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

[lowviz]

Update:

A pourable cream of 1:1 (by weight) tooth paste : ammonium bicarbonate and sufficient water is now 'seasoning' one half of a brand new mask, right out of the box. Being done in the open air so that all hard plastic parts are not affected. -let you know the results in three days...

In addition:
A private communication with @couv was most interesting. He suggested that a lot of the confusion comes from the fact that some masks are easier to season than others. His suggestion was to generate a true "Mask from Hell" for testing. I post this publicly as proper crediting of ideas is key in real scientific research.

Yes, a 'standard' MFH would be useful for testing antifog treatments. And, as couv suggested, renewable. Most interesting.

(PDF) Rapid Silylation of a Glass Surface: Choice of Reagent and Effect of Experimental Parameters on Hydrophobicity

The above link contains the best reference that I can find for silylation of glass surfaces. A fully silylated lens should fog miserably. An interesting point in this paper is that the optimum temperature for conversion is 220-350 degrees Centigrade (430-660 F). Possibly, true MFH's are formed in overheated molds???

 

[Ulfhedinn]

It's been discussed quite a bit in this thread. Putting the mask through a cycle in the dishwasher (with dishwasher detergent) works REALLY well. I mention it because I suspect it might get the glass similarly clean to Bon Ami, but also have the added benefit of removing contaminants (like silicone mold release chemicals) from the mask skirt. The concern is that stuff on the mask skirt could leach onto the glass over time. So, what was perfectly clean after Bon Ami eventually becomes "not clean" anymore and you would need to clean it with Bon Ami (or something) again to restore it's fog resistance.

I had thought to do this but was concerned about the heat generated during the wash cycle.

 

[stuartv]

I had thought to do this but was concerned about the heat generated during the wash cycle.

I don't think it will get any hotter than the temp of the hot water in your house.

I would expect that to be fine.

You might turn off the heated dry cycle, if your dishwasher offers that.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

It's been discussed quite a bit in this thread. Putting the mask through a cycle in the dishwasher (with dishwasher detergent) works REALLY well. I mention it because I suspect it might get the glass similarly clean to Bon Ami, but also have the added benefit of removing contaminants (like silicone mold release chemicals) from the mask skirt. The concern is that stuff on the mask skirt could leach onto the glass over time. So, what was perfectly clean after Bon Ami eventually becomes "not clean" anymore and you would need to clean it with Bon Ami (or something) again to restore it's fog resistance.

Soft scrub

 

[lowviz]

Softer scrub:

 

[lowviz]

3-day results are in (along with a mystery).

First, the seasoning cream was allowed to coat (for 3 days) the right lens of a brand new mask. The cream was washed off and nothing remarkable was seen as far as resisting fog! Initially, this looked like an abject failure.

HOWEVER, I ran the mask through a dishwasher (using one Cascade pod) and total success! Somebody explain this to me, please. The image below shows the mask with no defog of any sort applied, fresh from the dishwasher...

ANY defog will work wonders on the right lens of this mask, the left lens remains unseasoned and remains a pain. So it looks like Season, Dishwasher, then Defog is the answer to this issue.

Seasoning cream: The active ingredient is ammonium bicarbonate.

-might be getting to the end of this seemingly interminable problem.

 

[-JD-]

I'm guessing some component of the toothpaste may not just "rinse off" easily without the detergent.

I thought to look at ingredients, but since A&H seems to have around a dozen different toothpaste variants ...

 

[stuartv]

What he^ said. Seems like your paste left something behind that didn't wash off in your first attempt.

How did you wash it off (before you put it in the dishwasher)? Just running water? No soap of any kind?

 

[stuartv]

@lowviz, I know none of this is final. But, any chance you could maybe post links to the specific two ingredients you used for the paste? Maybe, like, on Amazon, so it would be easy for your virtual assistants to buy and mix up the same?

 

[lowviz]

@stuartv,

My best guess, not thoroughly tested:

Absolute minimum:
ammonium bicarbonate and water
Bulking agent:
add sodium bicarbonate to above (baking soda, NOT baking powder)

Anti-drying agent:
add a humectant (glycerol or PEG-8) to above (I used toothpaste)

Commercial formulation:
add creaming agent, stabilizers, colorant (or not), fragrance, detergent