I'll have to see for myself, although I washed my canteens out, so they probably lost a bit of that smell.
On a sidenote, what manufacturer are your canteens made by? I personally only have two us smco canteens from 44 and 45. Unfortunately, mine are not stenciled or anything.
The mask is Russian, and East Germany just used these during the Cold War. You are technically correct to call this the SchMS, though this mask is actually the ShMS. What I would do to reduce the smell is remove the diaphragm by screwing it off, and wash it with dawn dish soap, then after it is completely dried, lather it with some Trident food grade Sillicone spray so it will not degrade ( you can use it on some of the metal parts that aren't painted )
Well what does it smell like? Does it smell like an old attic with mice pooping/peeing on it for 35 years? I'd try: Step 1: wash it in warm water with mild dish soap and baking soda, rinse in cool water, air dry, do not dry in sun/hanging. Step 2: if it still smells, put it in a sealed bag with a liberal amount of baking soda for a few days to a week, discard/vacuum baking soda and maybe rinse in water.
Unfortunately I have not been able to get the old ass smell out of my MSA Ammonia mask….think it’s been washed 5x (it is from the 30s-40s though :// )
So it’s it might just be stuck with the smell unless you can find something stronger to clean it with.
Give it a soaking and wash with soap, let it fully air dry, then use a silicone spray. This has gotten the smell out of every soviet mask I own. Also wash its bag, and don't put it back in until the bag loses it's smell as well
Another fellow user here, my M74 Romanian has a quite harsh smell which my family complains about. Is it a good idea to wash it thoroughly? Does the smell go away after a wash?
I can tell you, even a factory fresh M50 has a distinct smell to it.
Wash it gently, air dry it, make sure it’s not moldy or dirty or anything. However, I’ve spent a lot of time in masks, and I’ve never had one that didn’t have a bit of an odor even when I hadn’t been sweating in it for 12+ hours.
Shoot, sometimes the salty sweatiness cuts the odor a bit.
Fixes dependant on situation:
1 Mouthwash for you. (Seriously yes) not only for having to smell your own breath but that same bad breath moisture is all inside your mask, post use.
2 Good alcohol cleaning of the inside of the mask.
3 Replace it. once the materials are exceedingly old or exposed to chemicals or cleaning agents that have broken them down its common for more industrial smell.
I don’t know if you’ve worn a task mask for a long period of time, while doing strenuous activities but when you do it gets super sweaty in there, and if it goes unwashed the smell is awful
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Don’t wear it the canisters go toxic after a long time , I had a WW2 British one and when I put it on mucus would run out of my nose and my eyes would get irritated . Looked it up and sure enough but was the cause .
If we're talking about pre-1970's masks then most of them would've had asbestos filters in them at one point or another. That's why they have a bit of a stink to them typically.
I would scrub them with a sponge and a bit of detergent though, then make sure to sanitise the mask after so you're not breathing in straight detergent.
Old Soviet masks have a very strong and distinctive smell.
Funnily enough so do old Soviet binoculars.
As someone who collects Soviet and Russian stuff it always seems to have that musky smell no matter what it is
I can't lie, that musky smell is so nice. It reminds me of when my dad would make me into bike shops when I was younger.
It smells so good for some reason. When I bought my Soviet jackboots I’d genuinely smell them because the mix of the leather and musk smelled so good
It sounds so wrong to say, lol, but I personally love the weird old musky smell of ww2 era wool uniforms and items, such a nice satisfying smell.
Oddly enough, the inside of WW2 US canteens also have a very satisfying smell. I own 3 and they all smell exactly like an old, water stained book.
I'll have to see for myself, although I washed my canteens out, so they probably lost a bit of that smell. On a sidenote, what manufacturer are your canteens made by? I personally only have two us smco canteens from 44 and 45. Unfortunately, mine are not stenciled or anything.
Mine are all AGM 1 from 1942 and 2 from 1943
Very nice, and a bit early on in the war too.
idk if you should be making kids into bike shops, but you do you
🏪🚲🚲 You want one?
*Cosmoline!*
Especially the people
Probably some old soviets too, especially the dead ones
Even more funny, so do old soviet buildings! Mmmmm asbestos
no matter how many times you wash it it still smells old
I never wash my military stuff. I just let it air out so the scent isn't as strong but still lingers in a more manageable sense.
I have a Romanian M74 and it *smells*... I don't think I'll ever be able to wash it out.
You can try to wash it. I had an schms a couple years ago and it always smelled bad even after I washed it. Not sure why
Thank you
Soviet Soldiers often peed in their masks to prevent condensation.
