-
are racing helmets done with paint or vinyl?
As most of you might know im not exactly a sign nor vinyl fitter, and i’d like someone to tell me if is there any chance of fitting (on 1 single piece of vinyl) a racing helmet. So you can later wrap it off.
The reason for this is i’m designing somethings for a national racing team and one of the pilots (for superstition, i think), wouldn’t compete with another helmet than it’s own, which is hand painted, but is sponsor just want a red helmet with a small logo on side, and shouldn’t show any trimming or scratch.
If it’s possible can someone show me how to do it? (Wich Vinyl, fitting tools, etc..) Comments apreciated!!
-
12 Replies
-
I’ve done that. You wouldn’t get away with a printed wrap because of the distortion, but if you want to just change the colour, no problem. I have done it with KPMFs VWS. The only problem was holding the helmet steady as the vinyl was pulled around it. 2 man job and a hairdryer. It’s such a small piece that it wouldn’t matter if you learned whilst you were doing it and got it wrong a couple of times.
-
I heard they were rules on fitting graphics to helmets…..something to do with health and safety. Not sure though….
-
big g just echoed my thoughts there mate…
G, did you do this with a colour of KPMF?
reason i say is, i found it lightens when streched. i know this will happen with any but my thoughts were it lightened pretty fast on a solid dark blue.going only on what i have used so far in colours but the mactac macfleet coloured wrap vinyl would do this brilliantly… it strecheds like chewing gum and holds its colour very well… down side is its a bugger to remove, very hard. having said that,.. i think tey do a removable one theses days 🙄
-
Thx for your fast answers,
Big G – any other brand of vinyl that i might try coz’ i’m not sure i can find it on regular supliers?
Jagged – I’m really interested on those rules if you can find them, altough i’m already “googling ” to see if i can find something that i should advise them!
Thx again
Britchenko
-
…I would worry about the vinyl taking off some of the paint when it is removed. Is there a lo-tack vinyl?
Or have the guy sign a waiver saying you are not responsible for damage to his paintjob.
Love…..Jill -
mactac should be available in portugal mate…
the regulations are correct, stickers on helmets are not allowed. remember this from my old bmx racing days.. 😉
i “think” this is because some cheap stickers have an adhesive that attacks the shell of the helmet creating weak spots. i dont think vinyl as such does the same thing.
best check though… 😕 -
You’re right there Rob. I covered a helmet in white. Any wrap vinyl would easily do this job, but I mentioned VWS because it is so easy to use and would do the job. I think you are right about the probable colour distortion. As for Jill’s point; I know this sounds mental, but for very short term wrapping onto non recessed panels, spray application fluid on and let it dry completely before wrapping. The vinyl will come off much easier.
-
Big thx to you all,
i’ll check all of that as soon as i can, including if i won’t be held responsible if the paint comes off when it’s time to take it off.
Rob, MacTac it’s available here i’ll check if they have that one as well. I think they should know if they couldn’t use vinyl on helmets, but anyway i’ll tell them if they still are up to it, it’s there problem not mine.
By the way, did a cellphone company (V… phone), exhibited recently a TV ad with a racing track in Superbikes there in UK? If so it might be that you have seen this particular pilot with is loved helmet on. (for about 2 secs anyway) 😀
-
What about the gel spray system Peter mentioned in this thread
https://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=10007
Paul R(Mackerelbus design)
-
We print a lot of helmet labels, and none of the suppliers seem to want to commit themselves to a vinyl wich has an adhesive that wont harm the helmets, a few will recomend using a vinyl with a waterbased adhesive, but this is just their opinion. I must admit that i find this very strange seeing as they admit this is a question that crops up all the time. I have come to a brick wall on this. I do wonder if it is a throwback to bmx days and that plastics are now much more stable and wont be affected by adhesives. But just to be on the safe side i use a vinyl with a water based adhesive. Would be interesting to know what everybody else uses cos i do know there are quite a few on here that do helmet labels
-
I think you are right Martin there seems confusion on the subject The plastic helmets ie cheaper one are affected by the addition of solvent glues
All the helmets that are sold in the UK have stickers on them anyway 2 infact approved stickers.
-
Hi all,
I do a lot of race cars but am not able to do helmets due to the international rules.
Any driver I have done work for gets their helmets airbrushed and then clear coated.
The helmets are better than they used to be, but whereas the problem used to be relating to glues damaging the helmet case, now it is more a question of litigation unfortunately.
If they find a stickered helmet has caused failure of said helmet in a crash, lawyers would want blood, at the very least. The helmets manufacturers have no concerns for paint, but are unwilling to give the same for stickers.
Interesting thing about superstition tho; I have one driver that would not drive with any green on the car. One year he got a sponsor that had a green logo. When I asked him how he was going to get over the problem, he said it looked like teal to him, and that teal was not a problem. It was no more teal than black. It was green. The first year I did his car I was unaware of this, and stickered his car in, you guessed it, green vinyl. He was so upset, he would not even touch the car until it was all removed.
Another guy would only drive in the same underwear, and another had to wear the same socks. Another bloke would not speak an hour before the race. If anyone asked him a question in that time, they lost their job at the end of the race. Not being at all superstitious, I find it facinating.
I signed a horse float for a guy with a cartoon character last year. It had a brown background, but he was convinced it looked like olive green. He went ballistic, made himself physically sick. Apparently he held the belief that the week of a race you could not touch anything green incase it invoked bad luck.
I asked him how he got to a race meeting, given that horses run on grass. All I got was abuse, but no answer.
Cheers
Log in to reply.
