cleaning

[Chobes]

How do you clean masks? mine gets all sweaty after fencing and i have no idea how to clean the inside out.. anyone know how? and how do i take care of my foil? i've been wiping it with Wd40 to get the rust off.. but is there anything else i can do?


~Chobes~

[daeceg]

Depending on the lining of your helmet, those premoistened alchohol wipes are pretty good.

[JEC]

Do a search on "dishwasher and mask".

http://www.fencing101.com/vb/showthr...&threadid=5897

http://www.fencing101.com/vb/showthr...&threadid=6785

[remise]

I don't have the time to do the dishwasher thing. I just take some carpet or upholstery cleaner and a moist sponge. Spray on the cleaner, wipe off with the sponge. With my kids stinky masks to clean regularly, I need speed and high performance. Usually by the next day the masks look like new. They smell good, too - which is an added bonus.

[neevel]

I just use a large plastic basin in the basement sink, filled with warm water and detergent. Dunk the mask in, agitate and work the suds into the bib and lining, rinse off thoroughly under running water, and let air dry. It can take a day or two to dry, depending on the humidity.

-Dave

[veeco]

To add up on Neveel's post:

To speed up the drying process I use a hair dryer to blow hot air on the mask. The key to a fast drying is in the rising. The less detergent there is left soaked in the mask, the faster it will dry.

[mollusk]

A little bit of bleach helps get any really bad smells out of your mask. Be very careful with bleach though as it may degrade the strength of the bib material. The prudent method would be to wipe a weak bleach solution on the inside material only and not get any on the outer part of the bib. Then wipe clean with clean water.

[Peach]

Even small quantities of chlorine bleach can be very hard on your skin, and may (some think) contribute to breathing problems. I recommend against it.

[JEC]

I agree with Peach. I use Shout spray before putting the mask in the dishwasher. Then, I add Cascade.

[Pho]

Speaking about cleaning the mask, does anybody have any idea on what paint to use when reinsulating the mask?

Eric

[Talyn]

Talking about cleaning... how do you get the green part of your lame off ... you know when you sweat alot the collars become green. Is there anyway of ehhh getting rid of it?

[Mergs]

Pho,

I use either rustoleum or Krylon spray paint. Has worked extremely well.

[a517dogg]

...I don't wash my mask. I've had it for two years.

...

[Peach]

Thanks for warning us . . .

[Inquartata]

For sheer durability, auto body paint beats most sorts you can buy. Even better if you can bake it on, but that tends to be hard on the fabric, glues and padding. Try leaving it in the sun for a few hours after painting. Though why anyone would want a painted mask when they could have a cool, shiny stainless steel sabre mask is beyond me...

[poor_nizzie]

Originally posted by Inquartata
... why anyone would want a painted mask when they could have a cool, shiny stainless steel sabre mask is beyond me...

While we're on the topic, does anyone know how to remove the pesky green-blue spots (oxidation? corrosion? chemistry class was so long ago) off sabre masks? On my mask, these spots are mostly in the creases of the bib. Obviously a dishwasher is not the place for an electric mask but...I fear that other methods would compromise the conductivity of the mask! If a photo is needed, I will post one as I did with the blade.

[neevel]

Copper oxide stains in the backing fabric of lame material are well-nigh impossible to remove. The good news is that, so long as the copper strands themselves aren't corroded over, the lame fabric can still be kept conductive with regular cleanings (Woolite/Ivory Snow and ammonia). If the
green splotches are aesthetically unacceptable to you, then it's time to start getting stainless-steel lames. Regular washing of a copper lame from when it's new will help minimize the formation of the patina, but probably won't prevent it entirely, especially if you have highly acidic sweat.

-Dave

[Talyn]

Dang... and its a new lame too...hmm

guess its time to save up for a new lame... after i get a flicky foil and a vniti blade.... o and after an underplastron too...

Boy it make take me a yr...