28 replies to this topic

[Bubble2Bubble]

Share, Learn and Post a Is it True Q&A here.

Is it true that every new scuba mask has a film on it from the factory, and if you dont remove it with a soft cloth and soapy water or toothpaste and brush, your mask will always have a fogging problem ?

Is it true that if you turn your wet suit inside out and hang it up that way, it will not only dry faster but more completely... versus hanging it up rightside out ?


Bubski

[scubaski]

For the most part I believe the scrub mask with toothpaste before use is a Trueism. Not only that I believe if you store your mask in the hard plastic container that it came in THAT plastic box will offgas some of manufactered materials onto a film on your mask glass again. Same reason your inside auto windshield gets a haze on it even if you don't smoke. The UV sunlight degrades the plastics of the dashboard. SCRUB your dive mask before every trip.

I dry my wetsuit overnight hanging inside out. If I remember after 3 hours I will wringe out the last 6 inches of the arms and legs for better drying. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn this week!!!

[UP Diver]

Share, Learn and Post a Is it True Q&A here.

Is it true that every new scuba mask has a film on it from the factory, and if you dont remove it with a soft cloth and soapy water or toothpaste and brush, your mask will always have a fogging problem ?

Is it true that if you turn your wet suit inside out and hang it up that way, it will not only dry faster but more completely... versus hanging it up rightside out ?


Bubski

Mike -

"I be thinkin you be havin too much time on yore hans..."

I tend to agree with Stan on the mask, unless you take into account the electrostatic charge on the surface of the glass that grabs any and all organic materials just to fog your view and destroy your viz (NOT!). Seriously, you should use a LOW ABRASIVE cleaner to clean your lenses on a regular basis. We understand that is confusing for folks in DeQueen, where the toothpaste is also used for cleaning sinks, but hey, go with it!

The wetsuit drying? I am a big fan of the 50/50 approach. start out drying outside in, then reverse after several hours (taking into account the relative humidity, temperature, moisture drift from the wetsuit(s). If you have a little time before the next AM dive, go inside out in hopes of avoiding that cold, clamey feeling that only a wet layer of neoprene can give! And while on that topic, remember to keep the neoprene out of your dryer...

BTW, I seem to recall you promised me pics from your state of the art UW camera system from the KK and Spawn trips! I want to see what you came up with! I have been holding my breath for the past week or so waiting so I could continue to live my August vicariously through your photos. Don't make me chase you down for these!

With humor, I remain -

UP Diver aka Jim

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

The film may be true for non-prescription masks. For my prescription mask, I did not have a film to deal with.....in fact, the thought of scrubbing expensive prescription lenses with an abrasive makes me shudder!

I do, however, have a particular sponge and regular baby shampoo that I use on my masks - several cleanings on a brand-new mask, and very thoroughly after every dive trip. Keeps everything clean, even the silicone skirt looks great!

Wetsuit? What's that? I say if you never wear it, you never have to clean & dry it!

[scubaski]

No need to take the toothpaste to your mask b4 each trip. Regular dishwashing soap and very hot water with a very hot rinse so you can hear your fingers sqeeack against glass and I know i've done a good job. Then good gel anti fog before dive and your good to go. I did like the free defog on the dock at Divi Dive Bonaire. Free is always good.

[UP Diver]

The film may be true for non-prescription masks. For my prescription mask, I did not have a film to deal with.....in fact, the thought of scrubbing expensive prescription lenses with an abrasive makes me shudder!

I do, however, have a particular sponge and regular baby shampoo that I use on my masks - several cleanings on a brand-new mask, and very thoroughly after every dive trip. Keeps everything clean, even the silicone skirt looks great!

Wetsuit? What's that? I say if you never wear it, you never have to clean & dry it!

Tammy-

The issue is not the glass prescription v. stock. The issue is the frame and skirt. The glass won't offgas, but the synthetic materials will given the correct combination of heat and UV light (i.e. sunlight).

I started with zero ground lenses, the same as your Rx lenses. Now I go with Rx lenses. No difference - they still need occasional cleaning. Many manufacturers ship (IMHO) with a coating on the entire unit (lenses, skirt, frame) to keep the mask "pretty and sparkling" until sold, hence the recommendation to "clean with mild toothpaste" prior to first usage. If you use a defog prior to dive, you are doing the same thing!

Note, the highest concentration should be on the inside of the mask, unless you keep it in a sealed box.

UP Diver

[Capn Jack]

Share, Learn and Post a Is it True Q&A here.

Is it true that every new scuba mask has a film on it from the factory, and if you dont remove it with a soft cloth and soapy water or toothpaste and brush, your mask will always have a fogging problem ?

Is it true that if you turn your wet suit inside out and hang it up that way, it will not only dry faster but more completely... versus hanging it up rightside out ?


Bubski

Long before they came in fancy plastic containers, you had to scrub your mask, so I do think it is part of the manufacturing process, not a container off-gassing - I usually use soft-scrub. One point about toothpaste - NEVER use a minty one.... don't ask how I know..

Wetsuit inside out is how I dry mine, but that's mostly because I wash the outside, then turn it inside out to wash the inside... I almost always feel like it's really important to wash the inside - again - don't ask.

