Respirator?

[muzzburt]

Im looking to do some firberglass/flow coat sanding as well as give it a quick spray, any advice on good brand of multipurpose respirator?

[thylacene]

Unless you are using large quantities of two psckbepoxy, plain face/dust masks are fine. if you are going to work in enclosed space then talk to your local Blackwoods or industriak supplies store.

cheers

Thy

I'd rather be fishing

[oldboot]

for the sanding a good quality partical mask will be just fine, for working with any of the nasty vapours, the "SUNDSTROM" masks are the go, ya just need to then fit the appropriate vapor cartridge and partical filter.

The sundstrom basks are not cheap neither are the filters, so ya don't want to waste them on simple dist filtering.....neither do you need to be sucking and blowing that hard when you are only sanding.

And to improve the whole dust thing...get some dust extraction hooked up to your sander..the amount of dust you collect will horify you.....

BTW..to preserve the effectivness of the vapour filters, best to store them in an airtight cotainer when not in use.

cheers

[muzzburt]

Great Thanks for the advice!

[oldboot]

Oh BTW..if ya plan on using this a bit ir you are sensitive to rubber, the silicon mask option is worth the extra $$$ over the rubber.

cheers

[Jarrah Jack]

If you are just going to use a simple dust mask then buy the better ones. Your industrial supplier will have them.

[Nathan Tuskes]

i will agree with everyone about the SUNDSTROM dust masks they are fantastic bit of kit! and the talk about not using them for just sanding is nonsense their is no way i would risk my health with just a cheap disposable mask, the sunstorm masks have prefilters in the front of them and ive used 2 of them in mine and ive sanded/cut every bit of gel coat, stringer, and wood out of my 146 haines and im only giving them a light vac off after use, then it goes back in the storage box.

[Goochi]

Forget the dust mask, stick with the respirator. Fiberglass and lungs do not mix, and the Catylist is even worse for you. Plenty of brands out there, check out your local safety store, they should have some options. I think I picked up my gear for about $60. Worth every cent.

[oldboot]

You certainly can use the sundstrom masks just for dust.......if you plan to do so..you can snap the vapour filter out and just run the particle filter.....ya then A/ don't waste the vapour filter and B/ there will be much less breathing resistance.
and ALWAYS, always use a partical filter as a prefilter to any vapour filter..ya don't need to be clogging your vapour filter with dust or overspray

But on the matter of partical masks.....if you buy decent ones and fit them properly there is no probleme with them......... cheap bottom end partical masks are a waste of time...they don't have the filtration capacity and it is imposible to get a good seal on them.

Appart from looking at the specifications and recommendations...look for at 2 straps, strong straps, some thickness of material ( the good ones are a sandwedge), a nose bridge former and prefereably a nosebridge seal.
You can step up from there to a mask with an exhailation valve.

There are good quality completly capable disposable partical masks out there, that are far more afforadable and comfortable than wearing a respiratior for hours of sanding.

Of course you can reduce the whole dust hazard, environmantal impact and comfort thing buy using a good sander hooked up to a capable dust extraction system.

Any of the modern random orbit sanders hooked up to a good workshop vac will reduce the amount of dust floating arround in the air and on the floor by 90+%.
And vacume, don't sweep or blow dust away.

cheers