| Success in my combat against mask moisture
It's taken me three years of slow understanding to reach this point, but I think I've finally made a major advance. I hope that sharing it here might help someone, or that you could offer additional suggestions to help me.
My epee masks have had short lives because of rust in the mesh. Secondarily, the dirty-looking mildew that gathers on the bib doesn't help, either. I perspire more than my peers, but I'm OK with that. What it does to my gear bugs me, though. These items are major investments for me, so I don't want to waste money just because of sloppy habits.
So I've taken steps to alleviate the moisture/rust/mildew problem:
* I don't lock my mask away in the same case with my gloves and weapons. I bought a small shoulder bag for my mask alone, with pockets for my gloves.
* I've put small packets of cedar and related moisture-controlling material in the bag. (Those chemicals are sealed and safe.)
* I took your advice here and bought a stainless steel mask from Triplett. It's very comfortable.
* I thoroughly Scotch-Guarded the bib and any other absorbent material in the mask. The bib itself has a removable, washable, inside layer.
* I hang the mask in a dry, well-ventillated spot at home.
The mask is holding up VERY nicely now, thanks. True, I've got another piece of stuff to lug around, but I think it's worth it in the long run.
(Before the stainless solution, I used to use a wire brush and scrub away rust spots at least once a week, and then repaint the area. It helped reduce rust progress, but didn't wipe it out entirely.)
Any additional thoughts you can offer? | 
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