Having had my head protection for some 10+ years now, the foam is somewhat mouldy and nasty. I can get replacement foam from local retailers but want to know
A: Is it worth replacing it, and
B: How do I go about removing the existing foam without damaging the shell?
Can’t really afford to buy a whole new lid, especially as being the kit-tart I am it would have to be a custom graphic version!
That’s a very good questio you’ve posed. I’m in a similar position with my old helmet. I could replace the foam, straps and cage (then onto eBay) but is it worth it? My main helmet has custom graphics and I need to replace the cage but all of the screws are rusty and I need to remove the foam to access the rear of the screws. I’m concerned about what glue to use and will it last??
Any ideas?
If it’s worth replacing the inners depends a lot on what type of helmet you have and how intensely it has been used and hit.
If you have a plastic mask and it has been used a lot then you should consider replacing it. The bonds in the plastic degrade in time and by UV light making it brittle and prone to break upon impact.
The resin used in FG or CK masks is affected by UV-light too, but this is dependant on the type of resin used.
10 Years is quite some time for a helmet, so it is definitely not a bad idea to replace it.
If you want to replace the foam contact Obo (or the fabricator if other) and ask them what kind of solvent to use to remove the glue, as some solvents will affect the resin or PE of the mask thus reducing its integrity.
You can get replacement parts from your local reseller or contact the fabricator. See: http://verbunthockey.nl/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=632&language=en for an example. You can use any type of foam glue you want, like Bison kit or a glue-gun, to stick the foam to the inside.
A mate of mine replaced the foam inside his helmet with Army Ballistic padding. Works a treat so he says.
the main problem is how to get the old glue out of your helmet so that the new glue sticks as good as possible
nay problems if the old foam gets damaged??
you could take a cutter an cut the old foam so that you can just pull the old foam outside 😀
need some viollence for doing that^^
you could probably manage to get the old glue out of your helmet by using benzine or some hoghly concentrated alcohol
Be very careful what you use to remove the old glue!
Some solvents, like benzine, will affect the resin and bonds in the mask thus reducing it’s strength. Contact the manufacturer to check what they recommend for it before using anything like that.
Some goes for the glue, the thinners in the glue can affect the mask. Check very carefully, because you want your mask to retain it’s strength.