So you’re going racing. You’ve bought a new helmet and you want to get it painted. How do you know what is okay and what is not? Probably you do not and most likely what you get told will be wrong also.

Clearly you have to talk to friends, get recommendations and see the work done by painters before you decide. Also cost is a big thing as different painters charge hugely different prices. You also have to contend with those painters having regular customers who will get their helmets painted first.

Preparation:

Before painting the painter must remove all external parts – aerodynamic parts, visor, screws etc.. And also must mask all the holes to prevent paint getting into the helmet or blocking ventilation holes. Be sure that the paint cannot penetrate to the inside parts of the helmet.

Note ref aero parts – ensure that these are refitted with correct tape and not glued. They are designed to be crushed / knocked off the helmet in an impact. If glued or painted solid onto the helmet they will not work the way intended in an impact.

Trim Rubbers:

They must NOT remove the rubber round the base of the helmet nor the rubber round the visor eyeslot. This is an absolute rule*. These rubbers should be masked carefully so they don’t get over-painted.

Allow these to be removed and you’ll most likely have the visor fitting badly, air getting in your eyes, and the visor fogging up! If the painter says ‘we’ve never had a problem, it’ll be alright – take it to another painter.

EPS Liner:

The EPS polystyrene liner must NOT be removed by the painter. If this is done the warranty is void. Again this rule is an absolute*. Painters neither have the knowledge to remove a liner correctly and without damaging it, nor do they have the correct tools or glues or knowledge of fitting system to refit correctly.

If the liner is not refitted correctly what happens? If the outer shell rotates forward in an accident and the liner does not – potentially you have the ‘hole’ for your neck getting smaller. If the opposite happens – potentially you have the ‘hole’ for your neck getting larger and the helmet flying off your head.

If you think that just securely gluing the liner in the shell is the solution – think again. Not all liners are fitted using glues. If they are glued together, specific glues are used that secure the liner to the shell without damaging either the materials that the liner or shell are made from.

I’ve had one situation with two F1 helmets where the team decided to remove the liners themselves and paint in-house. When they re-glued the liners in the helmet shells they had a problem – fortunately they were professional enough to realize they had a big problem and sent the helmets to me to correct. Where they had glued – there was a hole about the size of a fist where the glue had eaten away the liner.

Chinstrap:

Do NOT remove the chinstrap under any circumstances – this is only ever done by the manufacturer.

Cheek & Chin Pads:

Cheek and chin pads can be removed but in reality this is completely unnecessary – proper masking of the whole inside is the best way. Removing parts frequently leads to parts from different helmets of different drivers getting mixed up or lost.

Then you get back a helmet with the wrong size cheekpads and while the helmet looks ‘graphically wonderful’ it no longer fits.

HANS® / FHR Post Anchors:

Do NOT remove these for painting – mask them. This is especially relevant to earlier type HANS® fittings which need manufacturer fitting. For helmets homologated to FIA 8858-2010 (FIA 8859-2015 and FIA 8860 – 2010) – if these are removed always replace with the same homologated fitting as you remove.

Paint:

Only high quality air-drying acrylic, polyurethane enamels or others (as specified by the manufacturer) should be used, and only by an experienced and qualified painter. Paint requiring heat curing should not be used.

Solvents / Petrol / Brake Cleaner ect.:

Never use petrol, thinner, benzene or any other solvents that could adversely affect the shock absorbing liner or plastic components and shell. It is NOT okay to use such materials or brake cleaner to clean a visor – do this and you risk damaging it in a way you cannot see until something flies up and hits it – then its too late.

Being Offered ‘Extras’:

Be fully aware that you may be offered ‘the latest trick aero parts’, carbon parts, cheap mirror visors, coloured (anodized) visor securing screws. NONE of these are generally approved by the manufacturer, homologated or tested in any way – basically they are not legal for almost any form of racing. Stay away from these things.

Planning Your Helmet Painting – Timing:

First off – get it to the painter with several months spare. Do not appear in January – March and expect you’ll get it in time to go racing in April. You may be lucky, but highly likely you will not.

Design:

Work out your design – simple – complicated designs look nice on the table, in a display cabinet, but on a tv screen they disappear and look a mush. Think about a design that allows specific spaces for sponsors – research other helmets till you know a bit. Get it drawn up clearly so you don’t waste a painter’s time. Consider incorporating the helmet manufacturers logo into your design.

Briefing:

When you brief the painter be clear and while listening to suggestions don’t get carried away by a painter’s wish to display their skills at your expense. Some will ignore everything you suggest, some will follow exactly what you ask. So be sure you have what you agree drawn up and in writing in case things don’t go as you wish.

Get a delivery date and price in writing. Good luck.

* The only circumstance where these rubbers or a liner would be removed is if the helmet is painted by the manufacturer in house – or is painted out as a bare shell and returned to the manufacturer for assembly after painting.

Extract of FIA Regulations – Appendix L (DRIVERS’ EQUIPMENT [INTERNATIONAL SPORTING CODE])

(28 June 2016) [Always refer to FIA website for updated version]

1.3 Modifications No helmet may be modified from its specification as manufactured, except in compliance with instructions approved by the manufacturer and one of the FIA-listed standards organisations which certified the model concerned. Any other modification will render the helmet unacceptable for the requirements of the present Article 1.

1.5 Decoration Paint can react with helmet shell material and affect its protective capacity; therefore, where a manufacturer provides guidelines or restrictions on the painting or decoration of helmets, these must be followed, using only paint specified by them (air drying acrylic, polyurethane enamel or others) and preferably a painter having their approval. This is particularly important for injection- moulded shells, which are not usually suitable for painting. The shell being painted should be efficiently masked, as paint penetrating the interior can affect the performance of the helmet liner. Paints requiring heat curing should not be used and any process should not exceed the maximum temperature of conditioning of the helmet in the standard to which it is approved. The manufacturer’s instructions should also be consulted for any considerations on the use of stickers and transfers.