A while back I wanted to install a light on my old helmet and developed a DIY hack that worked surprisingly well. At first, I thought that it would be just a temporary solution, but “temporary” became a fairly long period.
First, let’s list the tools you need:
- Hot Glue Gun
- Plastic bottle (with a cap)
- Wood saw (or a sharp utility knife – wood saw is better, though)
Cut the threaded part of the plastic bottle right under the base.
Clean the cut surface with a utility knife, a chisel, or a file. You want the base to be fairly flat without little parts sticking out.
Glue the threaded bottleneck to the light that you’re going to use.
First, glue all 4 sides. Then, put some glue inside the threaded bottleneck to make the connection stronger.
Wait for the glue to dry completely (or else the connection will be too weak).
Cut any excess glue to acquire better aesthetics. I didn’t care about looks all that much so I didn’t spend a lot of time cleaning the excess glue.
Then, thread the bottle cap all the way.
This is a very important step. If the cap isn’t fully threaded, and then you glue the cap to the helmet (the next step), you will have to turn the light to acquire a strong connection.
As a result, the light will not be aligned properly and will point to the left or right. You don’t want that.
For that reason, it’s important to fully thread the cap before gluing it to the helmet.
Glue the cap to the top of the helmet. Make sure that the light is pointing straight forward and at a reasonable angle.
Wait for the glue to dry.
Done.
Once the glue is dry, you should be able to remove the light by untightening its base.
Pros of this method:
- Fast
- Cheap
- Fairly Strong
Cons of this method:
- The external coating of the helmet could be damaged by the glue (it depends on the model).
- Not the most aesthetically pleasing method, although it can look pretty slick if you match the color of the cap and the helmet. Cutting the excess glue carefully will make the final result better looking too.
You can also watch a video of the process here:
I hope this hack was helpful to you. If you have any questions, please use the comment section below.
