Canadian Navy veteran here. We used them onboard our destroyers back in the day. The chest-mounted pack kept the rig from snagging on obstructions in tight compartments.
I have a couple of MSA SCSR's. The SCSR has come a long way since those days. They can literally be the difference between coming out of a mine on your feet or in a bag.
Some years ago my work gave me the opportunity to visit an underground coal mine. In order to enter the mine I was required to take a quick but thorough class on the safety gear we would carry which included a compact oxygen generator. The device worked as you described, being activated by the humidity in an exhaled breath. That entire visit and seeing the machines used underground was fascinating.
When I started in the Coast Guard a few of these were still kicking around. From what I recall (and if someone knows for sure please let me know) the face piece was interchangeable with an oxygen generator canister as well. So you had to choose which canister to hook up depending on the emergency. It’s interesting to think how many lives were saved, how many cancers were prevented, because of this particular invention
I have and used extensively MSAs respirator with n95 and n100 filters during COVID lockdowns. Good company, reasonable prices, plus they are consistently good quality and test their own products
An "Indian Fire Pump" in a interesting device. In the 1940's our town bought several with our town name on the metal tank. Ever able-bodied man in town was required to be a "volunteer" fireman. They are still being made today.
Great video! I love MSA’s masks and have quite a few myself. Also, the facepiece is called the All-Vision. The All Service is the name of the configuration.
the Chemox variant of this mask type was used in the original "My Bloody Valentine" from 1981, it was filmed in Nova Scotia if Memory serves right at an actual mine AND my hometown (in...Manitoba) has one of the actual screen used masks at the local museum! (or at least it did about 10 years ago)
Even today you are not supposed to use filters in ambients where you are not able to smell or taste the air contaminants. This is because if anything were to go badly, you wouldn't notice you've been exposed. As mentioned the filter might become saturated, but it can also have manufacturing defects like a hole on the inside that you would otherwise never know of.
Anyone interested should check out the US Navy OBA (oxygen breathing apparatus), used for shipboard firefighting. Related to this device, but specific to the fleet, not miners.
Interesting. I also had two gas masks. The older one had the same structure as this one - called "elephant" in our country. The mask I currently have has a direct-attached filter. However, I did not have such an interesting device for measuring the number of breaths in any mask.
It is an Interesting feature, modern filters are long lasting enough I doubt it would be necessary.It's always a good idea to have a couple gas masks and filters on hand, one saved my 73 year old grandmother with breathing issues from considerable lung damage when we had to evacuate from a forest fire through smoke so thick you couldn't see 15 meters.
@@justindunlap1235 The military manual on fighting in the city pointed out the same thing - there can always be a fire, there can be smoke and then the mask is valuable.
We used to call these Chinese gas masks, they were common everywhere. And usually wall mounted emergency station somewhere to fire extinguisher cabinets or you would carry it in with you already around your neck, ready to go. The canisters for them. We're almost a completely Universal filter as long as there was enough oxygen that's important life this thing would filter out almost any deadly gas or chemical vapor. Some of the ones we had where I worked dated to the 1960s. And still work just fine when we tested them. The nice part was there was a little glass window in the front of the filter it would tell you if the filter had gone bad or not. Generally what we found out was as long as the filters were sealed and maintained in a cool dark environment for the most part would last Almost indefinitely. I did use one of these to escape from an atmosphere that was contaminated with ammonia. At levels high enough to almost require an scba. Was able to escape the environment which took about 20 minutes walking through a heavily contaminated cloud wearing one of these masks. The other major use of them was by fire departments in the 1940s and 50s as a smoke mask, and it could filter out some carbon monoxide. However if there was not enough oxygen. A lot of firefighters did die wearing these. In general they were better than nothing
Now the question is, in contrast to this unit, how long will a portable compressed air canister last? And which is more economically feasible? And what are the dangers in a particular mine? I'd imagine if the filtration unit provides a longer duration of safety, but was more expensive than compressed air units, the mine owners would opt to go for the shorter duration, but cheaper compressed air units. And this would be a significant bone of contention between the unions and owners...😮
Well it’s actually both. A self contained compressed air system is a very pricey bit of kit with the required valves, the tank itself, masks and maintenance. Functionally the same thing as SCUBA gear. A self contained filter unit like this just consists of a filter unit, the mask and some hoses, and can provide much more time supporting the user over a self contained system.
