Respirator

[John R]

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

[alarie]

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