Plastic Helmet - Do I need Primer?

D

David

Guest
Hello,
I just joined this nice Community and already got a question.
I want to airbrush on a Helmet. Its a cheap Nolan Helmet and it seems to be made of black Plastik, no GFK and paint, it´s just black. I peeld off the Stickers and sanded it wet with 600. My Question is now, do I need to use Plastic-Primer before I can go on, or can I use my Acrylic Paints directly on it, without any Primer ?
I use Schminke Aerocolor ( its the only Paint i got..).
Greetings,
David
 
Ok, thanks Andreas.
I got some Dupli Color Spraycan Plastic Primer, will it work?
 
you should sand it first with a fine sandpaper or 3m pad to scuff the clearcoat , then apply primer
 
hey i was interested in doing something similar..do you have to put some sort of clear coat over it when its done? of just leave it?
 
I think you have to, first of all for protection and for the shiny finish.
 
Hey guys - check out this thread also:
http://www.airbrushforum.org/genera.../1123-first-project-love-job-mate-helmet.html

I did a bit of research on this for people within Australia and our standards, i'm sure worldwide will be similar.
keep in mind that painting plastic helmets (especially cheap plastic) can change the chemical composition.
I'm interested to see how your 600 grit prepping goes also - i hear people saying to use 600 all the time but i'd never use that under a clear coat especially when airbrushing - i'd do a minimum of 1200grit.

Have you checked if schminke can be used under clear coat? i thought it was only water based/ artboards etc. Clear coat could melt your paint and pull it if this is the case?
hope this helps.
 
Hey guys - check out this thread also:
http://www.airbrushforum.org/genera.../1123-first-project-love-job-mate-helmet.html

I did a bit of research on this for people within Australia and our standards, i'm sure worldwide will be similar.
keep in mind that painting plastic helmets (especially cheap plastic) can change the chemical composition.
I'm interested to see how your 600 grit prepping goes also - i hear people saying to use 600 all the time but i'd never use that under a clear coat especially when airbrushing - i'd do a minimum of 1200grit.

Have you checked if schminke can be used under clear coat? i thought it was only water based/ artboards etc. Clear coat could melt your paint and pull it if this is the case?
hope this helps.

Hi Mitch,
I know some people that used Schmincke also on cars and bikes under a 2k clear coat, so i guess it should work.
 
If you're unsure how primer or (inter-coat) clear will affect the paint you are using, always test before spraying it over the art you are working on. In the past I have run into trouble after applying methods and paints advised to me by people who I considered to be experts on the subject. Leave the primers or clear coats to dry for the prescribed time (allowing solvents to evaporate correctly) before working on the next layer or see what it does to the layer it is sprayed over. We should perhaps start building a kind of database on this forum to see which paints, primers and clears work well together and which ones don't. Also preparation methods (sanding - which grid to use), mix-ratios and air pressures should be included in the data, possibly illustrating the combinations with photo material.
 
I've painted quite a few helmets. Some fiberglass, some polycarbonate and some ABS. They all get clear coated with 2k clear and I never had any problems. Fiberglass or carbon fiber are very easy and unaffected by any paints or clear coats since they are thermoset plastics. Polycarbonate and abs are thermoplastic plastics, but when well prepped, again no problem. I strictly use water based acrylic paints on helmets. Mainly Auto Air and Wicked paints. For all my helmets, I scuff with a red scotchbrite pad or 600 grit wet sand paper. I read what Mitch stated about using 1200 grit paper, but that doesn't create enough tooth for the water based paints to stick properly since they bond by mechanical means and not a chemical bond like solvent based paints. This info is provided on the Auto Air web site. For thermoplastic plastics, I use an adhesion promoter called Bulldog. Thermoplastic resins have oils and mold release built into the resin system and can be difficult for the paint to stick and the adhesion promoter resolves this issue. My first coat of paint is always Auto Air Sealer white or sealer dark. This Sealer sticks like crazy and creates a good base for subsequent layers. I also do a tape test to make sure my Sealer has bonded well to the helmet. I use a good sticky tape, and adhere it on the helmet and press it down with a squeegee, let it sit a while, then remove it and no paint should peel off. Now you also have to keep in mind the manufacturers recommendations on painting their helmet. If they state painting is not authorized and will affect the performance, then I wouldn't paint that helmet. If you have stickers on the helmet that must show to prove the helmet is certified, mask them off or if they can be removed and readhered, then do that. Here in the states, all motorcycle helmets must be "DOT" certified and the DOT sticker is supposed to show. Most manufacturers imbed these stickers under a layer of clear gel coat so they can't be removed. If they customer wants it to show, I mask it off. Honestly, most don't care and tell me to paint over it. They rather get a traffic summons than have that DOT sticker showing in the middle of their paint job. Anyway, this is the way I handle my helmet paint jobs and I've never ever had a problem. Please keep in mind each country and helmet manufacturer can have different laws governing this and I would research it first.
 
Thanks for all that input. :)
I did some work with Schmincke and Acrylic Clear coat out of the Spraycan and it worked well.
Maybe I`ll post some of the helmet in WIP-Section...(if my artworkt gets not too ugly to be shown..)
 
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