Oh man, window cator is absolutely epic. haha =) Hey a big hello from Windsor, ON man. I've really enjoyed your channel for some time now. Thanks for the great work/videos, Sir, I wish you even greater success!
Please tell us how to give you money! These videos are way too high quality to only be supported by ad revenue, not to mention I want to continue to see more! :)
Good story, I was given a portable breathing device when I visited a chemical plant, I think it was only good for 5 minutes, long enough to evacuate should a siren go off.
MSA is indeed an interesting company. John Ryan's brother, Andrew went with the MSA idea, combined it with a rebreather and diving dress (the old diving suits with copper helmets) and built what he believed would be an underwater utopia, as well as working on what would, in the 1950s/60s become the MKULTRA program due to ideas on free thought and how to control thought through verbal cues such as a three word phrase, though his name is usually redacted in most official documents. Sadly due to a number of factors his underwater utopia never really worked out, but an interesting piece of history nonetheless.
@@lahma69 it's a joke based on coincidence in a family name. Andrew Ryan and his unterwater utopia are the centerpiece of a story in a videogame Bioshock.
Hey so you're up in Manitoba? I'm in Ontario, random but- cool if this summer I take a trip to come shake your hand/see your collection of cool stuff? Been a fan since I found your channel a few months ago and fr you're awesome
Wow okay Ich kannte bis heute nur Filter die Staub, Aerosole und Organische Verbindungen mittels Aktivkohle filtern. Aber CO in CO2 umwandeln um diese zu binden kannte ich noch nicht. 😮 was es nicht schon alles gab. 😊 PS Ein Zähler und ein Indikator In meiner Unterweisung für ABC Schutzmasken mussten wir die Zeit schätzen um die Filter rechtzeitig zu wechseln 😮
What do miners use in place of safety lamps for detecting flammable and non-breathable atmospheres now? Excellent video as always btw. I love the breath counter. Simple but so clever
@@SonsOfLorgar thank you for the answer! Interestingly I think that same company may make equipment used by a hospital a family member of mine works at.
the tubes under the eyepieces are a feature invented by a man of the name of tissot, which is how the system is identified. are there any special features or markings of the ones used by the usn?
Tbh, if there's a fire in a gun turret, you won't be needing an escape mask, you need to have filed a last will and testament to a legal notary, because written documents not on your person and other people's memories will be the only evidence left of your corporeal existence... Engineering spaces on the other hand will find those masks very useful if things go pear shaped in a hurry...
I just noticed you passed the 75K mark. Congratulations Gilles, you’re finally getting the recognition you’ve deserved for years.
Yes. He is very good. Easy to listen to and interesting. The best!
Canadian Navy veteran here. We used them onboard our destroyers back in the day. The chest-mounted pack kept the rig from snagging on obstructions in tight compartments.
I have a couple of MSA SCSR's. The SCSR has come a long way since those days. They can literally be the difference between coming out of a mine on your feet or in a bag.
Some years ago my work gave me the opportunity to visit an underground coal mine. In order to enter the mine I was required to take a quick but thorough class on the safety gear we would carry which included a compact oxygen generator. The device worked as you described, being activated by the humidity in an exhaled breath. That entire visit and seeing the machines used underground was fascinating.
When I started in the Coast Guard a few of these were still kicking around. From what I recall (and if someone knows for sure please let me know) the face piece was interchangeable with an oxygen generator canister as well. So you had to choose which canister to hook up depending on the emergency.
It’s interesting to think how many lives were saved, how many cancers were prevented, because of this particular invention
I have and used extensively MSAs respirator with n95 and n100 filters during COVID lockdowns. Good company, reasonable prices, plus they are consistently good quality and test their own products
An "Indian Fire Pump" in a interesting device. In the 1940's our town bought several with our town name on the metal tank. Ever able-bodied man in town was required to be a "volunteer" fireman. They are still being made today.
