Soviet masks: Russian models

[dmaziuk]

... notably the recreational Sadko ...

Sadko (opera) - Wikipedia

 

[iamrushman]

very cool that divers went to work in these outfits.....thanks for sharing.

 

[tarponchik]

Let's move on to the "Type III" mask from Mosrezina.

Type III
View attachment 410043View attachment 410044 View attachment 410045 Here's a Soviet review of the mask:

The Type III semi face mask from Mosrezina has an oval lens installed in a groove at the end of the body, without a rim to secure it. The drawbacks are the low hardness of the body of the semi face mask and the small difference between the dimensions, which results in a slight angle and increased resistance to movement in the water when swimming.

The mask below may also be a Type III:
View attachment 410046The markings provide the stock code MG-49607, the price 3 roubles and 50 kopecks and the year of manufacture, 1966. I don't have an explanation of the number 24. Note the lack of a name - even "Type II" embossed on the skirt would be some help.

I'll move on in the next message to another Mosrezina mask, the Volna (Wave), which was lauded by one diving book author as the favourite mask of Soviet spearfishermen.

I actually used the 3.50 green back in the days of my youth. It came with a steel tube snorkel.

 

[tarponchik]

Ironically, the name Buratino became a nickname of one of the most devastating MLRS systems ever developed, the thermobaric TOS-1.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Thank you for your kind words again, iamrushman.

Onwards and upwards. This time I am focusing on a nose-pocket mask with no name and I don't have any information about the manufacturer either. Anyway, here we go:

Mask
View attachment 415596
View attachment 415597
The box it came in on the Russian auction site might provide some clue to provenance:
View attachment 415598
View attachment 415599
The text on the back of the box reads as follows:

УВАЖАЕМЫЙ ПОКУПАТЕЛЬ!

Легкая и удобная маска для подводного плавании сделает Ваш отдых у реки и на море более интересным и познавательным, поможет Вам увидеть красоту и раскрыть тайны подводного мира.

Оригинальная конструкция маски позволяет легко и точно подогнать её к лицу:

— оденьте маску, вдохните воздух носом и выдохните ртом, чтобы создать разрежение во внутренней полости,

— если будут обнаружены места неплотного прилегания, снимите с маски резиновые детали, погрузите её в кипенную воду на 10-15 мин. и, вынув маску из воды, осторожно деформируйте её в нужном месте,

— когда маска остынет, соберите её и еще раз проверьте плотность прилегания к лицу.

Советуем хранить маску в полиэтиленовом пакете и предохранять от длительного воздействия солнечных лучей.

Не рекомендуем прыгать в маске с вышки и нырять на глубину более 5 м.

ОТК № 15

Цена

Дата выпуска:

ТУ 3-16Ц-84

Октябрь 1992 г.

Артикул 1С4-1007

Г. ЧЕРКАССЫ

And here is my very rough translation:

DEAR CUSTOMER!

A light and comfortable underwater swimming mask will make your holiday more interesting and educational when you are by the river and at the seaside. It will help you to see the beauty, and uncover the mysteries, of the underwater world.

The original design of the mask enables it to be adjusted easily and precisely to fit the face:

— Put on the mask, inhale air through your nose and exhale through your mouth to create a vacuum inside the mask,

— If an ill-fitting spot is found, remove the rubber part of the mask, dip it in boiling water for 10-15 minutes and after you take the mask out of the water, bend it gently into the correct position,

— When the mask has cooled down, reassemble it and check again how perfectly it seals against the face.

We advise you to store your mask in a polythene bag and to protect it from prolonged exposure to sunlight.

We do not recommend wearing your mask when you leap from the springboard or dive deeper than 5 m.

Quality Control No. 15

Price

Release date:

ТU 3-16TS-84

October 1992

Reference 1S4-1007

G. CHERKASSY

The distinctive feature of this mask has to be the nose-shaped protuberance in the lens. It's not unique, though. Typhoon, which must be Britain's longest-trading diving equipment manufacturer still in business had a similar diving mask back in the mid-1950s. See the "Sea Star" below, from the company's 1956 catalogue:
View attachment 415600

More masks from unknown Russian manufacturers in my next posting.

