Helmet Painting

[Lee Racing 8]

Can anyone tell me some good quality but not to expensive helmet painters???

[R John Lye]

I really like the job that Ed Webster did on my
helmet:

Webster Designs

John

OK, as I recall, Ed charged me about $300 for a
fairly complicated paint job.

[size="1"][ September 14, 2004, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: R John Lye ][/size]

[Chris Robson]

Contact Mike Myers at http://myersmaskdesign.com/ he has done all of my helmets and currently paints goalie masks for 6 NHL netminders, not to mention 90% of the collegiate goalies on the East coast and Lance Armstrong's Tour de France time Trial helmet. He can create anything you want from mild to wild. Tell him Chris Robson sent you, he will give you a good deal.


Chris Robson
R Motorsports

[mblanc]

Great thread subject.

But nobody addressed the "inexpensive" issue.
maybe they could edit the above posts with average prices, I'm sure we'd all be curious.

I use an individual that does a lot of custom bike work also. He's very reasonable.
Scott Kravick
Wisconsin is central time
home 608.741.7285
work 608.756.6678

hard to get a hold of guy since he's always in his shop after work, if you can't reach him at home you can do voice mail at work.


Marc

[Chris Robson]

The trouble with pricing is that almost no artist can give you a quote until they know what you want. If you are looking for a simple 3 color paint scheme, Jarno Trulli's old helmet for example, it could be as little as $250/$300 dollars. If you are looking for a Flame job over pearl undercoat, it could be much more...

You really need to have a good idea of what you want if you are on a budget. Remember these guys are paid to be creative.

Chris Robson

[J Mabee]

I used TK designs.
www.tkdesigns.us
$325 for helmets seen on his gallery page. Does a great job and works with you to get exactly what you're looking for. He does 1 Layer (color)which is harder to do but makes the helmet lighter. His technique is just as durable as multicoats.

Jason



[size="1"][ September 14, 2004, 11:44 PM: Message edited by: J Mabee ][/size]

[dc]

Mine was painted by Mike Madden of Razor Image in Lemont, Illinois. He does a lot of work for motorcross and open wheel guys, and can pretty much do anything you like. He does chrome and gold dips, too, as well as cool screens over visors.

I was very explicit with what I wanted, right down to detailed drawings and paint codes, so there was little room for error, but he can also work well with a "go nuts" direction, too.





630.257.8006
Razor Image

[RS Motorsport]

As advertised in Formula Magazine I used Corby Concepts. $800 later I was not satisfied.

[TimW]

Doesn't formula1600.com board member & CenDiv FF driver Mike Kolthoff paint helmets for a living?

[racecr]

i have used Savage designs out of Fla for many helmets. the quality of the paint and finish are first class!!the clear he uses is the hardest i have ever seen. check out there web site. mine is the blue with the silver razor edges,

[formulasuper]

Has anyone in our group tried the helmet graphics kits sold by motorcycle aftermarket parts companies such as Chapperal in California? I have not, just asking.

[dereklola]

If you want anything like the above pics then read what others have said above.

But if, like me, you just want to avoid the "plain white" effect then have your local bodywork painter spray your helmet. First time for plain red he charged me $50 extra (over the bodywork amount), second time with a simple 2-color effect he didn't charge me anything extra.

Fancy patterns only look good close-up. Simple, bold designs look better on track.

My $.02.

[JHaydon]

I have put Troy Lee Designs decals on two helmets. I can't complain about the quality or the designs, but of course a rank amateur (me) is applying them, so that introduces an element that can go wrong, and has. A couple of the decals simply peeled off at speed, but a lot of them are getting a corner or edge peeling up and collecting lint.

It still passes the 50/50/50 test, but it won't win any "wow" awards.

[formulasuper]

What about clear coating over the decals to prevent peeling? Start with a very thin, quik drying coat to avoid melting the decals then build up to a heavier coat? You can buy clear coat in spray cans.

[Beartrax]

Just be careful painting your own helmets. One of the above websites shows the artist's steps. He notes that the paint fumes can harm the liner.

[BrooksHall]

Here is shot of my helmet done by Axcel Graphic in Arcadi Ca. It was $550.00. I agree that the really complex designs only look good from a couple of feet away. I did this design because it looked good from 20feet.

[RoadHazard]

For a cheap, quick-and-dirty way to dress up a plain white helmet I went with stickers from Harris Decals (www.harrisdecals.com). They were maybe $40 after tax and shipping.

The stickers worked great, but I wasn't happy with the colors I chose (my fault, not theirs), so I'm getting my helmet painted after all.

