Name: kim

Country: USA
Message: I know this will sound crazy, but here goes. My brother received a helmet for a gift. The problem is the inside of the helmet is white - there is no way to take the inside out - any suggestions on what to do? Now that he's worn it 4-wheeling it looks terrible. Help, please.

I don't know what material the inside of your brother's helmet is made of. It's an important question, because you always have to match your dye type to the substance that you are dyeing. Since this means there will certainly be some trial and error required, I'd recommend that you temporarily remove some padding so that you can do tests in an area that will not show.

Dyes will not be the best choice. Nylon plastics can be dyed with acid dyes, but they require heating, which does not seem like a good thing to do to a safety helmet, since it might warp the shape or make it less strong. Something that you can apply like a marker or a paint would be best.

A permanent marker might be a good choice. If you were dyeing fabric, I'd recommend fabric paint or a fabric marker, which has special properties that enable it to last through the laundering of the garment it's on, but, unless the liner of the helmet is made of a fabric such as cotton or nylon knit, they would not be suitable. You might try a Sharpy brand marker on hard plastic; these are non-toxic and easy to work with. If the Sharpy pen doesn't work, the next option would be a paint pen or a solvent-based marker.

There is also a type of spray paint which is effective for coloring plastics. Instead of sitting on the surface where it can peel, Krylon Fusion for Plastic soaks into the plastic, giving a better appearance. Other types of spray paint will be much less satisfactory.

Another idea that might be effective would be fishing bait dye, which comes in two forms, aerosol or markers. One brand is Spike-It Dip-N-Glo. It's a coloring that apparently penetrates plastics well. However, a major drawback of this product is the fact that it is garlic-scented, ostensibly for additional attractiveness to fish. The strong scent could be a real problem.

Please let me know how it works out.

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