Axcel Fast Graphics did my lid, along with a few others around the various Skippy paddocks. I'm extremely happy with the job they did on mine, and very impressed with all the work I've seen from them. Their website is axcelfastgraphics.com
Mid-Corner Speed Master / Advanced Member (1,000+ Posts)
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,000
Re: Custom Helmet/ Helmet Visor Stickers
I was a big fan of Kuzzins... they are however currently about 6 weeks behind schedule on a project and no longer answering emails or phone calls. I'd take my business elsewhere if I were you.
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Call Bullseye Visual in Kokomo, In. They have painted several helmets for IndyCar drivers and others. Check out their website bullseyevisual.com. Brad will take good care of you. They get busy this time of year with the month of May around the corner.
Does anyone use a clear protective film material (Like clear bra on a car) on the front of their painted helmets? My plain white helmet got sandblasted and rock chipped all to hell in just two weekends last year. I'd be pissed if that damage happened to a fresh $$$ paint job!
For helmet painting, try Corby Concepts - they are at Indy in Gasoline Alley and do a great job. Most of these shops are run by artists - Corby listened to what I wanted, and added a lot of things that took it to the next level. Also, they WILL try and work to your schedule - but being at IMS during May, am sure they are busy. Their overall service was great - keep you updated, give you options on pricing, etc. Highly recommend. I think my lid is still in their gallery - a fantastically done but highly common stars-and-stripes - but the work on the TOP he ad-libbed (no extra charge, just being an artist) and is way cool.
In terms of chips - having just gotten 2 nice gouges today at Laguna - try Heli-Tape. The invisible mask stuff put on cars tends to be be very thick, but is effective - best to find an installer and pay them for a few square feet. Heli-tape is same idea, you can get at an aviation supply store (think clear duct tape). Actually, I know Corby adds that to helmets (on request) for the IRL and CART guys, since a few laps at 200mph tend to trash a helmet - you might be able to just call them and buy some.
Maximizing Exit Speed / Advanced Member (10+ Posts)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 19
Re: Custom Helmet/ Helmet Visor Stickers
Quote:
Originally Posted by DJR1126
Any suggestions on where I can get a good custom helmet paint job? Also, does anyone know where I could get a few custom visor stickers made?
Thanks,
D.J. Randall
TFR
All the instructors recommended Kuzzins, but he's had my cash since December and no helmet. After much patience, a promised refund has not arrived either. The guy must be in some kind of trouble-----whatever,he's ripped me off for over a thousand bucks!
Maximizing Exit Speed / Advanced Member (10+ Posts)
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 19
Re: Best places to buy racing equipment
I've heard nothing but good about Corby Concepts. Anyone with experience with them or Bullseye? Websites look good, but i've been burned once already.......
I had great experience with Corby's - nice folks, and they answer the phone.
Short version, my wife started this by checking into getting my lid painted as a Christmas present - then handed it over to me. The Corby guys and I did a couple back/forths via fax over design, and they sent me about 20 pictures to compare (i,e, " do you like this? do you like that? how about doing this....?").
By the time I sent them my lid, I got it back all finished in about 2.5 weeks - which was a day longer than they had promised. Expensive? Mid-range from what I"ve seen, but quality/value is great. (My helmet is still on their site).
I even did a "one last consult" with Mike Corby before he went and painted - in fact, he added quite a few cool aspects that I had not spec'd that I"m delighted in.
My take is that MOST of these shope are artists who run businesses- NOT businesses that paint helmets. Maybe Corby's location at IMS in Gasoline Alley has allowed them to also focus on customer service...they even found the right color-matched HANS anchors for me and had them installed....so I"ll be back for my next lid.
Beware, I'd bet that May is their BUSY month - seems they do a LOT of IRL work.
As for Kuzzins, if you paid by creidt card, file a complaint with the company.
Corby just did the Team Juicy visor strips for me, and in a nutshell their performance was excellent. They did 100 visor strips in 4 days with perfect quality. They also gave me the lowest price of the three vendors I got bids from.
Maximizing Exit Speed / Advanced Member (10+ Posts)
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 22
Re: Best places to buy racing equipment
Quote:
Originally Posted by sydude
Corby just did the Team Juicy visor strips for me, and in a nutshell their performance was excellent. They did 100 visor strips in 4 days with perfect quality. They also gave me the lowest price of the three vendors I got bids from.
A pure pleasure to deal with.
awesome! ill have to look into that for sure
thanks again for everyone's input
I also used Corby Concepts like Al Delattre (Dailatree, Imasbigasatree, How the hell do you spell his name) and they did a great job but were a big pain to get the bloody job done. It took about 6 weeks longer and a lot of phone calls to get done. Angie, his asst. is great. As far as helmet protection, I've been using helecopter tape and it works really well. It's expensive but cheapter than a paint job.
Krylon at any hardware store runs you about 4 bucks a can, you have total artistic freedom and at 100 feet and 100 mph it looks just as good as the pro jobs.
My 2 cents.
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Krylon at any hardware store runs you about 4 bucks a can, you have total artistic freedom and at 100 feet and 100 mph it looks just as good as the pro jobs.
My 2 cents.
that's my plan as soon as the stone chips get bad enough on my helmet. by the way, how did you attach that nomex skirt to your helmet so you didnt have to put on a balaclava?
Ari,
That skirt is popular in the dirt track world. Made by Simpson and attaches with velcro. You can probably find one at a place that services circle track racers.
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"I miss 100% of the shots, I don't take." Wayne Gretsky. For Technique Talk archives click here
isn't velcro flammable? i'll check it out though. i thought that velcro was partly to blame for the fire that took 2 astronauts lives on the launch pad. i'm obviously not sure about this.
