Respirator
 

For working with various epoxies / West System et al, what king of respirator / style / brand do you guys recommend (and cheap links [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ) ...

Thanks,

John

Re: Respirator
 

John, I bought mine at HD for about $30-35. It is a 3M brand. just make sure it is good for vapors, not just dust alone. Don't think you'll need it with epoxy. Polyester for sure and any sanding and finishing work.

I wore that thing for hours on end, and day after day.

Re: Respirator
 

John ...3M 6000 Series respirators
I've not used these guys ....but I may get a full face from them .... The half face (which I do have) looks to be about $22 ( $10 for the half face, $2-3 for the particulate filter, $7-8 for the OV cartridges and $2-3 for the retainers....West marine sells it for $40.00
This is the same ..rather.. an updated respirator that I used at work in the Pharmaceutical plant ...
Great respirator for OV (organic vapor) and dust... like Jim says you shouldn’t have a problem (well don’t forget what happened to Otto) with epoxy resins but definitely need it for poly or vinylester resins vapors.

Word of advice ... If your going to be doing A LOT of grinding you may want to consider a full face ... I have just started to recover from fiberglass grindings/dust in my eye..from mid October..Trust me it was not a good thing ..I'm still suffering from blurred vision in that eye..AND YES I even had goggles on, but the dust found its way in through the vents in the goggles...grinding on windy days is rough [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Respirator
 

A full face is OK with me. But will these "organic" filters be sufficient for the chemical vapors?

Re: Respirator
 

John- The OV cartridge respirators are good for epoxy and poly resin.But don't spray any 2 part paints with them, you really should have an air supply respirator if you're gonna do that.
There's this cute little kid on one of the New England fishing sites that really deserves to have a healthy dad around to learn him some fishin. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Respirator
 

As Bill says...No problem with what you will most likely use for the project...anything nasty you use SHOULD have an MSDS (safety sheet) with it telling you what you need to do to protect yourself.

A question ....I know what I've been told so I think I have the answer for it but... Roll and Tipping a 2 part with the OV respirator is acceptable ...yes or no ???

Re: Respirator
 

BB - that's my exact reasoning...

OK, let's ask this another way. If I were spraying a two part or Gel Coat, what would one reccomend.

Re: Respirator
 

John,

I bought a 3m 7000 series full face respirator off ebay brand new for $40. I think it retails for $220 or something like that. It's great when your grinding, and has all kinds of filters for different applications.

I used this site to order all the extra stuff I needed. They were great to work with.

http://www.indlsafety.com/catalog/default.asp

[ November 25, 2003, 01:52 PM: Message edited by: Rich ]

Re: Respirator
 

Hey Fellowship

How about designing a new respirator? You can get a full face version mask from Scott and drill a hole in the side and 5200 in one of your "Vortex" flappers and then attach a quick disconnect fitting with hose clamps too several lengths of bilge hose and then to a baitwell pummp clamped to a beer keg!! That way you can sip the suds while running those bosch tools without getting undressed? [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: Respirator
 

Ha Capt Chuck
I will start my testing this weekend. You might be onto something there, but again I think we would have to buy pass any of the collapsible diaphragm versions.
FellowShip [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Re: Respirator
 

Need a good excuse for Photomat with condoms hanging off each cheek too... [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: Respirator
 

Hey Guys,
I do this for a living every day, working with epoxy, gelcoat, and Awlgrip (2 part LP paint). I have both a half and full face 6000 series 3M respirator (good link above for a site carrying these items.) and think that both are necessary if you are getting into a heavy project. A hooded Tyvek and a full face make any grinding job a pleasure instead of a hate mission. The half face is great for sanding and layups/fairing.

The 6001 Organic Vapor cart. is great for gelcoat or polyester work, but will clog if you use it for grinding or heavy sanding. Use life on these cartiges is about 40 hours of exposure, so keep them in a ziplock when not in use!

The 2097 pink dust filter also has a charcoal layer, making it perfect for epoxy work and any sanding of any material, or anytime there are "nuisance" levels of vapors. These are our default cartriges for everyday epoxy use and you could probalby use 1 set for a whole project.

Please do not think that epoxy is a "safe" material to work with. It may not smell as bad as poly or gelcoat, but the fumes are just as harmful and you may become "sensitized" to it, which will give you an illergic reaction if you come into contact with the fumes.

Lets all be safe out there!

Peter