tip for mask fogging up

[scubaseven 1]

Hi. Am going to get a camera soon but now I need some help from some experts. My mask fogs up on every dive in warm water unless I use Jaws anti fog, and only jaws anti fog. Can anyone help with a better solution?!

Edited April 23, 2007 by seven1970

[jander4454 15]

Hi. Am going to get a camera soon but now I need some help from some experts. My mask fogs up on every dive in warm water unless I use Jaws anti fog, and only jaws anti fog. Can anyone help with a better solution?!

 

Daio cold water washing powder - lemon scented version.

[wagsy 0]

Have you any Sun Screen on your face before you get in?

[Giles 1]

Really should have been addressed on yor Certification course.

 

A new mask needs to be scrubbed with something like Jif or Ajax, some sort of abrasive, toothpaste can work, but you need the old style plain boring paste.

 

After its been scrubbed good .. normal old spit or ur drops will work fine.

[RogerC 4]

Scrub it. I still use jaws, though, I like it, it lasts a couple dives for me. The spray is really convenient.

[scubaseven 1]

no, always make sure the sunscreen is not on my mask area. used to duathlon and breathe out my nose too much maybe.

thanx for the reply

 

thanks. will try that.

 

was ok on the idc just had to put in the jaws every dive. now i am getting sick of doing that and if i forget it is a pain. thanks for the reply i will try the jif and ajax.

 

thanks. jaws is the only one out of the 4 that works well. the trident is complete crap. their slate cleaner is just jif also. crappy company.

thanks for the reply.

[elyafi 0]

My favorite is Johnson's Baby Shampoo.. been using it for years... never fails. Most of my diving is in warm water!

[kriptap 0]

My favorite is Johnson's Baby Shampoo.. been using it for years... never fails. Most of my diving is in warm water!

 

Yep I would agree, but clean it really well with toothpaste or softscrub before then a little shampoo before each dive and your all set, not sure about using ajax as stated above I think that might be to abrasive.

[acroporas 0]

The trick is to keep the mask clean. A good scrubbing with something abrasive every few days (I use ajax) does far more than any ammount of spitting or anti-fog. Of course both is better.

[frogfish 5]

I may be the only person whose spit actually causes mask fogging. My favorite preparation is Sea Gold gel, which I use before almost every dive. Baby shampoo also works pretty well. It's still necessary to clean masks every few days, and before the first dive of a trip. I used to use tooth paste, but now I prefer dish washing detergent, applied with a tooth brush.

 

A new mask presents special problems. I've been told by people who understand silicon manufacturing better than I do that the problem is the release agents applied to the surface of the mold to make it possible to remove the mask after it has cured. This stuff is what makes new masks fog so badly. Even after you have thoroughly cleaned the glass, the silicone surfaces may still cause new deposits of release agent on the glass, which act as nuclei for condensation. The important thing with a new mask is to get this release agent off the silicone as well as the glass.

 

Aquaseal, the manufacturer of Sea Gold, makes a product called Sea Buff specifically designed for removing the release agents from a new mask, though i have no idea what it is. Personally, I use dish washing detergent, applied with an old (soft) toothbrush, scrubbing all surfaces (silicone and glass), then soaking in diluted detergent over night. Be careful using tooth paste or abrasives.

 

Frogfish

[frogfish 5]

Here's another product specifically for removing the mold release agents from a new mask. SalClear comes in two different formulations. Salclear NP is just for hydrophobic substances (oils), while SalClear Aquasports is said to work on both hydrophobic and hydrophilic soils. On the website, they seem to be recommending that the two solutions be used together, sequentially, for best results. I haven't used either of these - just passing on the information.

 

Frogfish

[ulcs 0]

I clean my mask with Tusa cleaner, not sure if it is made any longer. It is blue and thick consistency, think it has some abrassivness like toothpaste.

 

I put it on let it dry and then rub it off and the apply a coating of zookies anti-fog that comes in a small jar, you rub it on, let it dry and then polish it.

 

My new Atomic mask with the anti-reflective coating says not to use anything on it but dishwashing liquid and water. It has some wierd looking spots on it and I can't get them off, will have to see what happens in the ocean next week in Fiji. I don't want to ruin the coating using my usual

stuff. Will still use sea drops before each dive like I have done for years.

