Dust Mask

[George Berlinger]

Okay guys, which dust mask do you wear when sanding.....i got those cheap ones with a rubber band attached to it, that go over your mouth n nose..........fog my glasses so bad I can,t see. Got these new type at H.D. that has a exhale port on each side, gonna try those n see; around $3 something if I remember right. Hate breathing that junk when sanding or using a hand router.......wonder how a full plastic face-shield would work. I have a Jet air filter hanging from the ceiling, but this is close-up work. They have those big masks that keep out vapor n stuff, I just need something to keep the dust out when sanding once awhile .

[Jay Pique]

I use a Dustfoe 88.

was recommended by several others here at the Wreck, and I'm glad I took their advice. Lightweight, comfortable and much more effective than the paper thingies. Filters are fairly pricey as you'll see, so you may want to go through an industrial supply house. (We get ours for $7.93 for 5, or something like $60 for 50 of them.)

JP

[Rick Gibson]

I use the dust respirator from Lee Valley pt. # 22R0502 The filters are

9.95 (Can.) for 5. But if you have a full beard it doesn't matter what you use short of bringing in pressurized air to a full face mask from an outside room.

Rick

[Paul Arnote]

George:

The "cheap" masks with a rubber band attached to it do virtually nothing. AO Safety (I think that's what they are called) makes a HEPA mask (NIOSH N95 certified). I bought a box of 20 of them at a local home improvement store for like $17. A good buy, IMHO, to protect your lungs from all the extremely fine wood particles that fly about when you are sanding. And BTW, I'm a respiratory therapist by trade.

Paul

[Charlie Self]

Rick Gibson notes:

The mask Triton face mask should do the job. I've got one coming, should be here next week, so if someone will nudge me in about 10 days, I'll try to add a note on it. They're pricey, but from what I'v heard, they're also worth it.

Charlie Self I don't approve of political jokes. I've seen too many of them get elected.

[Victor Radin]

Paul- is that the "Cool Max" mask from AO Safety? If so, which store did you get them at, because around here in Chicago area, they're packed 3 for between $5 and $10. I use them as filter material to cover a trach, and with using 2 at a time, it gets expensive to do any sanding or dusty shop work.

thanks, vic

[Peter Shull]

You can count on it .... a nudge (or two) will be coming your way in a week and a half. I'm in the process of recovering from a stay in the ICU due to bilateral pneumonia and am now, of course, really interested in acquiring a good respirator.

Thanks for the heads-up, Pete

[Phisherman]

Dustfoe 88. I got one as recommended here and it has to be the BEST recommendation I ever got from the Wreck. This dust mask is amazing and a small price to protect your health. If you have a beard or stubble, it may not be so effective.

[Bob Schmall]

George: I use the old 3M full-face version with vent fan and filter. It fits and functions very well even over my beard. The rip-off shields are a good idea, but they seem to attract dust. The big issue? They are no longer made. I looked at a new one by a different manufacturer that features a flip-up shield, and thought it looked good except for a fussy headband attachment. It runs about $250, but the battery is rechargeable and there are replacement filters available. Check out Airware America for one, and they might even have an old 3M left. They've been selling replacement parts for it.

Bob

[KYHighlander]

None of them work very well with a full beard. LOL

[Charles Jackson]

[Bay Area Dave]

N95's

dave

George Berl> Okay guys, which dust mask do you wear when sanding.....i got those cheap

[Wilson]

We had to do some serious sanding with the ROS last week in class and I sneezed all the way home and coughed all night. I still feel like I'm somewhat congested. There were 6 of us sanding. What a cloud! I need to get one of those respirator masks. Sanding wood that has been chemically bleached with oxalic acid or wood that has natural pesticide properties requires a mask.

[Eric Ryder]

I use an AOSafety respirator. I pull the canisters off and replace with prefilters. I've been using this for years for wood and drywall sanding to good effect. I though that the weight would be a problem - it's not as you have that much less weight within your lungs at days end! The exhale valves keep the filters dry so clogging is not a problem.

[Paul Arnote]

AO Safety #99485 Sanding, Drywall, & Fiberglass Respirator Packaged 20 to a box. Price was around $17.

Here in the Kansas City area, I found them at a local building supply company called Sutherlands

used to work in the Chicagoland area, in Munster, Indiana. Moved back home here to KC about a year and a half ago. I would be very surprised if Menards didn't have these masks.

With your trach, it's doubly important for you to wear a mask, since the natural defenses of your upper airway are bypassed. Hope the information here helps!

Paul