Thread: breathing and masks

Are you sitting down?

Yes, ok then get ready for it.






































Over $500, somewhere around the $800 I believe

Oh.

Well, breathing isn't really that important, is it?

Is there an affordable alternative?


No wonder they didn't put the price on the page! LOL

Triton mask from Carbetec work OK, a bit on the heavy side and would require a second battery for use all day

Is this one a waste of money?

http://www.carbatec.com.au/dust-mask...ered-dust-mask

Eliza,

I have managed to live far beyond my means by fixing something or building something that does the same thing.

Here is a list of progressively more complicated and expensive steps.

I suspect from your output you have been spending about 8 hours a day at the lathe. You might want to take a couple days off to let the asthma calm down.

I believe you are working outside on a patio. If there is a prevailing breeze going through there, position your lathe so that the breeze comes from the left or right behind you toward the lathe. Get a fan on a pole or set a box fan on a chair to add to the breeze. That blows the chips and dust away from you. Get a red, or blue, or purple bandanna like the train robbers in US Westerns used, fold corner to corner and tie behind your head above your ears.

No relief, exchange bandanna for cartridge type dust mask from lumber store, or auto paint supply places.

If you must have a supplied air mask, the auto paint supply places have very good ones as some of the two part paints used on modern cars will knock you down and kill with just a couple of breaths. This may or may not be cheaper than the carbatec.

I have considered making a supplied air mask as I turn a lot of spalted and sometimes rotten wood. So far the bandanna has been enough. I have a bushy beard so the cartridge masks are not as effective as they would be on a shaven person.

I was buying some metal turning stuff from a gentleman who's wife had died from respiratory difficulties. He had a medical compressor and 20 feet of light plastic hose that she used to provide a positive pressure for breathing. I got it for US$25.00, and I was not holding a gun. I am sure they cost an arm and a leg new. I stick the hose under my face shield so that it blows in front of my nose.

This rig does tether one to a fixed position, but when I am turning I am in front of the lathe or two steps to the right to the grinder.

I found a 3 X 6 inch HEPA filter (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEPA) for a Eureka Vacuum and will make a housing for it from cardboard and duct tape for the intake on the compressor.

Wagner makes a High Volume Low Pressure compressor for the HVLP spray gun. This with light hose would work.

An old vacuum cleaner that has the centrifical fan separate from the motor would also work. Clean out the air path, put a filter on the intake, a T on the output and hose to your mask. The T would provide a place to bleed off excess air so you don't get too much on the face. A household light dimmer would also reduce the speed of the motor and cut down the noise.

I am sure the inventive and helpful bunch on this forum will have other ideas and possibly photos of what they have built.

I have the additude that a man or woman designed and built that, I am a man, I can build that. Or a reasonable kluge. Most of the time, anyway.

If you want to build something and have questions or snags, ask, there is plenty of help available here.

8 hours a day? oops, no! The most at one time was 3 hours. Yesterday I didn't get to the lathe at all.

Thanks for all the suggestions you made. I'm not much at making things as I don't have tools (other then the lathe etc) but I'll check the ones for spray painting, and I'll keep an eye out for second hand.

Eliza,

Here are some AU references.

http://www.workershealth.com.au/facts014.html

http://www.ferret.com.au/c/R-C-R-Int...t-Masks-p15919

Here is another that will not show a price, looks like the ultimate turners mask with crash helmet and face shield. Those who own $13,000 bowl turners lathes probably have them.

http://www.ferret.com.au/c/Helmet-In...Systems-p16529



http://www.sea.com.au/suppliedair/types.htm


This would be a good one, I can't find a supplier in AU:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/3M-6291-Respirator-Assembly-Medium/dp/B000FTEDMM/ref=pd_bbs_3/183-3473485-9712917?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1233536193&sr=8-3"]Amazon.com: 3M 6291 P100 Respirator Assembly Medium: Home Improvement[/ame]

Here is one on eBay, AU:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Two-Cartridge-Filter-Respirator-dust-Proof-mask-safety_W0QQitemZ390027642029QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Protective_Gear?hash=item390027642029&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318

I like the 3M one if you can find it.

Good luck.

HVLP sprayer: Look for one of these compressors used.

http://www.melspray.com.au/catalog/p...roducts_id=268

Some turners use a disposable thing called something like Dust-b-gone but they're not cheap. I think 3M do something similar.

Cheap solution would be basic paper face mask with a big fan behind you pushing the dust out of your way ( open verandah? or windows in one?).

Best single sustainable solution IMO is the Trend Airshield at around $550 IIRC; that's a filtered visor with dual filtration.

The problem is small dust particles that are invisible and float in the air. Breathe them in and they stay in your lungs. Pfizer are working on just this principle for delivery of medications and they like a 4 micron size for it.

The Dust Bee Gone mask seems to be good. See Carrolls Woodcraft Supplies (top of thie page). Quite a few of our club members use them.
Grow

Yep.

But one heads-up for blokes with beards: press-on type facemasks are likely to leave gaps. If your face fungus is fine you can slather on some petroleum jelly to reduce the gaps. If not, you're looking at a filtered visor. This has the advantage of creating positive pressure within the mask.

I'm a fan of the Trend since it's a unitary item: includes replaceable filters, full face protection, replaceable visor film and rechargeable battery pack. It's light enough to wear all day, and doesn't recycle your own emissions. Also appallingly expensive but what's a pair of lungs worth?

I just found out that I'm getting paid for a website that I thought I was doing for free. Well - that's nice!!!!!!!!

Don't know when - but now I know what the money will be going towards!



Thanks for all the advice and choices.

The best respirator I've found so far is the 3M 7500 series one that uses the round fabric disc filters. I've been using mine for two years now and I think it's great. Thin disc filters (3M number 2125) don't interfere with the face-shield and the exhaust is aimed down so you get almost no fogging unless it's really cold in the shed. The attractive bit about them to me is that you have no batteries to worry about and you don't have to strap yourself into anything like you do with the Triton. I can still wear this with the face-shield and earmuffs without any trouble.
Cheers
Josh

Get a Dust B Gone from Jim Carroll
At $60, for what looks like a disposable mask, they seem expensive, but they are washable and with care, are said to last for 5 or six years.
I bought one recently and use it all the time - no more coughing!
Also, my glasses don't mist up.