Proper Mask Check?

[mahawtia]

At a recent mask check, the person doing the mask check failed masks because he pried up the plastic strip that covers the area where the wire mesh meets the frame of the mask. He had to work at it, the strips were in no way loose or separated from the frame.

After he pried up the plastic covering he said that the mask was unsafe b/c if he could pry it up a tip could get underneath the rubber strip and break off.

I have never seen that done before. Usually mask checks consist of a punch test and a squeeze to determine if the wires have separated from the frame.

As an aside-one mask was brand new and passed nationals, all masks had passed mask check at a major tournament the weekend before.

The real danger was that glue had to be applied and the fencers fenced the entire afternoon with glue fumes in their face . It's 24 hours later and the fumes are still there.

We cannot find where this is standard procedure in the USFA rules.

What are the rules? Are there any rules or can anyone embellish on a mask test and make up their own set of standards?

[pammie003]

That's really odd. I've only ever seen masks failed for that sort of thing if the strips were noticably loose. One memorable time, I had a team mask passed while the glue was still wet....

[kalivor]

While there are others here who know better, checking that strip IS part of the mask check, and the mask can be failed because of it. They're checked at each tournament for a reason -- sooner or later a mask will fail, and (naturally) it will have passed at the preceding tournament.

That said, the armourer isn't supposed to cause a failure by prying it off.

[DHCJr]

I have to agree with Kalivor. The standard way to test the trim of the mask is to run your finger and see if it catches, not to grab hold and pry.

You don't mention where or the Armorer, but I would pass this on to Ron Herman, Chairman or any other member of the Armorer's committee.

[mahawtia]

Thanks guys. The masks were just fine-we do a mask check before and after every tournament to cut down on suprises. We got one anyway. He really had to work at failing them. He's not a full-fledged armourer either. Just a club member doing the mask check and ax grinding-oh wait, that's SCA .

Real honest-to-gawd certified with tax, tag, and title armourers are hard to come by. If it had been the armourer that comes to the bigger tournaments, I would never have questioned his wisdom.

[Tomas N]

That question reminds me that I've been meaning to glue down that stip on my own mask. I have a Triplette mask and that strip is not attached firmly (nor is it on most Triplette masks). Anyone have a better suggestion than Liquid Nails to glue it down?

Tomas

[neevel]

That question reminds me that I've been meaning to glue down that stip on my own mask. I have a Triplette mask and that strip is not attached firmly (nor is it on most Triplette masks). Anyone have a better suggestion than Liquid Nails to glue it down?

Tomas

That should work fine- hot-melt glue is what's commonly used to reattach loose trim pieces.

Re: the original question--

I'd have to see the mask itself. If the trim was really loose and had curled up enough to let a tip catch, but not enough for the armorer's fingers to readily get under it to check how secure it was, then what the person doing the mask check did was OK. If the trim was basically secure, didn't have any gaps that could reasonably be expected to catch a point, and it really took work to pop it loose, then it was wrong.

It's the same thing as with checking a questionable spot on the mesh with the punch tester-- you push the tester straight down just like you would any other spot, to the normal limit. Pushing down harder than that and/or working the punch side-to-side to make it penetrate is a definite no-no. You can advise a fencer that their mask looks marginal, but do not go out of your way to make it fail.

-Dave

[Bill the Blade]

I saw the mask, and the only way to get fingers under the strip on the side of the mask was to use a fingernail or some other slim object such as a knife to pry the protective strip from the mask and then you have separated the glue anyway. The masks should not have failed, and I would have made them use a different mask or my new Allstar FIE if it was an issue. The issue was that this person had read the rules but did not know how to apply them in real life. An unsafe mask is not something to play with, but my new FIE Allstar would not have passed this test and this person would have ruined a $200 mask. We all need to know the rules to prevent this ignorance from keeping the sport from growing.

[Purple Fencer]

Bout committee time...and the armorer pulls his checkbook.