Budget Jason Voorhees inspired mask

[TheMadGasser]

Hey there everyone!

I love horror movies, and slasher films remind me of staying up late or at sleep overs with a few buddies. Now I want to state that I have watched all of the Friday the 13th movies and while I enjoyed them, I really didn't watch them religiously. So I'm sure that what I'm about to start will probably not be 100% accurate by fan standards. I plan on overhauling this find and probably wear it a few Halloweens and then pass it on to my son when he's old enough to wear it.

So I was helping my mother move a few months ago and while cleaning out the shed, I found an old Rubies hockey mask (copyrite1987) that my brother and I used throughout our teenage years. This mask brought back alot of fun memories, so I shoved it in my "to take home" pile. Here's what the mask looks like from years of use. As you can see there are scratches on it. I have considered sanding them out, since the plastic is thick but I'm up in the air about doing that as it gives it character and I'm not really trying to make the mask look 100% screen accurate. Just recognizable enough to scare the pee out of the high school girls (and a few boys). I don't know why the mask looks so slender, it must be my camera. If you'll note the second picture it actually wider.




After I got home I started to inspect the mask and the first thing I noted was that I needs a bath, really bad. Years of play, grime, fake blood, and what looks like motor oil and probably rodent pee are caked on the inside of the mask. After I get the proper vent holes drilled in the mask, I plan on giving it a good scrubbing and a bleach water bath (along with a top rack dish washer bath).



Pretty disgusting, huh? I wouldn't want to put this up on my face, would you?

So, before I start working on this project I need to know what direction I need to go into. I started looking over images of different versions of Jason's mask.and started taking measurements. Since my mask is not a licensed replica and was probably marketed as a "Killer's Hockey Mask", that they could skimp on it's construction. As you can see in the picture above, the mask had a standard black elastic nylon that all Halloween masks come with. So I'll need to come up with a good alternative for a head strap. I would like something in leather and have thought about using dog collars or a dog harness. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I know I can buy leather straps on eBay, but I want to keep this project dirt cheap.

After a few hours of scouring I amassed a good photo folder with front and side shots of Jason's mask, I was ready to start working on a vector blueprint of the mask. Having found a suitable base to use, I started masking the paper mask over the current holes. Knowing that the vent holes that are currently cut in the mask are not goign to line up, I made notes, got out my calipers, and started to work on a representation that was closer to my mask and work backwards from there.



Doesn't he look happy?

So why do I want to drill more vent holes? Well. I live in western Texas and unfortunately our Halloweens can be warm. Combined that with a heavy costume, and being a big guy, I'm going to sweat a lot and extra vent holes would help me out. As you can see in the picture above, I chose the Part 3 style mask pattern. While I love the blue paint scheme as seen in Part 5, I'm just it too obscure for the regular victims....I mean Trick-or-Treaters. LOL I have thought about the paint and I'm unsure If I will leave it plastic white or attempt to stain or paint the mask to give it that yellow look like I've seen in closer replicas.

Right now this is as far as I have gotten on the project. I only get a few moments a day to work on projects. Tomorrow I plan on drilling out the new holes as I have already transferred the pattern to the mask and made my marks. I'll post pics when I get them drilled out. I appreciate any comments!

 

[TheMadGasser]

Alright! So I got some time this weekend to work on the mask. I'm very happy with the way it's turning out. So here's the latest work:



So as you can see I got the holes plotted out and marked on the mask. The second pic is a halfway pic and then we see a completely drilled mask. Again, this mask is not going to be screen accurate, but I'm cool with it as I'm going for more of a "inspired" look to the mask. The next step was to sand the mask down. I picked out some 150 and 220 grit paper from my stash and started to go to town on the mask. I first cleaned out the holes of all the plastic debris and smoothed out around the eye holes and edge of the mask. I will admit that some of the holes chipped on me while I drilled them out. I'm thinking it might have been a combination of technique and age of the plastic. But I'm okay with them as it gives it more character. Again, this is only inspired and not identical to the movie version.



