Need advice on football helmets ... Kind of in a hurry!

[Don]

I need some advice in a hurry!! My boss is wanting to clean up some old football helmets to use as trophies. They are extremely used with a lot of deep scratches and gouges, but he wants those to stay for "character." All he needs from me is to make them shiny and to remove the stickers that are on them. I plan on using my rotary and an OTC compound to polish them up a bit and some adhesive remover for the decals & their glue.

Would Megs #105 or Ultimate Compound be a good choice for getting a good shine out of the abused plastic but without removing the "character?" And what is a good product to strip the decals and the adhesives?

 

[The Guz]

I`d go with a polish instead if your boss is just looking for gloss.

Vinyl decals can be removed with a little heat (heat gun or hair dryer) followed up with some adhesive removed (goo gone or 3M adhesive remover).

 

[rlmccarty2000]

Way back I worked for my local recreation department and we refurbished helmets by just spraying them with a coat of spray paint and that was that. If the helmets needed a stripe we just used athletic tape and did the best we could. I get what your boss wants, so you cold try to first remove any stickers by hand, then use an adhesive remover to remove the remainder. Then I would just give then a light polish with a finishing polish(not 105, that might remove the paint) and see what you have. It sounds like he wants some authenticity left on the helmets so you would have to discuss with him whether to wax or not. Sounds like a fun project. I wish I could help.

 

[Don]

Way back I worked for my local recreation department and we refurbished helmets by just spraying them with a coat of spray paint and that was that. If the helmets needed a stripe we just used athletic tape and did the best we could. I get what your boss wants, so you cold try to first remove any stickers by hand, then use an adhesive remover to remove the remainder. Then I would just give then a light polish with a finishing polish(not 105, that might remove the paint) and see what you have. It sounds like he wants some authenticity left on the helmets so you would have to discuss with him whether to wax or not. Sounds like a fun project. I wish I could help.

These are not painted helmets, they are colored plastic, I just did 1/2 helmet by hand with a terry cloth rag & Ultimate Compound to see what it would do. It left all the character, but made any "un-characterized" plastic nice & shiny. If I can get my phone to work in this concrete building, I`ll post a pic shortly.

 

[Mbkite]

I watched a video in you tube a guy was cleaning a 4 wheel motorcycle he used boiled linseed oil and a thinner search it on the web
bike turned out awsome

 

[mikejames]

WD 40 is excellent at removing sticker adhesive. Spray it on a paper towel, put it on the adhesive and let it dwell, then wipe right off! Polish and seal with a sealant, or a aio if you have it.