Graphlon?

[Gregg Vaughn]

I have a few military pilot friends who would like to have their SPH-5 flight helmets engraved. The shell of the helmets is made from GRAPHLON, a blend of GRAPHITE and BALLISTIC NYLON. The surface is smooth and olive green and looks like it would engrave well. These helmets are rather expensive (and Govt. Property!) so I would rather not learn by trial and error. Has anyone worked with this material before?

[Mike Null]

I have only tried ballistic nylon and it melted.

[Steven Wilson]

I wouldn't engrave a helmet unless you're absolutly sure that your modifications will have no effect on the hemet's integrity. To do this you would need a couple of helmets and then run them through destructive testing procedures to make sure that they still meet military specifications.

[Joe Pelonio]

I've used laserlites on construction hardhats and it works fine as long as you
limit the size to a small area so you don't have too much curve. Probably won't hold up all that well if handles a lot though none have come back after a year.

[Mike Hood]

I wouldn't engrave a helmet.... ever I wore one for many years and can tell that one of the first things they tell you when they issue one is that even the slightest scratch can mean the difference between you surviving an impact or not.

They specifically issue helmets in helmet bags just for that reason. I'd stick to painting, airbrushing and tape myself.

Graphlon is simply carbon fiber and you could likely engrave the gel coat easily enough, but you'd substantially weaken the area involved. Bad juju.

[Frank Corker]

DITTO on the last. Sublimination printing is probably about the only thing you should do on a helmet. Years ago I remember being at an accident when a rider had come off his bike. He was wearing a helmet which he had repainted himself. Cracked open like a water melon, actually a little like his head was. I'd steer clear.

[Gregg Vaughn]

Thanks everyone .... I'll pass on this one and suggest they find a good artist!

[Mike Hood]

Not sure what branch of the service, or even what unit, but many are VERY picky about how helmets are decorated these days. I spent many hour with an HGU-68 on my melon. They're usually taped with "helmet tape" (reflective 3M tape) and even then you were limited on what you could do. If they're military, I'd be very careful decorating them muc other than that.

Despite all the cool ones we see on TV... it the real world, they're mostly white with a bit of red or blue here and there... :)