Gold Facemasks

[KJTALBOT]

Could anyone tell me why I have never seen a gold facemask on a football helmet. Take Notre Dame for example. Couldn't they just paint the mask with the helmet? I know that most masks historically were grey and have become "colorized" over the years. (Retro not withstanding). It just seems like someone would have tried it at some point. Does it have to do with color matching?

[FiddySicks]

It mainly just looks ugly. Its really hard to get the plastic coating on the mask to look shiny gold like the helmets do, and often times wouldnt match, and you cant paint them because the paint would flake off too easily, because the facemask is so commonly used for hitting.

[Sec19Row53]

The Washington Huskies used to paint the portion of their grey facemask that was "on the helmet" gold. I thought it looked pretty good. I'll look for a photo later.

[EatSleepJeep]

Seems to hold up ok...

[pcgd]

Seems to hold up ok...

That's different. A football facemask is more like metal dipped in plastic. You can peal the "shell" right off.

I'd say its possible, but it'd have to be a metal flake. Not the shinny gold in the goalie's mask. Just even if you did paint a face mask, bucfan's right, it'd flake right off. gets hit way too often.

[Survival79]

The Washington Huskies used to paint the portion of their grey facemask that was "on the helmet" gold.  I thought it looked pretty good.  I'll look for a photo later.

[tajmccall]

That would be from them repainting and being too lazy to take the face mask off.

they take the decals off and repaint them after every game...well some schools anyhow.

[statebully]

The Washington Huskies used to paint the portion of their grey facemask that was "on the helmet" gold.  I thought it looked pretty good.  I'll look for a photo later.

now that is WEIRD lookin! what year was that from? 80's?

[oddball]

Yeah it was from the 80's and I always thought it looked stupid.

[rtrich11]

Pitt used to have "gold" masks with their helmets in the early 80s. It was more of a mustard color, but it always made me think there was some potential there for this.

Back about 6 years ago I did this little test. It's the same color as the gold, without the flake. S'ok. I'll bet there is a usable rubber that could contain the flake. A school like ND could afford it.

[Survival79]

now that is WEIRD lookin! what year was that from? 80's?

October 7, 1989: Quarterback Cary Conklin of the Washington Huskies drops back to pass during a game against the Southern California Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Southern California won the game 24-16.

Pitt used to have "gold" masks with their helmets in the early 80s. It was more of a mustard color, but it always made me think there was some potential there for this.

[KJTALBOT]

Now that's what I'm talkin' about rtrich11. That looks sweet.

[EatSleepJeep]

Seems to hold up ok...

That's different. A football facemask is more like metal dipped in plastic. You can peal the "shell" right off.

I'd say its possible, but it'd have to be a metal flake. Not the shinny gold in the goalie's mask. Just even if you did paint a face mask, bucfan's right, it'd flake right off. gets hit way too often.

Football facemasks are actually powdercoated. Ionized particles aare melted onto the metal in a stream. The goalie mask I posted is actually anodized aluminum. Anodizing does not flake it imparts the color into the metal through an electric current while suspended in a chemical solution. To have aluminum masks on football helmets would be disasterous; they are just too light for the job. I've seen the steel football facemasks break occasionally from big hits. It's a good photo though.

[paynomind]

I don't see any reason a standard steel facemask couldnt be dip-coated in rubber, to make it gold metalic-look.

I think its a style choice, rather than a 'can't do it' thing.

Here is an example of gold-look rubber:

[winghaz]

The San Diego Chargers wore yellow facemasks with the lighter-blue helmets in the 1980s, and it looked good.

[buckeyes]

Seems to hold up ok...

That's different. A football facemask is more like metal dipped in plastic. You can peal the "shell" right off.

I'd say its possible, but it'd have to be a metal flake. Not the shinny gold in the goalie's mask. Just even if you did paint a face mask, bucfan's right, it'd flake right off. gets hit way too often.

actually i got a cut on my facemask and i ended up peeling off a huge chunk of paint

[nwtrailtrekker]

The Washington Huskies used to paint the portion of their grey facemask that was "on the helmet" gold.  I thought it looked pretty good.  I'll look for a photo later.

stupid

[STL FANATIC]

You know Notre Dame won't try it because that would break tradition.

Why people see grey facemasks as tradition, I don't know.

Unless it's a team color all it is is dated.

Notre dame would look good with navy masks. Maybe white masks. Maybe gold masks.

Grey just looks dated.

[Discrim]

You know Notre Dame won't try it because that would break tradition.

Why people see grey facemasks as tradition, I don't know.

Unless it's a team color all it is is dated.

Notre dame would look good with navy masks. Maybe white masks. Maybe gold masks.

Grey just looks dated.

It'd almost have to be gold masks, as ND's helmet would be identical to Navy's with a navy facemask. Baylor uses the exact same paint the Irish do for their gold helmets, which would mean a green facemask would look too much like those losers' lids. White masks...too damn generic. As I say, that would leave gold, cus no one else uses it for their masks. heh, a flat tan would do, most folks wouldn't tell the difference.

[Gothamite]

Why people see grey facemasks as tradition, I don't know.

Why wouldn't they?

You may not happen to like the tradition, but that doesn't change it.