Great video! I love MSA’s masks and have quite a few myself. Also, the facepiece is called the All-Vision. The All Service is the name of the configuration.
the Chemox variant of this mask type was used in the original "My Bloody Valentine" from 1981, it was filmed in Nova Scotia if Memory serves right at an actual mine
AND my hometown (in...Manitoba) has one of the actual screen used masks at the local museum! (or at least it did about 10 years ago)
Even today you are not supposed to use filters in ambients where you are not able to smell or taste the air contaminants. This is because if anything were to go badly, you wouldn't notice you've been exposed.
As mentioned the filter might become saturated, but it can also have manufacturing defects like a hole on the inside that you would otherwise never know of.
MSA still makes hardhats - the best quality ones, too. I own one or two from previous employment.
Just bought a 1940 dated miners safety mask last week
THE OBA
Oxygen Breathing Apparatus
I used it plenty as #1 Investigator in Repair 2 onboard the USS LUCE DDG-38
Anyone interested should check out the US Navy OBA (oxygen breathing apparatus), used for shipboard firefighting.
Related to this device, but specific to the fleet, not miners.
i always wondered how those cartriges work, very interesting stuff.
Great video! You have a way of explaining devices, that makes anything interesting.
Interesting. I also had two gas masks. The older one had the same structure as this one - called "elephant" in our country. The mask I currently have has a direct-attached filter. However, I did not have such an interesting device for measuring the number of breaths in any mask.
It is an Interesting feature, modern filters are long lasting enough I doubt it would be necessary.It's always a good idea to have a couple gas masks and filters on hand, one saved my 73 year old grandmother with breathing issues from considerable lung damage when we had to evacuate from a forest fire through smoke so thick you couldn't see 15 meters.
@@justindunlap1235 The military manual on fighting in the city pointed out the same thing - there can always be a fire, there can be smoke and then the mask is valuable.
Nice find! It's amazing what you run across at the thrift store from time to time.
We used to call these Chinese gas masks, they were common everywhere. And usually wall mounted emergency station somewhere to fire extinguisher cabinets or you would carry it in with you already around your neck, ready to go. The canisters for them. We're almost a completely Universal filter as long as there was enough oxygen that's important life this thing would filter out almost any deadly gas or chemical vapor. Some of the ones we had where I worked dated to the 1960s. And still work just fine when we tested them. The nice part was there was a little glass window in the front of the filter it would tell you if the filter had gone bad or not. Generally what we found out was as long as the filters were sealed and maintained in a cool dark environment for the most part would last Almost indefinitely. I did use one of these to escape from an atmosphere that was contaminated with ammonia. At levels high enough to almost require an scba. Was able to escape the environment which took about 20 minutes walking through a heavily contaminated cloud wearing one of these masks. The other major use of them was by fire departments in the 1940s and 50s as a smoke mask, and it could filter out some carbon monoxide. However if there was not enough oxygen. A lot of firefighters did die wearing these. In general they were better than nothing
Now the question is, in contrast to this unit, how long will a portable compressed air canister last? And which is more economically feasible? And what are the dangers in a particular mine? I'd imagine if the filtration unit provides a longer duration of safety, but was more expensive than compressed air units, the mine owners would opt to go for the shorter duration, but cheaper compressed air units. And this would be a significant bone of contention between the unions and owners...😮
Well it’s actually both. A self contained compressed air system is a very pricey bit of kit with the required valves, the tank itself, masks and maintenance. Functionally the same thing as SCUBA gear. A self contained filter unit like this just consists of a filter unit, the mask and some hoses, and can provide much more time supporting the user over a self contained system.
Canadian flea markets sound awesome if you can find gems like that!
Nice find! Fascinating engineering history.
Great job! Interesting topic; MSA makes / has made lots of ver interesting gear.
Congrats on 75k!
Oh man, window cator is absolutely epic. haha =) Hey a big hello from Windsor, ON man. I've really enjoyed your channel for some time now. Thanks for the great work/videos, Sir, I wish you even greater success!
