Mask Paintjobs

[black hills tj 5]

Hey Guys,

I'm not a goalie myself, but both my little brother and my fiance often find themselves between the pipes. I'd like to do something special for them, so I thought about having each of their masks done up kind of special. Where would you suggest having a couple masks painted, and what should I expect to spend? I don't need anything crazy...they aren't in the show. Just something special for them. My little brother plays high school, and my fiance played juniors in Minnesota and now plays beer league with yours truly.

Thanks for all the help. This place is great!

[Axxion89 32]

Let's see I know of a few painters but never had any dealings with them (I am going to attempt to paint my mask this summer). That being said I have heard good things about the following two artists

Headstronggrafx

DaveArt

There are many others out there but have heard nothing but good things about these two. Google their websites and look at their prices and work to see which of these or any out there are right for you. If you send them a sketch of what you want or give them an idea they can generally give you an accurate quote. The good thing about headstrong is that you make a reservation with them and don't need to send in the mask until they are ready to paint it. Might be good if you are trying to surprise them.

[Ghoose69 3]

My mask was paint by Daveart, but you need to be very patient, because he only paint for "regular people" between january and april and if he received some pro request in that timeframe you will be push back on the list. For example i send him my request for my paint job in july 2010 and i got it back in may 2011. Price for the paintjob 2300$ can. The price depend on the buddle that you choose on is website. Me i got the second option, that's include alot of details. But with Dave i don't think you can get a paintjob under 1200$ and the shipping is not included:).

You can see my paintjob on his site, the name of it is "Sparrow".

you can also look for:

la griffe original : http://www.griffeoriginale.com/ my previous paint job was made by him and he do a excellent job too 10 years ago my paint job cost me 300$ time to get my mask done 2 month

Dielairbrush : http://dielairbrush.ca/mask/

[SirJW 207]

Auto body shops do masks too...

[krwwc6 0]

Head strong grafx is based outside of st. louis. I think they really just started doing helmets a couple years ago. They did both halak's and elliots helmets. . . and elliots all star mask. Great company.

[Phantom 19]

If you don't want to spend a lot of money, I suggest you get some custom vinyl graphics for them. No, it's not paint, but you can actually get some great intricate designs for only $50, compared to paint, which even the most basic scheme would easily cost you $300 or more.

http://leblancdesigns.com/

[SEagle30 0]

I would suggest finding a local painter if you don't want to spend a lot of money. I got my mask done like J. Quick's and it cost me $300. It's completely airbrushed with a custom back plate. I've checked with some of the "big name" painters and that same thing would have cost me between $500 - $800 for the same exact paint job.

[jconc1941 0]

i had my buddy at a custom car shop actually paint mine

[black hills tj 5]

If you don't want to spend a lot of money, I suggest you get some custom vinyl graphics for them. No, it's not paint, but you can actually get some great intricate designs for only $50, compared to paint, which even the most basic scheme would easily cost you $300 or more.

http://leblancdesigns.com/

Thanks for the suggestion. That's a good idea that I didn't evne think of. And I could clear coat over it myself.

[Phantom 19]

No problem. I put my vinyl on two years ago and all of it is still in perfect shape. I'm sure a clear coat on top would be a good way to top it all off.

[telgip33 0]

If you don't mind send you stuff to Toronto you should look up Ron at Acme paint/Coveted Mask.

He has done 2 of my masks, and is a great guy to work with. He has a style, cartoonish and if that's what you are looking for you will not find anyone better.

He is very good with pricing too.

http://www.covetedmask.com/

[BenderHockey 127]

Hey Gang, I have a Bauer NME5 mask, in the matte black color. My girl is an artist, and I was wondering if this mask could be painted? If so, what types of paint/technique would you reccommend?

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

NME5 are not designed to be painted, you need to step up to the NME7

[Law Goalie 147]

^^ correct. You can't paint Lexan and-- well, Lexan shells aren't really good for anything.

If you're facing nothing heavier than tennis balls, you can slap some decals or stickers on it.

[Axxion89 32]

You can paint Lexan masks as it has been done by plenty of mask painters, but it is more difficult as it requires proper prep work to the shell to ensure the paint adheres. I wouldn't paint a Lexan mask though as you will upgrade to a fiberglass mask after taking a few hard shots to the head.

[BenderHockey 127]

^^ correct. You can't paint Lexan and-- well, Lexan shells aren't really good for anything.

If you're facing nothing heavier than tennis balls, you can slap some decals or stickers on it.

So you wouldn't recommend this for low level men's league?

[Law Goalie 147]

I wouldn't recommend it for badminton.

[BenderHockey 127]

Oh dear.....

[Law Goalie 147]

Yeah, it's unfortunate that those masks exist, but as long as CSA and HECC keep pretending they offer sufficient protection (and charging a pile of money for *mandatory* certification) companies will keep making inexpensive masks that will pass certification -- and nothing more. I really don't blame the hockey companies. It's basically impossible to sell a decent composite (fibre+resin) mask at *retail* under $400 (Hackva managed for a while, but under very specific, small-market conditions), and as long as CSA/HECC are certifying sub-par masks that are far less expensive to manufacture, they're essentially holding the industry to ransom. If Bauer suddenly withdrew their Lexan shells from the market, they'd just be losing (or more precisely, giving up) those entry-level sales: that's all they'd accomplish. Someone will always be providing the minimum standard, which is why standards are supposed to be effective. Instead, we get bureaucratic morons in Health Canada using the CSA-driven Hazardous Products Act to eliminate the sale of all non-CSA cages (cat-eyes, Melanson/Thomas cheaters, etc.) and visors, while completely ignoring the literally underlying problems in the certification process.

/rant

Honestly, a big forehead-covering Jofa cage on a well-fitted, non-EPP (well, hard, bike-helmet style EPP) player helmet offers way, way better protection than a Lexan 'simulation' of a Harrison-style mask. I generally tell parents not to bother with masks until Bantam, and then to go custom -- which, due to the bizarre economics of mask-making, is cheaper (a little over $300), more protective AND more durable than anything at retail, and you can send it back to be re-padded for a nominal charge every time the kid's head or jaw grows (or if he gains weight, gets into big hair, etc.).

[mattisoffside 0]

I bought my girlfriend a new goalie mask last summer, and had it custom painted by a guy in NC who does a lot of goalie masks and auto racing helmets. What I learned in the process is that it's not the best idea just to have anyone paint it, because non-certified paint techniques can damage the mask and void the warranty. To some folks, this may not be an issue, but I was strongly advised by the pro shop I got the mask from to have a certified professional do it.

Yeah, I paid a little more money than I would have paid a local airbrusher to do it, but he offered free touchup work on the mask for the life of it (scratches, etc). So it really depends on what you're looking for.

[forbs02 20]

Here is a slideshow of the masks the goalies use at the University of Minnesota. It's a cool gallery. All the masks are painted by Todd Miska.

http://www.mndaily.com/multimedia/slideshows/2012/12/04/goalie-mask