Cheap helmet paint

[8thArmy]

I just recieved my german M35 helmet from a chinese retailer last night and decide to use as target to test fire my kar98, i thought what could go wrong? little scratch will make this thing look more authentic...

well after 2 shots i saw a little "hole" on the helmet and i got freaked out i thought my rifle turned real

it turned out the paint used to paint the helmet was some kind cheap and thin layer which can be easily pill off like cooked egg shell.

any suggested good quality paint for the helmet? that will worn off instead of pilled off?

[Gryphon]

Krylon seems to be the de facto standard for camming things up durably. You can find the Camouflage series of colors at Canadian Tire.

For PASGT helmets (as an aside) I find some of that speckle paint that has chunks in it makes a great base coat with Krylon over top to give it that textured look. I did this to one of my $5 eHobby helmets and it looks pretty authentic.

[Sterling]

Originally Posted by Gryphon

Krylon seems to be the de facto standard for camming things up durably. You can find the Camouflage series of colors at Canadian Tire.

For PASGT helmets (as an aside) I find some of that speckle paint that has chunks in it makes a great base coat with Krylon over top to give it that textured look. I did this to one of my $5 eHobby helmets and it looks pretty authentic.

+1

The OD stuff is pretty nice. Friend used it on a C7 replica he was doing.

[Lerch]

+1 for Krylon Camoflage paint, I use it all the time for gear and guns.

If you're looking for accurate colors though, Tamiya and other model paints tend to get you closer.

[8thArmy]

Originally Posted by Lerch

+1 for Krylon Camoflage paint, I use it all the time for gear and guns.

If you're looking for accurate colors though, Tamiya and other model paints tend to get you closer.

gocha, tamiya it is, especially for my helmet which's from WWII era.
now i just need to find a good way to pill off all those cheap egg shell paint : ( before i repaint it..

[Lerch]

Originally Posted by 8thArmy

gocha, tamiya it is, especially for my helmet which's from WWII era.
now i just need to find a good way to pill off all those cheap egg shell paint : ( before i repaint it..

Paint thinner and a pressure washer?

[Amos]

Originally Posted by 8thArmy

gocha, tamiya it is, especially for my helmet which's from WWII era.
now i just need to find a good way to pill off all those cheap egg shell paint : ( before i repaint it..

If it's a metal helmet, pour a bit of acetone on a rag and rub it down...

If it's plastic.. Dont, It'll melt your helmet.

[White_knight]

anyone know a good way to take paint off of a kevlar CF helmet. i don't know if solvents will degrade or eat at the kevlar.

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by White_knight

anyone know a good way to take paint off of a kevlar CF helmet. i don't know if solvents will degrade or eat at the kevlar.

media blasting... like crush walnuts

[White_knight]

basing what i could gather from Google, it seems that i need some type of special rig to do it. does it work just by blowing abrasive at the piece in question. is there any way to replicate the process?

[Jayhad]

Originally Posted by White_knight

basing what i could gather from Google, it seems that i need some type of special rig to do it. does it work just by blowing abrasive at the piece in question. is there any way to replicate the process?

Compressed air is pushed through a gun like a paint gun that contains vacumn fed media (plastic bbs, walnut shells, sand, ect) you shoot it at the piece you want stripped, it will take seconds to do a helmet. You must be very careful, make sure you use a soft media and not sand, I haven't tried it but I think sand would rip the shit out of a helmet

not with out a blaster and a compressor.

In Calgary there are many places where you can go and blast what ever you want, I would be suprised if there wasn't a location you could do that in any city. If not contact body shops in your area, look for places that do resto work and they will more then likely have a contact for you.

[leblanc74]

I would use walnut shells in a blasting unit or waterproof sandpaper...keep away from acetone/thinner even if you dilute it...for paint, depending on the color you want, I painted a flash hinder from orange to flat black "made of metal" and it blended right in with the barrel, cannot tell the difference.....and also I painted a clearsoft springer flat black "made of sometype of acrylic/plastic" it look like real steal...the paint that I used was the high-end flatblack from Benjamin Moore...very good quality and it doesn't peel easily...