Anti-Fogging Treatments for New Masks. (a comparison of techniques)

[Jiminy]

Thought I’d add a little something to the discussion.

When I was first certified, my instructor told me to take either Comet or Ajax and put some on the lens, add a few drops of water to form a paste, and then scrub with your finger until you think it’s going to fall off. Switch fingers and repeat.

Not only did this work for me, but I have done this method for several of my friends who have had problems and this fixed it for them.

Now it’s just a basic boat spray or mask defog before dives.

How does this not scratch the glass? I would think comet has really large pieces of abrasive compared to toothpaste

 

[BDSC]

I’m guessing I’ve performed this at least 10 times or more and it’s never scratched any of the masks I’ve tried it on.

 

[lowviz]

We press on.

Here are the recommended test abrasives/cleaners, I'm trying for three spot treatments per mask. That will leave the last pair of masks for my over-the-top 'no-scrub' attempts. Everything will be duplicated on @Johnoly 's plastic lens masks.

Bon Ami
Cerama Bryte
Comet
Lemon Soft Scrub
Micro-Gloss liquid abrasive
Sand ('very fine', sieved to known size) http://publications.iowa.gov/17268/1/IADOT_hr99_History_Particle_Limits.pdf
Sea Buff
Toothpaste (most aggressive possible)
TSP

Let's freeze the abrasive treatments here to keep things moving. Speak up if I missed anybody who previously posted a suggestion.

 

[lowviz]

We now have 'very fine sand'. It will pass through a No. 120 sieve (125 micron) and is held up on a No. 170 sieve (90 micron). Interesting stuff...

125-90 microns is well within the definition of 'very fine sand'. (the next stop is silt.)

I love following the scientific method! Learn something new every day.

 

[BDSC]

I wish I were still in my old job. We had some 1, 3, and 9 micron diamond polishing compounds. We would use the 1 micron to remove any scratches.

 

[vastag]

I used the standard white toothpaste method for a Cressi bought 5+ years ago but had to turn to the tried and true flame for my recently purchase Atomic Venom. Next time I will go with the flame only. The flame method is readily available on youtube. For example .

I was distracted by the dog on the sofa not giving any sh*ts about the proceedings.

 

[Rred]

Jiminy-
Back in the 80's, as Corning Ware and acrylic bathtub surrounds were becoming popular and getting destroyed by Ajax and Comet...they all reformulated to become more like BonAmi. BonAmi was always based on diatomaceous earth ("fuller's earth") the same powdered white mineral that most toothpaste is based on. And used as the filler in TNT sticks, oddly enough.
Today they are all designed to be used on acrylic tub surrounds, Corian countertops, and other plastics that are way softer than the glass in a diving mask. The traditional "scouring" powders, may not be on the market anymore. They made the change kinda quietly, but a long time ago.

 

[lowviz]

Ajax and Comet...they all reformulated to become more like BonAmi.

No lie!

Interesting insight, it appears to be true: http://www.gjfood.com/pdf/msds/92_820370.pdf

OK, looks like we are shooting at a moving target. I'll get some representative 'today' cleaners and pull the trigger...

 

[Jcp2]

Whatever the final results are, I’m going to apply them to all masks stored in a closed air space. Maybe it’s not a factory thing but a plastic mask box thing.

 

[dberry]

It's true that Comet and such no longer have the abrasives they used to. But Cerama Bryte is designed for cleaning / polishing ceramic stove tops and quartz counters. I'd be very surprised if it would scratch glass - especially the glass in dive masks, which is probably tempered glass.

FWIW, it's not only a matter of how large the abrasive particles are, the ability to scratch a surface depends on how hard the abrasive is. Diatomaceous earth is fairly soft (and the particles are fine). Alumina ("corundum") is harder, and silicon carbide ("carborundum") is much harder still. Silicon carbide is the abrasive most commonly found in "wet/dry" paper. I would not recommend cleaning a mask with silicon carbide or wet/dry paper, even if you use one of the super-fine grits used for polishing things (auto body work, etc.)