David,

I think I can give some perspective to this particular mask with its molded nose pocket and formable skirt; it was never intended for SCUBA diving, but rather for finswimming and Underwater orienteering competitions. As the former Finswimming Director for the Underwater Society of America, I tried in the 1980s to get Finswimming more recognized in the USA, and was only partially successful. But these sports are very popular in Europe, especially Eastern Europe and Russia. Here are a couple of videos illustrating this type of mask in action. Note that the competitors dive into the water from starting blocks, which is not something normal diving masks could withstand.




SeaRat

 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the input, guys. During this thread, I've learnt so much from you. Surfing the Web and studying Soviet diving literature in pursuit of information about Russian-made equipment can only lead so far. I'm ready to start a new and probably shorter thread, this time about Soviet-era Ukrainian-made masks.

 

[АлександрД]

Thanks for trying, dmaziuk. The present posting may be the last in this very long thread, but I have two more threads to go when it comes to basic gear in Russia and Ukraine. I still have to post something about Soviet-era Ukrainian masks and also about snorkels in the USSR and its successor states.

Anyway, onwards and upwards. It's a little frustrating that I again have so little information about the name and manufacturer of today's offering, full-face masks:
View attachment 417322View attachment 417323 View attachment 417324 View attachment 417325
I've put these in for the sake of completeness. The full-face masks pictured above come as part of a Soviet drysuit, notably the recreational Sadko or the the military type outfits. Here's one of the masks with a Sadko helmet:
View attachment 417326

And here's what a whole Sadko suit looks like, minus the mask:
View attachment 417327

We'll likely move on to Ukrainian Soviet masks in another thread soon.

Dear David! were did you found my picture of some non diving masks?
I`d decribed about four masks from the photo in this topic Selfmade FFM (FullFaceMask) reworked from Gasmask
Ok, I will explain more info about this masks:

PMK-3, PMK-2 - it is modern Russian gas masks. very comfortable.
VM-5 (was integrated to the hood), VM-2 - here is old soviet diving full face masks.
First one was attached to the integrated hood of UGK-1 dry suit.

But it also exist as separated equipment: VM-5

Some details:
It has nut to connect it to the "winter" 2nd stage or to connect it to valve box (rebreather or double hose scuba)
It has windscreen wiper to remove fog from glass
It has two "glow-finger"s, to put there your fingers and make equalizing of ears pressure
It has purge valve
In this modification has not subMask to separate gas flows, it has just mouthpiece inside.
For integrated modification - it can have submask to use it with communications system.

another mask is VM-2 (on the left side)

it much more simple. I heard as some divers call it Ведро (bucket) due to it shape and fuctionality
It has just rubber frame, glass and mouthpiece with connecting nut.
one additional things: it has two pipes on sides, it could be connected to the opened hood of dry suite, like Sadko-1
also: Yellow helmet from your photos is winter helmet from Sadko-2

This mask has one modification, named VM-4
can you find differences?

This difference is bayonet joint for this pipes

Your picture of Full dry suite Sadko - it is Sadko-1 itself. With winter helmet (with integrated mask) it became Sakdo-2

 

[АлександрД]

Thank you for your kind words again, iamrushman.

Onwards and upwards. This time I am focusing on a nose-pocket mask with no name and I don't have any information about the manufacturer either. Anyway, here we go:

Mask
View attachment 415596
View attachment 415597
The box it came in on the Russian auction site might provide some clue to provenance:
View attachment 415598
View attachment 415599
The text on the back of the box reads as follows:

УВАЖАЕМЫЙ ПОКУПАТЕЛЬ!

Легкая и удобная маска для подводного плавании сделает Ваш отдых у реки и на море более интересным и познавательным, поможет Вам увидеть красоту и раскрыть тайны подводного мира.

Оригинальная конструкция маски позволяет легко и точно подогнать её к лицу:

— оденьте маску, вдохните воздух носом и выдохните ртом, чтобы создать разрежение во внутренней полости,

— если будут обнаружены места неплотного прилегания, снимите с маски резиновые детали, погрузите её в кипенную воду на 10-15 мин. и, вынув маску из воды, осторожно деформируйте её в нужном месте,

— когда маска остынет, соберите её и еще раз проверьте плотность прилегания к лицу.

