Cheap doesnt have to mean ugly

[Blahr 0]

Pro-tec helmets are arguably the strongest, safest helmets out there.
They are also the most affordable.

Unfortunately they are also the least attractive.

You can fix that somewhat by painting your own.

I paid $30.00 for this helmet and $12.00 for the supplies.


Before and After pics

Sorta the best of both worlds

The finished product has a very high gloss translucent finish that doesnt come across in these pis, unfortunately...

[yardhippie 0]

cool paint and all, but my protec just dont fig like my Mindwarp! (like a glove) Im a sucker for comfort.

Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD
"What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me
"Anything you want." ~ female skydiver
Mohoso Rodriguez #865

[flyinghonu 0]

Well I'm poor so how did you do it? Is there a special kind of paint you need? Did you put a finishing coat on it? Did you have to prime it first?

Just wondering

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky..." - Jimi Hendrix

[Casie 0]

Nioce! I think it looks good!

~Porn Kitty
WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts!

[BigWaveDave 0]

Great job on the helmet. Its amazing what a little paint job can do.

Now I feel like a dumbass for blowing $300 on a helmet.

“If you hear a voice within you saying, ''You are not a painter,'' then by all means paint… and that voice will be silenced.” - Vincent van Gogh

[marcandalysse 0]

heheheh, I visited your link, and checked out the url
http://www.raventhorne.net/

Pretty funny home page, check it out!

[Blahr 0]

thoroughly sanded the surface to rough it up (400 grit),
prime it
2 coats of gloss black enamel
mask the colored areas and painted them with a brush
let it all dry thoroughtly
4 coats clear gloss laquer

[flyinghonu 0]

Cool, I'm going to try too! If it works (or even if doesn't - as I am not very artisically inclined ), I'll post it.

Thanks for the idea

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky..." - Jimi Hendrix

[Blahr 0]

the best advice I can give is to be very patient. LEt things dry before moving on to further coats etc....

This one took a couple weeks to do allowing 48 hours of drying time for each coat.

BTW, to give credit where credit is due, it was Sunnydee123 painting hers that inspired me to take a shot at it.
I'm pleased with the results.

Grand total spent on this helmet, $42.00

[FliegendeWolf 0]

Very very nice. My Pro-Tec is actually the same color as yours, which is pretty frickin' ugly, and I've been meaning to do something like that with mine too. Maybe that will provide the proper motivation!

A One that Isn't Cold is Scarcely a One at All

[bobsled92 0]

Nice job.
That's insiring for me to get my butt in gear.
I still haven't done my A3 Oyxgn.
It's blue but, I need Royal blue and Neon yellow markings.

_______________________________
If I could be a Super Hero,
I chose to be: "GRANT-A-CLAUS". and work 365 days a Year.
http://www.hangout.no/speednews/

[Blahr 0]

Quote

Very very nice. My Pro-Tec is actually the same color as yours, which is pretty frickin' ugly

Yeah, who woulda thought teal could be so ugly eh?

I guess thats why its one of the ones on sale for $30.00 at Paragear.

If you check this pic of my rig you will see how nicely the helmet now matches. Its not an exact match, but hey, its a damn sight closer than the teal

CLICKY

[ChileRelleno 0]

Quote

BTW, to give credit where credit is due, it was Sunnydee123 painting hers that inspired me to take a shot at it.
I'm pleased with the results.

I remember that... ya did a dang good job girl!

ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868

[Blahr 0]

Quote

Quote

BTW, to give credit where credit is due, it was Sunnydee123 painting hers that inspired me to take a shot at it.
I'm pleased with the results.

I remember that... ya did a dang good job girl!

Uhh...I'm a guy
If I'm not then I'm one damn ugly girl.

[ChileRelleno 0]

OOPS my bad... sorry

Dude, ya did a good job!

ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868

[Antithesis 0]

Hey, that looks cool

I travel the land, Work in the ocean, Play in the sky

[Paige 0]

Damn, that looks really nice

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[riddler 0]

Can't do the protec thing. Air seems to flow into the helmet and affect my flight characteristics. Maybe the helmet I borrowed was too big? It's hard to invert when your head is being forced up by wind.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[bch7773 0]

I may do this sometime whenever I need a freefly helmet. or I guess it might be a cool way to spruce up your local dz's student helmets.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

any specific type of paint, primer or gloss? I have an old full face I could practice this on and would like to try

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[themitchyone 0]

That is very cool. I was thinking of buying a Pro-Tech myself, and one did help protect my head during an AFF not so neat landing , but I think I will invest in the Mindwarp for my first helmet.

"If the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that girls should stick to girl's sports such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing." - Homer Simpson

[Amanda965 0]

Well it is very sweet to save money and be thrifty in certain occasion- but I have no talent whatsoever with painting, so I guess ppl like me will just be broke paying the big bucks for helmets that are already pretty!

Sweet helmet- good job!

Blue skies and SAFE landings!
~Amanda~

[Blahr 0]

Required skills:

1. The ability to rub sand paper on an object
2. The ability to press the spray button on top of the can
3. The ability to let it dry without touching it.

Optional skills:

1. The ability to stick on masking tape
2. The abilty to smear paint with a small brush.
No particular skill is needed here. Thats what the
masking tape was for.
3. The ability to remove masking tape

Required Talents:

None

[Blahr 0]

Quote

any specific type of paint, primer or gloss? I have an old full face I could practice this on and would like to try

I dont think the brand matters nearly as much as the tecnique.

tecnique = let the damn thing dry completely before putting your big fat fingers all over it or applying subsequent coats of paint. I learned this the hard way on my first attempt.

I actually used Testors brand primer, and brush-on enamel. Testors is a brand used primarily by hobbiests
for painting models etc. You can find this in any hobby shop.
I used Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear gloss coat . Most hardware stores carry this.

Once again, let things dry COMPLETELY. Especially enamel coats before applying Acrylic laquer. The acrylic makes the enamel bubble up oddly if its not completely dry.