Painting Cheap Costume Helmets

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Siouxzn

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First of all.. how did I NOT know about this site!! what a gold mine!!!

Hi I am new here but not new to airbrushing.. I have worked with a lot of nice high end paints but I need help with bulk cheaper paints.. here is my need:

I am part of a build group for a costume. There are about 25 of us and we will all need our helmets painted for this costume. I am the designated sucker that is in charge of this task.

The helmets are plastic and only for show. I will be roughing them up and applying primer and the basecoat (which is white). From there, the helmets will have a unique design and/or striping added (which will be either brushed on, or airbrushed using a stencil).. I will probably not be doing a clearcoat to keep cost down, unless it looks really rough... not sure here...

So my question is.. what would be the cheapest option for applying primer and the white basecoat to 25 helmets using an Iwata HVLP (or my SATA).

I have sets of wicked paints and House of Kolor etc.. but I do NOT want to use high end paints that come in small amounts for this project.. it would just be wayyyy too expensive.

Thank you in advance for your help
 
with 25 helmets to do the fastest way to get them white is use a Raddle can spraypaint plastic primer and then a white spraypaint also made for plastic,After its dry then spray your Design/ striping on top of that.with a stencil.
 
well that was the first option.. I just wanted to avoid mixing paint types if possible. and also avoid having to buy too many rattle cans (or too few).. it is hard to estimate how many would be needed.
If I did go that route, what brands would be compatible over that?
 
By the way can you please go to the introduction section and tell us a little about yourself
It helps knowing where in the world your from and that helps us help you better http://www.airbrushforum.org/introductions/

Done! :)

I do have rustoleum primer and a white (its a 2x ultra cover). Once that is down.. I would like to switch to the airbrush in lieu of the rattle cans for the customizing part.. would I have any issue at that point using the wicked colors?
 
Rusto 2X is a terrific base coat - use it for a lot of my projects. I try satin, flat or primer, do my thing, then clear. Holds up well on my Zippo lighters, which wind up in someone's pocket. I usually have an assortment of 10 to 15 cans on hand. Our local Ace Hardware frequently has rattle cans on sale at buy one, get one, so I stock up. Besides the Zippos, I do "butt cans" , most of which sit outside, mail boxes, signage, etc. A word of advice - don't use as a base coat on T shirts - it sucks for that...
 
Thank you guys! I really appreciate the help.

basepaint, you mentioned using promoter, with the plastic nature of the helmets .. is adhesion promoter recommended? I found one (Duplicolor) that is a clear adhesion promoter and primer.. Should I put that on first, and use it as a primer, then the 2x white?
or the promoter, then a grey primer (the helmets are initially black in color) and white?
or just primer and white?


Sorry for belaboring this, I just never worked with plastics and want to do it correctly.

I also read that if you use duplicolor you should stick with that brand for the rest.. but not sure if that's accurate.
 
you're normally fine putting a water based over a urethane/enamel, you normally get issues going the other way though.
I'd stick to the same brand for the sealer/primer though, just to eliminate any possible problems
 
Bulldog is a great adhesion promoter, Rustoleum thinned 10-20% with acetone and then mixed with Majic hardener ( TSC) basically turns it into single stage automotive paint. Probably not necessary for this project But Majic is soooo nice. The mixture levels out so well I highly doubt you would need a clear.
I Would highly recommend an adhesion promoter on any bare plastic. If they are already painted then no just scuff.
Depending on how many colors you need for the detail work and your nozzle size, you could stick with the rustoleum mix to airbrush the details if it's cheaper.
 
you're normally fine putting a water based over a urethane/enamel, you normally get issues going the other way though.
I'd stick to the same brand for the sealer/primer though, just to eliminate any possible problems
With the exception of any decent clearcoat
 
If you brush on the rust-o mixture. hit with just a little air air from a blow dryer on cool...levels right out.
 
Thank you!.. well it IS already painted.. so that is a very good point.. perhaps I am trying to make it harder than it needs to be
 
No problem, Theres actually a lot of other little nuances in there I didn't mention but i was trying to lean heavily towards quickest cheapest and simple and still have no question of it lasting at least a couple years.


If it were a motorcycle that was already painted than a lot of people would still use the promoter, a lot wouldn't. Without actually looking at it I couldn't say the exact route i personally would take with it.
I like basepaints approach with the primer after promoter question..... If you got it use it but as he implied, if you still had to buy it then it get's trickier.
It sounds like the paint job may only need to last a couple weeks.... If it's already painted and the budget was a high priority I might just scuff it and shoot it with the rust-o but my scuffing usually turns into almost a full sanding to 320 just because im wierd like that

Stuff like that
 
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No problem, Theres actually a lot of other little nuances in there I didn't mention but i was trying to lean heavily towards quickest cheapest and simple and still have no question of it lasting at least a couple years.


If it were a motorcycle that was already painted than a lot of people would still use the promoter, a lot wouldn't. Without actually looking at it I couldn't say the exact route i personally would take with it.
I like basepaints approach with the primer after promoter question..... If you got it use it but as he implied, if you still had to buy it then it get's trickier.
It sounds like the paint job may only need to last a couple weeks.... If it's already painted and the budget was a high priority I might just scuff it and shoot it with the rust-o but my scuffing usually turns into almost a full sanding to 320 just because im wierd like that

Stuff like that
 
Well the helmet will be used way longer than that but these guys handle the costumes with Kid gloves

That said,any wear and tear is considered “weathering “ and not necessarily a bad thing. I don’t want a crappy paint job and I do want them to last, its just that some of the people are on limited budget
 
Yeah, Your not a beginner, so i figured you already had a pretty good idea of what you needed to do on your own.
I was just being more clear because a lot of other people read a thread.
I'm surprised your people handle them that well. Most of the props I've done for long term shows had to be some of the toughest stuff I could get my hands on. The "actors" abused the crap out of the stuff.

gel coat then 2k over epoxy primer and then a clear wasn't enough LOL

sounds like a full sanding then primer then paint
I'd consider the majic hardener if you rust-o the details

But like i said I Imagine at this point you've probably got a pretty good idea of what you're going to do.
 
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