Good effort! 
20 char
1 Like
Those look great! Now all your pals are gonna bug you to do theirs.
1 Like
Looks great! This is how it starts. You paint a couple for yourself and a some buddies. Then it evolves into business.
1 Like
And if you really enjoy doing it, just keep it as a hobby… 
3 Likes
Thanks for the kind words guys! This is just a hobby for me, I don’t mind doing a few for friends but that will be the extent of it (I will just charge them for materials). The problem for me is I’m not much of an artist so I have to practice different ideas on scrap pieces of sheet metal. I have several old street signs that I use for this. TJ Koyen I just looked at your portfolio and your work is amazing 
A couple of my practice pieces below.
1 Like
Thank you! I’ve had a fair bit of practice at this point. 
1 Like
Keep at it and you’ll be as good as TJ and the other famous helmet painters! You’ll need a lot of helmets but you’ll get there!
2 Likes
NICE JOB John! Applause applause! What kind of paint is that? An automotive paint?
1 Like
Thank you! The paint I use is called Createx and it is water based, google Createx. I buy my paint from Spraygunner.com. I use Spraymax 2K clear glamour for the clearcoat which is in a spray can but the finish is very professional, check Youtube for Spraymax video’s.
What equipment do you use?
1 Like
I bought a cheap airbrush kit and also a moderately priced detail gun from Amazon. Both work very well in my opinion.
Continuing the discussion from Paint Your Own Helmet:
Hi TJ, if you don’t mind i’d like to ask you a question about airbrushes. The cheap airbrush that I have has a 0.3 tip and it seems like I should be using a 0.5 or 0.7 as I have to thin the paint a lot and have the trigger fully open to get it to spray a good coat of paint. Do you typically use a certain size tip or maybe it varies as to what you are doing. I think I might buy a better quality airbrush that I can change the needle and tip sizes on.
Thanks,
John.
I have quite a few airbrushes ranging from 0.3-0.7 tip depending on what I’m using them for. My 0.5 Iwatas handle most of the stuff I do.
Airbrushes are for detail stuff only, so you shouldn’t really be applying a “coat” of paint with it. That’s what spray guns are for. But yes, you will have to thin the paint more to get it to flow nicely in a brush.
1 Like
Thanks! Yes I use my 20oz detail gun for most of the painting. I think I will purchase a 0.5 airbrush, i’ll spend a bit of money this time and get something of quality.
Can’t recommend Iwata enough. I have tested a bunch of brands on brushes and guns and they’re my favorite. I use Iwata for my guns too. But as a hobbyist, it might be a little pricey to justify, but I don’t know your budget.
Paasche makes some good stuff too for a lower price point. I had a couple Talon brushes from them and they work pretty good. They’re my back-ups to my three Iwata Eclipse/Micron brushes.
Otherwise TCP’s in-house Iwata-knock-off brand, Master, is pretty decent too for the money.
1 Like
Whatcha using for paint? Back when I messed around with painting helmets it seemed like House of Kolor was king. Curious if that’s still the same.
Mostly HoK still. Lots of guys use HoK or PPG. I have a variety of different brands of clears I like for different things.
There are some house brands that aren’t bad for solid colors, but anything remotely special like neon or pearl or flake, I go with something reputable.
Hey @tjkoyen, how about water-borne paints like Auto-Air or Wicked Colors… any experience with, or opinion about, them?
1 Like
I have never used water-based stuff, but I know some people do. From what I hear, solvent stuff is easier to work with, is more durable, and dries faster. But also, the fumes and exposure to chemicals isn’t great. And water-based tech keeps advancing.
2 Likes
I am using the Createx Wicked colors mostly because as TJ says the fumes and chemical clean up for me is a no go. I am not an expert but have reasonable success with the water based paint. However I do use 2K clear coat.