I got to thinking about the previous scratches and thought that they just didn't really have that "defensive" look to them. So I figured that if they get sanded out or painted over and not seen, I won't miss them. After thinking about paint while I was sanding I decided that I want to keep the paint light on mask. At first I thought about doing a light wash with some tea, but after seeing the fine scratches, I'm afraid that they will show up, even if I put a light coat of white over the mask. What do you guys suggest? Should I shoot some primer on it or leave it as it and just put a few light coats over it?

 

[Moviefreak]

Looks great
I will be watching your progress!

 

[TheMadGasser]

Thanks for posting!

I've been sanding on the mask off and on during the day and it's starting to look good. I'm still up in the air what I might do. I think I''ll sand down a patch on the inside and see if tea will stain the plastic in the way I'm wanting to get the over all look. If not I'll try mixing some acrylic and doing a color swatch.

But I'm excited how this project is coming out. I started working on chevron designs in my graphics program and hope to have a decent mock up soon to show off. I think my biggest hurtle is going to be the mask harness.

 

[TheMadGasser]

Sorry for the lack of updates, my hobby time has been taken up with family and uncooperative weather. But this past weekend was perfect in timing and weather and I was able to go out and paint. I have some exciting pictures to share, but I have also run into a dilemma. I'll get to the dilemma at the end of this post because it has to do with the current state of the paint job. Alright with that said, let's get down to it!



So, as you can see above, I had some time to work on cracks, scratches and any missed rough areas. The first two shots are the final appearance before I shoot the first coat over the mask. The third shot in this sample pic is with the first coat. I spent the day going outside and spraying coat after coat of white on this mask so I could rough it up with some sandpaper. I didn't take a picture, but the hockey mask was completely white with no traces of the old scratches put on by my little brother.



The next day was windy, so I was glad to be done with the base coat and ready to start weathering the mask with paints and sand paper. After a few hours of dry brushing and rubbing with a dam cloth I came up with what you see above. I was pretty damn happy with what the progress I was coming along with this project and was giddy thinking about using it this Halloween. Then I went and did the most idiotic thing, grabbed my can of acrylic sealer to make sure my work didn't get any damage from water or anything. I should have known better to stop and double checked, but after a few sprits from the can I should have stopped, but I figured the damage was done. Take a look:



I know this can be fixed, but I'm unsure how I should do it. I really like the rough look the mask had before I screwed up. Should I shoot the mask with a matte sealer or sand it all back down to the plastic and start over?

 

[TheMadGasser]

Just in case you wanted to see the detail before I screwed it up, here's a larger sample:

 

[TheMadGasser]

So I couldn't stand the look of the gloss, so I sanded down the paint and scraped out the cuts. I shot the mask with a couple coats of the white paint I had and I let it sit all day to cure. I'm going to take a good look at it tomorrow and see if there is anything I need to touch up and start working on my paint wash. I tell you, I learned a lesson from this mistake.

 

[brandomack]

What you want to use is pigment powder, available at most hobby shops. Spray a light coat of flat clear, and then dry brush on the powder. I used black, rust and mustard yellow.

 

[TheMadGasser]

Awesome! Thanks a bunch! I'll be going "into town" later this week and I'll check out the local hobby shop.

 

[TheMadGasser]

Okay since it's officially Friday the 13th here, it's time for me to show off my progress. While I wanted to be 100% complete with this project for today, family and jobs have taken up a lot of my time lately. But that's fine, it's more of a Halloween mask anyways.

To recap, this mask started off as a Rubies Halloween hockey mask from 1987. The plastic was nice and thick, great for carving cuts into the surface. Again, this mask is not 100% accurate to the movie version, but when I jump out of the shadows on Halloween, it's not going to make a difference. In the current state, this Halloween mask is about 95% done. It just needs the strap, snaps, and a final clear coat. To date, I have spent very little on this project.