One of the most common issues that riders face with helmet visors is scratches and scuff marks. These marks make your visor foggy and unclear. However, you can always clear these marks and restore the integrity of your visor. The most common process for that is polishing them with a good plastic polish.
How Do You Clear A Helmet Visor
Clearing a helmet visor from scratches and tints depends a lot on the intensity of the scratches. Deeper scratches require a more defined process whereas you can skip some of the steps for lighter scratches.
For Lighter Scratches
You are going to need some soft washcloths and a mild plastic polish for treating the lighter scratches.
Checking The Marks
Treating the scratches in a wrong a may end up damaging the visor more. So, make sure whether they are light scratches or not. Light scratches are generally visible to naked eyes but you can barely feel them on your fingertips while rubbing on them.
Selecting Appropriate Polish
Select a mild scratch remover of your preference. Any less abrasive polish is good for this step.
Polishing
Squirt a small amount of polish and smear it on the scratched-up area. Use a soft and damp microfiber cloth to rub it down on the surface. You should see the scratches fading away gradually. continue the process until all the scratches are gone.
Drying
Let it air dry before attaching it to the helmet.
For Deeper Scratches
For clearing deeper scratches, you will need some washcloths, mild soap or baby shampoo, agua, 320 and 2000 grit paper, and plastic polish.
Disassembling The Visor
While clearing deeper scratches it’s better to take off the visor from the helmet. It helps to treat the marks more conveniently.
Washing
Use a mild soap or baby shampoo to gently wash the dirt and debris off the surface. Avoid using any harsh soap so as not to damage the surface of the visor.
Heavy Sanding
Minimizing the scratches and cuts helps the clearing process. It also softens the edges of the scratches so it’s easier to polish them away later. For this step, take a 320-grit paper and damp it in agua. Now you want to sand down the edges with it by rubbing it over the scratches.
Run your thumbs over the edges from time to time to see if you can feel them. Continue the process until you can’t feel them anymore. Also, sanding down the edges may create some lighter scratches on that area. But they will be removed later so don’t worry about it much.
Light Sanding
Now take a 2000 grit paper and again start sanding down the scratches in a circular motion. Continue this for 5-10 minutes.
Polishing
At this point, all of the deeper scratches should be gone and you will see only the lighter scratches from the sandpaper on the surface. Now, you need to polish it with a good plastic polish.
Smear a small amount of polish on the visor and start polishing the surface with a soft microfiber cloth. Keep polishing until all the scratches and scuff marks are gone.
Wiping And Drying
After the polishing, the visor becomes foggy and hazy. Take a wet soft washcloth and wipe down the surface. Then let it air dry. And it should be clear as a brand-new visor!
How To Clean A Helmet Visor
Cleaning the visors regularly helps to keep them shiny and in a good shape. It’s a bit of a different process than clearing them from existing scratches and tints. Generally, the cleaning process gets rid of the dirt and debris and prevents forming scratch and scuff marks.
Things You Will Need
- Soft and lint-free microfiber cloths
- An old toothpaste
- Non-abrasive sponge
- Cleaning products
- Warm water
Removing The Visor
The first step of cleaning a visor is disassembling the helmet and removing the visor from it. Different brands manufacture their visor mechanism in different ways but the basic idea is the same. In most cases, there is a small push-button on the vicinities of both ears. When pressed down, these buttons release the visor.
If you have difficulty understanding the mechanism, take a look at the instruction manual.
Soaking The Surface
Take a soft washcloth and run it under warm water. Then place the wet cloth over the visor and cover it fully. Allow the visor to soak under the damp cloth like this for a few minutes. Doing this loosens and softens up any clamped or dried-up dirt so they are easy to clean.
This step is really important as wiping down dried dirt may end up scratching the visor. Also, if your visor is extremely dirty, you can directly soak it into warm water with some mild dish soap for a few minutes.
Wiping Down The Surface
After the visor is soaked remove the cloth that was placed over it and get a new clean microfiber cloth. Wet the 2nd cloth as well and gently wiped down the surface of the visor. This will remove all the loosened-up dirt from the surface without damaging the visor.
Soaping Up The Surface
Now squirt a small amount of mild dish soap over the visor and rub it over the surface gently. Use another clean, damp, and soft cloth to rub the soap. However, make sure the visor can withstand the soap you are using before doing this step.
Generally, the instruction manual of the helmet has information about the suitable cleaning agent for the visor. In case you are not sure, you can also use baby shampoo. Moreover, make sure not to apply too much pressure while rubbing the surface so as not to damage it.
Washing
Wash the soaped-up visor by running it under warm water. Use a soft washcloth to gently stroke back and forth so no soap or bubble is left.
Air Dry
When the visor is cleaned properly pat it with a paper towel to dry it a little bit. Then let it air dry for 1-2 hours. After it is dried completely, spray it with high-quality plastic polish and wipe it down softly with a dry cloth. Now, it should be properly cleaned ready to be used again.
Can You Use Toothpaste On A Helmet Visor?
Yes, it is a very old trick to use toothpaste on helmet visors. It can work as a very good abrasive. The main reason behind it being so useful is because toothpaste contains hydrated aluminum oxides, magnesium carbonate, phosphate salts, and fine silicates.
These particles are tiny and rough-natured. So, when rubbed on scratches and cuts, it softens and evens out the edges. For this abrasive nature, toothpaste has been used as a polishing agent to treat scratches and cuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is it a good idea to use a heat gun on a visor to remove scratches?
Ans: No. Using a heat gun on a visor can remove scratch marks by melting the surface slightly. But if you are not careful, it can potentially melt away more than you want and create an uneven surface.
Q: What can I do to prevent a foggy visor?
Ans: There are many anti-fogging sprays available on the market. Spray it on the surface and let it air dry. Hopefully, that will solve the problem.
Conclusion
Scuff and scratches marks are an everyday incident with helmet visor and it makes the visor pretty unclear. But it’s not a good option to just replace the visors every time that happens. Instead, you can restore it by yourself in just a few steps. So, you won’t need to spend your money every time you have an unclear visor.
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