Dust mask - spectacle wearers advice please

[Richard_C]

I use a disposable face mask when sanding, but now its cold out there in the garage/workshop my specs mist up pretty quickly. Working with a spinning lathe with misted up specs strikes me as high risk so something must be done.

When I look around I find a confusing array of vented disposables and half face respirators priced about £25 =/- . Any dust mask recommendations from occasional wood turners who wear specs and have a cold workshop?

 

[Lazurus]

I only use an air cap, forced air keeps visor clear and plenty of room for specs oh and a beard........

 

[loftyhermes]

I use one of these Sundstrom masks and don't have any trouble with my glasses steaming up.
https://www.arco.co.uk/products/1A400
There are other suppliers out there.

 

[mayo.mick]

I use an Elipse half mask and don't have any problem with my glasses fogging up.

 

[Bm101]

If your glasses are steaming up it means your mask doesn't have an adequate seal. Got a beard?
Bolle pilots are the goggles I use. They go round my cheapo glasses. I don't wear my nice ones in the shed partly cos the bigger frames don't fit under the bolles. Think it's a suck it and see scenario. There are so many variants. For me what I have works. Mostly. Bolle goggles, trend mask and peltor ears. When i wear them or cut mdf etc but mostly i use handtools so i have a fan blowing at the door. If I was stood in front of a lathe if I'm honest I'd be looking to bite the bullet and invest in a full face mask with airflow. Why not be comfortable and safe even if it needs a bit of saving up for?

 

[Trevanion]

Another vote for the Elipse, I wear mine almost every day and sometimes for a full workday without any issues with spectacle fogging. It's very lightweight and comfortable which means you can wear it for a full workday without really taking too much notice of it. They do tend to get moist after a while of use though so it's worth keeping a roll of kitchen roll on hand to dry out the inside every hour or so, but that's a problem with pretty much every well-sealed half mask.

 

[El Barto]

I use an Elipse half mask and don't have any problem with my glasses fogging up.

Same here, with glasses. It's a very good mask. I replaced the filters for the first time last week and was very pleasantly surprised to see that after a year or more of solid use, the inner side of the filters looked brand new.

 

[HappyHacker]

I use one of these Sundstrom masks and don't have any trouble with my glasses steaming up.
https://www.arco.co.uk/products/1A400
There are other suppliers out there.

I have one of those as well and I don't have a problem with my glasses. You can buy different filters for it and can double them up for more than one type of protection.

I have a full beard so I will never get the best protection from it but after an hour in a glass fibre stuffed attic I am not coughing and there is a thick layer of stuff on the front of the thin dust filter which stops the crud blocking the proper filter.

 

[Jonzjob]

I have had a beard since 1973 and although I only started turning about 24 years back I have a JSP full face pos pressure mask and it is great over my hairy face and glasses. I also have a Trend 1/2 mask for times when the eye protection isn't needed. If I am using that and my glasses start steaming up I adjust the mask to stop it doing so and fit properly.

You only have one pair of eyes, non replaceable, and one pair of lungs, same unlless you like hospitals, and what cost the difference???

 

[Richard_C]

Thanks all. The ellipse or the sundstrom both look to be right for what I need and its good to have reassuring comments from actual users.

I will have a look in my local-ish builders merchants in the next couple of days, if they don't have either I will probably order the ellipse as its on amazon prime although I much prefer to buy from real people in real stores if I can.

I had thought of it as a 'wood turning thing', which it is, but I have lots to clear out of a dusty roof space and a few other dust creating jobs to do soon so it will be multi purpose.

 

[El Barto]

Thanks all. The ellipse or the sundstrom both look to be right for what I need and its good to have reassuring comments from actual users.

I will have a look in my local-ish builders merchants in the next couple of days, if they don't have either I will probably order the ellipse as its on amazon prime although I much prefer to buy from real people in real stores if I can.

I had thought of it as a 'wood turning thing', which it is, but I have lots to clear out of a dusty roof space and a few other dust creating jobs to do soon so it will be multi purpose.

They sell them in Screwfix if that’s any use.

