DIY gas masks tested against pepper spray grenades
Can household items be transformed into effective gas masks? This is one craft project that could leave you choked up.
When the zombies, robot overlords, aliens, werewolves, vampires or just evil humans decide to attack you with tactical pepper spray, how will you protect yourself?
Or perhaps you just need some extra protection if you plan to attend a protest rally?
Not all of us have spare gas masks hanging in our homes. Thanks to a couple of fearless YouTubers, you can learn how to make one -- just in case.
"Scam School" hosts Brian Brushwood and Jason Murphy show how to make simple gas masks from activated carbon charcoal pellets, rubber bands, plastic bottles, scissors, electrical tape, cotton pads, a compass drafting tool and aluminum cans in this handy video.
"The most important thing are the activated carbon pellets," Murphy explained in the video published Thursday. "These are what you find in Brita filters or aquariums. It bonds with the contaminate you've taken into your system. Theoretically, it's going to filter out all of the impurities."
The crafty duo cut the two-liter plastic soda bottles so they can fit over their faces and cover the sides with electrical tape. They poked holes in the bottoms of aluminum cans and added cotton pads to the cans. The cotton will keep the carbon pellets in the mask while also filtering out various harmful particulates.
The whole contraption is put together using duct tape and attached to the head using rubber bands.
After making the masks, Brushwood and Murphy test their effectiveness against the Fox Five Point Three tactical pepper spray grenades.
Of course, safety was an issue, so they also had liquid antacid and water mixed together in a spray bottle on hand just in case the masks had leaks and they needed to treat their faces.
Find out if their homemade gas masks protected them from the pepper spray in the video below.