Cleaning Masks

[🪦 liquidaluminum ●]

<!--quoteo(post=238956:date=Sep 21 2007, 02:51 PM:name=travsall)<div class=\'quotetop\'>QUOTE(travsall @ Sep 21 2007, 02:51 PM) <a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=238956\"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class=\'quotemain\'><!--quotecTo get the whole direct sunlight damage, ya have to understand about latex. It's a natural material, made with non man made adhesions, that means it has a given life span and will decay and rot over time, no matter what you do, it will eventually break down at the cellular level, and either become brittle and crack, or that nice gooey mess you experianced. The masks we have will take a LOT longer to get that way, but they all will eventually. For the direct sunlight to do damage it has to be constant and over a long time, the first signs are that paint fade you see already, that happens frightenly fast, and that's the pigment in the latex paint bleaching out, at this point the actual latex has no damage to it though. That takes a while longer, and is caused by the UVA and UVB rays, the same ones that damage almost everything that's left out long enough, including people. It does actually depend somewhat where you are in the world, how depleated the ozone layer is, how strong the ultriviolet rays are, what kind of windows you have, and actually the size of the latex, smaller pieces will go longer without being effected just for the reason they have a smaller surface to absorb the rays into them. So your pieces could probably go years before they get to the breaking down stage. In truth, it really does depend mask to mask, but in direct sunlight they could live a few months I'm sure without too much visual detrimental effect, but it does speed up the break down process on that cellular level, breaking the bond between the latex molecules, the mask will age faster, and it's life span will be reduced. Actually, the exact same thing happens with people and sun exposure to a point now. Your Myers mask melting is a pretty common thing, I lost a few to that when I was younger. Most of it would be moisture, moisture is a mask killer! That's where the melting comes from, the H20 molecule will eventually bond with the latex polymers, soaking into the very adhesion that holds the mask together, and greatly weaken it to the point where it does slightly turn back into it's liquid state. See latex as a liquid lives under the same perameters as latex as a solid, only they're just vastly improved due to the molecular flow. In a liquid the molecules move a LOT faster and easier, keeping the substance longer, when the liquid is turned solid, the molecules slow exponentially, making them easier to break down. Water is an amazingly devistating element due to the speed in which it's molecules move. Mask acid though would be oil, ANYTHING with petrolium will eat a mask faster then a fat guy at an all you can rib joint I've seen oil melt masks in a scary time frame, it just totally breaks the molecular bond down, seeps into the latex and destroys it completely, if there was anything oily in that box, that's what had your Myers for lunch.Hope that makes sense, and helps you out with your experiment, if there's anything else though ask away and I'll do my best to answer!<!--QuoteEnd</div><!--QuoteEEndTrav, that was the most helpful information I could have ever hoped for. Thank you so much for taking the time to detail that out. Now that you mention it, my Dad moved the box that had my mask in it into storage...in the basement and it probably sat there for a good 3 years before I ever even thought of breaking it out. Thanks so much brother,Joseph