DIY Goggles - Mesh Testing [with Images]

ravydavygravy

Heyho,

As a wearer of glasses, I'm interested in getting mesh goggles. I also enjoy a bit of make and do and I would like to make my own, as long I can get hold of decent safe mesh. Note this isn't to save cash, I just like the challenge of making things.

So, I got some mesh today, and took it home to test. Heres the BBs (Blasters, .20g) I used, and the goggles I have to fit the mesh into. All tests were done using an AEG with hopup turned off, chronoed several times this month at 0.97-0.98 J. The tests were done indoors (garden shed). The tests were done in a vertical configuration (mesh frame on floor, AEG pointed directly down at it.)



The particular mesh I tried today is from B&Q, a steel mesh with no indicated gauge. It was the only one they had that was suitable - all the others were too big spacing, or not enough visibility.



I made a simple wooden frame to mount the mesh on, and secured the mesh in place with a staple gun. I tried to make the frame about 10cm wide, to make sure the mesh had to bridge a suitable gap.



First test - single shots, point blank range (~10cm) at a single thickness of mesh - FAIL - the bbs went through it like butter. Didn't bother trying full auto...



Second Test - single shots, point blank range (~10cm) at a double thickness of mesh - PASS - the bbs left dents, but all 8-10 shots were deflected with no penetration.



Third Test - full auto, point blank range (~10cm) at a double thickness of mesh - FAIL - a good effort for the first few seconds, but sustained full auto fire (2-3 seconds) punctured the mesh.



I also repeated the last test at a longer distance (~3m), to try and see if the mesh might be suitable for game conditions - alas, the results were almost identical to the point blank test - the BBs appear to lose little energy over the short distance.

So, conclusion - I certainly won't be using this mesh in my goggles, but my quest continues for a suitable one. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. On a related note, if anyone has any old goggles they don't care about - why not repeat this test to see if they hold up to the same abuse. I suspect several mesh/polycarbonate goggles I've seen are not as perfect as you'd think (especially cheaper ones). For example - the (cheap) goggles I intend to mount mesh in had hardened polycarbonate lens in them before I removed them - but before I took them out, I also subjected them to the same test.

The result:



Makes you wonder about your own goggles... :eek: Anyway - does anyone know of any mesh possibly suitable for use - I'd love to repeat the tests on it!

mle1324

You might get some information from this website for mesh goggles:)
http://www.st6-airsoft.com/stamped_steel_goggles.htm

bullets

The Mesh in these masks is great!
I know I've had rapiers etc trust into my face with one on
http://www.leonpaul.com/acatalog/Coaching_masks.html

ravydavygravy

mle1324 wrote: »

You might get some information from this website for mesh goggles:)
http://www.st6-airsoft.com/stamped_steel_goggles.htm

I know about those, but the point is that I want to make my own - I enjoy making things, so its like a challenge. Lifes not much fun if everything is easy :-)

mle1324

ravydavygravy wrote: »

I know about those, but the point is that I want to make my own - I enjoy making things, so its like a challenge. Lifes not much fun if everything is easy :-)

yea but even if you sent them an email and asked what type of thickness the mesh is to gave you an idea.

ravydavygravy

yeah, good point - I found some good info here (quoted from ArniesAirsoft Forums)

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=57497965&postcount=43

thermo

i got STAMPED speaker mesh in maplans fairly cheap,,,,,, bulletproof!

ED E

thermo wrote: »

i got STAMPED speaker mesh in maplans fairly cheap,,,,,, bulletproof!

The word highlighted above is crucial.

moggser

thermo wrote: »

i got STAMPED speaker mesh in maplans fairly cheap,,,,,, bulletproof!

offf to bleeeedin maplins with me lol
beeen in every knacker yard this week lookin for old car speakers lol

have a lil project o my own to get cracking on

how much was it?

ED E

moggser wrote: »

offf to bleeeedin maplins with me lol
beeen in every knacker yard this week lookin for old car speakers lol

have a lil project o my own to get cracking on

how much was it?

maplin.co.uk

All their products are listed. Convert to euro + add like 10% for Irish instore prices.

moggser

yeah i saw there site nothing i'd be happy with

suppose i better call in and see

hrta

moggser wrote: »

yeah i saw there site nothing i'd be happy with

suppose i better call in and see

I have some old mesh masks, at the site, if there any good to you.

Paul.

moggser

nice one ill have some of that

Smokerkl

Yeah car speaker mesh is what i used in my home made ones and they stand up to plenty tests!!
S..

ravydavygravy

Smokerkl wrote: »

Yeah car speaker mesh is what i used in my home made ones and they stand up to plenty tests!!
S..

Might I ask where you got it from?

Smokerkl

Yeah mate the parcel shelf of my 306!!! The speakers were blown in the back anyway so I took it out shot it heaps and it slightly dented in places but nothing serious. took out the plastic of my goggles(big ski mask type) and shaped the mesh around the plastic marked it cut it out wi tin snips put it in the fram few cable ties to hold it nice and tight and bobs ya uncle.
Ill try send u a pic when i find my camera,

S..
try scrap yards maybe??

Jimbobak47

Makes you wonder about your own goggles... Anyway - does anyone know of any mesh possibly suitable for use - I'd love to repeat the tests on it!

I used fireguard mesh before and they withstand more than enough power, I understand the tests you were doing but I personally don't think its enough if someone shoots you at that range (i.e 3-10cm) they derseve to have their goggles/teeth to be smashed into the back of their head.

ravydavygravy

Smokerkl wrote: »

Yeah mate the parcel shelf of my 306!!!

