Wow, sorry for the lack of updates guys. It looks like the tutorial is not going to happen. I'm going to school right now for game development and free time is a thing of the past. If i can catch a break sometime i would be more than happy to do a tut. As of now if you have any questions about the process I will be more than happy to try and answer them.
ps.....the letters will come off with a little help from an exacto knife.......then you can glue them back very carefully after painting and there is no need to try and mask them