Here is a new one - I had never seen before - I watched one of the DMs at a cozumel dive op use a cigarette lighter to blacken the inside of a new mask - he swore he did it all the time.... I don't have the $75 to waste trying it - but it made some sense to me - anyone else know about that?

[Bubble2Bubble]

Mike -

"I be thinkin you be havin too much time on yore hans..."
BTW, I seem to recall you promised me pics from your state of the art UW camera system from the KK and Spawn trips! I want to see what you came up with! I have been holding my breath for the past week or so waiting so I could continue to live my August vicariously through your photos. Don't make me chase you down for these!

With humor, I remain -

UP Diver aka Jim

Hey Divers that is some pretty good info/advise !

BTW UP Diver,
I ran short on Zip Lock baggies on the KK trip, so when Barb brought out those Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies ... I kicked my Insta-Matic camera to the curb and used the Zip Lock baggy to bring some of those Cookies to copy the recie...oops.. I mean do a Chemical Analysis..sawy

So is it True that a UW point and shoot camera with no extrenal flash or strobe dosnt work very well as a UV camera ?

Bubski

[UP Diver]

Share, Learn and Post a Is it True Q&A here.

Is it true that every new scuba mask has a film on it from the factory, and if you dont remove it with a soft cloth and soapy water or toothpaste and brush, your mask will always have a fogging problem ?

Is it true that if you turn your wet suit inside out and hang it up that way, it will not only dry faster but more completely... versus hanging it up rightside out ?


Bubski

Long before they came in fancy plastic containers, you had to scrub your mask, so I do think it is part of the manufacturing process, not a container off-gassing - I usually use soft-scrub. One point about toothpaste - NEVER use a minty one.... don't ask how I know..

Wetsuit inside out is how I dry mine, but that's mostly because I wash the outside, then turn it inside out to wash the inside... I almost always feel like it's really important to wash the inside - again - don't ask.

Here is a new one - I had never seen before - I watched one of the DMs at a cozumel dive op use a cigarette lighter to blacken the inside of a new mask - he swore he did it all the time.... I don't have the $75 to waste trying it - but it made some sense to me - anyone else know about that?

Capn Jack -

I saw a DM in Aruba open a new boxed mask and use a hair dryer on it. I asked him why and he said it was to "prep the surface to make it last longer" (I was assuming it was going into the rental pile of masks. Somehow it just didn't make a whole lot of sense to heat the surface of the skirt to the point it is almost distorted well beyond OEM specifications). Like you, I don't want to waste the cash on a new mask gone bad due to an 'experiment'.

But hey, all the guys in the Red Sail shop were Dutch anyway. Must be some strange northern european and/or southern caribbean kind of thing!

Regarding your wetsuit - now if you hit the head BEFORE the dive rather than DURING the dive you might not have to spend so much time in cleanup!

UP Diver

[ScubaTex]

I do, however, have a particular sponge and regular baby shampoo that I use on my masks - several cleanings on a brand-new mask, and very thoroughly after every dive trip. Keeps everything clean, even the silicone skirt looks great!

Wetsuit? What's that? I say if you never wear it, you never have to clean & dry it!

I'm with LLDN, baby shampoo, I was on a boat in Cozy, the other divers had used sooo much defog, unless you thoroughly rinsed your mask in the ocean, your eyes would burn.

Note: always let the boat come to a complete stop if you rinse your mask in the ocean. I saw a diver loose his mask in Raja Empat, he was lucky, I found it at 65', 40 minutes later just as we had finished circling a pinnacle.

Mike - have you been divin nekkid with Tammy????

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

Mike - have you been divin nekkid with Tammy????

What??? Bill, are you just being onery?

[damselfish]

Mike - have you been divin nekkid with Tammy????

What??? Bill, are you just being onery?

HMMM mask fog? Sounds like maybe someone is doing some heavy breathing!

Edited by damselfish, 27 August 2009 - 11:12 PM.

[Bubble2Bubble]

Mike - have you been divin nekkid with Tammy????

What??? Bill, are you just being onery?

HMMM mask fog? Sounds like maybe someone is doing some heavy breathing!

Damselfish and Bill,
For the Record, Tammy and I did some ..well...skin diving at the KK pool
There was no Mask fogging issues or Wet Suit cleaning/drying issues that Evening
The Word on the Waves.....there is some video of that event, but they must be keeping it in their private collection ?

Bubski

[WreckWench]

On the Atocha Trip we had two new masks...one was mine and the other Ron aka WakeMakers. His fogged the entire trip and I do not think he did the toothpaste trick. Mine did not fog at all and I did a HEAVY DUTY TOOTHPASTE SCRUBBING even allowing the tooth paste to dry completely and then buff it when I removed it.

Since we did not dive the exact same masks this test is flawed however when seeing is important...I bet my money on good ole toothpaste! (Minty gel works great to make your mask smell good but does not do much to stop the fogging!) LOL!

As for divesuits....I never remember to turn it right side out once I've hung it to dry. So I always dry it inside out on a trip...who cares if the outside is damp...now the inside is a different story!

Of course when I am doing the final drying for storage I will remember to turn it right side out when the inside is bone dry. Why pay for water weight on the airlines not to mention a funky oder when you get home after being sealed up while traveling.

[Landlocked Dive Nut]

Kamala, I have a hard time believing that your dive gear is EVER completely dry and put into storage!