Face shield fog reduction

[mferriter]

Dredging up this old thread to share something that I've found works recently. On the trip back from EOM I was getting a lot of shield fogging in the cooler fall mornings. Did some web-surfing in the skin diving forums to find what they do to prevent fogging in their face masks. One thread suggested that you could smear a small amount of regular shampoo (not the opaque anti-dandruff stuff) on the inside surface of your mask with a clean finger, and then polish away the smeary-ness with a clean cotton (not microfiber) cloth. The idea was that this would leave a microscopically thin coating of the soap to act as a surfactant and eliminate the tendency of fogging.

Being a cheap SOB I figured, what the heck, and treated my face shield with a dab of Hotel room shampoo. That was back in September and that face shield has remained fog free since then (have not cleaned the inside surface). When it is really cold I do notice that the moisture from my breath will collect on the lower edge of the face shield where, instead of making fog, it makes a thin layer of water, which creates a blurry appearance there. But no fogging up in the upper 3/4 of the shield. One little free hotel room tube of shampoo could last you a lifetime! Try it. The price is right.

That's a great idea and basically what the antifog treatments attempt to do. The fog on your shield is essentially a lot of very small water droplets. If you can reduce the surface tension of the water in the droplets, they will spread out into a thin film instead of individual droplets. The film is very thin and easy to see through - and as you have noticed also flows down towards the bottom of your shield. The soap mixes with the water droplets lowering the surface tension to a point where they form a film.

If you were to put a large drop of water on your shield, it would form a bead with a fairly high "contact angle". This is the angle the water makes with the substrate surface at the point of contact. This is different for different substrates and also depends on what else migh be dissolved in the water. Putting a very small amount of soap in the water reduces the contact angle and makes the droplet spread out.

Over time the soap will wash away from your shield with the water that you're seeing flowing down to the bottom of your shield, but you obviously haven't gotton to that point yet.

 

[ahchiu]

I use the Foggy Respro, I wear glasses and they work great here in the Pacific North Wet

 

[TheZsdad]

Great idea Fred. Make sure the extrerior tube (exhaust so to speak) faces backwards so when moving you don't get ram air introduced into the helmet, and the hot breath doesn't try to re-enter from the open face shield.

Not sure his passenger is gonna like that. Lunch maybe have smelled good the 1st time.. Just saying

 

[ScottyUSN]

I purchased a Pinlock shield a year ago. I had a question about the shield and insert part number so I contacted them by email. My questions were answered promply, and I place an order with them directly. While on the phone ordering I gave my ".MIL" email address. I was given a nice discount, and sent some extra tinted inserts free.

More importantly the product works. No breathing block required.

 

[TomInPA]

I just bought the Pinlock CW1 clear shield and lens insert. Got a nice Black Friday deal form Capital Yamaha at$22.99 for the shield and $25.49 for the lens.

 

[networkguy]

Ive tried about every gel, spray, and lens wipe ever made (rode for 15 years in the NW) and finally this year got a pin lock. Its worth the $$$ and nothing even comes close.

 

[wfooshee]

I tried Fred W's shampoo thing mentioned in post 39, and it works! You have to reapply every couple of weeks or so, but so what?

Thing I was worried about was smelling like a shower inside my helmet, but you don't smell it at all. (Not because it's overwhelmed!)

You smear a tiny bit around, and then wipe it with a rag until you don't leave a film behind the rag. You can feel the smoothness of the inside of the face shield, and it WILL NOT FOG. It's cold and raining, and you can see!!! Awesome!!!

 

[dcarver]

Gonna try tonight!

 

[TomInPA]

I also got a Pin Lock last week, and it has been perfect in riding down tot he low 30s. You can see condensation in the small area outside of the double lens, but the double lens area has been completely fog-free and clear. I also notice that the UV protection is really helpful. I have really sun-sensitive skin on my face, and it would burn right through the standard Shoei shield.

 

[wfooshee]

So instead of shampoo, use sunscreen!

I'm telling you, I tried the shampoo, and I'm sold. I rode home from work in the rain the day after I applied it, 45 degrees and raining, and not a wisp of fog on the visor. I had a mid-30s day without rain, and again, no fog.

As the coating goes away you start to see some fogging, so when you get home, you re-apply. For me it was about 2 weeks of daily riding.

 

[Fred W]

What? Did you think I was kidding?

After having used the shampoo trick a bunch of times now I can tell that not all free hotel room shampoos are equal in their anti fogging ability. The stuff I am using right now that I scored from a Hotel outside Scranton PA is not as good as the stuff I had used from a different chain in Johnson City, TN. Not sure what the key differences are just yet, but will report back if I come up with a particular name brand that works really well.

 

[johnny80s]

Fred just get a pinlock. That thing is better than the foggy. I can not fog up my Nolan n90 with a pin lock. I can fog up the windows in a car. I have a talent for fog. The pinlock is the bomb and I can't fog it up.

 

[FJRBluesman]

Your best bet to prevent fogging is not to breath.... :blink:

Such a simple solution, c'mon...

 

[Fred W]

I've read that the pinlock adds glare at night due to the added layer of plastic. Is this not true? Bad enough I have to wear glasses under my shield...

 

[allrider]

I still have the same little bottle of anti fog soap flakes i bought a Sears 30 years ago. It works fine for a temp solution, but last year I bought a fog city insert with the photochromatic dealio that changes tint when in the sun. Just have to be real careful when you put it on to get it right or it will never work well.

 

[BobbyBlue]

I wear Arai helmets and they sell a racing insert that wraps around your upper nose and directs it downwards...the material used for the bend feels like a strip of lead and will break sooner or later...lasts me a couple winters down here, thats like 12 days...seriously, per 2 years....and its like 40 bucks at cycle gear...spit DOES work though, jest not very long...sorry..no digression....

Bobby

 

[wfooshee]

What? Did you think I was kidding?

No, I just wonder if anybody thinks I'm kidding. Since I have this reputation for complete seriousness at all times . . . .

 

[Bustanut joker]

Cat blood.. That's all I'm sayin'

 

[TomInPA]

I've read that the pinlock adds glare at night due to the added layer of plastic. Is this not true? Bad enough I have to wear glasses under my shield...

I have a new clear pinlock and night vision is the same as the standard Shoei RF1100 lens...well, except no fog.

The lens comes with a peel-off protective plastic. I recommend you leave it in place until the lens is applied. My best guess is that glare and refraction is caused by dirty or damaged lenses, cause the new one doesn't do it.

 

[lnewlf]

Finally broke down and bought the new larger pinlock and a new Shoei Quest helmet.The pinlock is da shizzzle-no fog, no night vision problems, and for the first time in 40 years of riding I don't have to open the shield when coming to a stop in cool weather. I thought it was a gimmick but it works great..[The Quest is a good helmet too but it is large and a tight fit in the FJR bag.]Hope this is coherent-lot of J&B tonoght..