Please tell us how to give you money! These videos are way too high quality to only be supported by ad revenue, not to mention I want to continue to see more! :)
It might only provide minor protection but I'm sure it's better than nothing.
Never knew that about MSA. Interesting.
Good story, I was given a portable breathing device when I visited a chemical plant, I think it was only good for 5 minutes, long enough to evacuate should a siren go off.
Excellent. I have one as well.
MSA is indeed an interesting company. John Ryan's brother, Andrew went with the MSA idea, combined it with a rebreather and diving dress (the old diving suits with copper helmets) and built what he believed would be an underwater utopia, as well as working on what would, in the 1950s/60s become the MKULTRA program due to ideas on free thought and how to control thought through verbal cues such as a three word phrase, though his name is usually redacted in most official documents.
Sadly due to a number of factors his underwater utopia never really worked out, but an interesting piece of history nonetheless.
I see what you did there hehe ;)
@@0MetallicaManX0What exactly did he do? I thought it was just some interesting information but it would appear there is something that I'm missing..
Andrew Ryan is a fictional character from the video game Bioshock who builds an underwater utopia that goes awry@@lahma69
@@lahma69 it's a joke based on coincidence in a family name. Andrew Ryan and his unterwater utopia are the centerpiece of a story in a videogame Bioshock.
So cool! Just got one of those recently and I was thinking you would be the one to cover it! Thank you!
Hey so you're up in Manitoba? I'm in Ontario, random but- cool if this summer I take a trip to come shake your hand/see your collection of cool stuff? Been a fan since I found your channel a few months ago and fr you're awesome
Good Lord, where did you find that creepy glass stand?!?
Wow okay
Ich kannte bis heute nur Filter die Staub, Aerosole und Organische Verbindungen mittels Aktivkohle filtern.
Aber CO in CO2 umwandeln um diese zu binden kannte ich noch nicht. 😮 was es nicht schon alles gab.
😊
PS
Ein Zähler und ein Indikator
In meiner Unterweisung für ABC Schutzmasken mussten wir die Zeit schätzen um die Filter rechtzeitig zu wechseln 😮
very interesting
What do miners use in place of safety lamps for detecting flammable and non-breathable atmospheres now?
Excellent video as always btw. I love the breath counter. Simple but so clever
Elecrochemical gas detector/analysers.
In Europe the *Draeger* multiwarn series is the most common type.
@@SonsOfLorgar thank you for the answer! Interestingly I think that same company may make equipment used by a hospital a family member of mine works at.
Really want a MSA SCBA
2:49 The body armour's for fighting mole people.
fascinating, as always
Great story
I have a number of “candles” for use in these units.
Most interesting vid yet gilles dont stop.
@CanadianMacGyver >>> Great video...👍
the tubes under the eyepieces are a feature invented by a man of the name of tissot, which is how the system is identified.
are there any special features or markings of the ones used by the usn?
Mark in Bangkok area.
Tbh, if there's a fire in a gun turret, you won't be needing an escape mask, you need to have filed a last will and testament to a legal notary, because written documents not on your person and other people's memories will be the only evidence left of your corporeal existence...
Engineering spaces on the other hand will find those masks very useful if things go pear shaped in a hurry...
thank you . ( 2024 / Apr / 10 )
Miner protection? I’d say it’s Major protection! 😁
Same basic device as the US Navy OBA (Oxygen Breathing Apparatus)
I presume they must have gotten volcanically hot from the KO2 converting into KOH from humidity absorption.
msa rebreather is written up in book Shalow water diving & ect by H Schenck,jr 1954 ttfn&ty
Do you have or know of a vid about a coal miner's self rescue device?
edisons headlamp: a battery a day keeps the explosions away
Thats cool
Pretty much a PAPR no?
👍👍
20 minute gang wya
I’m still disturbed by South Park and their images of nude minors/miners. Horrific stuff!!!
Unsubscribed - adverts in the middle. Thanks for the great videos in the past.
He has to pay the bills somehow.
It's amazing how entitled some people are
Pay for premium TH-cam. ( as if..😂)