Polish wz.24 Gasmask with Canister

[meyle77]

Here is my Polish wz.24 gas mask (aka RCS after the names of the French designers - Robert, Saunier and Cantot), which was a Polish licence made and modified version of French A.R.S. 1917 (Appareil Respiratoire Special) gas mask. The mask was issued to the army, but with introduction of wz.32 mask, it was reissued to civil defence - mainly Ligi Obrony Przeciwlotniczej i Przeciwgazowej (LOPP) - Anti-Aircraft and Anti-Gas Defence League. My mask is stamped LOPP, being issued to civil defence as it was made in 1932 by W.W.S.P. – Wojskowa Wytwórnia Sprzętu Przeciwgazowego (stamped). It is size S - sredni - medium. The condition is average as the rubber hardened and lenses fell out along with the rubber between them. I reattached them and added piece of rubber to complete the mask for display. The canister is original shorter (earlier - pre 1932) 20cm one and has original instruction sheet inside the lid (with inspection stamp from 1935 and 1937). The top of the lid has PCK - Polish Red Cross stamp. It is missing the main strap but short strap is present. The filter is was also made by W.W.S.P in 1930. Not the best condition but interesting set nevertheless.

[krukster86]

Hello,

I know this post is quite dated at this point, but do you recall the steps you took for replacing the black rubber strip that retains the lenses? I have a Wz.24 in similar condition where the original rubber crumbled away and the lenses fell out. I wouldn’t mind replacing the rubber to install the lenses for display purposes.

[meyle77]

I used old bike tube and clear silicone.

[krukster86]

Thank you! I ended up getting a roll of 2" wide rubber strip and E6000 adhesive from Amazon and will perform a similar modification. Initial fitment shows it will work decently well for presentation purposes. It will never be original again, but at least it will look good enough for display on a head mannequin.

[krukster86]