I use soft scrub, and if that doesn't work I go with a combination of fertilized and diesel fuel.
it keeps fogging..and fogging......
- Thread starter bebo
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bebo
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w/ tooth paste and my electric toothbrush. I can already tell the difference by the way the water runs on the lens. So I guess I did'nt do it right the first time!. :bonk: Before my next dive I'll give it the baby shampoo treatment and cool my face with the water and air dry it just prior the dive.
I'll give u the report after next dive.
Thx a lot!!!!!!
I'll give u the report after next dive.
Thx a lot!!!!!!
Groundhog246
Contributor
Last 2 masks I cleaned (Tusa Liberators for our kids 12 & 15) I used VIM ( a very mildly abrasive cleanser) rather than toothpaste with great success. If you wet the new lenses and compare the way water sheets off after you can tell when you've got em clean enough.
I've tried baby shampoo and a couple of different commercial no-fog's, but for me spit has always worked better.
I've tried baby shampoo and a couple of different commercial no-fog's, but for me spit has always worked better.
gjw
Guest
Beware of using abrasive detergents like Vim, as these products contain granules which can scratch the surface of the mask lenses. The severe fogging associated with new masks, is caused by a thin film of silicone grease which covers the entire mask and lens. It is this film which needs to be removed before the mask is used for diving / snorkeling. I find that as stated in previous postings, toothpaste does a good job of removing the grease film. (Again make sure not to be using a toothpaste containing abrasive materials ...) I have also discovered that normal liquid dishwashing detergent does the trick too.
Before every dive I use my own spit to clear the mask .....
;-> gjw
Before every dive I use my own spit to clear the mask .....
;-> gjw
Groundhog246
Contributor
Most dishwashing detergents are abrasive too. I've found you need a mild abrasive to get the oil off. Almost all toothpastes contain some abrasive, especially the older "paste" type usually recommended for this task. The trick is to be GENTLE about it. It would take quite a lot of rubbing with toothpast, VIM, etc, to start wearing on the glass of the lens. Using an electric toothbrush or similar might be enough to do the trick.gjw:
As the board's resident expert (lol) on fogging:
Bebo, most defoggers act by reducing the surface tension of water. Surface tension is what causes water to bead up on surfaces into droplets. Those droplets act like miniature prisms and scatter light randomly and voila! you get that white haze we call fog.
If you reduce the surface tension of the water, it spreads out. And if it spreads evenly, then you can see right through it. So most defogging solutions consist of some compound(s) that absorb the water and lower its surface tension. But the trick is to get this compound to coat the surface evenly and for it to stay in place as it goes through the wet/dry cycles.
So if spit, detergent, potato juice, and anti-fogs all work to reduce surface tension, why doesn't your buddies recommendation work for you? First, your mask is different and the glass may have a different composition or coating. It also may be older or newer and the surface may not be the same because of how you wash it, etc. Second, you probably perspire differently than your friend. So you may overwhelm your spit's capabilities to defog. In my case, spit works fine about 90% of the time. Last, conditions can overwhelm an anti-fog. It may work great when you are cruising with the water temp at 68 degrees. Then fail when you start working hard or the temperature cools.
Bottom line? You may have to do some experimenting with the anti-fogs that are out there. I read a review of anti-fogs designed for Scuba that is a bit old, you can find it through Google with a bit of searching.
Personally I am a bit skeptical of using toothpaste to rub down a lens. Virtually all of them have some sort of abrasive and with enough brushing, you will introduce microscratches into your lens. Or you may remove or scratch the coating the manufacturer applied.
Here is what HydroOptix says, "The mask's lens surface(s) have a hard coat for protection against abrasions and scratches, however such damage to lens surface(s) is not covered under warranty. Be sure in your handling of your MEGA mask to follow the directions that were included with your mask; scratched or otherwise damaged masks cannot be accepted for full refund."
I would follow manufacturers instructions which come with your mask and then try a few of your friends favorite anti-fogs until you find one that works with your combination of conditions. Another good idea is to test one half of your mask by applying the new anti-fog to only one side, so you can compare how it performs. When I test, I coat the right with one anti-fog, the left with another, and leave a one inch strip without any anti-fog in the center.
