Keep in mind that the final pictures will be up tomorrow..... please just be patient.

Alright, you’ve more than likely seen Kirkland19’s “Custom –DIY Mask” thread. And, if you’ve been following the thread recently, you know (and I know) I’ve lost my mind and have been covering everything in sight with camouflage fabric. So, here is my attempt at my first DIY thread, but remember that most of the credit goes to Kirkland19 and also Hellspawn (SpeOps) for getting the fabric rolling on these.

First off, the items I been working on are:

Mask (JT Elite Radar)
X7 Hopper
Best Products Flatline Barrel Shroud
A5 Cyclone

Material I needed to do the job:

Latex/Rubber gloves
Fabric (I used a digi that I found at the fabric store, others have used bandanas or the like)
3M 90 Spray Adhesive (strong stuff)
Good pairs of scissors (just not your wife’s fabric ones – get your own)
Rubbing Alcohol
X-acto knife
Mod Podge
1” Foam Brush
Painters Tape
Necessary tools to disassemble maker parts.

Step #1
I took apart everything that I didn’t want stuck to something. That includes; the lense assembly for the mask and the Flatline Barrel itself. I didn’t pull apart the cyclone completely, but I covered the insides with tape. I did take the bottom plate off. I separated the X7 Hopper in half and put all the screws to the side.
Step#2
I cleaned everything with the Rubbing Alcohol and let them dry. Now comes the fun…

Step #3
Let the covering begin!!!!

Mask first:
With the mask apart and the visor off, and everything cleaned, I started mapping how I wanted to cover it. I went with four strips of fabric (you should experiment with your because your mask will most likely be different). I started at the top of the mask by spraying the mask and the fabric strip according to the spray can directions. After waiting the proper amount of time, I put the two parts together and stretched and worked them with my fingers to eliminate wrinkles and adjust the angle of the fabric. That is why gloves are important. I turned to the inside of the mask and lightly sprayed the upper edge of it and the fabric, let it setup, and then pressed it down. I kept about ½” on the inside to give it good hold. I repeated that process all the way around the mask for the rest of the fabric. I worked from the back to the front, making the nose piece last. This can be a painstaking process due to its “Hurry up and wait” nature.
Next, I did the visor in the same manner. I added the A5OG shield by just printing it on paper and cutting it out with my x-acto knife, then gluing it in place.




X7 Hopper:

Like I said before I pulled the hopper completely apart. Initially, I wasn’t going to do the cap, but then I did it anyway. I covered each half separately, using my x-acto knife, I strategically placed cut where the hoppers angles would have caused creases in the fabric. I never glued more than one surface at a time to be on the safe side of things. Now, these pieces when they were dry, I trimmed so there was no overlap. Put the two halves back together, along with the lid (just make sure the spring is in correctly).


Cyclone:
The following helped me a lot - I took the cyclone, put it on a piece of paper and traced its outline on the bottom, then turned it on its side and did the same thing. No I had a template that I could transfer to the fabric so I could cut it ahead and not have so much extra fabric flopping around. I took the bottom off and glued it to the fabric first. Next I attached the bottom plate to the cyclone again, and proceeded to glue up the rest of the piece. Please be sure to cover the inside of the cyclone, you don’t know what this glue will do in there.


Barrel Shroud:
Again I created a template, cut the fabric and glued it together in four sections. I wrapped the shroud in fabric, but next time I will use strips of fabric because the front end of this shroud is a smaller diameter than the back. As a note I also created a template for the front piece of the Flatline and covered it as well.


Step #4 Mod Podge
Using my foam brush, I lightly coated the all the fabric with the Mod Podge. You don’t need a lot, but you will do multiple coats. Wait 15-20 minutes between coats to re-apply. After 5-7 coats, let it sit for a day or two, just be patient. I then did the final trimming with the x-acto knife, again be careful because the knife is sharp enough to remove plastic.


Step #5 Finish
Once all the extra material has been removed, you just need to lightly go over everything a steel wool pad. You are not trying to remove material; you only want to dull the surface gloss. And wipe down everything with a damp/dry cloth. Last but not least, put everything back together properly and carefully. Oh! And go play!!!!!

EDIT: Final pictures

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Looks nice- but what's the purpose of the mod-podge? Seems like it adds a lot of work (and gloss) to the setup.

it water proofs the fabric and also protects it from getting damage.

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nice job. Also is that worrhammer i see spelt on that hopper?

Looking good!!! I might have to try this when my parts get here.

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Yes, I'm a Spyder convert, but I might be returning!

If you are worried about gloss, just shoot a couple of coats of flat clear coat over the finished product.

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how did you take the the thing that holds the lense into the mask off?

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I've seen a few people do this kind of thing to thier mask and every time I see it I want to do it more and more. So I think I will.

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If you die first we're splittin up your gear.

Looks good! I think I will practice on my old mask first, I'd hate to mess up my good one.

Bulldog - "presence" is right, it protects it and makes it easy to clean

Finch - I printed my sig bar and cut the name out with the x-acto knife, 40 minute step right there.

durtydurnal - I may have to try that next time.

Wakelagger - The parts to my mask are held together by little plastic posts that go through holes in the lens assembly, they just pot apart with a little pressure.

SeatMech - This used to be my backup, it'll be my primary this year.

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