Hah - nice find....

kevteljeur

I have one of those speaker grilles from Maplins, it has been tested at close range by Cheeky Monkey and found able, but... How the hell do I cut the stuff? Being bomb-proof cuts both ways, unfortunately. It isn't the easiest to cut.

If anyone has a decent suggestion, let's hear it!


.

moggser

with a tin snips

Masada

you can get a metal sheers in lidl every now and then, its a srot of reinforced scissors. I'll dig one outta me tool box and bring it to the shop of ya want to borrow one kev.,

ravydavygravy

hacksaw would probably do it either, or a dremel

ravydavygravy

Small update, my quest for suitable mesh continued for a few days, never getting a chance to go to town to see the stuff in Maplins. I'm sitting in work, and then a thought hits me - I work in IT, computers cases have lots of mesh....

A quick trip to our scrap room (where old servers go to die, and new ones get put together), and i found a veritable treasure trove of steel mesh, from the ultra-flimsy to the super-heavyweight.

I tested various ones, and eventually settled on some heavy mesh from the front of an old IBM tower server - easy deflects single shots, with no visable marks, and took ~50 rounds full auto point blank range in the same spot without breaking (left a small 2-3mm depression)

I'll post some photos later.

mafiaboy

iv been doing the same thing from test firing everything and i seen the mesh in maplans so im going to see what its like here is the mask im trying to fit it to... also im looking for some carbon fiber as this one is made outof fiber glass and dos not with stand full auto...

thermo

4 inch grinder cuts the stamped speaker mesh well,,,,,, thats what i used.

thermo

the mark 1 (top left)
mark 2 (top right)
and unused blank.

ravydavygravy

Nice job on mark 2, looks good. Any tips before I start cutting tomorrow?

thermo

measure twice- cut once!
seriously cut it slightly too big and you can trim it down to fit, and be careful of sharp/hot edges.

ravydavygravy

Finally got some time to assemble these goggles, and heres the results - I did two pairs, my original small frames and a bigger pair of standard goggles. The small frames were the first ones I did, which was unfortunate since they were difficult to fit - the mesh needed shaping into concave discs (like the original lenses). Still, It worked out ok and I've used them once with no issues. I had to use a cable tie on both ends to hold the lens securely (again, because of the frames shape).



Verdict - ok, but pick an easier frame next time :-)

The big ones were a lot easier, because of the lens shape, and because of the lessons learned making the first pair. Like Thermo says, cut bigger than you need and trim down to fit. Measure twice and cut once :-)



Very happy with the result, looks good, no painting required. But I didn't stop there - to ensure fog free glasses in all conditions, I also fitted some small laptop fans into the frame.



These were carefully superglued into position, and the wires routed out to one side. Its soldered to and powered by a small abs box containing a switch and a 9V battery.



The box is secured to the goggle strap with scotch tape currently, but I'll find something better before they get skirmished (this weekend hopefully).

Verdict - good fun to make, and a good result. The mesh performs well in steamy bathroom tests, and the fans will be useful when it gets too hot for my regular glasses.

Last point - had a look at the maplins speaker mesh, and it looks fairly bombproof - rougly the same percentage of steel to perforations as the stuff I used, but thicker again. You will easily get enough to do a pair of goggles for €5.

Onto my next project... (http://diytactical.com/blog/)

Dave

Lordhogo

Wow those worked out very well they look great and those fans were a nice touch.

hitman_

Dave, those look very nice. Great job. Look as good as my Bitter Ends.

Smokerkl

Looking bloody good mate they comfortable yeah? Vision ok through them?
S..

Dr_Pepper

ravydavygravy wrote: »

I work in IT, computers cases have lots of mesh....

FFS 90% of the people involved in airsoft are in IT.
I'm convinced that anyone who likes IT will like Airsoft at this point.

Also nice job on the mesh goggles.

ravydavygravy

Smokerkl wrote: »

Looking bloody good mate they comfortable yeah? Vision ok through them?
S..

Yeah, the frames were comfortable anyway, and the field of vision is pretty wide - like ski goggles.

I reckon my total costs to build from scratch were around €55, but you could do it for less. For example, buy really cheap frames (since you are removing the lens anyway) - I used these (~€25):

http://www.ebairsoft.com/paintball-protective-tactical-shooting-goggles-p-89.html

but these are cheaper again (~€8):

http://www.ebairsoft.com/eyewear-desert-locust-colors-p-1515.html

Add to that: Mesh (€5 in Maplins), fan (or two if you want to splash out), 9V Battery connector, switch and battery box. the electrics cost ~€20 in Maplins (€9 for the fan, €1 for 9V connector, €2 for push-switch, €3 for abs
box).

Note, I'm not an electronics expert, so there may be a small problem with my wiring. Each fan wants 5V, but I wired them in parallel across a 9V battery - so each is actually recieving 9V, abeit at a lower current. this may burn out the fans, since they are running at x2 speed, but since they should only be running for short periods, I guess they'll be ok. You could always just use a different battery source to get 4-6V. (3 AAAs for example)

You'll also need access to wire snips, a soldering iron, and superglue. If you had the tools already, you could make these for €28.

But don't just do it just to save cash, do it to make something. Its fun!

Dave

conor-mr2

ravydaygravy wrote: »

The mesh performs well in steamy bathroom tests.

QFTW.


Very nice goggles.

Smokerkl

These are mine bought from Cork shop lenses removed 306 speaker mesh tested and cut to shape cable tied in to make nice and tight and then a good old lick of camo on the buggers!!!!!
S..