That’s really a beautiful piece of work. However having worn gas masks and clumsy chemical gear in the military, I really don’t relish it as a personal costume idea. I hope mask makes will keep in mind the problem with small eye openings causing you to lose peripheral vision at best and blind as to where your feet are being placed. Also without careful attention to air flow, the eye covers fog up.
Nah, not really interested in putting on a head torture device and even worse the chemical suit, designed specifically to make you sweat and impossible to safely use the “necessary”. One nice thing about the horrible old M17A1 was the attachment that would allow you to dock a hose to a specifically fitted canteen to drink water.
The piece looks great on a mannequin head on display, but I’ll pass on donning the contraption. On the good side, I’ll say it really reminds me of the supercharger breathers that were used in the Heinlein Mars series of juvenile books such as The Red Planet. A really good source of inspiration for making these masks can be found while Googling images “antique fireman breathing mask” or “smoke helmet”. You’ll get such his as: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/before-steampunk-star-wars%E2%80%99-1800s-roots/ also http://beniciaherald.me/2011/01/14/volunteer-firefighting-in-benicia-a-storied-history/ also http://www.vffhs.com/artifacts/index.html also http://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/3319/object/15084/Helmet_Smoke
Glad you like it! Visibility is actually pretty good. The eye coverings are mesh, so air circulation isn't a problem, and the domed shape stops them from cutting off your vision. The person who trained me is a professional mask maker and supplies performers, including ballet companies, so peripheral vision is really important!
That’s really a beautiful piece of work. However having worn gas masks and clumsy chemical gear in the military, I really don’t relish it as a personal costume idea. I hope mask makes will keep in mind the problem with small eye openings causing you to lose peripheral vision at best and blind as to where your feet are being placed. Also without careful attention to air flow, the eye covers fog up.
ReplyDeleteNah, not really interested in putting on a head torture device and even worse the chemical suit, designed specifically to make you sweat and impossible to safely use the “necessary”. One nice thing about the horrible old M17A1 was the attachment that would allow you to dock a hose to a specifically fitted canteen to drink water.
The piece looks great on a mannequin head on display, but I’ll pass on donning the contraption. On the good side, I’ll say it really reminds me of the supercharger breathers that were used in the Heinlein Mars series of juvenile books such as The Red Planet. A really good source of inspiration for making these masks can be found while Googling images “antique fireman breathing mask” or “smoke helmet”. You’ll get such his as: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/before-steampunk-star-wars%E2%80%99-1800s-roots/ also http://beniciaherald.me/2011/01/14/volunteer-firefighting-in-benicia-a-storied-history/ also http://www.vffhs.com/artifacts/index.html also http://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/account/3319/object/15084/Helmet_Smoke
Glad you like it! Visibility is actually pretty good. The eye coverings are mesh, so air circulation isn't a problem, and the domed shape stops them from cutting off your vision. The person who trained me is a professional mask maker and supplies performers, including ballet companies, so peripheral vision is really important!
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