Testing Mid-Corner Speed / Advanced Member (500+ Posts)
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Age: 84
Posts: 608
Re: Custom Helmet Paint / Helmet Visor Stickers
Revere, Divi and I had ours done by Al Ribskis, a regular at Road America, utterly reliable, wonderfully creative, finishes on schedule and fair price. Phone 312-421-3855 and email aribskis@aol.com. He also designs logos and will get them embossed on suits and designs and makes vinyl decals for the cars.
hey Slonaker - us "skirt-wearing" slow guys need something to make us feel fast, or at least look cool......besides, they DO look cool sitting next to our desks at home....
Ari - Velcro is nylon-based, it will MELT, and it was three astronauts, not 2. What killed them was the 100% oxygen cabin environment and a spark - the 2,000 degree fire pretty much torched their nomex suits, too.....(don't ask me why I know this..). Nylon and the polycarbonate in visors have a similar melting point, if that helps....
And - Dr Roberts - re Corby, they even warned me that during the IRL pre-season and Indy-time, they can get backed up for months -rest of the year it's pretty easy. Also depends on if they have someone other than Mike himself painting...Helmet painters are kind of like dentists - you never know what you're gonna get!
Krylon at any hardware store runs you about 4 bucks a can, you have total artistic freedom and at 100 feet and 100 mph it looks just as good as the pro jobs.
My 2 cents.
Rob is correct, and if you happen to enjoy this kind of thing it can actually be fun. I just completed a "rattlecan" paint job on my Arai, no airbrush used, Krylon cans only, along with lots of masking tape, pinstriping tape, basic tools, different grades of sandpaper, decal making, etc. Not bad for a first attempt, 2nd will def be better, made my mistakes on this one. Duo is next victim
I plan on doing a detailed step-by-step post on this, have pics of the whole process but no time now, off the WGI. So here are before and after pics, full post next week.
2nd to last pic definitely for a caption competition
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"Think very carefully, because if you ever start, you will never be able to leave it alone" Sir Donald Campbell, CBE
Woof... You are definitely going to lower your lap times with that work of art... Nice Job Doug! You've just caused Krylon stock to soar. Can't wait to see the step by step. Good luck and have fun at the Glen!
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Mid-Corner Speed Master / Advanced Member (1,000+ Posts)
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,000
Re: Custom Helmet Paint / Helmet Visor Stickers
Way cool... looks just as good in person.
Now Doug... since you brought it up this morning, I've got a request for you. Like my IT department (ok, it's only one person, but still...), can you prepare a job queue with prioritizations and ETA's?
Much obliged...
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What a magnificant job! I've done some spray bomb paint jobs on my kart racing bodies, but never anything that intricate! Nicely done. The clear coat- I assume you used a clear coat- really shines everything up nicely.
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Thanks much, I plan on a longer description with photos but am buried in another project, will try to post the painting writeup soon.
In the full description I will tell you that the 4 coats of Krylon Clear I put on were not enough (the wax on the final clear really helps the shine). I have a couple dings from WGI after only 4 sessions. I think the solution is to get it painted yourself then find a friendly body shop to do the clear, they can lay it on really thick for that final touch. I suppose with more time I could have just kept laying on Krylon clear coats but I didn't have the time. I'll let you know the final outcome, gotta do one or the other or this paint job wont last too many race weekends.
.
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"Think very carefully, because if you ever start, you will never be able to leave it alone" Sir Donald Campbell, CBE
Doug - first, great meeting you (finally) at WGI and thanks for the lift over to the track
Your paint job looks great, but on the dings...
Having worked in a car shop before/during college, and having a good friend in the (high-end) body and paint world, NO paint - clear coat or otherwise - is going to stop a rock chip, 5 lb bug, etc from taking a hunk of the paint off...
Paint - while durable - is like glass - it WILL shatter with the right combo of velocity, mass and projectile shape (eg Laguna Seca gravel).
To an earlier post - CLEAR heli-tape can help. Think of it as a laminate coating over a windshield - tends to absorb/spread impacts (so might not prevent cracking) but does wonders to prevent penetration (hmm) of the paint, which causes the chips....
If you cut it and apply it carefully, you can barely tell its there- and you can always remove it and replace with "no evidence".
Now - wish I was smart enough and/or not lazy like I was with my well-chipped helmet...
I just checked Kuzzin's website, and it seems that he's closed shop. What a shocker. He started out well, so it's a shame. Anyway, this is what it says on his site:
"Due to health problems related to paint and chemicals, we are no longer open for business. Please send any correspondence concerning obligations to this address as we have moved."
Translation:
"Due to my wicked coke habit and the resulting affair I had with my wife's sister, we are no longer open for business. Please send all of your unpaid bills and your demands to return unpainted helmets to this po box that I will completely ignore."
(the translation posted above is completely satirical)
Testing Mid-Corner Speed / Advanced Member (500+ Posts)
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Age: 84
Posts: 608
Re: Custom Helmet Paint / Helmet Visor Stickers
Revere, Divi and I still like dealing with Al Ribskis who paints on schedule at a fair price and can be reached at Aribskis@aol.com and (312) 421-3855. He also arranges decals and logos sewn into (not onto) uniforms.
I used corbyconcepts.com back when he was painting out of his basement somewhere in the middle of Indy. He did a great job, at a great price and right on time. I definitely would recommend him.
JP, I really like this guy's design style. But how good is his detail work? The images are too small to see close-up, but it looks like his text is a little rough.
I think his detail is good. The pictures do not seem some to come through is good as in real life. He put in the electrics and the water hose. If you notice the air conditioning intake, he flaired it all in with filler so you don't see the normal rivets used to put it on and it's a nice smooth transition.
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