ever ruined a mask flaming it?

[divingtpapa]

I favor the minty fresh toothpaste for defogging new masks. I never had a problem as long as you dont use too much toothpaste.

 

[compton384]

Thanks for the input. The lens is definitely glass- the website says, "high-quality impact resistant tempered glass (ANSI standard)"

I will stick to the toothpaste anyway because I am afraid to flame it. It seemed to work on my previous mask (though I had used it many times snorkeling before I learned you needed to scrub residue off).

I'm still curious if anyone else has ruined a mask by flaming it though..

 

[fire_diver]

listen to your instructor not scuba board go dive get real experience then come back to sb and see all the uninformed info enjoy your class and hope to see you in the water and remember if a fire is needed to clean a mask the mfg would recommend it not a no name and no responsability person on sb when you try his advice and damage the mask will he buy you another or just say sorry and give you more lame advice that will cost you.

Before you go putting down everyone at SB, you might want to learn capitalization, punctuation and syntax first. You should probably include yourself in the "see all the uninformed info".

 

[beautybelow]

listen to your instructor not scuba board go dive get real experience then come back to sb and see all the uninformed info enjoy your class and hope to see you in the water and remember if a fire is needed to clean a mask the mfg would recommend it not a no name and no responsability person on sb when you try his advice and damage the mask will he buy you another or just say sorry and give you more lame advice that will cost you.

Someone woke up cranky this morning....

Actually, if she could ruin a mask with a bic lighter then I would buy her a new one.

I read the question as "has anyone ever ruined a mask" not "Should I do it"

 

[noreastDIVER84]

Soft Scrub works wonders if you have a stubborn mask that doesn't want to clean, but I have had great luck with toothpaste. If it makes a difference I have used Crest whitening with baking soda and peroxide and it works the first time with minimal effort.

 

[HowardE]

Hi, I just got a new mask and want to prepare it for my first dive. I was told by my dive instructor that new masks should be scrubbed with toothpaste, which I did with my previous mask and it seemed to work fine.

I've read on many threads that scrubbing may not get all the coating and that flaming is the only thing that will work to get the chemicals off. I was wondering if anyone has ever ruined a mask doing this? I'm concerned about either melting the silicone parts (I know silicone can handle lots of heat so that's unlikely) or scorching the lens so that it is permanently discolored.

I "flame" all my new scuba masks. I have received several masks to try out and/or demo from some manufacturers, and always use a flame to remove any film on the lens. They never fog this way. I've never melted the silicone... it's not plastic. Never any permanent discoloration of the lens. Totally fine. No problems at all.

- Please note - I only use scuba masks with glass lenses.

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

listen to your instructor not scuba board go dive get real experience then come back to sb and see all the uninformed info enjoy your class and hope to see you in the water and remember if a fire is needed to clean a mask the mfg would recommend it not a no name and no responsability person on sb when you try his advice and damage the mask will he buy you another or just say sorry and give you more lame advice that will cost you.

I have never posted about anything I don't have personal EXPERIENCE with that subject. Instructors teach what they are taught to teach and just because they are instructors it doesn't mean they have any real experience with stubborn masks. It also doesn't mean they don't but being an instructor does not put a premium on good or bad advice. Scubaboard has helped a lot of people with its members real experience. Until you know me don't presume to categorize me into parroting what I have heard.

The OP asked a question. I provided an informed, experienced, and helpful answer. Some masks will never come clean with abrasives. A flame will not easily ruin a mask, even an expensive one. A person with common sense will see the coating burn away long before any silicone of plastic is harmed one little iota.

I posted about this in a recent post. Go check it out. You will find personal EXPERIENCE in my post there as well as here. In the end the OP can take my lame advice and use it or pass on it.........but..........it is solid advice backed with experience.

 

[knotical]

I'm new to flaming (masks). Learned it here on ScubaBoard. Tried it on a new mask and it worked great. So I went back and did it on a bunch of old masks. Made no difference on most, but a couple old ones still had a film, even though they'd been scrubbed many times.
No damage yet. Don't anticipate any, since I have a modicum of common sense and don't keep the flame in one spot on the skirt.

Let's see now, If I've counted correctly, 14 folks have responded, none reporting damage - although only 5 of us seem to have actually tried it.

 

[diver_doug]

listen to your instructor not scuba board go dive get real experience then come back to sb and see all the uninformed info enjoy your class and hope to see you in the water and remember if a fire is needed to clean a mask the mfg would recommend it not a no name and no responsability person on sb when you try his advice and damage the mask will he buy you another or just say sorry and give you more lame advice that will cost you.

This is more than one sentence!

Also "if a fire is needed to clean a mask the mfg would recommend it" isn't correct. First there's always the possibility someone will do it wrong and the manufacturers don't want to be liable. Second, just because manufacturers don't recommend it doesn't mean it won't work. Third, manufacturers don't recommend toothpaste, but that seems pretty widely accepted as something that works. Fourth, the masks I've purchased said NOTHING about what do to remove that layer of film, nor do they provide any recommendations of what type of defogger you should use. And fifth, she wasn't asking for your "theory", she just wanted to know of any bad experiences!

 

[Gombessa]

Worried about doing so? Every time. Actually done damage with a lighter? Never.

Nowadays, whenever I get a new mask, I just give it a rigorous toothpaste treatment, seems to work just as well.