Bebo, most defoggers act by reducing the surface tension of water. Surface tension is what causes water to bead up on surfaces into droplets. Those droplets act like miniature prisms and scatter light randomly and voila! you get that white haze we call fog.
If you reduce the surface tension of the water, it spreads out. And if it spreads evenly, then you can see right through it. So most defogging solutions consist of some compound(s) that absorb the water and lower its surface tension. But the trick is to get this compound to coat the surface evenly and for it to stay in place as it goes through the wet/dry cycles.
So if spit, detergent, potato juice, and anti-fogs all work to reduce surface tension, why doesn't your buddies recommendation work for you? First, your mask is different and the glass may have a different composition or coating. It also may be older or newer and the surface may not be the same because of how you wash it, etc. Second, you probably perspire differently than your friend. So you may overwhelm your spit's capabilities to defog. In my case, spit works fine about 90% of the time. Last, conditions can overwhelm an anti-fog. It may work great when you are cruising with the water temp at 68 degrees. Then fail when you start working hard or the temperature cools.
Bottom line? You may have to do some experimenting with the anti-fogs that are out there. I read a review of anti-fogs designed for Scuba that is a bit old, you can find it through Google with a bit of searching.
Personally I am a bit skeptical of using toothpaste to rub down a lens. Virtually all of them have some sort of abrasive and with enough brushing, you will introduce microscratches into your lens. Or you may remove or scratch the coating the manufacturer applied.
Here is what HydroOptix says, "The mask's lens surface(s) have a hard coat for protection against abrasions and scratches, however such damage to lens surface(s) is not covered under warranty. Be sure in your handling of your MEGA mask to follow the directions that were included with your mask; scratched or otherwise damaged masks cannot be accepted for full refund."
I would follow manufacturers instructions which come with your mask and then try a few of your friends favorite anti-fogs until you find one that works with your combination of conditions. Another good idea is to test one half of your mask by applying the new anti-fog to only one side, so you can compare how it performs. When I test, I coat the right with one anti-fog, the left with another, and leave a one inch strip without any anti-fog in the center.
Anybody ever tried using Rain X? You know, the stuff you use on your windshield to make the rain bead off like nobody's business?
I never have, but it suddenly hit me just now that it might work.
I always go the toothpaste route with my slates and then the mask before a major trip, and then bring a bottle of Sea Drops. I use spit, or Sea Drops, or Shampoo, or whatever is available prior to diving and hope for the best.
When at depth and it keeps fogging you can always introduce a little water into your mask and lower you head and swish it around to clear the fog. This is a solution that will keep you diving, but has to be repeated every few minutes.
Again at depth, when all else fails, you can remove your mask, rub it briskly with your fingers and put it back on, but that usually doesn't help too much. Watch out for abrasives in the water you are diving in as well. i.e. Good solution on Cayman, but bad solution in high sediment laden water.
Hope this helps.
Colin Berry
I never have, but it suddenly hit me just now that it might work.
I always go the toothpaste route with my slates and then the mask before a major trip, and then bring a bottle of Sea Drops. I use spit, or Sea Drops, or Shampoo, or whatever is available prior to diving and hope for the best.
When at depth and it keeps fogging you can always introduce a little water into your mask and lower you head and swish it around to clear the fog. This is a solution that will keep you diving, but has to be repeated every few minutes.
Again at depth, when all else fails, you can remove your mask, rub it briskly with your fingers and put it back on, but that usually doesn't help too much. Watch out for abrasives in the water you are diving in as well. i.e. Good solution on Cayman, but bad solution in high sediment laden water.
Hope this helps.
Colin Berry
Is good on the outside of the lense if you need to see well through the mask IN AIR.
It is not good inside the mask, nor is the Fog-X, they both
tend to irritate eyes.
I sometimes use Rain-X on the outside of my mask when diving in mud and I need to keep exchanging hand signals with my tender on the surface. It is pretty much useless for sport diving.
It is not good inside the mask, nor is the Fog-X, they both
tend to irritate eyes.
I sometimes use Rain-X on the outside of my mask when diving in mud and I need to keep exchanging hand signals with my tender on the surface. It is pretty much useless for sport diving.
Thanks PipeDope. I'll stick with what works then! Nothing like a pair of irritable eyes to ruin a dive.
Colin Berry
Colin Berry
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