Painting a Helmet/Model/Anything?

[cycloptor]

ok, so i'm going to be painting my old road hockey goalie helmet. it looks like ass. basically im going to use good model paints. what should i do? should i sand it? will using a good primer be sufficient? its just to get rid of years of abuse and a really horrible koho logo... the surface is pretty smooth still... help?

[onetime2]

sand it, fill any gouges or scrapes with bondo (can be found in the automotive area of Wal Mart or an auto parts store), primer it, and use spray paint it'll come out a lot better than using model paints. Use tape to make straight lines and you can make some pretty interesting designs (if you're so inclined).

[cycloptor]

well yeah, spray model paint... tamaya. it'll work, oh yes, it will work.

thanks!

[Stare At The Sun]

Whatever you do, post pics!

[onetime2]

Originally posted by cycloptor
well yeah, spray model paint... tamaya. it'll work, oh yes, it will work.

thanks!

Ahh, I see. When I was a kid we only had those damned little glass bottles of model paints. Friggin PITA.

Good luck.

[turbodriven]

Make sure to clear coat it. It will protect the finish and add another 3x depth and shine to the finished product. The trick with clear coat is to be patient... don't try to stick a 3mm layer on with the first coat. Put a light (I stress light) coat on... let it dry enough so that it's really sticky (don't touch the helmet of course, spray something else off to the side as a guage)... then apply another light coat the same way. You might have to do this 5-10 times. Patience is the key! Itm might take a few hours to finish but your patience will prevent ugly runs!

[theguyondacouch]

When you clear coat it, if you wet sand it inbetween coats, it will be way smoother.