Respirator

[quixoticgeek]

I have a project coming up which is going to involve some nasty fumes, and probably a lot of dust. I'm thinking of getting some sort of respirator. In the UK I had an old S6 respirator I got for cheap from a surplus store. But I left it behind.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a half respirator that is comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and is good at keeping dust and fumes (Paint, epoxy, etc...) out?

Thanks

J

[The French Tandem]

No educated answer can be given to this question unless we know in more details 1) the degree of toxicity of the fumes 2) the size of the dust particles.  Beware that with the current coronavirus madness, many respirators/parts are getting increasingly difficult to source.

A

[T42]

I'm after one too. Immediate use would be for paint fumes, but I'm also planning to treat our roof timbers with pesticide & fungicide in the near future. I've been looking at a 3M mask:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/3m-4279-half-mask-respirator-abek1p3/504hy

[quixoticgeek]

No educated answer can be given to this question unless we know in more details 1) the degree of toxicity of the fumes 2) the size of the dust particles.  Beware that with the current coronavirus madness, many respirators/parts are getting increasingly difficult to source.

Epoxy and paint is the fumes.

Dust will be predominantly wood based, with some sand/concrete/stone dust.

J

[The French Tandem]

Epoxy and (most) paint fumes are properly filtered by any charcoal respirator. If you are planning to use isocyanate based paints, then a fresh air intake is the only solution, charcoal filtration won't give you enough filtration.

Most stone dusts are not hazardous, but fine silica dust and wood dusts are well known carcinogenics. An FFP2 grade filtration is a minimal requirement for a very occasional use, or an FFP3 grade for a long term professional use. The problem with wood or silica dusts is that you won't feel any immediate effect from breathing them. Only after 20 or 30 years you will regret not having protected yourself better.

A

[Jurek]

This
https://morelli.co.uk/3m-easi-air-plus-respirator-med
Is what I use as my Corona mask.
It does a good job of protection from organic vapours.
Additionally, it frightens the children.
Which is always a bonus.
It is easier to breath through this than it is through the pale blue medical masks.
If you are spraying something like 2-Pack/epoxy, you really should be wearing  a pressure-fed respirator.
Actually, you definitely should be wearing a pressure-fed respirator.
You don't want epoxy in your lungs.

[quixoticgeek]

This
https://morelli.co.uk/3m-easi-air-plus-respirator-med

That looks great. What is the 3M model number? Am trying to find that from a Dutch supplier.

Is what I use as my Corona mask.

That's an interesting bonus feature...

It does a good job of protection from organic vapours.
Additionally, it frightens the children.
Which is always a bonus.
It is easier to breath through this than it is through the pale blue medical masks.
If you are spraying something like 2-Pack/epoxy, you really should be wearing  a pressure-fed respirator.
Actually, you definitely should be wearing a pressure-fed respirator.
You don't want epoxy in your lungs.

I won't be spraying epoxy, and I'm going nowhere near 2PAK paint. It's mostly casting the epoxy, then sanding it down.

J

[Jurek]

7002 or 7003
At least  that is what it says on the destructions of my one.
ETA - I think they've been updated since I bought my one. The one on the Morelli site is the current version.

[quixoticgeek]

7002 or 7003
At least  that is what it says on the destructions of my one.
ETA - I think they've been updated since I bought my one. The one on the Morelli site is the current version.

I think it's one of these:

https://stofmasker-shop.nl/halfgelaatsmasker-7502-siliconen-twinfilter-3m-m.html

J

[Jurek]

7002 or 7003
At least  that is what it says on the destructions of my one.
ETA - I think they've been updated since I bought my one. The one on the Morelli site is the current version.

I think it's one of these:

https://stofmasker-shop.nl/halfgelaatsmasker-7502-siliconen-twinfilter-3m-m.html

J

Yup. Your Google-Fu outpaces mine.

[quixoticgeek]

Yup. Your Google-Fu outpaces mine.

I think in terms of filters I would then need a 6055 for the gas/vapour side of it, and an P3 filter for particles (cos why would you use anything less?).

So the above mask, then:

https://www.toolstation.nl/3m-gasdamp-filter/p19801
https://www.toolstation.nl/3m-stofvoorfilter/p48253
https://www.toolstation.nl/3m-filterkap-voor-stofvoorfilters/p17855

If I got that right...

J

[Jurek]

Yup. Your Google-Fu outpaces mine.

I think in terms of filters I would then need a 6055 for the gas/vapour side of it, and an P3 filter for particles (cos why would you use anything less?).

So the above mask, then:

https://www.toolstation.nl/3m-gasdamp-filter/p19801
https://www.toolstation.nl/3m-stofvoorfilter/p48253
https://www.toolstation.nl/3m-filterkap-voor-stofvoorfilters/p17855

If I got that right...

J

I've a box of A1/6051 and another box of P1R/5911 sitting behind me and more of the same on order from RS.
If there's better performing ones available, there's no reason not to go for them.

What's astonishing is how visibly contaminated
 the outer filters become after a week's use on the London tube.

[morbihan]

I use a decent respirator when varnishing my paintings.
Someone once recommended that when storing it to keep it in a bag to prolong the life of the filters. No idea who told me or if its kosher but thats what I do now.