 

[Jonzjob]

If you have fibre glass insulation in your roof then that mask will be one of the best things you have. That dust is NOT friendly #-o

 

[Roland]

If you’re turning then dust protection is important. So too is physical protection from something flying off the lathe. I use the mask pictured above for ordinary sanding, with my workshop glasses perched on the nose piece. For turning I use an Air-shield positive pressure helmet, and wear my glasses inside it. Not cheap, but proved its worth when a bowl broke out of the chuck this afternoon.

 

[will1983]

I bought one of these, not cheap at >£50 but absolutely great.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/3m-7523-half ... lsrc=aw.ds

Replaceable filters
Special filters for organics as well as particulates
P3 filtration as standard
Very comfortable, I wear mine for several hours at a time with no issues
Has never fogged up my glasses which when you're as bind as me without them this is a godsend!
Easy to check if you have a good seal on your face

I don't see PPE as an area for frugality, my lungs are worth far more than the £50+ price tag.

 

[Simon_M]

There are over spectacles which provide additional protection to ordinary glasses but which fall short of a full face visor. As someone who wears glasses, I dislike the feeling of something pressing against the sides of my glasses e.g. so I’m happy to pass on over spectacles and since things can sometimes go wrong a visor is best.

I try to always be wearing a visor and for normal woodturning I don’t use a mask unless there is dust generated e.g. from sanding. For a dust mask I use a JSP dust mask with replaceable filters. Although wearing any mask is not that enjoyable being able to add/subtract the mask as required makes it pleasant enough. The straps do not interfere with a visor although the later is put on afterwards.

When using equipment that is particularly noisy e.g. a table saw or a nearby dust extractor or some power tools, I wear a 3M pair of ear defenders. These are produced in three variants which either clip to one of the more expensive visors or fit like headphones over the head or have a strap which supports the defender and allows a metal band to pass behind the head. This avoids the clash of wearing a visor and ear defenders where both headbands clash.

For me it seems sensible to add/subtract the protection required for the task in hand. JSP filters are rated P2 or P3. I’m only interested in the P3 ones which offer the most protection. I also have a RP dust filter mounted overhead and an extractor for bigger machines. My next addition will be to extract at source with a hood behind a workpiece when sanding. The three types of dud protection are at source (hood), in the air (overhead cleaner) and respiratory (mask) and all have differences/uses.

 

[beech1948]

I have this and find the fit excellent.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/3m-7523-half ... lsrc=aw.ds

 

[Sideways]

I have eclipse, trend stealth and sundstrom half masks. All are among the better ones. All are comfortable for a short time and all hurt the bridge of my nose if I wear them for longer than an hour. All are on the edge of interfering with the fit of my glasses. The Sundstrom is the best for me having worn it for upto 6 hours a day.
Silicone material is a must for a comfortable fitting mask but you will just have to buy and wear them for long enough to try them properly.
The Scott safety half mask has been recommended to me as v.comfortable but I've no personal experience of it.

 

[RickG]

I too use the Eclipse mask. In general turning I don't wear the mask unless I'm sanding. Yet when I do put the mask on, its noticeable how much cleaner the air feels! I really should wear it more.

 

[Redkite]

I wear these from Screwfix with an Elipse half-mask


https://www.screwfix.com/p/uvex-ultraso ... gles/36877

Very comfortable over my glasses, they don't mist up and they give all-round protection.

I've read too many accounts recently of eye injuries caused by small metal particles bouncing off something and into the eye around the side of spectacles/safety specs so these cover me for angle-grinding as well as my turning.

 

[Trevanion]

I've read too many accounts recently of eye injuries caused by small metal particles bouncing off something and into the eye around the side of spectacles/safety specs so these cover me for angle-grinding as well as my turning.

I honestly think I would definitely have many more eye injuries if it weren't for my glasses, quite often a splinter of timber bounces off them when I'm planing, spindle moulding or sawing. It's one of the main reasons I try to get large lensed glasses, but I really should look into side shields or even complete goggle cover for certain jobs. In an ideal world, I'd love a pair of welding goggles without the UV protection and with prescription lenses in.

I'd look like some kind of mad woodworking scientist :lol: