Liquid Colour Design…Custom Helmet Painting

Paddock42 have recently discovered the talents of Iain Baldwin at Liquid Colour Design. Iain is a custom painter and airbrush artist full time, and he is based in Co Antrim in a small Village called Ballycarry.

Iain’s spends most of his time at Liquid Colour Design is providing custom helmet painting & design, but he also carries out all custom painting/ high end airbrush work and finds himself working on motorcycles, cars, trucks any anything else his clients want him to paint! Along with all his custom work Iain has recently seen an increase in his fine art services taking on commissions to paint wildlife and motorsports images.

The key ingredient behind Iain’s work is a passion for wanting to create the very best, after all, his work has his name on it! Producing the work is one thing but really ‘getting it’ is something else, Iain really prides himself in developing a deep understanding of his clients requirement. Enjoying the design and painting process is part of it too, and if requested LCD happily provide regular updates; these can be photos uploaded to Facebook & Twitter.

Bit of an interesting fact – World Endurance Racer/ Multi TT & NW200 road racer Cameron Donald is one of Liquid Colour Clients.

So you are thinking about getting your lid done for next season? Questions start flowing: How much is it going to cost? Well standard reply is they start at £200 to go to over £1700 but as you would imagine it all depends on various factors so we got Iain to spell out the process for us because as you would imagine there is a fair bit to it.

Firstly some questions for you:

1. Do you require a new helmet?

2. If it’s your own helmet what condition is it in, chips, scratches etc?

3. Do you have a design?

4. Do you require me to create a design?

5. What colours would you like?

6. Have you seen a design you like?

This then leads to this:

Q: Do I need a new helmet?

A: No, but it is preferable if possible. Used Helmets can be painted as long as they are in a good, undamaged condition. We can supply all manufacturers of new helmets, motorsport or motorcycle, if you would like them to supply one.

Q: I am not very good at drawing. How do I design it?

A: You can send your own sketches, descriptions or any other reference material (magazine pictures etc) which we are happy to work from. We can also produce computer layouts of designs for prior approval; there is a cost for these due to the time involved to create a computer design.

Q: Can you paint names and logos?

A: Yes. We can produce sponsors/company logos and these will be hand painted wherever possible. We require good quality high resolution files, if this isn’t possible we may need to charge a fee for the necessary editing work.

Q: How long does it take?

A: Most paintwork takes 2-3 weeks to complete once started. Chrome adds 2-3 weeks and some intricate airbrush work takes longer to complete. The waiting list varies depending on the time of the year, sometimes up to a couple of months but an express service is available at extra cost.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: Prices vary depending on the complexity of work and the time it takes. Simple designs start from £200. An average race design can be between £300 – £600 and chrome adds from £260 to the overall cost. Airbrush murals, cartoons etc cost on their complexity and are in addition to the paintwork cost.

Q: How do I look after my painted helmet?

A: Warm, soapy water is suitable for cleaning and most automotive polishes can be used. After use in the wet, it’s best to remove the visor and clean underneath to prevent grit from scratching the paintwork when the visor is lifted. Designs with fluorescent colours should be kept out of strong sunlight wherever possible, as even though we use UV protective lacquers fluorescents are prone to fading when exposed to strong UV rays over a period of time. We can also supply and fit Venture shield; complete kit £52.00 or fitted for you £65.00.

Q: How to do you work out a price?

A: Complexity of the design, the paint requirement requested by the client and estimated time to complete the artwork. If the artwork needs to be completed under a deadline or needs to be rushed meaning longer hours spent on a project to complete in the shortest possible time this will incur further costs.

With these questions asked then Iain will have a pretty good idea of price range for the client – not a final quote but you as the client will have a ball park figure. Final quote will come once LCD have either completed a design for the client or I have pictures/drawing supplied by the client.

Next up 50% deposit (refundable until the paint work has started or the new helmet ordered) and off you go. Brand new helmets can be supplied and LCD strongly advise to do so, as we can reduce the price of the paint job plus if you’re going to get an amazing paint job you may as well have it completed on a brand new helmet. Repair work on older helmets will add further cost.

The process starts:

1st step of the process, Liquid Colour Design receives a new helmet from the main importers in the UK. Full visual inspection carried out, then it is stripped out – completely to the bones with every tiny screw and all the other components not to be painted carefully placed in to a storage box, labelled and set aside.

2nd step, involves degreasing the helmet and roughing up the surface ready for the base colour candy blue. Iain says that when painting used helmets, this is when all the prep work plus all the repairs are done and they would have to re-prime prior to base, this is why used helmets costs more!

3rd step after all the fine line tape logo etc has been masked the next step is the second colour and as the same as above. Once the flash off has completed it is then time to re- mask areas ensuring that the complete helmet is ready for the next col0ur/stage.

4th Step, Iain often uses a DeVilbiss Sri pro 0.8 spray gun mid fan with the flow rate reduced. Fluorescent can be a bit tricky, but I really enjoy the hi-viz colours as they are so bright and vivid. Great for motorcycle helmets in numerous design orientations, but not to everyones taste. Once the painting is complete and fully flashed off we come back in to carry out the first stage of the fades and working through the design.

5th Step , the mask and fine line tape is all removed, Iain says ‘this is my most enjoyable time of the process. It’s when you really start to see the design appear and all the colours together from this stage the artwork and gold leaf or silver leaf inlay, airbrush artwork is usually carried out. I

6th step, this is the process after all work that needs to be completed and it’s time to protect it with 2 stage Lacquer. The lacquer has to be the best quality to produce the amazing finish which we require as our standards are high to protect the artwork. Iain says ‘we purchase lacquer from another custom painter based on the mainland UK, he has produced his very own mix which I have been using over a year now and feel it’s the best I can get for my clients’. This has also been tested on the Isle of Man TT, NW200, as well as 24hr World Endurance Race on two helmets painted by Liquid Colour Design this year. ‘They are still looking as good as the day I painted them’.

Final step, once Iain is 100% happy with the completed design and the quality of the lacquer and basic standard finish he then goes through a process which flattens the lacquer, a process of using 2000 grit wet & dry paper. Using the paper wet, the complete helmet is wet sanded down. Once this has been completed, it’s a cut and polish stage using the best products on the market and Iain has produced his own first cut compound. After the cutting and the buffing is complete then to the final stage of hand glaze; then assembly of the helmet which can take up to 1 & 1/2hr. After the final assembly, the helmet is allowed to sit for 24hrs to settle. This allows Iain time to admire the work before packing and shipping. A nice touch is the fact that Iain always encloses a personal letter to the client signed, Iain says that ‘this also strengthens a business relationship with my clients’.

Your helmet is the most critical piece of safety gear that you possess and may one day save your life, however it is also the most personal, so LCD believe in creating that one design that makes you stand out. At LCD we can create any design for your new, or even your old helmet as long as it is in good undamaged condition – they can create any colour or effect using any type of exotic paint including candies and flake.

As Northern Irelands’ leading full time professional painter LCD paint helmets for professional sports people, Road Racing NW200 & IoM TT, British Superbike, World Endurance Racing teams, Rally Teams Factory & Private, Karting, Watersports & Stunt Drivers.