[Jurek]

Mine lives in a plastic bag when not in use.
Not so much to preserve the life of the filters as to prevent it getting covered in MDF dust which was prevalent in the workshop.

[redshift]

I've used one of those half-face 3M respirators for about 25 years - the old 6000 series chassis, which has been superseded by the one linked, and which uses the same cartridges.  Mostly it's for organic vapours and wood dust (wood turning), so I use both the particle cover and vapour filter units together, and I can confirm they work, but the mask can be uncomfortable.  To get a good face seal they have to be quite tight, and the moulded face piece may dig in if you're wearing it for long periods - they may have fixed this on the 7000. Also if you're wearing safety goggles, they can be something of an interference fit.  Mine drips through the outflow valve after a while.  If you're bending over something you can leave little puddles of condensate where you least expect them.  The mask unit has survived this long with no sign of failure or perishing.  The elastics go eventually and need replacing, but it's been good value for money, and the fact you can still get cartridges after this length of time made it a good investment.

Buy your filters by the boxful as the VFM increases.

Bonus: You get to sound like Darth Vader when the valve gets flappy.

Also: Not Dead Yet.

If I wanted an upgrade I'd probably choose the Versaflo with the face shield and waist mounted filter / fan unit, but I doubt I'll ever need anything so dramatic.

[T42]

Interesting...  I have a Chinese mask that I thought was dust-only, but the filters looks very much like 3M A2P2 filters. Most of the text on them is in Chinese, but I found one number, XK02-001-0047 which took me to an Indonesian site and the intelligence:

Perbedaan Dengan 3M beda Logonya dibagian moncongnya, selebihnya sama produk Original China, seri Masker 3M 6200, Masker dengan model half face yang berfungsi untuk melindungi diri dari terkontaminasi zat gas seperti amonia, hidrogen sulfida, pestisida, bahan-bahan kimia,dll. Sangat cocok digunakan oleh anda yang memiliki profesi terkait bidang pekerjaan seperti painting, spraying, mining, pesticide, construction, laboratry

.

In other words:

The difference with 3M has a different logo on the muzzle, the rest is the same as Original China products, 3M 6200 mask series, masks with a half face model that serve to protect themselves from being contaminated by gaseous substances such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, pesticides, chemicals, etc. It is suitable for those of you who have professions related to work fields such as painting, spraying, mining, pesticide, construction, laboratry.

I just tried it next to fresh varnish and I can't smell it. Well well. Got a spare set of filters, too.

Maybe I should add this to the Fecking Divvery thread: made myself sick with paint fumes while an anti-fume mask sat unused on the bench.

[quixoticgeek]

How long do the filters last? Is there an obvious wear indicator?

J

[fuaran]

Most of these masks are designed to filter what you are breathing in, not what you are breathing out. So maybe not much benefit for coronavirus.

[quixoticgeek]

Most of these masks are designed to filter what you are breathing in, not what you are breathing out. So maybe not much benefit for coronavirus.

Yep, but great for keeping the sawdust and epoxy fumes out my lungs... Which is the aim...

J

[redshift]

How long do the filters last? Is there an obvious wear indicator?

J

There's no indicator on the ones I have.  I think you're supposed to replace the vapour filters every 6 months or so, but I let that slide somewhat as I'm not using them every day, or in a work environment. The particulate pads are separately replaceable and fit on the outside of the cartridge so when they get clogged or visibly full of dust, out they go. I use many more dust filter pads than vapour cartridges.  If I put it on and can smell either the wood or the oil / varnish / solvent then it's time for a new vapour filter.  If this was at work, then we'd have a filter record system and a schedule, and stick to it.

I think the shelf life expiry on the vapour filters is about 5 years if they're kept in their packaging.

[quixoticgeek]

Yesterday I ordered the respirator.

An hour later I got an email saying it was out of stock and they would contact me when they know when it's instock.

I tweeted about this with much swearing and grumbling. I did not mention the company name.

This morning I get a dispatch notification and a tracking number.

It should arrive tomorrow (Wednesday)

I just realised that I forgot to order the filters for it.

J

[Jurek]

My backup filters arrived from RS yesterday

[quixoticgeek]

Mask arrived. Fits perfectly. I need to play around with the straps some. I don't think they designed this for people with long hair. Will need to go get some filters next week before I use it properly.

J

[Jurek]

How long do the filters last? Is there an obvious wear indicator?

J

There's no wear indicator.
I open a bottle of acetone or cellulose thinners.
If I cannot smell it, the filter stays.
Redshift is correct regarding the 5 year shelf-life.

ETA - I've decided that 2 weeks is too long to be using the particulate filters on The London Underground.
I'll be changing them weekly from now on, given that there's signs of (slight) contamination on the inside of the ones I've just binned.

[BrianI]

I keep the respirator I use for airbrushing scale models in a sealed tupperwear box between uses (after letting it dry out)

It's a JSP Force F8 Half mask respirator, with AB1P2 cartridge filters.

Certainly no smell of cellulose thinners etc when I'm wearing it! Mind you, I also run a £300 Benchvent Spraybooth as well...