Mask 'Tang' Repair

[Cyranox11]

Hi Guys
On Monday night my mask broke
The 'spring' or 'tang' that holds the mask on to your head broke and although it is still more or less intact, it does not keep the mask on my head as tightly as I would like.
I asked my coach if it could be repaired: he was VERY doubtful
The problem is that it has broken just where it bends down so I doubt if re-riveting or giving it additional rivets will help...
Do you guys have any ideas as to how best to repair this?
Does anyone sell these as spare parts (I have looked on Allstars web site and can't find them).
BTW its an Allstar FIE 'Comfort Plus' mask that is about 15 months old.
Do you think it is reasonable for this to have broken after this amount of time (I fence +/- 4 times per week)?
My wife got the same mask as me at the same time and hers seems ok


Regards
Cyr

[Mergs]

Sorry, but aside from getting someone to weld the tongue back on, I'm not really sure that it is possible to do that. :-( You also run the risk of weakening the mesh in the area of the weld (not a good thing!). You could possibly weld a plate to the two end and then rivet the plate to the mask. Hope this helps.

[whtouche]

What you may be able to do is to remove the tongue part completely and go a different route. Check out the leon paul website and take a look at their contour fit system. There's a plastic disc with 4 stretch pieces with velcro ends. If you could get velcro and sew a pad on the inside of your mask, one on the top where the tongue used to be, and 2 on either side, then you could order the velcro parts and disc from leon paul and have yourself a home-grown contour fit mask. My mask is leon paul and Ive found the disc to be much more stable and comfortable than that metal tongue.

It sounds like alot or work but it shouldn't be, and seems like a small ordeal to endure in order not to have to junk your otherwise perfectly fine mask.

[Cyranox11]

Thanks for the advice...
I like the Contour fit system idea, that may work for me...

[sallearmourer]

I can repair the tougne of the Mask the cost is fifty dollars because you have to use the right size rod and a mig welder to do it with and take the whole mask apart it's take about 3hrs to do it right. Has far as I know I am they only armourer who does this because I am totaly nuts to have practice on some old masks.

Tim Loomis