Some custom figures have sloppy paint jobs and would probably get afa 50?, but would they take me seriously if I wanted them to encase a custom figure so I could carry it around with me and are those cases air and water proof ?

I don't think they would grade it. I really don't think they would- that would open a whole new can of worms as far as what they grade and authenticity.

They *might* encase it... but you'd probably want to just order a custom case from them instead of sending it in expecting it to be graded. Oscar's Cases might be a good option for you to have something nice built for your piece.

The cases are not air proof or water proof- they have a small slit opening on the back to allow for air flow so that condensation wont build inside the case.

Some custom figures have sloppy paint jobs and would probably get afa 50?, but would they take me seriously if I wanted them to encase a custom figure so I could carry it around with me and are those cases air and water proof ?AFA does NOT grade custom toys.

AFA sells acrylic cases here:
http://www.toygrader.com/caseorder.aspx

The cases are NOT air/water proof

Look up Oscars cases on the internet. I have bought 8 from him so far and I am very happy with the quality and construction. Also, I am not sure, but they may be cheaper in price than AFA. These are custom cases built to the size you require. I have gotten cases for my mexican boxed joes, slaughters renegades, listen n fun tripwire, and the convention Jinx MOC's. I have not tried to order a case for a loose joe, but I know he will make one. Also, when he made the case for the Jinx it was off by a few milimeters, so he sent me three more until the size was right at his cost. So, he is a stand up guy in my book. Hope this helps.
Chris

I know they won't grade a one-off custom that some collector does in his garage...and rightfully so.

I do wonder if they would grade some "semi-recognized" figures that are essentially customs....like the Sacramento show figures or the Desimone Jinx or Race Car Driver, or even the Collector's club con figures, for that matter. I don't recall ever seeing a con figure graded (SDCC, yes, JoeCon, no)....but then I don't usually search for graded stuff either so it's possible that I may have missed it.

They've graded the convention Jinx. I've seen several graded examples pop up on ebay over the years, and it's listed in their population report.

And they've certainly graded all the recent mastercollector Joe convention stuff.