Some questions about masks

[Lee Yue Yang]

Hi guys.I have some questions about masks.As I've only recently been introduced to fencing,I do not know much about proper care for equipments.Here are the questions:

1: I discovered some dents on my mask.What should I do?And would the dents cause the mask to be weakened?

2: My mask's bib is filthy.How do I clean it?

3: Because of my sweat,my mask stinks pretty bad.What can I do?

Thanks.

Lee

[neevel]

A point is more likely to catch on a dented spot instead of glancing off, so that can lead to the mesh being weakened. You can remove the dents using a ball-peen hammer. For spots that aren't reachable with the hammer, a cheap solution is to buy a big, round-head carriage bolt from the hardware store and use that as a peen with the hammer to remove the dents (wear gloves or wrap the threading of the bolt with cloth tape to make it easier to grip when striking it with the hammer).

For cleaning, just wash the mask in plastic tub or large sink with a bit of detergent, and then rinse it out and let it air dry.

-Dave

[Lee Yue Yang]

Thanks Dave but here's something that I don't understand.When you say "wash the mask",do you mean to put the whole thing into water or just the bib?Thanks again.

Lee

[mfp]

Here's a link to Sam's (a.k.a. Purple Fencer's) mask washing guide:

http://www.homfencing.com/Washing.html

Mask odor can build up much faster than most people want to bother with a complete wash. Using a disinfectant/deodorizer spray (such as Lysol) or fabric spray on the mask's interior padding can help you tolerate the mask between washings.

The ingrediants of the US fabric spray brand "Febreze" include water, alcohol, "odor eliminator made from corn", and fragrance.

By the way, Uhlmann makes a mask that includes some removable "comfort padding". For some, I'd imagine part of the comfort might be derived from being able to take the padding out and wash it.

[fred]

Do not put the whole thing into water if you don't have a mask with stainless steel mesh. You will get rust.

I'm an exponent of the bucket dunk method. Find a large bucket, put your favorite laundry detergent in there, fill with water and stuff mask in. Churn it up and down for a few minutes, remove and replace with clean water and rechurn. Repeat until you are suds-free. Dry mask.

I've also used a dip method to clean just the bib, this works fairly well.

I sweat fairly heavily when fencing, but I've had pretty good luck with making sure that I put the mask out to air dry immediately on coming home. If the weather is nice I also make sure to leave it outside where the sun can shine into it, UV kills bacteria, as well as drying the thing quickly.

If you do search of the archives, you should find several threads on this topic. One guy swears by putting the mask in the dishwasher. I'm waiting for someone to announce they just shower with their mask on

[JEC]

I tried the dishwasher method with my mask (FIE Allstar), used a towel to remove excess water, and dried it with a hairdryer. It worked well.

[Lee Yue Yang]

Thanks for all the advice guys.But how do I know if my mask is made of stainless steel mesh?It is an Uhlmann non-FIE 350N mask.Thanks.

Lee

[JEC]

Most likely, it is. Use a magnet on the mesh, see how strong is the magnetic attraction and compare it the stainless steel mesh of an FIE mask.