flight goggle lense questions...

[kaigunair]

I was wondering if anyone's ever come across a pair of flight goggles with plastic lenses. I've heard that this was done in the late war period. The typical jpn flight goggles lense is of two pieces of glass sandwiching something like clear mylar - a type of saftely goggles. I've seen examples of late war goggles that have only glass lenses. Other variations are tinted goggles and goggles with a heating element. Never seen plastic lenses only, unless they were obviously crude replacements put on by a post-war user of the goggles...

I've also noticed that most of the goggles with the "kanji" mark on the rim have their mylar in a very deteriorated condition. To be honest, don't think I can recall seeing one pair from that particular maker where it mylar hadn't gone bad. Maybe they made/used a particular type of mylar that didn't age well?

I have a few pair of cracked lense goggles, and am surprised that replacement lenses don't come up more often. I assumed pilots had spares... any one have pics of a replacement set of spares in original packaging?

Unless they continued production of these goggles after the war, wouldn't there be stockpiles of replacement lenses out there?

looking forward to responses...have a happy 4th also everyone!

[Bobby R.]

It was my understanding the material between the 2 lenses were a type of glue. Warren Sessler has experemented with fogged lenses by heating in water to soften the glue. It is a very tedious process which I tried. It works to some extent as long as you don't ovedo it and crack the glass. The 2 lenses will seperate but then what do you do with them? You end up putting a single piece of glass on each side. OK for diisplay but not really right since you have also no doubt buggered the soft screw heads when you attempt to remove the old lens. Never heard or seen replacement lenses. My understanding the goggles were simply thrown away and replaced with another pair when needed. I'm sure there was not all that much time to sit around and attempt lens replacement at the front. Good luck in your quest for replacement lenses.
If they were available they will someday show up.

[Jareth]

These are my goggle obsevations...always suspect a pair with clear lenses. Check to see if end screws that hold frames togeather are "buggered". If so then likely the mylar/clear plastic thats sandwhiched between the two pieces of glass in each lense has been removed. I believe this was an early attempt at safety glass? I think auto windshields are designed similarly. Even if replacement lenses were around I doubt period plastic film would survive.Junichi, I support your theory in that it's likely a particular manufacturers mylar could of been of an inferior make.

[kaigunair]

I never considered that the goggles would be thrown out when the lenses were damaged. It seemed to me the goggles would be more expensive and were made fairly well so that weren't a disposable commodity.

I agree that the pilots may have been pretty busy, but still, it doesn't seem like it would take very long to replace lenses. Plus, it seems there are a bunch of other nation's goggles that are replaceable, so why not the japaneses'? A person told me the metal used in the mfg of the goggles was a very light weight aluminum, that, at the time, was more expensive than platinum. I can't remember if he was just talking about the metal part that attaches the goggle ring strap to the frame. Has any one noticed if this part is of a different metal on their goggles than other parts? I've noticed this one two separate goggles...one which may or may not be a post war make (does have the safety lenses), and one which I would say I'm 99.99% sure is wwii. I think you'd have to have goggles that were pretty scratched up to see beneath the painted/lacquered finishes...

going on the disposable idea, does this mean these goggles were fairly easy and cheap to make? Compared to a set of US goggles I have, jpn goggles are relatively light weight, but seems like the stamped metal and velvet padding and straps were well made. I do have a set of those dust goggles that look to be made out of leather or reinforced paper. the type with the splits in both sides, commonly called dust goggles...and I have a set of replacement lenses for these.
I'll admit, replacing a set of electrically heated lenses might be fairly difficult....

[kaigunair]

other than a dark tint, any known examples of green or red tinted japanese flight goggles?

yellow tinting most likely due to deterioration of the mylar laminate...