M38 Gas Mask

[Ripper]

Hello guys,today i would like to share with you my very first German gas mask.
The canister and gas mask are a matching set and have a number on them.
The canister has some rust to it and is marked 1942,on top if it there is name written,but i cant quite make it out
.The gas mask and filter are both marked 1943.
I would like to hear your thoughts on them.

[PotatoDigger]

Looks like a fairly nice mid war set.
I like it.
Luis

[Adravor]

Looks great! Be careful with the filther, as they as far as i know have asbestos in them, thats the main reason i never bought one of these.

[PotatoDigger]

Looks great! Be careful with the filther, as they as far as i know have asbestos in them, thats the main reason i never bought one of these.

The thing with the asbestos is, that it is built somewhere in the middle of the filter and from what I know it is fine as long as you don't drop it too hard. So as long as you don't move it around a lot, it's fine to have in your room even.
Fun fact, the Bundeswehr were actually issued gas mask filters that still contained asbestos when they were deployed in Afghanistan, though they were quickly told to turn those in to get asbestos free ones.
Luis

[BrodieBartfast]

In fact, German filters of the WWII period used activated charcoal, rather than asbestos. Still not safe to breathe through, as after 70+ years they'll contain mould and all sorts of other nasties, but no need to worry about getting lung cancer from them, at least!

This is a nice set. The canister still has its aluminium insert and retainer spring, which is nice to see. The spring in particular is often missing. The metal parts on the mask are painted blue to indicate that they're made from a magnetic alloy, to avoid them being issued to soldiers who worked with equipment sensitive to magnetic fields.

Regards, B.B.

[Adravor]

Yeah, but you can never know how that mask was handeled over the years, so i would still be careful.

In fact, German filters of the WWII period used activated charcoal, rather than asbestos. Still not safe to breathe through, as after 70+ years they'll contain mould and all sorts of other nasties, but no need to worry about getting lung cancer from them, at least!

Only charcol and no asbestos? Are you sure, i´ve read different things... but i dont know how reliabal these sources where.

[PotatoDigger]

In fact, German filters of the WWII period used activated charcoal, rather than asbestos. Still not safe to breathe through, as after 70+ years they'll contain mould and all sorts of other nasties, but no need to worry about getting lung cancer from them, at least!



Regards, B.B.

It is correct, that the filtering was done by activated charcoal, but to my knowledge a small amount of asbestos was used to seal one of the filtering compartments from the other, so not much, but still enough to keep in mind that it is in there.
Luis

[BrodieBartfast]

Yeah, but you can never know how that mask was handeled over the years, so i would still be careful.



Only charcol and no asbestos? Are you sure, i´ve read different things... but i dont know how reliabal these sources where.

That applies only to military filters, as I understand it. FE 41 and FE 42 filters are safe. The silver disc-shaped ones issued with civilian gas masks - as pictured below - did contain asbestos.



Regards, B.B.

[BrodieBartfast]

Regardless, a proper level of caution will mitigate any risks associated with asbestos. As long as the filters are left alone, and not bashed about, broken open or breathed through, they pose no threat at all. If you want to be extra sure, you can always seal the filter with a mixture of glue and water. It sets clear, so it's not noticeable. The Imperial War Museum in London use that method for all of the respirators in their collections.

Regards, B.B.

[Ripper]

Thanks a lot for the info on the asbestos fellas!!!I had no clue about it...
I shall be extra careful just in case and maybe think about keeping the gas mask in the canister lol