Need… air… another Respirator Question

[Brian Kent]

I am switching from throw away masks to a half-mask respirator. I have one from Grizzley that is OK, but I am looking for one that seasl better.

Question #1 - When you apply finished, what kind of filters do you use? Are P100 rated filters good for all around?

Question #2 - When you are creating sawdust, can you still smell the sawdust through your respirator immediately? I am hoping that a better unit will at least delay the lung pain.

Question #3 - I am planning on buying a 3M 7503 half-mask. Am I on the right track?

Other info - I can't go over $50, so no space suit for now. I have a garage shop with open window, open door, Jet air filter and Delta 50-760 dust collector with 5' hose to tools. Shop Vac on the sander. I spend about an hour a day in the shop and have a family history of asthma.

Thanks

Brian

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I'm no expert, but I use a 3m painter's half face mask. The important thing is to me, is the mask's ability to remove organics. That gets rid of most of the VOC's, wich are the things that affect your health. You should not be able to smell much of anything if it's removing the organics. It runs less than 50 bucks from the BORG. But, you will have to replace the mask periodically. For me, the rubber/elastic straps get quite grungy, and I can't seem to buy just the straps. I have asthma too. Just my .02. LIke I say, I'm not an expert, but I have no money for anything better either.

[Brian Kent]

Kyle,

Thank you for your input. As I was looking around I found this:
http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/...-Assembly.html

It is the straps and "head harness" for $7.

Is this the organic filter you are talking about?
http://www.amazon.com/3M-2-Pack-Blac...pd_cart_recs_1

Brian

[Nate Carey]

Air quality issues should be as high on the "woodworking priority list" as sharp tools...

...this web page from Lab Safety Supply's site is a good reference for those of us concerned about air quality...

http://www.labsafety.com/refinfo/ezf...tm#respiratory

[jason lambert]

Ok I can give you some claification.

If you can smell it you are breating it. The way we test masks for airborn pathigens is go into a hood with the mask and they spray in a sweet mist if you can taste it or smell it you are not sealing well, all the masks are rated well we just have to fins the one that fits.

Now finishing and regular work are tow different things. For normal woodworking there are no harmful vapors you want a mask that filters to 1 microw or less, 1 micron is the most harmful stuff.

Finishing is a compleatly different storie since you are filtering out fumes not dust. Here you need an organic filter on the mask that does vapors and dust. I use a 3m. The thing to remember is organic filters once opened only last tops 2 weeks. They work by attracting the bad stuff so the more it is used the faster it wares out also the more air it is exposed to the faster it wares out. Other than this type of disposable filter there is no way to filter for fumes. Going water base and less toxic products helps of course.

Moral of the storie you need to know what you are filtering for.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I think that's the filter, although the pic is just the cartridge. You can buy the mask complete from the BORG. And it does also have the dust part too.

[Leo Graywacz]

I have this one and it works great. A buddy of mine tryed it out and now he has one too. I use the 6003 filters for spraying my acid catalyzed finishes. I don't have a setup for just dust but the P100 filters are a little overkill unless you have an oil saturated air. The P95's should do fine for dust but will do nothing for the smell of wood.

[Brian Kent]

I don't mind the smell of the wood. I was asking if that was an indication that I was not getting a good seal, which Jason affirmed.

I recently finished a walnut coffee table with a huge amount of shaping and sanding. My lungs hurt for the last week. It may just be a summer cold, but either way, if it gets me to improve the air I breath, that's fine.

I'll look at my home depot, now that I know what I am looking for.

[Don Abele]

Brian, I just posted some good information on respirators recently. Check it out here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=117050&#6

To answer your questions though:

1. If you are using anything other than water-borne finish you should use an organic vapor filter (charcoal). P100 is the best rating they get, it filters particles, not vapors though.

2. Through a dust mask you may still smell sawdust. I don't, but it's possible because smells can be caused by vapors that a dust mask won't filter. Through an organic filter you should smell NOTHING.

3. Check out the thread.

Be well,

Doc

[Don Abele]

Just read Jason's comment. Yes, the smell test (usually bannanas) is used to fit test. But that's done with a respirator with organic vapor cartridges on it. Standard particulate filters (even P100's) do allow vapors through. Wood vapors are not harmful...they are smells, just like burnt toast. The vapors that are harmful are from organic compounds (chemicals).

Some smells will be filtered by a particulate mask because the size of the "smell" molecule is large enough to be trapped. But most are small enough (smaller than 1 micron) that they pass through filters. That's why the charcoal is there - it "absorbs/traps" the molecules. This is why they eventually "plug" up and are no longer usable.

Be well,

Doc

[glenn bradley]

My dad has a half mask like the one you show. It is a big pain. I would find any excuse not to wear it but, I am sure face shape, vision interruption tolerance and all that come into play. I wear this and find I will actually . .. well, wear it.

This would not be suitable for spraying but, for the 99% of the time I am not spraying,. I wanted something I could wear without blocking my vision and that would remain comfortable.

[dan sherman]

Check out this blog post by the wood whisper, it has some good info in it.

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/87-dust-in-time/

[Don Abele]

Check out this blog post by the wood whisper, it has some good info in it.

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/87-dust-in-time/

Excellent information...except for him recommending the updated 3M mask that I use (the 6000), all the information he presented was kinda what I said in the thread I posted above. Of course, he might have done it a little better

Be well,

Doc

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I believe that you should use an organic mask if you're working with spalted woods. SOME spalting is caused by fungi, some are not entirely good for you. The organics should take those out. Just though I'd mention that too, that VOCs are not the only things that can harm you health. Some organics can also be detrimental.

While we're all jumping on the safety bandwagon, how many of you use a faceshield, and which do you use? I also wood turn and almost always use a faceshield. I can only find a cheapo AO at the BORG. It serves well enough, but it only lasts a month or 2 before something breaks on it and I have to buy a new one. I'm far from rich, or I would have gotten an airshield or similar helmet/shield/respirator combo.... Any insight into a more dependable faceshield would be appreciated. I ran through 3 this year, 16 bucks a pop, so I guess 50 bucks for a faceshield would be a bargain for me.

TIA

[Nathan Callender]

Just my experience with masks. I first started out with an AO Safety woodworkers mask with N95 filters. It was okay, but uncomfortable and I was getting some symptoms of dust exposure, so I bought one of the 3M masks online (I think the 6000 series) with P100 filters. I would have bought N100 filters, but it seems like no one makes them (and in retrospect, for finishing one needs the P filters).

The new mask (which has a head harness) is much more comfortable, and the P100 filters work way better. I hardly ever smell wood dust (well, when I'm not burning it on a misaligned tool :-) ) and have no symptoms. I also have a fan in the garage that exhausts air out the door while I'm working.

My opinion is that the N95 standard is not suitable for woodworkers. Do the math and compare your expose using a 95% efficient mask at 0.3u vs 99.97% at 0.3u. The difference in exposure is very real, and the cost of the P100 masks and filters are not much more expensive.

If you are going to use the mask to apply finish, as people mentioned, you need to add a VOC filter behind the particulate filter. The good 3M masks let you do this.

Go to thewoodwhisperer.com and look for a video in which he discusses his dust mask setup for one way to do it.