DIY Gas Mask

While an Israeli Gas Mask and Filter usually runs less than $50.00 from any number of sources on the web, and a better bet than this, I thought this DIY "Gas Mask" was still pretty interesting.

The author got the idea from a several articles produced in 1942, one from Time Magazine, and another from Popular Science with illustrations and instructions from that article. The Instructables tutorial is worth reading to see the reproduction of the Popular Science article alone in my opinion.

The gas mask the author produced doesn't have eye protection, a drawback, but still...
DIY Gas Mask on Instructables

Enjoy!

Interesting post.

I would change the procedure used to make charcoal. The process described in this post results in burnt wood, not charcoal.

Charcoal is made in an "almost anaerobic" process similar to procedure used for making char cloth.

"...doesn't have eye protection, a drawback..."

Depending on the gas encountered, I would call that a MAJOR drawback, possibly fatal...

I can't think of a gas it wouldn't be a draw back for.

True, but if you have the respiration piece in place, you could put a plastic bag over your head and achieve as much coverage as most gas masks would. Do you think this would filter out particulates like bacteria or viruses, or just get the chemicals that adsorb to charcoal?

A truly Darwinian mask. Since the original inventor died via contamination to the eyes, the mask couldn't evolve.

For the shown use (urethane) Big Box home improvement stores have serviceable masks at almost no cost compared to the potential lung damage risk of a DIY mask not working. JMO

looks totally useless to me. For DIY projects, buy one from the hardware store.

for chemical warfare, it's won't help a bit. There are a few things you just shouldn't improvise. Just buy a proper one.

Hmm, $50 sounds like a helluva good deal for an Israeli gas mask because it's a quality, well proven product. However, I don't see any real use for that DIY mask other than maybe educational value.

Also, when you look at the time and stuff needed to build that DIY gizmo, it's not even that much cheaper compared to $50 for a military or industrial gas mask (depending on your needs).

A good mask is worth it's money. But 50 dollars isn't going to buy you a good mask. Surplus masks are generally outdated/expired. Also the filter generally canisters are expired or are trainings cannisters. All of them makes them less or non protective at all. Expired reactive canisters can even be harmfull for the user.

"...Surplus masks are generally outdated/expired..."

Plus it is hard to get the proper sized mask when you buy on-line, which is probably how most folks obtain such a mask. Bad fit equals worthless mask, no matter how fresh the filters. My agency used to pass out those compact USGI M-28 "Grasshopper" masks for riot duty. No fitting, just passed them, in their cute little green pouches, out like candy. If you ever actually put the thing on, chances are that it wouldn't fit (plus the filters were probably way out of date)...

Good point, but the Israeli gas masks sold over here are not second hand/expired. I have seen new ones for sale for about $50 - these are made in pretty huge quantities as far as I can tell and probably the cheapest decent gas mask out there.

Surplus Israeli masks are generally suplied with a teargas caninster, not the NBC one.

I can remember reading somewhere that a typical gas mask filter is going to deteriorate after so many years of storage, so it kind of makes me wonder if a gas mask is going to protect you if you've had one in storage for x number of years. LW.

Gasmasks are made from rubber, which will degrade after time. This will cause masks to leak. The problem generally can't be detected by the wearer, but only by testing equipment. The shelf life of gasmask are usually about 10 years and the canisters range from 5 to 20 years.

I read the instruction and I found some more weak points:
- the filter does not have a defined pressure difference, too much makes it hard to inhale, too little lets unfiltered gas through
- the nose is left open, depending on the resistance of the filter a certain percentage of gas is inhaled through the nose
- there is no inhale valve, that will cause CO2 and moisture to flow back to the inhalation tube due to the fluctuation of pressure during breathing
- the exhale valve is designed to work under water, the closing time may cause leaks on inhaling when used on dry land, I would not trust it to seal properly anyway
- when the mouthpiece is not sealed carefully with the lips it will allow unfiltered gas to leak in
- the mouthpiece will not allow to speak

Considering those weaknesses in addition to the lack of eye protection the mask may give a false sense of safety. The gas mask must be used properly all the time or else there will be a complete bypass for the unfiltered gas. A stress situation is bound to lead to erratic use as the mistakes are fairly easy to make. If there is a need to own a gas mask a proper specimen should be bought and proper maintenance should be done too.

The really weak points are the valves. They degrade much faster than the rest of the mask. The problem is that they get stiffer and no longer work properly. The difference between a good valve and a one that is past it´s prime is barely noticeable especially if you are not an expert. So at least the valves should be replaced on a mask bought from surplus.