Советуем хранить маску в полиэтиленовом пакете и предохранять от длительного воздействия солнечных лучей.

Не рекомендуем прыгать в маске с вышки и нырять на глубину более 5 м.

ОТК № 15

Цена

Дата выпуска:

ТУ 3-16Ц-84

Октябрь 1992 г.

Артикул 1С4-1007

Г. ЧЕРКАССЫ

And here is my very rough translation:

DEAR CUSTOMER!

A light and comfortable underwater swimming mask will make your holiday more interesting and educational when you are by the river and at the seaside. It will help you to see the beauty, and uncover the mysteries, of the underwater world.

The original design of the mask enables it to be adjusted easily and precisely to fit the face:

— Put on the mask, inhale air through your nose and exhale through your mouth to create a vacuum inside the mask,

— If an ill-fitting spot is found, remove the rubber part of the mask, dip it in boiling water for 10-15 minutes and after you take the mask out of the water, bend it gently into the correct position,

— When the mask has cooled down, reassemble it and check again how perfectly it seals against the face.

We advise you to store your mask in a polythene bag and to protect it from prolonged exposure to sunlight.

We do not recommend wearing your mask when you leap from the springboard or dive deeper than 5 m.

Quality Control No. 15

Price

Release date:

ТU 3-16TS-84

October 1992

Reference 1S4-1007

G. CHERKASSY

The distinctive feature of this mask has to be the nose-shaped protuberance in the lens. It's not unique, though. Typhoon, which must be Britain's longest-trading diving equipment manufacturer still in business had a similar diving mask back in the mid-1950s. See the "Sea Star" below, from the company's 1956 catalogue:
View attachment 415600

More masks from unknown Russian manufacturers in my next posting.

Heh.. I had this mask when I was schoolchild...
But it has one same thing with Typhoon - just nose, all others is absolutelly different!
It has NOT rubber frame, because glass - it it a looking glass, frame, and strap buckle in the same time
It has just one very soft rubber sealing between plastic and your face.
And due to this construction - this mask was very cheap in thoose times.

It was most lightweight mask, that I saw thoose times.
But it has big distinguish - it madly fogging.
And also (in comparison of another masks) it has very narrow viewing angle, despite on side windows

 

[АлександрД]

Респиратор - Respirator - this manufacture is still exists and woks well. Главная
It had two parts - Respirator as manufacture, and one small bureau "Oxygen equipment design bureau", as desingning part inside Respirator.
After problems with Soviet Union this bureau also have an itch to separate, and became as independent company KAMPO JSC - NEW EQUIPMENT FOR NEW TASKS | АО КАМПО

Both companies now exists and prodicing modern diving equipment.
E.g. (I do not know about details, may be it is journalists tales) Respirator had explain Springless regulator! https://rostec.ru/content/files/press-rel/press-realese-Arktika-vodolaz-more.pdf
Soviet mask above from Respirator - it is the mask from first AVM-1m scuba set,
(from 7:26)
late it was changed to mask with nose supports

 

[David Wilson]

Thank you very much for filling in the blanks, АлександрД. In the case of the "Г. ЧЕРКАССЫ" mask, I do see that the plastic lens not only has a nasal indentation but also comes with some depth of plastic material before the joint with the mask's rubber skirt ("резиновые детали") that seals against the face. I'm grateful to you for clearing this up. And you're so right about plastic lenses fogging up more easily than glass ones, a disadvantage also mentioned in early British diving books.

My only reason for comparing this mask with the Typhoon Silver Star was the plastic nasal protuberance in the plastic lens in both masks, which was not a common mask feature. As for the use of rubber mask rims with or without stainless steel rims to reinforce them, I just wanted to draw attention to the Soviet Standard for masks (ГОСТ 20568—75: МАСКИ РЕЗИНОВЫЕ ДЛЯ ПЛАВАНИЯ ПОД ВОДОЙ), which distinguished between masks with just a groove in the rubber rim to retain the lens and masks with an extra stainless-steel rim to keep the lens extra-secure. The "Г. ЧЕРКАССЫ" mask, of course, doesn't fit easily in to that distinction.

Thank you again for all your work and effort adding to this thread and explaining Russian mask workings in such great detail and with such brilliant illustrations too!