Would You Buy a Custom Fiberglass Facepro

[SSPKali]

A more interesting proposition might be using the thermo plastic that gum shields use so a user can trim and shape to their own face? Maybe make it with in-moulded mesh for the mouth.

 

TBH the cheap mesh masks are pretty easy to re-shape and tweak to the users (unless they have the face of Gonzo!) and stuff like DeltaFacePro is so light and comfy I am not sure there is a gap in the market.

[GenuineGerman]

I think my thoughts reflect others on here. Great idea but I suspect you would need a fair bit of capital to get this started and for your price point I do think it’s probably on the cheap side. Plus you need to factor in development, refinement, raw material costs and your time. As @SSPKali says is there a large enough gap in the market for bespoke face masks. 
 

I hope I’m wrong and you can manage to do this and I think using thermoplastics would make it easier rather than using fibreglass type material. 
 

If you were making these in bulk you might stand a change. I would probably make these as a high end low volume product then you might see some return. 

Edited April 5, 2021 by GenuineGerman

[XukeLho]

19 minutes ago, GenuineGerman said:

I think my thoughts reflect others on here. Great idea but I suspect you would need a fair bit of capital to get this started and for your price point I do think it’s probably on the cheap side. Plus you need to factor in development, refinement, raw material costs and your time. As @SSPKali says is there a large enough gap in the market for bespoke face masks. 
 

I hope I’m wrong and you can manage to do this and I think using thermoplastics would make it easier rather than using fibreglass type material. 
 

If you were making these in bulk you might stand a change. I would probably make these as a high end low volume product then you might see some return. 

Because they are to be custom made to each face, making them in bulk is probably impossible, and the 50€ price tag reflects that more premium price.

In terms of capital, it isn't really that much, just a roll of fiberglass, some resin galons, a bit of paint, etc. With a total bellow 500€ most likely, and since I already own alot of this material, even less.

I'm not convinced with thermoplastics, I don't think they would offer the same resistances as the fiberglass, and I don't have any experience with that.

1 hour ago, Druid799 said:

Serious question To OP 

, what experience have you in manufacturing or production ?

plus how old are you ?

 

If you are asking in general? None.

34.

[GenuineGerman]

2 minutes ago, XukeLho said:

Because they are to be custom made to each face, making them in bulk is probably impossible, and the 50€ price tag reflects that more premium price.

In terms of capital, it isn't really that much, just a roll of fiberglass, some resin galons, a bit of paint, etc. With a total bellow 500€ most likely, and since I already own alot of this material, even less.

I'm not convinced with thermoplastics, I don't think they would offer the same resistances as the fiberglass, and I don't have any experience with that.

500 is a nice gnu 😃. If you already have a lot of the kit then bonus and of course keeps initial costs down. I can’t say I have a lot of with moulding/working with thermoplastics or fibreglass however whenever I have cut them using Waterjet I find fibreglass fractures and cracks a lot easier plastic. But like I said I’m no expert. If you could keep it at 50 then I would be interested In one. 

[XukeLho]

1 minute ago, GenuineGerman said:

500 is a nice gnu 😃. If you already have a lot of the kit then bonus and of course keeps initial costs down. I can’t say I have a lot of with moulding/working with thermoplastics or fibreglass however whenever I have cut them using Waterjet I find fibreglass fractures and cracks a lot easier plastic. But like I said I’m no expert. If you could keep it at 50 then I would be interested In one. 

In my previous work with fiberglass car parts, I'd cut them with a rotary saw (don't know the exact terminology in english). Since masks are considerably smaller then a car part, I'm planning on cutting them with a dremmel saw (and also do alot of edge sanding).

Future plans, like I said before, would be to add more color options, add art options, add full face options, buy better tools (pistol painter, instead of brush, etc), hire artists for some video game or movie masks, etc.

[kasaran]

Wouldnt mind a forehead armour peice that can slip into the front of a baseball cap....

[MiK]

7 minutes ago, kasaran said:

Wouldnt mind a forehead armour peice that can slip into the front of a baseball cap....

You can get those already matey from the Amazon for around a fiver £5.55 for prime users

 

 https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079KDWN62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

*edit* the .smile.amazon.co.uk link is because I donate to charity every time I buy something so it isn’t a phishing link

Edited April 5, 2021 by MiK

[heroshark]

In my 20 years experience not many people are capable or willing to make the effort to make a face mold. If you can produce them at that cost go for it I would charge more.

[kasaran]

31 minutes ago, MiK said:

You can get those already matey from the Amazon for around a fiver £5.55 for prime users

 

 https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079KDWN62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

*edit* the .smile.amazon.co.uk link is because I donate to charity every time I buy something so it isn’t a phishing link

 

*adds to wishlist*

[Druid799]

3 hours ago, XukeLho said:

 

If you are asking in general? None.

34.

