Pimp My Hardhat

[Rich3077]

Okay you guys will think I am nuts.. but so are a lot of off topic posts..

I have had the idea for the last couple of years to coustom paint a killer hard hat. Yes I know that hard hats can be bought with coustom designs.. but they suck. The design is nothing more than a plastic cover that easly tears off when abused.

What I am looking for is advice/directions on how to paint a plastic hardhat with a proffesional show car finsh paint job. I am even willing to buy very expensive paint considering I wont need a lot of it.. but I am hoping to get by with spray cans to make this project easier.

I have yet to decide on the final design but I am thinking about a metallic black hard hat with gold foil pinstripes along the top, with a crome Mercedes emblem glued to the front.

Since the hard hat will take tons of abuse one of my major considertations is a protective coating. I am considering polyurethane because a freind of mine once had me hit a scrap peice of wood he had coated with this stuff with a hammer. The wood dented but the polyurethane did not dent or scratch and just formed with the new dent in the wood.

Now.. I know very little about painting. If I properly sand and primer the hard hat can I use regular auto paint? I have access to sand/bead blasting if needed.

I am looking for any suggestions on how to accomplish this.


Peace
Rich

 

[Eli]

Krylon Plastifusion spraypaint is your friend.

I do not know about primer on plastic. There is probably something? It just depends on if it adheres well or not. If you can find a primer that will stick to the hat, I don't see why you couldn't use automotive paint...

 

[tasmanian]

Put some flames on it.

 

[stephenw22]

Of course, you do realize that painting your hard hat can weaken it, and is expressly forbidden by every manufacturer I've ever seen. Even most stickers aren't allowed. The solvents that make the paint adhere better can also weaken plastic. Same goes for glue on stickers.

If you really want a custom hard hat, buy one that comes factory-finished (and retains its factory warranty), or maybe look at getting a metal hard hat.

 

[IronWing]

Originally posted by: stephenw22
Of course, you do realize that painting your hard hat can weaken it, and is expressly forbidden by every manufacturer I've ever seen. Even most stickers aren't allowed. The solvents that make the paint adhere better can also weaken plastic. Same goes for glue on stickers.

If you really want a custom hard hat, buy one that comes factory-finished (and retains its factory warranty), or maybe look at getting a metal hard hat.

What he said. The company policy where I work is to throw out any hard hats with any kind of stickers or anything that can prevent them from being properly inspected. But if you're not using it on the job, then have fun, OSHA doesn't care what you do at home.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: stephenw22
Of course, you do realize that painting your hard hat can weaken it, and is expressly forbidden by every manufacturer I've ever seen. Even most stickers aren't allowed. The solvents that make the paint adhere better can also weaken plastic. Same goes for glue on stickers.

If you really want a custom hard hat, buy one that comes factory-finished (and retains its factory warranty), or maybe look at getting a metal hard hat.

Heh, I didn't even think about that.

 

[Googer]

A Google search turned up a company that does custom hardhat designs.

http://www.autoplates.com/catalog/hardhat-nascar-p-6901.html

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

aside from the safety issues, if you showed up on my jobsite with a brain bucket like that, you'd have quite a long day...

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
aside from the safety issues, if you showed up on my jobsite with a brain bucket like that, you'd have quite a long day...

:laugh:

 

[Rich3077]

Thanks for the replys. I dont have any employer concerns over pimping my hard hat because it is only used as a "bump cap" where I work and everyone adds stickers or paint so that nobody else accidently puts thier hat on. Thats really gross.. kinda like somebody putting on your underwear. I have even asked our safety department about this and they say as long as I dont drill any holes through the hat I will be okay. I dont see how paint or stickers can weaken a hardhat. Any emblem I put on will be ahdeared with glue.. probably crazy glue. All the required OSHA information will remain in tact under the brim. Also as stated in my original post, IMHO pre coustomized hard hats suck. I have owned a couple of them.

 

[imported_Willie]

If you're going to paint it, first ensure you use compatible primer and paint.....meaning primer that "likes" your paint. Such as laquer-compatible primer if using laquer paint, enamel-compatible primer with enamel paint, etc.

But, first clean your hardhat with something like pure iso. alcohol (90% or better)......you want your surface as clean as possible.

Then, primer it with flexible primer........that type of primer is made for flexible plastics.

Dupli-Color's Professional series of spray can primers.


After you get a nice, smooth, even coating of primer on your helmet, and it may take a couple of coats, then paint with color. I'd recommend enamel due to it being mroe chip resistant than laquer paints.

There are a whole host of interesting enamels out there, from simple auto-type paints, glossy and some are metallic-based, to color shifting (Dupli-Color calls it Mirage), anodized-appearing paints (again, Dupli-Color has some in a line called MetalCast), also some textured metallic paints, flecked metallic paints. The end being that your imagination is the limit. Some links below to some of the more interesting Dupli-Color paints.....and yes, I like Dupli-Color paints. They've worked well for me in the past.

Now, after you've painted, depending on the paint choice, you may need wet/dry sand the paint or you may not. Products like the MetalCast doesn't take to wet sanding well, but the standard auto and truck paints do. You wet sand to even out the surface and get a completely smooth surface for buffing, the next step. Sanding is esp. important in case you have drips, runs, orange peel, or other defects.....dust, dirt, etc. in the paint. Sandpaper grits I use start at 800, then 1000, then 1500, then sometimes 2000......depends on how fine a surface I want to achieve.

