Respirator opinions.

[Brian T]

I would appreciate your inputs as to what you folks are using for a respirator, I have been looking at the 3M pictured below, I do not need one for heavy paint booth work, just for painting parts and dust removal.
The reason I ask is my lungs are not in the best condition, those London smogs, years of repair shops, not to mention the cigarettes, (the latter long gone) have taken there toll.
I am now going to hand paint my parts and use rattle cans sparingly, the respirator pictured seems to have good reviews, your comments most welcome.

[coupe1942]

You may find something at Eastwood, as well to compare them to.

[Big hammer]

You may want to check out air supplied respirators, as non air supplied are very taxing on your lungs. Maybe check with your health care provider? OSHA says you need a physical to wear respirators at my work.

[1955cj5]

I have a full face one like this...keeps the overspray off my glasses....

I also have the small one as in your picture.

3M products are very effective...get new replacement filter canisters occasionally...

[ian Simpson]

Originally Posted by Brian T

I would appreciate your inputs as to what you folks are using for a respirator, I have been looking at the 3M pictured below, I do not need one for heavy paint booth work, just for painting parts and dust removal.
The reason I ask is my lungs are not in the best condition, those London smogs, years of repair shops, not to mention the cigarettes, (the latter long gone) have taken there toll.
I am now going to hand paint my parts and use rattle cans sparingly, the respirator pictured seems to have good reviews, your comments most welcome.

I use one of these with no problems despite years of London fogs, cigarettes, heavy engineering shops and oil refineries,

I use a cheap plexiglass face mask to keep my glasses clean rather than a full face mask respirator as it is cooler and can be quickly flipped up if needed.

[Kevin in NJ]

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You need the correct mask for the job you are doing. You need to know what it is you need to filter.

Here is what I learned by talking to a researcher about the 2k paints with isocyanates.

The charcoal filters will filter out the isocyanates as well as the solvents.
The big problems that happens with the mask type filters is fit and sealing. If you have a leak then you have a problem. That is why positive pressure masks are required on the can.

I STRONGLY recommend a pressure mask if you are spraying modern paints. They are pricey, but the also have very high resale value.

BUT, the number one exposure to iso's is from the skin and not while spraying!

The isocyanates are bad in that they are an illergic reaction. When you become sensitive to them you will (hopefully) feel some chest pressure later. The symptoms will get worse with each exposure. It can give you industrial asthma which has killed some guys.

I like the better qualtiy 3M dust masks for dust work. I have tried cheaper types and they just do not work like the 3M.

Of course, you need to regularly replace the charcoal filters.

Hope that helps.

[jrelliott]

I like the 3M one that you show Brian T. I use it for painting and for wood turning of some of the more exotic woods like cocobolo, black walnut and juniper. The warnings on some of these woods are just about as bad as paints. They are classified as carcinogens and sanding them with very fine sand paper while turning at high speed gets the stuff in the lungs. Best be safe than sorry.
When I sprayed my last vehicle, got one of the disposable paper coveralls to reduce the skin exposure to the paints. Vinyl gloves and a hat. All are inexpensive and disposable.

[mike657894]

for what your doing that should be good

[jmeckel]

As long as what you are using matches what the respirator will filter out is what you want. You really need to be fit tested for this type of respirator to be truly safe. As an Advance Rescue EMT-I, I have been through a few fit testing for respirators, it is much harder to get a good seal than you would think. When you have one on you should not smell or taste anything from the environment you are in, now that is assuming there is a smell or taste to the "bad" air, some nasty things do not have any smell or taste, so that is not a "positive" test for safety. That is why most places want to use positive pressure. I also have damaged lungs and can tell you non-pressurized respirators do stress your lungs.