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 Post subject: Dust masks and beards
PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:15 am 
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Location: Albuquerque NM
I've got a pretty full beard (think Jerry Garcia), and I figure it's time to step up to a serious dust mask. I've been working with Port Orford cedar and it's the first wood that has irritated me. I looked at the Triton, but I'm less than excited at the integrated hearing protectors and hard hat. I don't really need all the extra discomfort when I'm hand sanding or other tasks that don't need that extra protection.

What should I be looking at? Mind you, I'm only looking for dust protection, not vapors from finishing. I've got a good (though uncomfortable) chemical mask for that.

And one more thing. I wear glasses, so something that doesn't fog my glasses would be a real plus.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:21 am 
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I have the trend airshield (older model) and really like it--especially for turning.... I have no beard though... you may want to ask Jeff Fox about it as I believe he has a beard and uses one

Lawrence


Last edited by Lawrence on Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 1:01 am 
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I am a Santa wanta-be.
I really like my Triton Powered Respirator, dust, hearing, and eye protection in one package. The biggest drawback is battery life in that the batteries are built in to the power unit and last about 4hrs.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 6:32 am 
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Use a conventional barrier mask and oil your beard. That will pick up almost all of it.

You do have dust pickups on your sanding equipment? Using them makes a HUGE difference for me. If not, a downdraft table is a pretty good thing for the small stuff.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 8:04 am 
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I have built a few clear air masks for myself in the past.
These are small blower motors that have air hose and full hood.
send me a pm and I will tell you how to buy all the parts and build one for yourself.
the cost will be under 100.00


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:37 am 
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Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Hey drstrip,

I've heard good things about the Trend from folks with beards. Any positive pressure respirator will work better than a regular mask.

I use a 3M BreathEasy™. It's works great, both with a beard and glasses. A nice side benefit is the cool air that blows up the back of your head, over your face, and passed your ears. A real plus in the heat of the Summer. The air circulation also keeps it from fogging up.
Image

It also can be equipped with a variety of purifying cartridges, so I can go cheaply for dust alone, more expensive for organic solvents when spraying, or top drawer for spraying polyurethanes which contain iso-cyanates.

The only drawback is the price. It's an industrial model, with all the safeguards, so it will set you back some big bucks.

Tom

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 11:46 am 
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Location: Alexandria, VA, USA
Lawrence wrote:
I have the trend airshield (older model) and really like it--especially for turning.... I have no beard though... you may want to ask Jeff Fox about it as I believe he has a beard and uses one

Lawrence


I've got a beard and love it (the Trend that is). :D

It fits comfortably around the neck and because the fan blows the air in from the top it will exhaust around the sides, so it does not need to be an air tight fit.

The air shield is quite light, I have full range of motion turning my head and using rechargeable batteries (Lawrence can tell you how to make a cheep battery pack) it will run for ever.

It is, however, only for dust not for chemicals. But, you stated that is not an issue.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 12:16 pm 
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Location: Aurora CO
+1 what Jeff and Lawrence said. I love my Trend. A little pricy up front, but really makes it possible for me to work with woods that have an irritant nature to them. For me it's Bocote. I don't have a beard, but I can tell you that you don't have to worry about your glasses fogging up. The big down side is that the battery pack that comes with it takes 14 hours to charge. Howevers Lawrence's replacement battery pack plan uses 3 AA rechargable batteries that you can pick up anywhere and recharge in about 3 to 4 hours, and they hold that charge longer than the Trend battery pack.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 10:23 pm 
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If battery life is an issue for you, and most of these positive air pressure respirators (PAPRs) have an inadequate battery, then you can always get the nearest battery store to make up a battery replacement for you that will charge faster, and last longer.

I've tried the Triton, and found it didn't have enough flow (coulda been my big head crushing the port though) so it fogged in the winter, and sweltered in the heat. The other thing that some might not like is the bubble visor which distorts the view somewhat. Other than that, I rather liked it because of the built in hearing protection (especially when using the chainsaw), and it being a very comfortable fit (except in the heat).

I've now got the Trend Airshield Pro, which has much more airflow (almost too much in the cold weather!), better filtration, better visibility, but the detent doesn't work quite right, and it's always jamming my glasses down on my nose. Long as the thing is held level you're ok. Some folks don't have this problem, but I must have a big head...

They say that the 3M unit is the best all around PAPR out there- but it's priced like it also... I haven't tried one yet.

My advice? Try on all of them you can before you buy... And get the one that fits the best.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:01 pm 
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Thanks for the info, guys. I'll be checking these out and probably buy one. The 3M looks great, but the price is a killer. I'm leaning towards the Airshield over the Triton because I don't like the integrated hard hat and hearing protection, since a lot of the time they're not needed and strike me as uncomfortable.

And I hope to hear from Little Bear about how to build one myself, which might be the ticket if I'm feeling adventuresome (and/or cheap!).


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 11:07 pm 
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Location: Tucson, AZ
if you buy an airshield PM me and I'll let you know how to make your own battery pack that uses any AA batteries (cost to make, about $2.00)

Lawrence


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 6:11 pm 
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Location: Cave Creek, Az, US
Another option is the Resp-O-Rator. I've used it for quite sometime and love it....

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10834


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 3:00 pm 
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Location: Northern Maine and out of the city.
BeachBum wrote:
Another option is the Resp-O-Rator. I've used it for quite sometime and love it....

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10834




That's like working underwater :D :D


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 10:46 am 
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Location: Lumberton, MS
This has been a great thread. I will be looking into a full face postive pressure mask soon. Got to keep what I got left clean... :wink:

Jimmy

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