Visibility through mask - an idea

[EldRick]

I had a rattle-can of flat-black spray paint in my hand when it occurred to me to wonder if it could improve visibility through a mask.

I have an LP mask, and I've noticed that the coating on the mesh is pretty shiny and is visibly reflective under a bright light. As a result, it's noticeably harder to see well through it when it's sunny outdoors, and to a lesser degree, under bright indoor lighting. Reflections off the wires reduce the visual contrast significantly.

I'm wondering if a light coat of flat-black paint on the mesh would increase the visual contrast when fencing under fluorescent lighting or outdoors?

I've seen spray paint intended for coating plastics, so I'm guessing that it would stick to the mesh well enough, and if some comes off the already-black-coated wires, no harm done.

Has anyone tried this?

[Gav]

I had a rattle-can of flat-black spray paint in my hand when it occurred to me to wonder if it could improve visibility through a mask.

I have an LP mask, and I've noticed that the coating on the mesh is pretty shiny and is visibly reflective under a bright light. As a result, it's noticeably harder to see well through it when it's sunny outdoors, and to a lesser degree, under bright indoor lighting. Reflections off the wires reduce the visual contrast significantly.

I'm wondering if a light coat of flat-black paint on the mesh would increase the visual contrast when fencing under fluorescent lighting or outdoors?

I've seen spray paint intended for coating plastics, so I'm guessing that it would stick to the mesh well enough, and if some comes off the already-black-coated wires, no harm done.

Has anyone tried this?

This is standard practise. How old is your mask???

[EldRick]

The mask is about a year old, and is coated with a shiny black nylon-like material that doesn't mark easily. It's got a few chips, but not many.

So spraying the mesh is common? Inside vs. outside, or both? Types of paint to avoid?

(Nothing like revisiting "standard practices" occasionally - it helps to clue in us newbies)

Gee, maybe I could paint a subtle flat-black-on-shiny-black sunglasses pattern on the outside...

[SJCFU#2]

Try a light spray of flat black on the inside - that should be enough to cut down on the glare inside of the mask (which is probably all you really care about - if the glare on the outside bothers your opponent then that's their problem ).

[Gav]

The mask is about a year old, and is coated with a shiny black nylon-like material that doesn't mark easily. It's got a few chips, but not many.

So spraying the mesh is common? Inside vs. outside, or both? Types of paint to avoid?

(Nothing like revisiting "standard practices" occasionally - it helps to clue in us newbies)

Gee, maybe I could paint a subtle flat-black-on-shiny-black sunglasses pattern on the outside...

Hm. I have two masks here. Both are LP. I see what you mean about the ever so slight shine when I hold it up to the light. Thing is though I wasn't aware of it because my head is normally in there (and let's face it I ONLY want to put my head in there when I am fencing).

So I think I might have misunderstood you earlier.

I have to say that I think this might be a suck it and see type thing. I am not sure that I'd want paint flaking off while I was fencing (I am asthmatic) but why not give it a go if the old mask is 2nd hand?

[migopod]

You could presumably also just try roughing the surface on the inside slightly with emery paper or scotchbright and see if that produces similar results.

You'd probably want to do that anyhow if you were planning on painting it I'd suspect.

[EldRick]

...a light spray of flat black on the inside...

My original thought exactly, but then I realized that the issue is really caused by light hitting the wires at all angles from outside, not the inside.

That being the case, spraying the inside would only work insofar as it covered the exposed-to-the-light side- and top-facing portions of each wire. (It would, of course, minimize chipping of the new paint.)

As a result, I'm contemplating making sure I fog the paint in at angles from the outside sides and top instead of directly at the mask.

Gonna take a lot of masking tape, but it's an "exchange" mask, so the bib and padding is removable. If I were starting with "naked" mesh instead of a complete mask, I'd try powder-coating it. (Powder-coating uses electrostatic attraction to pull the paint droplets onto all sides of an object).

It''s not clear to me that roughing the mesh would touch the surfaces that count - the portion of the wires that face the other wires of the mesh - the outward-facing part of the wires around the "holes" is where the reflected light comes in from, and really only on the outside-angled parts of each wire.

Perhaps spraying it at angles from the outside, and immediately wiping any excess paint off the outward- and inward-facing mesh "surfaces" would work best?

I suppose I could use a candle and lamp-black it, but that wouldn't be very durable...

[SJCFU#2]

Try searching for threads related to how to paint your mask - I think you'll find a wealth of advise related to the finer details.

[chinbeard]

Let me guess...instead of using regular paint, you're going to find another way to squander an important nonrenewable resource. Perhaps the skin of the Black Rhino?

[migopod]

Let me guess...instead of using regular paint, you're going to find another way to squander an important nonrenewable resource. Perhaps the skin of the Black Rhino?

Black Rhino skin is technically renewable.

[EldRick]

Nope - no animals products used.

I did some searching, but didn't find any flat black paint that seemed likely to stick to nylon, so I just scuffed up the mesh to make it less reflective.

Taking mygopod's idea, I used a brass wire brush, and spent a few minutes roughing up the mesh on the face part of the mask, from both inside and outside. The result looks slightly greyish compared to the sides, which I didn't bother with, but the wires are now noticeably duller and less reflective. If nothing else, if I do find some nylon paint, it's now prepped.

It's probably worth the 15 minutes it took. Maybe.

[EldRick]

Just a follow-up: last night I fenced under fluorescent lighting, after dulling the mask wires, and it was noticeably easier to see, with visibly higher contrast - just as I'd hoped.

I'd recommend this minor tweak to anyone with a mask with a glossy coating on the mesh.

[fencerbill]

You are drastically overanalyzing. (Not that fencers would ever do anything like that.) I rebuild masks and quite often spray the inside of the mesh while the bib is off. I usually just use Krylon flat black.

The several times I have done it to my own mask, it didn't flake off any faster than the original. If that is generally true, then it is no more a hazard to asthmatics than the original coating was.

Just remember, the more you spray from different angles from the outside and from the inside, the more you are enhancing the diameter of the wires and reducing the clear aperture you look through. I recommend a light inside spray with the spray nozzle about where your eyes would be.