Protective equipment laxity

[Mike Minto]

I've been lax in using my new Trend Pro, I know - but am trying to get better. Just like I don't really enjoy wearing sunglasses, I feel anything over my face or eyes removes me from whatever I'm doing - like a clear barrier that lessens my experience. Don't get me wrong - I ALWAYS wear safety glasses when I turn, and intend to wear the Trend more for the additional respiratory protection, as I'm turning more spalted wood. My question, finally, is where do you keep your masks, glasses and faceshields when not in use, to keep them clean and accessible? Bag? Cabinet? On the shelf?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike - I hang mine up right next to the lathe. It's the first thing that goes on and the last to come off when I do any woodworking. Just a habit I got into.

[David Christopher]

Mike, I keep mine in a drawer...I used to not wear my face shield until I had a big chunk of wood fly off and break my glasses and smash them into the bone right above my eye, now I wear the face shield......I wax my shield and keep napkins close so I can wipe clean while turning

it normally takes blood for me to start using saftey equipment

[Dennis Puskar]

Safety glasses and face shield all the time.

Dennis

[Mike Minto]

Safety glasses and face shield all the time.

Dennis

Yes, Dennis, and how do you store yours when not in use, and why?

[Jeff Rich]

I hang mine on the motor raising arm so it is right there when I need it.
Keeping the shield clean can be a job, but its better than a trip to the ER.

[Charlie Reals]

mine hang on a peg next to the lathe. sorry to say they often stay there as I am lax in their use. I know better but like Mike I don't like the restriction. I am getting better with the dust mask.

[Allen Neighbors]

I hang mine close to the lathe; and I also don't like the restrictions. I can't get in close enough to inspect my cuts, and sometimes I need to get my head down alongside the tool shaft to see what I'm doing, I can't put my head down without the face shield hitting my chest or the tool shaft and coming loose. It just gets in the way, period. I use it when rounding a blank on the lathe, and when turning the outside of bowls, that's all. It's in my way, otherwise.

[Cyril Griesbach]

Mine hangs on my tool caddy and is always in use when I'm turning. Exception: I often don't use it when demonstrating.

Here's a trick I got from Jamie Donaldson for keeping the face shield clean. Wet a soft cloth (an old T-Shirt will do nicely) with Armour All. It needs to be very wet but not soaking/dripping wet. Spread it out to let any vapors gas out. It will feel damp but won't be. Use it to wipe down your face shield, safety glasses, eye glasses etc. Store in a zip lock bag and renew the Armour All as needed. This works great.

Cyril

[Ted Calver]

Mine hangs on the tail stock. Just like seat belts, never turn on the machine without the shield. The only thing that bugs me is the short battery life on my trend.

[Jim Underwood]

The discussion of where and how to store you powered respirator is one of interest to me.

When you buy it new, it is fairly clean and uncontaminated. I wonder how to keep it that way once you begin to use it?

Here's the scenario that plays through my head. You enter your shop which is dusty. As you walk through it, all the invisible, really fine stuff which is the most harmful, is stirred up. When you get to your respirator, the stuff has probably gotten on your face, hair, hands, and clothes. So you pick up your respirator with your hands, place it on your head, and turn it on. Now perhaps the positive pressure will blow the dust out, and perhaps not. It's always been a question for me....

Then you begin to use your lathe, turning and sanding. The big stuff you don't worry about. The little stuff you generate begins to float everywhere.... Not much of a problem as long you're wearing the respirator, right? But what about when you take it off? You have even more fines floating around than you had when your first entered the shop.

So when you take it off, do you just hang it on the wall where more stuff can collect in it?

Or do you blow it off with compressed air, with motor running, to hopefully prevent more contamination, and then place it in the bag, and then put the bag back in the box it came in? Meanwhile what about all the stuff you're breathing in after you take it off? Of course, inevitably, some of the fines are still clinging to the respirator, and you get those in the bag too. So then you're placing the respirator into the contaminated bag...

Inquiring minds want to know a good procedure...

When I use a public restroom I know a good procedure to help prevent getting infected. You enter the restroom, do your business, then when you go to wash hands you run out enough paper towel (without touching them) to dry them off. Then you turn on the water, wash your hands (with soap ya knucklehead!), then with water still running, dry your hands with the paper towel. Then with the paper towel still in hand, turn off the water, then open the door with the paper towel, then holding the door open with your foot, toss the towel in the trash. At least that's what I try to do. Most restrooms are laid out well enough to do this, but some aren't.

Can we come up with a similar procedure for putting away our respirators?