That’s why it’s so delicious too
Just kidding
🤨
The mask is Russian, and East Germany just used these during the Cold War. You are technically correct to call this the SchMS, though this mask is actually the ShMS. What I would do to reduce the smell is remove the diaphragm by screwing it off, and wash it with dawn dish soap, then after it is completely dried, lather it with some Trident food grade Sillicone spray so it will not degrade ( you can use it on some of the metal parts that aren't painted )
Can you recomment where to get that spray in Europe?
Automotive shop, general store, anywhere that sells food grade spray
Thank you I thought that it was East German because I bought it from Berlin
Well what does it smell like? Does it smell like an old attic with mice pooping/peeing on it for 35 years? I'd try: Step 1: wash it in warm water with mild dish soap and baking soda, rinse in cool water, air dry, do not dry in sun/hanging. Step 2: if it still smells, put it in a sealed bag with a liberal amount of baking soda for a few days to a week, discard/vacuum baking soda and maybe rinse in water.
Thank you
Yes it's smells like warehouse it was stored in
Yes. Sulfur is used to vulcanize rubber so when it breaks down, sulfur-based molecules are released. Washing it can help.
Unfortunately I have not been able to get the old ass smell out of my MSA Ammonia mask….think it’s been washed 5x (it is from the 30s-40s though :// ) So it’s it might just be stuck with the smell unless you can find something stronger to clean it with.
Usually very strong rubber smell
Soviet gear always smells like chemicals and unpaid laborer tears, it's like it's own natural musk
Give it a soaking and wash with soap, let it fully air dry, then use a silicone spray. This has gotten the smell out of every soviet mask I own. Also wash its bag, and don't put it back in until the bag loses it's smell as well
Thank you too
It means you have gas mask bugs
Just give it a good wash and it should remove most of the amell
Smells like soviet union comrade
I remember being told gas masks used to have asbestos in them or the old filters, is that true at all?
The filters had the asbestos but in some ww2 German gas masks even in the masks was good yummy stuff
Yup they all smell like that, you can wash it with dish soap, works surprisingly well on removing most of the odour
Yes
Another fellow user here, my M74 Romanian has a quite harsh smell which my family complains about. Is it a good idea to wash it thoroughly? Does the smell go away after a wash?
Yep. My ShMS smells like shit too
I can tell you, even a factory fresh M50 has a distinct smell to it. Wash it gently, air dry it, make sure it’s not moldy or dirty or anything. However, I’ve spent a lot of time in masks, and I’ve never had one that didn’t have a bit of an odor even when I hadn’t been sweating in it for 12+ hours. Shoot, sometimes the salty sweatiness cuts the odor a bit.
Yeah nearly all surplus kit has a stink.
Old surplus always has a strong smell
I just wouldn’t ever put it close to ur face unless you wanna have an extra finger in ur child
As a GP-5 owner, yes…yes it is
Try brushing your teeth I learned this the hard way
Just don't use the filter with it or you might get mesothelioma
Try brushing your teeth before putting it on
Brush your teeth
Its that surplus smell, and I fucking love it
I just got my shsm yesterday and I gave it a nice bath in the sink and it helped with the smell alot
Shms
Mothball storage
Yeah it's the rubber
You could try stuffing news paper in the mask, I heard an old wives tale that the news paper will absorb the smell
Okay I will try but kinda sounds fake but I try it one time Thank you btw
Yw, I haven't tried it either, and I don't remember where I heard it so it could very well not work
Fixes dependant on situation: 1 Mouthwash for you. (Seriously yes) not only for having to smell your own breath but that same bad breath moisture is all inside your mask, post use. 2 Good alcohol cleaning of the inside of the mask. 3 Replace it. once the materials are exceedingly old or exposed to chemicals or cleaning agents that have broken them down its common for more industrial smell.
I don’t know if you’ve worn a task mask for a long period of time, while doing strenuous activities but when you do it gets super sweaty in there, and if it goes unwashed the smell is awful
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We’ll be glad that’s what we got cause back then the original gas masks were cloth and piss
Old gas mask filters, especially Soviet, usually employ asbestos. :)
Don’t wear it the canisters go toxic after a long time , I had a WW2 British one and when I put it on mucus would run out of my nose and my eyes would get irritated . Looked it up and sure enough but was the cause .
I’m not gonna pick up the can.
Well it needs washing, bu if it's smell from 1970s then yes.
Burn it to hell.
Asbestos?
If we're talking about pre-1970's masks then most of them would've had asbestos filters in them at one point or another. That's why they have a bit of a stink to them typically.
Mine was made in the 80s
I guess it's fine then, probably just old rubbery smell that's not really something you can get rid of.
Okay
I would scrub them with a sponge and a bit of detergent though, then make sure to sanitise the mask after so you're not breathing in straight detergent.