Respirators?
- Thread starter bmills
- Start date
murphda2
Super Moderator and KD Blade Show Boss
Check out Ed's forum. He did a real nice write up on the 3M #7503. I ended up purchasing a few if these along with the filters which Ed recommended. It has been awesome! It's very comfortable and works great. You can usually find them on fleabay fir $20-25 and then another $5-10 for the filters.
EdCaffreyMS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
Last November I had to have a portion of my right lung removed...long story short, the Docs came the conclusion that they were 80-90% certain that my problems were caused by all the years in the shop. I had a lot of time during my recovery to research respirators and filters. I had always worn a respirator, but never paid much attention to the quality/fit....which was my downfall.
I decided on the 3M 7500 series half face respirator (the models are 7501=small, 7502=med, 7503=large). I discovered the most important part was a proper fit. For me at 6'3", with a hat size of 7 3/8, the large fit me the best. All the respirators I had owned previously were Mediums...and they just did not fit correctly, nor seal correctly on my face.
The filters I use are 3m 2097, and 2076. However, any of the particulate filters, that fit the mask, with nuisance vapor protection are appropriate for the kinds of things knifemakers do.
I decided on the 3M 7500 series half face respirator (the models are 7501=small, 7502=med, 7503=large). I discovered the most important part was a proper fit. For me at 6'3", with a hat size of 7 3/8, the large fit me the best. All the respirators I had owned previously were Mediums...and they just did not fit correctly, nor seal correctly on my face.
The filters I use are 3m 2097, and 2076. However, any of the particulate filters, that fit the mask, with nuisance vapor protection are appropriate for the kinds of things knifemakers do.
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12345678910
Well-Known Member
...you wouldn't know it by Ed's avatar, but a good shave really helps with the fit.
A Goatee can be shaped to fit inside those masks.
Every time you put on the mask, test the fit, by putting your hands over the intakes and breathing in, the mask should suck tight to your face.
Not only the formaldehyde in the micarta, we use a lot of solvents such as epoxies, CA glue and acetone.
VOC cartridges - (Volatile Organic Compounds) should help to protect against this.
They should be allowed to dry out after wearing and then stored to protect against moisture, which degrades effectiveness of the activated charcoal in the filters.
Cover the chemical filters with P100 overfilters to stop the dust.
If you ever smell any chemical smell, it's time to adjust the fit, or change the cartridges.
As Ed mentioned, there are different sizes of fits.
Go to an industrial safety store and they will try on different sizes to get you the right fit and the right cartridges.
I have used both 3M and North masks- especially the soft silicone face pieces.
There are cheaper masks in the hardware store with a harder plastic that don't fit as well and I am much more likely to take it off if it feels bad.
North half mask
http://www.labsafety.com/NORTH-7700-Series-Half-Mask-Respirator_24527529/
(Acid Gas = Formaldehyde)
Combo filter - Organic vapour and Acid GAs
http://www.labsafety.com/North-Organic-Vapors-Acid-Gases-Respirator-Cartridges-Pkg-of-2_s_41585/Cartridges-and-Filters_24530051/
The Dust Pre filter that snaps over the chemical filter
http://www.labsafety.com/North-P100-Pancake-Respirator-Filters-Prefilters-Disk-Type-Pkg-of-2_s_44302/Cartridges-and-Filters_24530051/
needs this adaptor
Use with Filter Adaptor (No. 44303)
-can't find a link for that-
A Goatee can be shaped to fit inside those masks.
Every time you put on the mask, test the fit, by putting your hands over the intakes and breathing in, the mask should suck tight to your face.
Not only the formaldehyde in the micarta, we use a lot of solvents such as epoxies, CA glue and acetone.
VOC cartridges - (Volatile Organic Compounds) should help to protect against this.
They should be allowed to dry out after wearing and then stored to protect against moisture, which degrades effectiveness of the activated charcoal in the filters.
Cover the chemical filters with P100 overfilters to stop the dust.
If you ever smell any chemical smell, it's time to adjust the fit, or change the cartridges.
As Ed mentioned, there are different sizes of fits.
Go to an industrial safety store and they will try on different sizes to get you the right fit and the right cartridges.
I have used both 3M and North masks- especially the soft silicone face pieces.
There are cheaper masks in the hardware store with a harder plastic that don't fit as well and I am much more likely to take it off if it feels bad.
North half mask
http://www.labsafety.com/NORTH-7700-Series-Half-Mask-Respirator_24527529/
(Acid Gas = Formaldehyde)
Combo filter - Organic vapour and Acid GAs
http://www.labsafety.com/North-Organic-Vapors-Acid-Gases-Respirator-Cartridges-Pkg-of-2_s_41585/Cartridges-and-Filters_24530051/
The Dust Pre filter that snaps over the chemical filter
http://www.labsafety.com/North-P100-Pancake-Respirator-Filters-Prefilters-Disk-Type-Pkg-of-2_s_44302/Cartridges-and-Filters_24530051/
needs this adaptor
Use with Filter Adaptor (No. 44303)
-can't find a link for that-
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