British WW2 Driving goggles

[roajeep]

Hi,

 

I just bought these and the glasses need to be replaced. Any suggestions on companies that do this ?

Hope can be done without ruining the metal frames and the stitching as leather is in good condition.

Thanks.

[REME 245]

Most of these Googles do not have the leather you have and you can push out the glass and replace it quite easily with Perspex or suitable glass.   If you cannot achieve this without damaging the leather the cost is likely to far outweigh the value of the Googles.

[roajeep]

Thanks, REME245. As far as I can see the glass is in two thin layers with a plastic yellow layer in between. After loosening the central leather and the hinge I'll give them a careful push and see what happens. I cannot see that the glass is glued in so I guess it is only held in place by the pressure of the leather. Will definitely go for perspex as replacement as this cannot crack or smash. 

Hey Ho, amazing what daft things we do to fill the time.

[Adrian Dwyer]

Morning - I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction re: the images of ancient goggles, attached below.  I acquired these relatively recently.  My suspicion is that they are possibly WW2 but certainly NOT the standard Mk8 flying goggle.   There is a potential link to RASC, N. Africa and Italy

When I was looking for Blag's flying kit (see 'Spitfires in Italy' thread in aviation) I looked at a lot of goggles: all of which, it was claimed or otherwise suggested, were owned by a Spitfire/Lancaster pilot.  Many had the BS kitemark, faux leather, modern straps and fixings, etc., and were clearly 1960s/70s or newer.  The pair shown here are leather (now in very poor condition in places), have the webbing sewn in to join the two separate leather eye/face pieces (a good indicator of age), have exceptionally fine stitching, the WW2 type windows (seriously delaminated) and the right type of metal fixings for the long-gone strap.  They have, therefore, many features of wartime goggles.

What they don't have is the piece of leather that would, if they were issue, have carried the AM stamp and crown.  Neither do they have the pressed air 'scoops top and bottom of each window (window being the RAF term indicating a glass eyepiece that wasn't a lens).  Instead of the small pressed scoops, there is a tea strainer!  It is very distinctive and I am sure anyone who has seen this feature on other goggles - whatever the provenance - will recognise it.

What are we thinking: WW2 or not?

Many thanks in advance.

A

[7VHU]

Hi roajeep, looks like laminated glass, the laminating film yellows with age.

Safer and easiest fix would be clear polycarbonate sheet, also good for “glass” for dashboard instruments. Craft shop would have some in small sheets eg Hobbycraft.

There was a repro version of the flying goggles by Stadium, might be same size laminated glass. Used a pair on my series 1 when I had the screen down.

Peter

[7VHU]

Flying goggles and spares now by Halcyon.https://classicpartsltd.com/

[Adrian Dwyer]

Thanks for the link to the Halcyon site.  They are probably one of the best (though I'm not sure how they can keep a straight face claiming a Battle of Britain Mk8 goggle - given the Mk8 arrived some years after 1940 . . .).

All the Mk8'ish goggles shown have the pressed 'scoop' feature on the frame, not the tea strainer.  So, I'll keep looking!

Thank you again.

A