can you tint plastic?

February 23, 2006

to prep it use a lint free rag and some alcohol and wipe it clean follow up with a couple of squeegee's and it should come out clean. as for lasting, that is the question.

March 31, 2006

ive put black vinyl on motorcycle windscreens a few times. the guy wanted me to tint it first but I said for my time it'd cost less to just go buy a "smoked" windscreen. heres one I did

December 9, 2019

Youtube has a couple videos of a guy heat shrinking the film onto his helmet shield. Turned out good and didn't do any damage to the shield. Face shields are rated at 700 degrees... don't really think "heat shrinking" gets that hot. It's just too small of a job for window tinters to want to have to deal with, so they blow out every excuse they can think of. Truth is, they'd make a ton of money being the only ones around to do it. I know every biker would love to have the photochromic film on their face shields.

Tint Eastwood · December 9, 2019

8 minutes ago, Guest Brutuss100 said:

so they blow out every excuse they can think of. Truth is, they'd make a ton of money being the only ones around to do it.

Sounds like you are way ahead of the curve, you should open up a shop and only do face shields. Then come back in a year or two for the requisite “I told you so” when you’re a millionaire.

DynamicATL · December 9, 2019

The truth is there is no money there for window tinters and honestly it is a stupid purchase for the consumer. First, there are already several helmet manufacturers that have photochromic shields ranging from $140-$200 depending on the brand. Second, photochromic films are expensive, so most shops would be around $100 or more for the job. Lastly, there is no guarantee that the film will even last. Conclusion, why would you spend almost the same amount of money on something that won't be as clean and won't last? Just buy the shield replacement if your helmet has one or upgrade to a new helmet.

Roach · December 9, 2019

1 hour ago, DynamicATL said:

why would you spend almost the same amount of money on something that won't be as clean and won't last? Just buy the shield replacement if your helmet has one or upgrade to a new helmet.

I agree, but you know what's weird? And this is by no means much of anything... but there was a helmet I wanted to get... and I couldn't find a tinted shield for it. I decided to go with another helmet... not solely because of that, but that was a factor. Granted.... maybe if I searched more I could have found something.....

I dunno....

Helmets, for me, are very individualized.... it's not always as easy as saying - just pick something else. The fit... the look.. I have no doubt there are people who don't care much and will pick whatever... but there were reasons I was interested in this one helmet. Like I said... there are others, so I picked another.... but still. :dunno

Edited December 9, 2019 by Roach

DynamicATL · December 9, 2019

2 minutes ago, Roach said:

I agree, but you know what's weird? And this is by no means much of anything... but there was a helmet I wanted to get... and I couldn't find a tinted shield for it. I decided to go with another helmet... not solely because of that, but that was a factor. Granted.... maybe if I searched more I could have found something.....

I dunno....

Helmets, for me, are very individualized.... it's not always as easy as saying - just pick something else. The fit... the look.. I have no doubt there are people who don't care much and will pick whatever... but there were reasons I was interested in this one helmet. Like I said... there are others, so I picked another.... but still.

Absolutely. Personally, I used sunglasses instead of a tinted shield back when I rode since a tinted shield would suck at night. The photochromic route would be a very good choice since you will be getting best of both worlds. If photochromic is the desire, many helmet companies use Transitions including Bell, KLIM, LAZER, and SHOEI. I am sure there are other options that are not Transitions brand too. So there are several options even though it might not be the first choice helmet.

Roach · December 9, 2019

That's true too. I use sunglasses... I have a clear shield. And I dunno... maybe having a tinted shield would be problematic at nite... I've never had one so I dunno. The one I decided to get has both a clear shield and then a tinted shield you can lower when needed. Best of both worlds, IMO.

Brendan · March 2, 2020

Hi folks. I wear a Shoei RF-1200 with the photochromic shield, which is outstanding except that I have sensitive (blue) eyes, and on the brightest days it doesn't get quite dark enough. I'd like to fix this by applying a tint film, maybe 75% VLT, but every product I've found also blocks UV light, which of course would ruin the photochromic effect. Anyone know of a (polycarbonate-friendly) film that does NOT block UV?

(Alternatively the film could be on the inside, but I can't think of a good way to deal with the Pinlock posts.)