Mask Paint Job

[tankmjg24]

I own the DIAMOND MATTE BLACK BIG LEAGUE ALUMINUM UMPIRE MASK WITH LEATHER.  It is a little over 2 years old, and the frame while still sturdy and intact is showing some silver from usage.  I was wondering if it was possible to spray paint the mask black in order to cover up the silver and make it look new again.  Has anyone tried this before and if so, were you successful in restoring the original look of the mask.  Also, if I were to attempt this, which type of paint would be best?  Thanks.   

[Stk004]

maskitsports.com

[BobUmp]

Maskit sports is.by far the best way to go, because he not only paints it but first removes the vinyl coating and checks and fixes welds and bends for one price. But that price is about 35 bucks plus shipping both ways, which comes to about 50 bucks total, give or take. He does NOT straight paint it, he powder coats it, which will last long without chipping or flaking.

Now you certainly can paint it yourself and even strip the vinyl off yourself, and in fact i have done it twice this offseason to 2 masks i have. If you are handy or like diy projects, it would take you less than an hour and less than 10 bucks. If you are interested, i can send you a procedure, types of paint to use, pros and cons. Also, others here have also diy'ed this, like[mention=34]MajorDave[/mention] and others. They inspired me. You can search and see their results.

Finally here are my painted masks, after vinyl removal.and painting:

Wlison cromaly with antique nickel

PlusPOS with dark charcoal

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[BT_Blue]

MAN! I dig that +POS!

[Majordave]

@BobUmp  so glad I inspired you. I often wonder if I'm the poster boy for inspiring what not to do. 

I just repainted my black Cro-Moly Wilson. Considered Tony and Mask-it but I wear that mask so infrequently that I did not. Maybe next year. 

Your masks look great by the way. Have great games. I've gotten all 5 of mine scheduled to date in this season without incident. Fingers crossed. 

[BobUmp]

Thanks, and I should be getting my HS assignments at week's end, and tourneys start end of March. .. The snow has melted away here, and I am ready to go!

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[Umpire in Chief]

I had a friend who runs a machine/fabrication shop redo my mask. I asked for a matte black finish. After he got the coating off the mask he called me and showed me what was left. He said he'd still be glad to powder coat it in black matte, but the metal underneath the coating was not really perfect and it may look bad so we went with a slightly textured matte black option and I really like it.

[Majordave]

@Umpire in Chief

pics or it didn't happen. 

[Umpire in Chief]

Here it is... 

 

[Majordave]

Old as hell post. 

[Umpire in Chief]

16 hours ago, Majordave said:

Old as hell post. 

Wow, it really doesn't seem like it was 3 years ago.

[wolfe_man]

Okay, all this talkabout modifying your own mask inspired me. I bought a couple of old masks on eBay for around 30 bucks each.

  This morning, I stripped off the vinyl, painted the sunvisor and the mask flat black.

Finally, I put on new Wilson wraparounds that I blacked out. 

 

[BT_Blue]

22 hours ago, wolfe_man said:

Okay, all this talkabout modifying your own mask inspired me. I bought a couple of old masks on eBay for around 30 bucks each.

  This morning, I stripped off the vinyl, painted the sunvisor and the mask flat black.

Finally, I put on new Wilson wraparounds that I blacked out. 

 

I asked this in the mask open thread. But I'll ask here as well.

 

What made you/was the reason for blacking out the visor?

[wolfe_man]

18 hours ago, BT_Blue said:

I asked this in the mask open thread. But I'll ask here as well.

 

What made you/was the reason for blacking out the visor?

It was scratched up, so just thought I'd go ahead and put a new look on it as well. And if the visor idea was to block the sun, then a blacked out visor would certainly stop light coming through completely was my thought.

[Aging_Arbiter]

I've always wondered why someone would purchase the visor to begin with.  Your hat blocks the sun.

[Stk004]

4 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

I've always wondered why someone would purchase the visor to begin with.  Your hat blocks the sun.

I always agreed with this until.....

A couple nights ago I'm working at my favorite complex. Turf, close to home, good host organization, all that. Anyway, field 2 gets real nasty when the sun sets, moving from the left field corner all the way into left center and then FINALLY disappearing. Using my new Champro magnesium, thanks to @rjdakin, I actually had enough separation between my hat and the frame to where I could see over the top bar a bit. The sun was coming in right through the slits above that top eye bar and I caught myself thinking, "Man, a sun shield would be awesome right about now." 

[Aging_Arbiter]

12 hours ago, Stk004 said:

I always agreed with this until.....

A couple nights ago I'm working at my favorite complex. Turf, close to home, good host organization, all that. Anyway, field 2 gets real nasty when the sun sets, moving from the left field corner all the way into left center and then FINALLY disappearing. Using my new Champro magnesium, thanks to @rjdakin, I actually had enough separation between my hat and the frame to where I could see over the top bar a bit. The sun was coming in right through the slits above that top eye bar and I caught myself thinking, "Man, a sun shield would be awesome right about now." 

I just pull the bill of my cap down a little.  Seems to work fine.

[maineump]

17 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

I've always wondered why someone would purchase the visor to begin with.  Your hat blocks the sun.

Night games under bright lights is the worst and why I wear one. It is from an 'all-over' glare coming from above the field. The sun is not generally an issue, because it is usually behind the plate.

We have 2 fields with very bright lights - and it makes a difference for me. And... they aren't very expensive.

[MadMax]

@Aging_Arbiter, it just comes down to finding and using any-and-everything possible to reduce the brightness, glare and heat hitting your face.

Back in Wisconsin and New York, I'd affix visors in my mask to reduce the glare and give my eyes some degree of relaxation, so I didn't have to squint. The visor also reduced (or controlled) the dripping of drizzle or rain from my hat bill.

Now here in Arizona, the sun is so pervasive, it is vital I have a visor, teamed up with nearly constant sunglass wearing. If I could wear a Coulee hat over myself, I would.

[BT_Blue]

1 hour ago, MadMax said:

The visor also reduced (or controlled) the dripping of drizzle or rain from my hat bill.

This is actually my main reason for wearing one here in the Pacific NW.