Applying custom graphics and artwork to helmets can sometimes be a little troublesome. Helmets can be just as time consuming, if not more, as painting a motorcycle tank. This is because with helmets there are many more parts and materials that need to be masked and protected.
     

A crucial first step to laying out graphics on helmets is to take many measurements.

The best way to lay out graphics centered and straight is to find middle point on front and rear.

The visor opening must be sealed off so that paint cannot damage the interior.

The helmet design process can also get a little tricky because there can be many hours of labor when customizing. The question to keep in mind is whether the customer is willing to pay for this. Most don’t see a problem with paying top dollar for a first-class custom paint job, but probably not when it’s for a helmet. There is often a balancing act needed to decide between what the customer wants and what he or she is willing to pay.
    

Rich tip: The fastest paint jobs are usually freehand, so try and stick to this method especially when doing something less expensive such as team sport helmets.

Measure and mark for reference
    

Sometimes laying out graphics on a helmet can be a little frustrating. It’s important to take a lot of measurements and mark as many reference points as you can with little pieces of tape. Hopefully the helmet is not perfectly smooth and has some ridges or vents to use as a reference point when measuring.
    

The helmets are very round and it’s sometimes hard to line up graphics and lettering to be perfectly centered and straight. Your best bet is to find the middle point of the front, which is not usually too hard, and then find the middle point of the rear, which is a bit harder.
    

Then lay a centerline down the middle of the helmet with some fine line vinyl tape. This is a good place to take further measurements for the rest of your paint job and get everything laid out and evenly spaced from one another.
  

Rich tip: Make sure every graphic is laid out just right before you spray it or things could end up looking lopsided.

Remove hardware and materials
    

Before you begin with your helmet project you have to examine the hardware and the materials on the inside. Sometimes removing certain parts will cause damage to the parts and they will need to be replaced. If you don’t have any replacement parts you will need to decide which parts will be removed and which will remain.
    

Store everything that you end up removing in a plastic bag and label the bag with the list of parts and the helmet it corresponds with. Sometimes you get lucky and receive a brand spankin’ new helmet from the manufacturer with extra hardware or in the stage just before the hardware is to be installed. Unfortunately though, in most cases you will have to improvise and do a lot of masking.
    

As an example, you usually can’t remove all the materials inside the helmet, unless you happen to have some experience with the fabrics and adhesives involved in putting these helmets together. We’ve done a lot of custom painted helmets here at the shop, but it’s not exactly our specialty. So we don’t remove anything that we’re not completely sure that we can put back just the way it was. This includes the interior of the helmet and sometimes the trim around the bottom of the helmet and visor openings. A lot of the time, you will not be able to remove these pieces without having to replace them due to the damage incurred.