There are two ways to remove scratches from a helmet visor at home. First, you need to work out if it is a deep scratch or just a surface scuff. Both will be treated differently.
Also if you have a tinted motorcycle visor then any deep scratch removal process will also remove some of the outside tints.
In this post, we will be removing some light scratches on a tinted motorcycle helmet using a polishing compound made for cars. We will also show you the steps involved to remove the tint from the visors if required.
This is a simple process and should only take around 20 minutes of your time. The tools and equipment needed are:
- Bucket of warm soapy water
- Power buffer polisher either mains or battery power.
- Quality auto cut and polish cream or paste
- Fluoride toothpaste for a cheaper option
- Elbow grease.
Table of Contents
How to remove scratches from motorcycle helmet visor.
Depending on how deep the scratches are you may get away with just buffing them out with a power buffer and some cut and polish from an auto parts store.
Fully wash the motorcycle helmet visor and then use the cut and polish on a rotary buffer machine. I like to use a smaller Ryobi portable one-handed buffer machine for this process.
If the scratches are deep you will have to sand them out. Start with 2000-grit wet and dry sandpaper.
Remove the visor from the helmet and clean it with warm soapy water. Wet the sandpaper and have running water placed onto the visor at all times.
Fully sand over the whole helmet visor with the 2000 grit to remove the deep scratches. Once they are out move onto 3000 grit sandpaper using the wet method.
Once you have finished power buff a shine onto the helmet visor using a power polisher and some auto cut and polish. It will come up good as new.
Be aware that this process may remove the outer visor tinting.
Can you use toothpaste on a helmet visor?
Yes, you can use toothpaste on a helmet visor to buff out the scratches. Toothpaste is a very advanced buffing agent as it contains hydrated aluminum oxides, magnesium carbonate, dehydrated silica gels, phosphate salts, and fine silicates.
These abrasives are rough but small enough to buff out the fine scratches and swirls on your helmet visor.
If toothpaste is good enough to polish your teeth then it is excellent for Polly carbonate motorcycle visors.
How to remove tint from helmet visor
The tip on how to remove tint from helmet visors is to use a power buffer. I have an 18v cordless Ryobi one plus buffer that I use with the cheaper Ryobi aftermarket batteries.
This buffer is small enough to use with one hand so you can get right into the small visor areas.
You can use any auto polish but toothpaste works best for a cheap option to completely remove the visor tint.
First, wash your helmet visor and your buffing rotary cloth. Keep the buffer pad damp. Next, add a good amount of fluoride toothpaste or Auto polish to the buffing pad.
I like to keep the visor on the helmet. Buff the whole helmet visor to remove tint and scratches. It will only take a few minutes to bring it back to a clear finish.
Note that this process will only remove the outer tint reflection. So if you have a clear visor, only the outer color tint will be removed. If you have a dark visor with a reflective tint doing the buffing process will only remove the reflective surface.
You will be left with a visor that looks like the day it was made unless you have deeper scratches. The same process works well to remove window tint from your home if it doesn’t peel off well.
How to remove your helmet visor for cleaning
All modern helmets have a quick-release mechanism for detaching your helmet visor.
I have 4 helmets at home for myself and the kids. All different brands, AGV K3 SV, HJC, Shoei, and M2R. Each has very similar methods of removing the visor.
There is usually a spring-loaded clip that holds the visor in place. Open the visor until you have access to the spring clip. Pull it down to release the latch.
Now you will have to slightly open or close the visor to find the perfect spot where the visor will pop out. I find that the Shoei is the hardest to pop the visor off as it is such a tight fit.
Usually, the sweet spot for removing your helmet visor is one notch down from the fully open visor position.
To put the visor back in after polishing it up you just need to do the reverse.
If you want to know how to remove decals and scratched stickers you must use a heat gun to first melt the glue. You will then be able to peel it back and replace it.
How to get scratches out of football visor
Removing the scratches from a football visor is the same process as polishing up a motorcycle visor.
First, fully remove the visor and wash it with warm soapy water to remove dirt, dust, and bugs.
We then want to use a portable buffer machine and a wool polishing pad to buff out the scratches.
Any high-quality auto-polishing compound will work to remove the scratches from a football visor.
Buff your visor out of direct sunlight and wipe down any residue after a few minutes of polishing to check the results. Toothpaste will work as a cheaper solution.
It should only take a few minutes to polish up the whole football visor.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to remove scratches from a helmet visor at home you will never again have to buy another visor because it got scratched up.
Now that your helmet visor is nice and clean it is a great time to polish the whole helmet.
Just make sure that if you have a mat black helmet to not polish it very hard otherwise you will turn it into a gloss black helmet.
Once the helmet is fully clean go ahead and mound a cheap motorcycle helmet sound system. I have been using the BT-S3 for 6 months now and it is a great in-helmet intercom system.
I am a qualified Industrial Electrician for the past 20 years and I love to share my knowledge on home repair and maintenance jobs.
I love fast toys like Motorcycles, Cars, Jetskis, Boats, and Computers so writing about them is easy. Working on them is fun.
To keeps costs down I do all my own mods, repairs, and servicing. These skills I want to share with everyone. DIY is a skill everyone can learn.