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Flycom Helmet repair.
MICROPHONE REPAIR……I have had 6 or so microphones go out on my helmets. The only thing i can think was causing this was unplugging while the avionics switch was on. I read online that plugging a microphone in while there is power can damage it. Anyhow, i have repaired these myself by soldering on a new microphone. I can get these microphones for a little over $2.00 a piece. I purchased them from Newark electronics. I learned some really good tricks when soldering in the small microphones. I also had one cable go bad, but was able to cut a 2 inch piece of line out to remove a shorted out section of wire and re-soldered it back together.
VISOR SCRATCHES…..Scratches in the visors seem to be unrepairable. i have tried about every method ( i have not tried chemical fumes) i could come up with. The outer protective layer on the face shield will discolor if sanded and polished.
HEAT…..Heat will warp the helmet before even the slightest scratch comes out. I have an adjustable heat gun and i progressively used different temps to test. I could not get a scratch to make <b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: var(–bb-body-text-color);”>ANY change for the better before the shield warps. I tested from 200 degrees in 50 degree increments up to 600 degrees. There was NO CHANGE in the scratch all the way up to a damaged and warped face shield. The internet talks about using Chrome polish for certain types of plastics. The Chrome polish overall did not improve improve the look of the scratch.
SANDING……Sanding a scratch with heavier grits of sandpaper down to finer and finer only produced the outer film to be discolored and distorted. I practiced on a visor i was going to toss anyways so trying all kinds of techniques taught me to just buy a new one. It may be possible to spend hours sanding off the entire protective outer layer and then polishing smooth. If that is possible, you must not let any heat build up in the plastic or it will ruin the clarity of the plastic. Very slow speeds on an orbital sander with low pressure while keeping the sander moving, would be the best chance to keep the heat down, but i don’t think the time and effort would be worth the experiment. It would take hours
WAX….I did find that wax on the helmet face shield has some benefits in certain ways and will be doing some further tests with wax on a good face shield.
CLEANING…… The manufacturer suggests cleaning with cold water. The inner coating of the helmet is less durable so be extra careful cleaning there.
The flycom helmets are very comfortable and really cut down on unwanted noise.
Not sure if anyone will find this information useful just my .02 worth. 🙂 Happy flying everyone.
Roger Roger
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10 Replies
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Hello Roger, as for visor scratches I have a suggestion. If you want I can try first on one of my old visors this weekend. I have some Novus UV cure epoxy that comes in a syringe. Same stuff used to repair cracked windshields. If you apply just enough to fill in the scratch and then use a piece of Mylar plastic to lay over the epoxy in the scratch, the Mylar will “smooth” out the surface of the epoxy. You then use a UV light source to cure the epoxy. Takes a short couple of minutes. The mylar film does not block the UV light. You can tell when the epoxy is dry when you remove the mylar film. It will make a faint tearing sound. If you need to sand or smooth out where any excess epoxy is I would try a small felt wheel and some jeweler’s rouge, which is polishing compound. In a pinch you could use tarter control Crest as it has some polishing agent in it. (Not any whitening or gel but the paste). I will try on one of my old visors this weekend with before and after photos. I have all the equipment. If you try make sure you keep the UV cure epoxy syringe in a plastic zip-lock bag because the UV light in the sunlight will cure the epoxy on the tip of the syringe. Just poke the tip of syringe out of bag opening and immediately place back in the bag after filling in the scratch. Use the epoxy very sparingly and any polishing would be kept to a minimum or may not be needed at all.
I will get back to you.
Fly safe.
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I solder in new mics often enough for customers. I get the mics from Flycom, but I would love to get a link to the mics you are using.
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After years of using Clear View and other visor polishes, I have a superior product that seems to not only polish and protect better, but doesn’t leave a residue to attract dust weeks later. I STRONGLY recommend this product!
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Two great replies!!!
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i sent a copy of the invoice to your phone Larry.
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Yesterday i tried another test on the Flycom shield using Ceramic Coating. It really gives a great shine but for the true scratches it had no effect. I also tested NU Finish Scratch doctor which with no effect. Waxes and the Ceramic Coating have all had a nice cleaning effect and has added some clarity to the shield so far.
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Have you tried plexus? I’ve used it in the windshield and visor and found it pretty good.
t
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Yes we have used Plexus for years and I think Koenig blows it away.
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I have used Plexus but it doesn’t do as good as the wax and or the Ceramic Coating that I have been using.
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John, curious did your experiment work? Any luck repairing the faceshield?
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