Silly Question: How do you prep a helmet for painting?

[SigSavage]

I bought the helmet that ItalianNinja was selling to give painting a whirl. Not sure what version it is or what it's made out of. Maybe a resin of some sort? I'm just wondering what I use to smooth and clean everything up. Exacto knife? Sandpaper?

Thanks!

 

[Furious]

Do you have a picture you can post?

 

[SigSavage]

 

[Furious]

Well, you can start by trimming some of that stuff at the bottom. If you don't have a dremel I would suggest you get one. They really are worth their weight in gold. If you plan on doing a lot more than just the helmet you will be glad you have one. Get some bondo or other filler to fill in the little imperfections. I use a mouse sander with some fine grit paper to get things smooth. and if you do have or get a dremel you can use that to cut out the visor area. I always hate doing that part but it is not too bad.

also, I suggest buying a metal stalk and a new topper. You can get those for somewhat decent price.

 

[SigSavage]

Thanks for the input. I do have a Dremel, and have used it to clean a bit of the big stuff up so far. I used some 180 grit sandpaper to sand down the major lines and bumps. It left behind almost a very fine sponge-like look, with dust filling the holes in. It feels smooth though, and I expect the primer will seal it all in there smooth (I hope).

This is just a practice bucket that I'm going to do a custom paint job on for fun, so I'm not bothering with the upgrades. I'm having a proper helmet made and painted for me that will have all that stuff

 

[BobaFiend]

Prepping for paint? Funny you ask...

He's a little ahead of where you are but this is a great breakdown of all the steps needed pre-paint.

If you've not used Bondo before check this out, it's a good quick intro.

 

[SigSavage]

Right on! Thanks

 

[dreadpyrat]

Great tips, thanks! Any tips on priming and sanding?

 

[intwenothor]

I bought the helmet that ItalianNinja was selling to give painting a whirl. Not sure what version it is or what it's made out of.

It's a Mystery Helmet, SgtFang version, or a recast of one. Apart from the stand out PP2 features that give it away, Fang scratched those words into the visor section.

The other accepted recast of the Mystery helmet was the Marrow Sun version.