Terry

[AndyBarker 6]

HI,

I use tooth brush & paste, give it a good scrub normally works if not I

give it another go.

Andy

[davichin 18]

Another thing for new masks is to burn the glass with a lighter (only the glass!!!) before the toothpaste/dishwashing thing....

[John Bantin 101]

Rub a pea-sized bead of toothpaste on each lens until your finger is sore! It works for me and I use a lot of new masks.

[mauidivemaster 0]

Another thing for new masks is to burn the glass with a lighter (only the glass!!!) before the toothpaste/dishwashing thing....

This sounds strange, but it was the only way I got one new mask to stop fogging up. You can actually see the mold release burn off from the glass, then scub with ajax or Bartenders friend - you now have a clean glass surface.

[Islandbound 1]

Rub a pea-sized bead of toothpaste on each lens until your finger is sore! It works for me and I use a lot of new masks.

 

 

Are they all minty fresh...

[MikeO 5]

Rub a pea-sized bead of toothpaste on each lens until your finger is sore! It works for me and I use a lot of new masks.

 

I use this method as well. However, keep in mind that there are some masks out there with special coatings on the lenses (e.g., colored lenses and some prescription and ground lenses) that can be ruined with abrasives. If that is the case with a mask, it should come with a warning cautioning you against using abrasives . . .

 

Mike

[otter 0]

Hi. Am going to get a camera soon but now I need some help from some experts. My mask fogs up on every dive in warm water unless I use Jaws anti fog, and only jaws anti fog. Can anyone help with a better solution?!

 

What brand/type mask is it? Does it fog at the beginning of the dive or later in the dive? Is it frameless?

 

Fogging is caused by condensation's (water) desire to bond to itself more than it wants to bond to air. It therefore creates 'beads' of water. The object is to get water to want to bond to glass more than itself and create a 'sheet' (which is transparent) vs. small little beads which are opaque.

 

To accomplish this, you need to do two things. First you must clean the surface of the glass as much as possible from dirt, grime, etc... whose imperfections help create the beads. Secondly, you must 'fill in' the naturally occurring pores in the glass.

 

To do this properly and consistently, you need a cleaner and a defog. The need for this can be increased depending on your diving environment (for example, lots of pool diving where there is body oils and sunscreen in a relatively concentrated area will drive up the need for more cleaning).

[mt110121 0]

I use Ajax and it works better than any antifog spray

[okuma 64]

This past week I watched as an "experienced" resort guide used a butane cigarette lighter to 'burn' the oil off a new Atomics mask.

 

The lens shattered!

 

Heating a material with low heat conduction properties is asking for trouble!

[arcatus 1]

I've been using various brands of liquid dish washing soap for years. Right now, I'm using a lelon-scented one. As mentioned before, the mask needs a good initial cleaning. i carry a small dropper bottle of soap in my BCD pocket, and put a tiny drop on the glass prior to each dive. A quick spread-around with a finger and a rinse over the side, and I'm good to go.

[mantababe 0]

hi

im new to this site...so hello guys/girls

 

has anyone used the salclear products for their masks, esp the one for new masks, as my last one kinda "fogged" up with oil like properties rather than misted [atomic mask] and the only thing that helped was burning it off [which i was never comfortable with] but it use to keep coming back, mask has since been "lost" but am thinking of getting a new "atomic" one but concerned the same thing might happen

[Undertow 31]

the only thing that works for me is burning it off. it is a little scary but if you do it in stages, a couple seconds at a time, letting the glass cool between burns. you can actually watch the materiel burn away. works brilliantly, a little spit before a dive and your golden. i'm in the water too much to be cleaning with dish soap every time.

 

chris

[DuncanS 0]

the only thing that works for me is burning it off. it is a little scary but if you do it in stages, a couple seconds at a time, letting the glass cool between burns. you can actually watch the materiel burn away. works brilliantly, a little spit before a dive and your golden. i'm in the water too much to be cleaning with dish soap every time.

 

chris

Lighter, not a flame thrower but a regular clipper type and just waft the flame over the glass. Then cover mask with coke. Leave for 2 min or so and scrub with fingers unter running water until mask squeaks. The spit and dive....