Other Painting Helmet, need help on paint supplies

[IS0LD0UT]

Looking to paint my helmet and learn something about painting in the process.
I don't want to spend a fortune on a small project. Anyone have and advice to keep the cost down.

I heard of people using a cheap enamel base and then using a house of kolor clear.
What primer or other things such as hardner would I need to buy? I would also like the products to have some shelf life so I can use the leftovers at a later date.

Also I would be painting in my garage so I will only have a respirator, so no highly toxic stuff.

 

[Tmart]

Ask Waternut. He painted a helmet and put crazy details into it and it still looks good

 

[motozachl]

Look into getting a Duracoat kit. They have tons of designs/colors to choose from and extremely durable especially for a helmet.

 

[SuziQ]

Looking to paint my helmet and learn something about painting in the process.
I don't want to spend a fortune on a small project. Anyone have and advice to keep the cost down.

I heard of people using a cheap enamel base and then using a house of kolor clear.
What primer or other things such as hardner would I need to buy? I would also like the products to have some shelf life so I can use the leftovers at a later date.

Also I would be painting in my garage so I will only have a respirator, so no highly toxic stuff.

A young artist registered on this site (lives in North Florida) might have some unique suggestions for you.

 

[Speleopower]

Take a look at http://www.autoaircolors.com/
The Auto Air Colors are water based auto paint that will take pretty much any urethane clear coat you throw at them. Or just leave the helmet unclear coated and redo the paint when it fades or rubs off.
Auto Air Colors will spray with most airbrushes and can be bought in small bottles.
You can take a look at www.dixieart.com as well for lots of info and supplies.
Below is a ratty motor cycle I covered in skulls last weekend for my neighbor using Auto Air paint and no clear coat or surface prep. He saw me painting a test patch on one of my skis and asked me to paint skulls all over his bike.
The silver test patch on the back of my sit down ski is also Auto Air paint without clear coat.
-Scott

 

[gto0209]

auto air is good stuff, I have used it on many different airbrush projects. You can also get a paint called parma faskolor, same exact thing as auto-air, except you can find it at hobby stores that sell rc cars and trucks. Both are water based meaning you use windex to reduce them. Clean up is much less messy, shoot some windex through and your done, no nasty fumes, you can spray them indoors without a resperator.

 

[Waternut]

Here is my helmet. It still looks almost identical to these pics after two years but I don't wear it much in the middle of the summer because the full face is really hot.

I used the tiny 1/2 pint cans of rustoleum (black and white) and mixed the colors as I wanted them. Then cleared it with minwax polyurethane. Super budget paint job of maybe $15. It took me over 2 hours to do the helmet and I wouldn't use these cheap materials on a hull, pole, or something like that. A helmet on the other hand shouldn't be seeing a lot of wear or impacts before it gets replaced so that's why I used cheap stuff.