[SISTech]

I've got to give our sponsor a plug - DogBrain Studios. Marty is a racer as well as an artist and has painted some very nice "lids" at reasonable prices. You can check them out as well as his artwork at www.dogbrainstudios.com

[Richard Hybels]

FF racer Mike Koltoff painted mine a couple of years ago. Wonderful job.

[Fred Michael]

T.C.'s Specialized Graphics. Good prices, great work and easy to work with.
www.helmetdesigns.com

Fred

[Robert J. Alder]

Kirk Hunter in Colorado 303-646-3019 did a great job for me on two helmets, and vrey reasonably priced. Not sure how to post pictures here, but the following link will take you to my website where the helmets are shown. They look GREAT!www.TeamTerrificRacing.com

[rnitti]

Try Jack Bisch at Custom Helmets (281) 242-7938, or Axcel Fast Graphics (626) 294-0075, or pick an SCCA's SportsCar Magazine. There are a bunch of graphics companies in it.

[carnut169]

For what its worth, I did what FormulaSuper suggested and applied decals with a clearcoat over them. Troy Lee designs supplied the graphics ($40) and my painter did the clear ($0 easy, they just did it w/ the next car...)

Looks pretty good considering the cost.

[formulasuper]

Here is shot of my helmet done by Axcel Graphic in Arcadi Ca. It was $550.00.

Let's see, $550.00
-40.00
total saved $510.00

One Weber carb loaned at AMS & SIC, worth $510.00 to me. Thanks Sean!
Even-Steven!

[RussMcB]

Scott, I watched you race last weekend at Roebling and was very impressed with your helmet graphics.

[Mike Kolthoff]

Guys, I do paint helmets. I just noticed the thread. I have done about 60 to 70.. I have done the Mid-Ohio schools instructor's, Tony Kester's Lemans lid, BJ Zacharias"s 2 different National Championship helmets and proud to announce that the FV Champ was sporting one of my creations. Note:National Championships cost extra. Oh I forgot a couple helmets done for Tonis Kasements.
I do not paint that much in the summer it is to hard to keep up with that and racing. I caution any one attempting to paint a helmet it is not all that easy. Throwing clear on decals may work but I have found that any clear worth it salt requires several applications with sanding in between and a final polish and glazing. The helmets we buy costing mega-dollars are not perfect. Rivets/mounting points may vary form sid to side. What this means is you cannot just measure and pull your stripes. There are no straight lines on a helmet. The challenge is to fool the eyes and make the customer happy. Prices range $300 to $495. Helmets with a lot of illustrative (artwork i.e. eagles tigers etc) work can approach $750. I am not begging for work but some posts seem to suggest it is easy. Think about your $700 lid sitting in the paint booth with your $90/quart clear lifting your free stickers. Believe me it will not be pretty. I do not claim to be the best. There are several good if not great painters out there. Their(and my) skills should not be thrashed.

[Agitator]

I race a Vee, so some of your paint jobs cost more than a motor rebuild!

Anyway, here's a pic of my helmet. Cost - $3.97. I was bored and couldn't sleep one night..started cutting up trianlges from multi-colored electrical tape. I was kind of inspired by the colors of the Audi American LeMans cars. Sprayed it with a light coat of clear. Not the most durable, but it looks kind of cool....I think.


James
Agitator FV #19

http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictu...4566c45d&idx=0

[Beartrax]

Mike,
I hope these guys are not trashing your talents and the gifts of other painters. I think they are busting each other's decision to spend $ on paint and not tires.

I personally have a lot of respect for what you do.

[cliff]

Mike K, contact me, I would like for you to paint my helmet. cliffj@alpinelitho.com

[formulasuper]

Quote by Russ McB.

Scott, I watched you race last weekend at Roebling and was very impressed with your helmet graphics.

This darn helmet is so tight I can't get it off. I'll return it as soon as the swelling goes down!

[D.T. Benner]

I have never had a custom painted helmet as the *%^$#@(*&^% nicks and pock marks from flying rocks,Formula Mazda parts,DSR parts and Sports racer body work would make short work of all that nice paint work.

[tootall]

Try www.blowsion.com. Located in Portland, OR. Prices about the same as the rest of this thread. Lots of examples on the site.

[Greg Mercurio]

I had Tony Chan at aerografiks do mine, exceptionally well done. Pricing is dependent on how complex the design is, but you'll be pleasantly surprised at the cost. After 2 years the helmet looks like new.

http://www.helmetpainter.com

[carnut169]

James- your link does not appear to be working... email it to seanoconnellmail@yahoo.com & I'll post it.

[Beartrax]

Try this for the Blowsion site
custom helmets

It looks like they do a lot with the chrome paint.