Wasn’t having a pop at you or anything like that , only reason I ask is over the 20+ yrs of playing I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen someone asking “what does everyone think of this idea ?” and “I’m starting my own business selling XYZ !” So the guys on hear try to help out AND it then turns out the OP is a 14yr old kid in his parents basement talking Bollox . 
and the other question is due to having a bit of experience with making custom kit and the customer being at the other end of the country so all communication is via Email , it’s a f**king nightmare ! 

[XukeLho]

8 hours ago, Druid799 said:

Wasn’t having a pop at you or anything like that , only reason I ask is over the 20+ yrs of playing I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen someone asking “what does everyone think of this idea ?” and “I’m starting my own business selling XYZ !” So the guys on hear try to help out AND it then turns out the OP is a 14yr old kid in his parents basement talking Bollox . 
and the other question is due to having a bit of experience with making custom kit and the customer being at the other end of the country so all communication is via Email , it’s a f**king nightmare ! 

No worries. I don't know the customer and me would communicate, haven't got that far yet, maybe through a ticket system or email only. I dunno.

I'll figure that out if my idea ever goes forward and has the potential of being a good product and profitable.

[Cannonfodder]

Sorry but I wouldn't touch home made PPE from some random guy on the internet. Apart from the problems with getting a good mold already mentioned, there's the level of protection it actually gives. Will you be sending masks away to be impact tested and given a protection rating? How are you going to ensure all later masks have the same level of protection if production isn't automated? 

 

All in all this to me looks as risky as buying unrated ppe from wish.com

[Guest DrAlexanderTobacco]

26 minutes ago, Cannonfodder said:

Will you be sending masks away to be impact tested and given a protection rating? How are you going to ensure all later masks have the same level of protection if production isn't automated?

Waste of time imo, I've never for one second considered lower facepro as a way to protect anything but my teeth, and any amount of padding/spacing helps against that. You're not buying ballistic plates here.

[Lozart]

Honestly, I'm not convinced about a fibreglass face mask in principle. If it's thick enough to be robust it's going to be heavy, if it's thin enough to be light it won't be very robust and personally I don't fancy having fibre glass potentially splintering anywhere near my mouth or eyes.

 

Also, a cast of your face as a mask? Just looks creepy AF.

[heroshark]

Doesn't take much to make a very strong item using fiberglass cloth and the right resin. Even if you sandwich with Matting and cloth 5-7 layers depending on the weight. Most of the later masks I made are very light, only a few millimetres thick. I've been using them over 15 years and a lot of cqb. But as people say most people are not that fussed spending money on face protection. These are the heads I've amassed over the years had to smash a few plugs and some made multiple masks I'd say I'd made about 100 bespoke fg masks over the years. Most of what I've done is the more basic kit as that's what people want.  It's not something you'll likely make a fortune from.

Edited April 6, 2021 by heroshark

[Cannonfodder]

43 minutes ago, DrAlexanderTobacco said:

 

 

 

43 minutes ago, DrAlexanderTobacco said:

Waste of time imo, I've never for one second considered lower facepro as a way to protect anything but my teeth, and any amount of padding/spacing helps against that. You're not buying ballistic plates here.

Protecting teeth was exactly what I think of when it comes to face masks. If a bb is able to go through the mask then it could easily chip or break a tooth which will cost more than the mask to fix. 

 

If the op is selling the masks as face protection suitable for airsoft and they're not up to the task he could potentially open himself up to law suits covering the cost of dental repair

 

Edit:not sure why it quoted you twice

Edited April 6, 2021 by Cannonfodder

[Adolf Hamster]

1 hour ago, heroshark said:

These are the heads I've amassed over the years

 

Now there's a sentence you don't expect to read outside of the script for the next silence of the lambs sequel.......

 

[XukeLho]

I thought people would assume the masks would be tested before, but I'll clarify it here. Masks will be tested. And I highly double they would shatter from a bb contact. Even at 700fps. Or paintball ball even.

They would only shatter if thrown to the ground with some degree of force, dropping them would not shatter them in any way.

Fiberglass + resin = very very durable shit

[kasaran]

On 05/04/2021 at 13:54, MiK said:

You can get those already matey from the Amazon for around a fiver £5.55 for prime users

 

 https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079KDWN62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

*edit* the .smile.amazon.co.uk link is because I donate to charity every time I buy something so it isn’t a phishing link

 

got this, and fits my cap perfect with no cutting needed, genious idea. 

 

missus quipped that if she were to play she would want one as doesnt like the helmets... so one step closer to getting her to come play since the stag/hen do shooting eachother...

[MiK]

@kasaran No worries matey, it does protect nicely but ya head sweats a little more due it ventilation so I wear a “Bulldog under helmet liner” which helps cut down on that and at £3.56 a pop (‘cheaper than what I paid ) 

 

https://ukmcpro.co.uk/products/bulldog-under-helmet-liner-skull-cap?variant=5939071385643