Simon,
First of all, I don’t take this as flamage. It seems you know about this more than most people and I appreciate all input. You actually made me go back to make sure what we did was done right!
The paint used was a PU based paint, basically the same paint that aerospace and my friends in Germany use for their carbon fiber race car parts. They paint all their carbon fiber parts including the wishbone suspension parts! They need to because the epoxy is not 100% UV resistant (but mostly only discoloration). Only parts not exposed to sunlight are not painted in their fabrication due to additional weight savings…
The carbon fiber should be fully functional for many many years to come, no expiration date here.
Now the actual impact absorber of a ski helmet, the molded EPS (expanded polystyrene) inner liner was a way bigger concern I had. I checked this with Giro. They said the EPS does not go bad over the years of regular storing, as long as it was not exposed to excess heat or so, it will be good. The EPS liner on my MT1 was completely taken out of the shell before any prepping or painting. So no contact with any fumes at all during the process.
I am not expecting to have this helmet under warranty. I know that (Warranty is only good for one year), but with all the research done before we started this project, I feel comfortable enough to wear it.
For sure much more comfortable than using no helmet…what I did years ago… now I feel naked if riding without it.
BTW. Any Polycarbonate / thermoplastic material most helmet manufacture use, I would never paint! That stuff actually can act up with paint.
Ray