![]() “Fried” usually refers to the hard and crumbling condition of the rubber in the gas mask and the hose, as a result of age as well as poor storage in attics for decades. ![]() Usually, an original gas mask is found in one of two possible conditions – with a supple and pliable mask and fried hose or with both a fried mask and hose. However, a mask in this condition will be priced accordingly and honestly deserves to be preserved rather than used for reenacting. Very rarely will one find an original gas mask where both the hose and mask are supple and pliable. Recently I restored an original gas mask that was purchased off of E-bay, and through this article, I would like to share the techniques that I used to make a serviceable gas mask for living histories and reenacting purposes. However, the use of an original mask is a viable option and with just a little work an original mask can be made serviceable again. The use of original gas masks is even more difficult because, after nearly 90 years, those available are in such poor condition as a result of time and improper storage. ![]() Few vendors offer reproduction masks, and when produced, they are usually in small production runs selling out quickly. For the Doughboy reenactor, there are few available resources for serviceable gas masks. VAPįor the living historian portraying the American soldier of the First World War, probably the most crucial and yet most difficult piece of equipment to acquire is the small box respirator gas mask. This article is therefore only offered to show what living historians had to do to assemble accurate clothing and equipment. However, ten years later accurate quality reproduction gas masks are available from Schipperfabrik, and we no longer recommend the use of original gas masks by living historians and reenactors. Note: This article was written about 2002, at a time when reproduction US gas masks were difficult to come by and the only option was the use of originals. Restoring the Small Box Respirator Gas Mask
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