Thread: What's the best dust mask to use when wearing spectacles?

I use a trend Airshield pro. It is a powered helmet and is expensive but good.

I use a "Dust be gone" mask. It fits well and doesn't fog up my glasses.


Peter.

Originally Posted by Sturdee

I use a "Dust be gone" mask. It fits well and doesn't fog up my glasses.

Works well for me as well

Originally Posted by DavidG

I use a trend Airshield pro. It is a powered helmet and is expensive but good.

Yep, works for me. Really notice how good it is when turning/ sanding red gum. Like the full face protection when doing something questionable.

I think I might give the Air shield Pro a go. It is pricey, but my lungs are already dodgy, so prevention is many times better than cure.

Thanks,

Roy

Hello,

Following the positive comments in this thread I bought a dust be gone mask.

Yes a huge improvement over my other dust masks, but I still have some fogging of my glasses.

Whilst googling Racal air helmets I found this home made one

http://www.sydneywoodturners.com.au/...he_nov2012.pdf

and also found reference on this forum to another powered respirator made and written up by Peter Russel in AWW No. 58 but havent found that magazine to be available at my library.

People who spray paint cars seem to be interested in making these as well.

Anybody out there made their own or know of any good links for further info ?

Bill

Steamingbill,

I like the idea of making my own unit. One thing I am not sure about is how the exhaust air leaves the helmet in the design in the Sydney Woodworkers newsletter. You'd need exhaust valves that are at least the same (preferably more) cross sectional area than the inlet hose. You need to ensure that the carbondioxide that you breath out is exhausted from the mask so that you don't breath the same air back in. I'm a CPAP user myself, so I've got some old CPAP masks (for exhaust valves) and old CPAP hoses for inspiration. I'm not sure I like the idea of being tethered - I'm sure I'd forget that I still had the mask on and would end up walking away and tearing the hose out.

The other design question is how you go about sealing around the mask to stop dust being drawn in between your face and the mask when you breath in. The Sydney Woodworkers design looks like it uses some sort of yellow foam. I don't know how comfortable that would be, especially when you got sweatty. I've got some offcuts of very thin leather that's usually used for ladies gloves - stretched and mounded over some foam, it should make a comfortable seal, especially during hot sweaty weather.

Just thinking aloud _

If it's not going to be tethered, then the airfilter, blower and battery need to be belt mounted like some of the commercial designs. Jaycar electronics do a whole range of small permanent DC electric motors that I've used in some other projects - $10 to $30. They also have different sized small rechargable battery packs (similar to modern mobile phone batteries) that could supply the power. Then there's the need for a small HEPA air filter of sufficient capacity - maybe buy them as a spare part from one of the commercial mask suppliers. The last major item is the blower itself. I'm sure you could buy something suitable, probably as a spare part for some other bit of equipment - I just can't think whatsort of equipment yet. The other commercial dust mask manufacturers seem to not sell their motor and blower assemblies as spare parts - probably to stop people doing what I'm writing about here.

I think that the idea of making your own powered dust mask is a good idea, and at the moment it seems feasible. It also seems like the materials cost would be much much less than the commercial units.

Thanks for the great suggestion Bill. I'm adding this to my list of projects to work on. I'll probably start a new thread or blog when I get the project underway.

Thanks,

Roy

Originally Posted by steamingbill

Hello,

Yes a huge improvement over my other dust masks, but I still have some fogging of my glasses.

Bill

When you go to put the Dust Bee Gone mask on your face do you flatten the wire then push over your nose or do you bend in a U shape then push onto your face.

When you flatten the wire and push over your nose it tries to flatten back out and creates a gap at the top allowing warm air back over your glasses.

When you bend in a U shape and push over your nose the wire keeps the U shape and fits more snuggly over your nose eliminating the gap and not allowing any warm air over your glasses.

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

When you go to put the Dust Bee Gone mask on your face do you flatten the wire then push over your nose or do you bend in a U shape then push onto your face.

When you flatten the wire and push over your nose it tries to flatten back out and creates a gap at the top allowing warm air back over your glasses.

When you bend in a U shape and push over your nose the wire keeps the U shape and fits more snuggly over your nose eliminating the gap and not allowing any warm air over your glasses.

Jim,

Thanks for the note.

I tried both methods - what seems to happen is that the warm air is definitely expired through the front of the mask then it appears to me that it rises and forms a very light fog on my glasses which dissipates in approx 1/2 - 1 second - not quite instantly.

The condensation on my glasses is nowhere near as heavy as with an "ordinary" dustmask but in between each expiration I get this light fogging that clears quickly, and because it clears it doesnt accumulate and become impossible to see through.

If I wear the dust be gone with a face shield and no glasses the face shield will steam up.

Will have another go tonight during my shed time to see if I can better figure out if I might be doing something wrong.


Bill

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

When you go to put the Dust Bee Gone mask on yofilteru flatten the wire then push over your nose or do you bend in a U shape then push onto your face.

When you flatten the wire and push over your nose it tries to flatten back out and creates a gap at the top allowing warm air back over your glasses.

When you bend in a U shape and push over your nose the wire keeps the U shape and fits more snuggly over your nose eliminating the gap and not allowing any warm air over your glasses.

Jim,

Have you got any specifications on the Dust Be Gone mask - in relation to the filter rating. That is, what is the smallest particle size that it rioters out? ie 1 micron, 5 micron, etc ?

With my lung problems, I need to make sure that I'm filtering out as much of the fine harmful dust as practical.

Thanks,

Roy.

Roy there is no rating on these masks.

To get full protection you should use a positive powered respirator like the trend

This also helps in having extra air coming over your face and making it easier to breathe where other masks limit the air you are breathing

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

Roy there is no rating on these masks. . . . .

This mask is called a "Nuisance Mask" - it even says so on their website DustBeeGone TM Nuissance Dust Mask

The term "nuisance mask" usually refers to keeping the big bits out of your nose and mouth but it won't prevent fine dust from doing so.
There is a "sort of a rating" provided of 3 microns, whatever that means? To be a proper rating it should say what the capture efficiency is at 3 microns
Note that it is NOT an approved mask by US OHS authorities.

i have tested the material used by a nuisance type mask and the results are here, https://www.woodworkforums.com/f200/w...ml#post1563357
It was only ~40% efficient at 3 microns and less than 20% efficient at less than 2 microns ie useless against really fine dust
The testing I do also does not take into account that most basic dust masks simply do not fit and allow a lot of dust in around the sides of the mask so the real efficiencies will be worse still.

I have been using a dust bee gone mask for many years as well as a powered helmet ( like a protector t3) and the dust bee gone is by no means great, it still can make your glasses fog and does not stop all the dust. By no means as good as the air powered helmet. IMO, they are only just 'OK'??, but only because they are light and relatively easy to fit/wear ( and you can wash them out), the dust still gets in your eyes etc. And I always wonder what is getting past the fabric? I much prefer to use the powered helmet.

hope this helps.

Has anyone had any first hand experience with the Paftec CleanSpace dust masks. Carbatec sell them. They are Aussie designed (not sure about where thet're they are built). Paftec's web site is at PAFtec CleanSpace - Comfortable Powered Air Respirator.

Their web site also shows a photo of someone using the mask with glasses on.g3l.jpg