I have an Arai Signet GT,it's getting kind of old,but it's my favorite helmet and it's by no means used -up.I was thinking about painting it because it is getting a little rough looking.I was wondering if anyone has painted their helmet and has any tips or if there was a tutorial somewhere that would help.I have a spray gun and an airbrush,but it's been a few years since I've used them.I would even use a rattle can for something as small as a helmet,it should work.Any suggestions? Morayman.........

 

Lots of tape, make sure evrything is well covered.

Take off the shield (DUH!)

Light sanding to ensure the paint sticks.

Its just like painting any other automotive surface, except, and I can't stress this enough MAKE SURE YOU TAPE/SEAL THE INSIDE OFF

Tha fumes from the drying paint may damage the inside foam otherwise.

Oh, and whatever you do, DO NOT USE PAINT THINNER TO TRY TO CLEAN OLD PAINT OFF. You'll destroy the foam liner if you do.

 

I know anything urathane is safe of helmets. There are certain paints that can damage the structural integrity of the helmet, but I'm not sure which ones they are...lol. But, that may be old information from a time when paints were much more hazzardous than they are now.

To save money and time, you can buy dupli-color spraypaint and use it a base coat... You can then get a quart of good automotive urathane clear and clear over the paint.

Is your helmet rough looking do to chips and stuff?

or is just hazed? If its just hazed, you can wet sand it with 1500 or 2000 grit sand paper. this will also remove light scratches, then buff it back to a nice luster.

 

I'm gonna play safety **** here...is the helmet more than 3 years old? It should be replaced anyway. I understand it's your favorite and all, but after a few years the foam liner starts to decay and doesn't protect like it should. It may look fine, but it's like a hot chick with AIDS...you can't see the problem, but it will still kill you if you put it to use. Think about what the helmet is protecting.
As for your original question, any urethane based paint will work just fine...scuff with 100 grit, clean, mask, clean again, prime, paint, clear.

 

To kind of answer my own question,after doing some net-searching,I found some great tutorials on YouTube.There are several videos on airbrushing helmets,some on spray can painting,lots of good info.On another note:
51plymouth- where did you get your information that any helmet over 3 years old should be trashed?Is that coming from DOT or Snell or ? I appreciate what your saying for safetys sake and all,but that sure doesn't say much for expensive helmets does it! Is that info for cheap helmets or all of them ? I can understand it if it's put out by the helmet manufactures,but that's a short life for a perfectly kept helmet.Makes me wonder about structural integrity and things like that.Arai's aren't a cheap helmet and there are many others just as expensive,a life span of 3 years in my humble opinion is too short,unless it's been crashed.Morayman.........

 

You're right, if it's crashed it's trash, no matter how old. All manufacturers recommend a replacement every three to five years...I go with three, just to be safe. Check your chinstrap, there should be a date of manufacture tag on it (if not there then check the lining, I promise it's in there)...styrofoam degrades, it's just the nature of the product.

 

51 plymouth has a good point, but I believe the 3-5 years is of 3-5 years ofusage, not 3-5 years since manufactured. I'm not sure on the shelf life, but its a lot longer. the 3-5 years is there because of the breakdown on internal materials from sweat and oils left by you. The interior also becomes looser fitting... which totally ruins your helmets ability to protect. Even though most people wear them way too loose as it is. Your helmet should fit snug and not move around.. if it does, then it isnt doing you any good.

Aria suggests every 5 years.


Heres a link that explains a little better.
http://www.araihelmets.com/Arai_Want...antieswork.asp