Rain-X in a mask?

[Amphiprion]

Thanks Gshak. I'll get some whitening toothpaste this time. Maybe that will do the trick. I'm not trying the flame thing. Silicone is pretty heat resistant, but I don't wanto to chance it on the other parts of the mask.

I still may rain-x one of my other masks to see if it works.

 

[Randy43068]

The other day my mask seemed to be fogging up more than usual. I was wondering if anybody has tried rain-x in a mask. Rain-X is the stuff that causes rain to bead off your winshield. In theory it might cause less fogging and stay on the lenses for much longer. On the other hand, I'm not sure if it would sting my eyes or cause other problems.

Anyone?

Don't use anything in your mask that would harm your eyes. I have no idea if Rain-X is harmful to ones eyes. I know it will be diluted, but still....

 

[Kilili]

Never tried the lighter trick, but in Indonesia I've seen Asian divers doing it.

Atomics can be a bitch to clean. I used mask cleaner [cleanser mixed with toothpaste also works] until I was sure it was clean, then went diving. After about 3-4 iterations, the fogging finally went away, not to return. I use the McNett gel.

On other masks, one iteration was usually enough.

 

[Togalive]

Having said that, I don't know that it's something I'd want in a confined space with my eyes. A lot of that stuff contains alcohol or similar chemicals and might lead to some unpleasant results in a mask leak.

Exactly what I was thinking, I wouldnt want a whole bunch of chemicals being rinsed into my eyes whenever I clear my mask. Just use spit, its always available, and you cant forget it on the shore

 

[bleeb]

The use of Rain-X has been discussed here before:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/152870-rain-x-mask.html
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/110018-rain-x-mask-defog.html

Those threads reminded me of a good point. On the car windshield, if there is not enough water, Rain-X can actually makes visibility worse. If there's enough water, the beads are large enough to either fall down or get blown away. If there's only a little bit of water in the air, you just get a coating of small droplets that don't go anywhere, and can be harder to see through than a misty coating would have been without the chemical treatment. Conditions inside a mask might be more like the latter.

And I'm not sure I like the idea of those chemicals near my eyes either. It does seem to smell a little bit harsh.

 

[gshak]

Thanks Gshak. I'll get some whitening toothpaste this time. Maybe that will do the trick. I'm not trying the flame thing. Silicone is pretty heat resistant, but I don't wanto to chance it on the other parts of the mask.

I still may rain-x one of my other masks to see if it works.

Sorry, I didn't mean 'whitening' toothpaste (which contain peroxides), I meant white, opaque toothpaste (as opposed to a gel). I think the old fashioned white toothpastes have more abrasive additives which do the cleaning.

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

I stumbled on a thread elsewhere in these forums where someone was having similar problems with an Atomic mask. Apparently there's a lot of residue on those masks and the only solution is either aggressive cleaning with white toothpaste, Soft Scrub, or some even suggested using an open flame on the lens and burning it off. Personally I'd never try that last one, but they say the coating just peels off when they do it.

I saw the thread too. I have a framelss I bought in 2004. Until a few months ago I could bever get it clean. Soft scrub, toothpaste, you name it I tried it. It was a spare and I just kept throwing ot back in a box. I saw this thread, took a lighter and used the flame to clean the inside of the lenses. IT WORKS! I use this mask all the time now.

 

[Buoyant1]

It's pretty much impossible to beat generic baby shampoo mixed 50/50 with water. Works brilliantly well without attacking either the mask or your eyes, and is super cheap.

After suffering through a chemical burn in one of my eyes a few years back (using commercial mask defog), I only use baby shampoo (50/50 with water) in my defog bottles! Either that or spit in a pinch! (I also refrain from using the community "mask rinse" bucket for the same reason! Doc at the ER said that those things usually don't get changed between dives, and if someone has an eye issue, you can easily get it!)

As others suggested, clean your mask a few times to make sure that everything on it from manufacturing is gone.

Rain-x near my eyes? not gonna do it!

 

[diver_doug]

I don't understand mask fogging issues and all these ideas people come up with to rectify them. I've owned four masks (Tusa Tri-ex, Tusa Powerview, IST Proear and Atomic Frameless). Each one, when new, was scrubbed a couple of times with a mask cleaner, a couple of times with toothpaste and then I put some 500psi anti-fog in it right before I dive and that's that--mask never fogs even when worn during lengthy surface swims.

 

[AfterDark]

This one just seems to fog up more than some of my other masks. I guess I'll hit it with toothpaste--again. I do the mucus spit thing most of the time and defog sometimes. Perhaps I shouldn't keep a little water in this mask. I've always done this as a way to clear out any fog, but it may be creating more fog.

I also take the mask off during the dive sometimes as I kind of prefer water on my face and don't mind water in the eyes. Maybe I'm getting rid of my defog when I do this.

I never use mucus just spit mask rarely fogs. Even after getting wet.