done some model work, have some of the tools, and even have an old motorcycle helmet I could test on first.

Has anyone here done it? Any recommendations for paint types or brands? Any tips or techniques? Any Web sites or books that might help?

Thanks.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

For the past twelve years my helmet design has been the stars and stripes meeting the rising sun. I masked off the portion of the helmet to be painted and used #400 sandpaper to prepare the surface and ordinary enamel spray paint to begin the design. The stars and stripes were done on my latest helmet with computer-cut vinyl graphics and it came out quite well.

My Bell M3 (SA2000) is now permanently mounted to a HANS device, but my older Bell fits better in the Z. I'd suggest you check the manurfacturers directions before proceeding and consider having the local sign shop give you an estimate. It's amazing how good the graphics can get nowadays and if you don't like 'em, just peel off and start over. Also, check sites like racerwholesale.com for pre-cut vinyl graphic kits for helmets.

Let's get those cue ***** covered!

Caswell

I've done a few with my old man. We had access to some nice spray equipment, a dustproof room, and used Martin-Seymour paint. Simple geometric designs (think old-school F1) are actually pretty easy to pull off. Vinyl trim tape on color borders makes for a pretty professional job.

Here's a small pic of my last helmet. Guy who owns it now (college bills made me quit racing for a while... grrr) doesn't take the best care of it, but it was pretty sharp when it belonged to me...

EDIT: A cookie to whoever can tell me which now-retired F1 driver I'm ripping off with that design.