Buffing is just that.....buffing the sanded paint. The best way is a small (6") orbital buffer using 3M PerfectIt III Rubbing Compund. Buff in small sections...no more than 1/4 of the entire surface area. Do all the paint, and do it again. Best is at least twice across the entire area.

If you got to aggressive with the buffing, you may need to follow with swirl remover polish. Less aggressive in its cutting ability, it removes very fine swirl marks left from buffing, if you have any.

You'll see the dull sanded areas now almost glass-like. Then you use hand-applied glaze. Apply glaze a few times over several days. 3M makes some quite good glaze, Imperial Glaze, as does Meguire's.

Then, last, wax with good wax. But wait at least 30 days to wax to let the paint fully cure.


Using the above, I got these results on a case:

Side panel.

Case door...upper part.




Some links:

Dupli-Color OEM auto spray paints.

Dupli-Color MetalCast system.

Dupli-Color Mirage paint system.


Dupli-Color Metal Specks paint.

Dupli-Color Textured Metallic paint.


Excellent tutorial on painting.....focused on mirror=painting a case, but almost all the principles seen can be applied to painting anything.


Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[Rastus]

It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

 

[amicold]

Lightly sand it and scuff it with maybe 1000 or 1500 grit sandpaper. Primer it up, paint it. Get the Krylon Fusion if you want a cheap and effective route. Clearcoat and wet sand and you should have a nice durable finish.

 

[BoomerD]

I wore hardhats for 30 years, and I still hate them, even though they have saved me from serious injury a few times. (dammed butterfingers Ironworkers anyway)
Here's a bit of info on care of them:
http://www.contractortoolsandsupplies.com/past/safety/HardHadAbuse.htm

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
I wore hardhats for 30 years, and I still hate them, even though they have saved me from serious injury a few times. (dammed butterfingers Ironworkers anyway)
Here's a bit of info on care of them:
http://www.contractortoolsandsupplies.com/past/safety/HardHadAbuse.htm

Well, if he gets a fiberglass hardhat it could be painted. I never liked the plastic ones anyway...much preferred the fiberglass buckets when I had to wear them.

 

[Zolty]

Something like this.

 

[JoanieOfArk]

So I’ve been trying to paint my hard hat as well. It is a fiberglass “welders” hardhat and it has not been turning out too well. So I used Rustoleum Universal gloss black and same clear gloss. It has a “hammered” look. Mind you this is my third attempt at it. It was already painted black by my employer but just became chipped/dull. I have two hardhats but now I have screwed up both of them and need to find a solution before Monday. HELP!

 

[BoomerD]

So I’ve been trying to paint my hard hat as well. It is a fiberglass “welders” hardhat and it has not been turning out too well. So I used Rustoleum Universal gloss black and same clear gloss. It has a “hammered” look. Mind you this is my third attempt at it. It was already painted black by my employer but just became chipped/dull. I have two hardhats but now I have screwed up both of them and need to find a solution before Monday. HELP!

You know that the solvents in most spray paint can be bad for the polymers (is that the right term?) used in hardhats...right?
Fiberglass perhaps a bit less of a problem, but the hardhat is a vital part of your safety equipment...why take a chance of compromising it?

 

[lxskllr]

Black is an awful color for hardhats. Like they aren't hot enough as-is...

Just bought this one today. It's for climbing trees, but I'm also gonna use it for construction. Tired of my regular hat falling off when I bend over. I got the orange hat with a tinted visor.

 

[BoomerD]

Black is an awful color for hardhats. Like they aren't hot enough as-is...

Just bought this one today. It's for climbing trees, but I'm also gonna use it for construction. Tired of my regular hat falling off when I bend over. I got the orange hat with a tinted visor.

That would get you kicked off any jobsite I ever worked on. Looks more like a bump cap(with "slots") than an actual hardhat. I saw lots of guys with "cowboy" style hardhats get kicked off jobsites too. The dimpled crown of the cowboy style doesn't deflect falling objects well.

 

[lxskllr]

That would get you kicked off any jobsite I ever worked on. Looks more like a bump cap(with "slots") than an actual hardhat. I saw lots of guys with "cowboy" style hardhats get kicked off jobsites too. The dimpled crown of the cowboy style doesn't deflect falling objects well.

If someone tried to throw me off the job it would get shoved up their ass, and they'd be buying me replacement for my now polluted hat. It's ANSI certified, but not for electric due to the vents.

 

[BoomerD]

If someone tried to throw me off the job it would get shoved up their ass, and they'd be buying me replacement for my now polluted hat. It's ANSI certified, but not for electric due to the vents.

Ok, after doing some reading, they've made some serious changes to the ANSI Z87 standards...even the cowboy style is approved for some uses...looks like yours is Type 1 class c rated. Sufficient for top impacts, no electrical contact. :thumbsup:
(remember, I've been out of the trades since 2003...lots of changes...

 

[lxskllr]

The tax on this system was almost as much as the old shitty hardhat's total cost. I started looking at these cause I liked my forestry helmet a lot more than my construction helmet. That was already tens of dollars more, and if I'm gonna spend that, well... I like the big vents, and it really sits on the head nice, even without the chinstrap. I get so pissed trying to do something with two hands, and needing a third to keep my crappy MSA on.

I hear companies are switching to this style for working at height. costs more, but so far it seems worth it. I guess I'll find out when I put it to work.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Should add mini solar panels to have it power a cooling fan for your head.

 

[IronWing]

What a difference 12 years makes. My previous post says “no stickers allowed”. Now the safety folks have decided that visibility is more important than inspections so we have to cover our hard hats in reflective tape (mining industry). So pimp that pie plate.