- Messages
- 7,660
- Reaction score
- 4,718
- # of dives
- 200 - 499
As simple as it seems that it should be, treatments to alleviate mask fogging remain a subject of hot debate. I remain surprised that one definitive answer has not been found long ago.
So, I would like to investigate this in a scientific way. This thread is a spin-off of Glass lens frameless Mask fogging issue in order to avoid a hijack of the OP’s original thread.
So let’s actually start a SB scientific investigation and do something under controlled conditions to get things started. This is participatory, poster suggestions are most welcome. What is your preferred method and how exactly do you do it?
@dberry I find your post extremely helpful and (I hope) you would participate as a professional resource: Glass lens frameless Mask fogging issue
Look what came in the mail today:

Background (lots of words)
So, I would like to investigate this in a scientific way. This thread is a spin-off of Glass lens frameless Mask fogging issue in order to avoid a hijack of the OP’s original thread.
So let’s actually start a SB scientific investigation and do something under controlled conditions to get things started. This is participatory, poster suggestions are most welcome. What is your preferred method and how exactly do you do it?
@dberry I find your post extremely helpful and (I hope) you would participate as a professional resource: Glass lens frameless Mask fogging issue
Look what came in the mail today:

Background (lots of words)
Science: Do something under controlled conditions. Analyze the results. Do something better under controlled conditions. Analyze those results. Cycle that on and on until you have an answer that fits your required conditions or fails to a constant repeatable outcome.
I have no ‘pet treatment’ in mind, the best treatment (aka ‘THE’ answer to mask fogging) is most likely something that none of us have tried before. Let’s explore this.
I posted in the original thread that I just had to talk myself into buying an un-needed new mask for a test. Totally unsolicited, Dano of https://www.makospearguns.com/ PM’ed me with an offer of two of his Minimus masks that he would donate to science. That changed everything! I readily agreed and bought a third then paid shipping for the lot. All three new masks are the same. Now my skin is in the game too and I have just enough new masks for a decent first attempt to evaluate all the most common treatments.
What treatments to test? Here is where you come in.
All results need to be compared to a control. IMHO, the two treatments of choice are flaming and toothpaste. So all three masks will get exactly the same flaming and toothpaste as a control treatment for the left lens only. We will attempt to agree on the precise method for each of the three ‘reference’ procedures (spot flaming, flaming with soot, and toothpaste). I have no preconceived notions as to the standard treatments as I don’t clean my masks that way. I need common procedures for soot flaming and toothpaste. All scrubbing procedures will be scrubbed in one direction only so that I can check for lens abrasion.
Additionally, posters have a say in coming up with three additional treatments (in addition to the three control treatments of flaming and toothpaste). These three treatments will be duplicated on two masks. One mask will have been critically cleaned in a dishwasher before any treatments, the other straight out of the box. This is intended to check if bleed from the skirt and strap make the initial cleaning less effective.
The third mask is mine and (in addition to the two controls) will be subjected to extreme attempts at cleaning with no dishwasher pretreatment. I would like to find a no flame, no scrub technique. So I will be using liquids. Muriatic acid, alkaline drain cleaner, and an extremely aggressive cleaner that contains hydrofluoric acid (a glass etchant).
Following the initial testing, there will be a room temperature storage (how long?) and re-test for fogging. That will conclude this preliminary examination.
This is my initial proposed experimental design, feel free to critique and suggest improvements. This is science, not presupposed bias.
I have no ‘pet treatment’ in mind, the best treatment (aka ‘THE’ answer to mask fogging) is most likely something that none of us have tried before. Let’s explore this.
I posted in the original thread that I just had to talk myself into buying an un-needed new mask for a test. Totally unsolicited, Dano of https://www.makospearguns.com/ PM’ed me with an offer of two of his Minimus masks that he would donate to science. That changed everything! I readily agreed and bought a third then paid shipping for the lot. All three new masks are the same. Now my skin is in the game too and I have just enough new masks for a decent first attempt to evaluate all the most common treatments.
What treatments to test? Here is where you come in.
All results need to be compared to a control. IMHO, the two treatments of choice are flaming and toothpaste. So all three masks will get exactly the same flaming and toothpaste as a control treatment for the left lens only. We will attempt to agree on the precise method for each of the three ‘reference’ procedures (spot flaming, flaming with soot, and toothpaste). I have no preconceived notions as to the standard treatments as I don’t clean my masks that way. I need common procedures for soot flaming and toothpaste. All scrubbing procedures will be scrubbed in one direction only so that I can check for lens abrasion.
Additionally, posters have a say in coming up with three additional treatments (in addition to the three control treatments of flaming and toothpaste). These three treatments will be duplicated on two masks. One mask will have been critically cleaned in a dishwasher before any treatments, the other straight out of the box. This is intended to check if bleed from the skirt and strap make the initial cleaning less effective.
The third mask is mine and (in addition to the two controls) will be subjected to extreme attempts at cleaning with no dishwasher pretreatment. I would like to find a no flame, no scrub technique. So I will be using liquids. Muriatic acid, alkaline drain cleaner, and an extremely aggressive cleaner that contains hydrofluoric acid (a glass etchant).
Following the initial testing, there will be a room temperature storage (how long?) and re-test for fogging. That will conclude this preliminary examination.
This is my initial proposed experimental design, feel free to critique and suggest improvements. This is science, not presupposed bias.