Masks?? what do you wear

[Anonymous]

Hi all

The recent threads on MDF and wood dust has got me to thinking. What kinds of masks do people on the forum wear?

I use a simple white thing with a couple of straps that I picked up from B&Q when sanding etc. but now suspect it is not good enough.

Is it worth investing in a decent (£££s) mask such as the vented types?

We should pool our collective knowledge and experience on this and other health 'n' safety issues

Clearly my lovely new LN 4 1/2 will help with this issue as I don't need to sand much at all now :wink:

cheers

Tony

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Tony

I use the Trend Airace mask and visor, about 30 pounds, and find it to be excellent.

The gloat however, about the LN, is totally lost on me.

Cheers

Neil

 

[Anonymous]

Gloat???me??? I just mentioned it in passing

I was thinking that info from threads such as this might be usefully deployed on the forum somewhere in a sort of referenece section .
Same goes for the best and worst tools and any other threads that pool peoples knowledge on a subject and provide a good body of advice based upon members experiecnes. Clearly most threasds contain useful info but not in such a concise or comprehensive way as a question posted to gather users experiences with a technique or tool or whatever rather than asking for solution to a specific problem.
Is this possible? worthwhile? useful? completely rubbish idea?

I guess it would, in essence, be like the bandsaw, tablesaw, P/T polls - posted in a reference section or something similar?
Somewhere that does not require searches through hundreds of posts for info on a particular subject.

I don't think I explained this germinating idea at all well

Tony

 

[Alf]

I use Moldex (?) masks, with a valve. Not bad, but the old double glazing still fogs up of course 8) Drat Tony, now I'm thinking I ought to put some kind of respirator or the Trend Darth Vader on my possible pressie list

Tony, I think I get what you're driving at. Sounds suspiciously like a type of FAQ, which of course no one ever reads :roll: The main drawback I can see is that someone will have to colate the info, update etc etc. I mean it's a pretty good search facility, so it's not too much of a struggle to come up with the info as it is, is it? :?

Cheers, Alf

 

[Chris Knight]

A good fit is the most important thing I reckon and different masks have different fits. The 3M mask with silicon rubber facepiece suits me best and I use the same mask with various cartridges for ammonia fuming, spraying etc.

I have got one of those battery powered air curtain mask cum faceshields but I find the faceshield buids up a lot of static and pretty soon I can't see anything so I have pretty well given up using it. Also too much dust ended up inside the mask to persuade me that it was doing a very good job.

 

[woodshavings]

I have found the Trend Air Shield very effective when dust and eye protection are needed. I wear glasses and is the only mask I found that does not mist up. Other times I use the 3M 4251 Mask - works great for fine dust and vapour from varnish/thinners etc. (costs about £14 from RS)

 

[sawdustalley]

I use disposable valved ones most of the time (P2 at least).

Either the 3M or the axminster ones, made by some company I have found to be good. These are usually aound £2-3 each, but are cheaper when you buy 10 or 20 of them.

Sometimes if i'm doing really rough sawing, or planing which doesnt produce a lot of fine dust I will use a "nuisance mask" which are disposable and very cheap 50 for £7 or something.

Has anybod tried the JSP ones from screwfix - they look good value, not sure if they are decent...?

 

[Midnight]

Tony.... like you, I rely on my L-N collection to avoid making dust in the first place... unfortunately there's no escaping the stuff alltogether...

Whenever I work with ply, I use a disposable valved mask... when working with volatile substances I use a ful blown respirator c/w charcoal filters.... I avoid the MDF issue by avoiding MDF completely... wouldn't touch the stuff with a barge pole....

 

[johnelliott]

I use the Trend Airace, about £25 plus vat. Bad points are that it's quite bulky and it can interfere with one's vision towards the ground, so you have to be careful not to trip over stuff
The good point? Huge surface area to the filter (fine enough for MDF) means that it is very easy to draw air through. I tried various cartridge filters but they all fall down on low surface area, which means that for a given fine-ness of filter element the suction required to pull air through it goes up. Basic fact of physics, doesn't matter how clever the filter maker is, if the surface area is small then the resistance is high
I considered one of those powered air helmets bit was put off by the fact that the visors are all the same size, and at 6'4" if I had the same size face as a person of 5'7" then I would look even stranger than I already do
John

 

[Gill]

Hi

Air-Ace for me, too .

No misting of spectacles, either - although it's bulky, it's light and doesn't obscur my vision. A definite Thumbs Up !

Yours

Gill

 

[trevtheturner]

I use a 3M Airlite respirator - excellent, no misting and can wear the old-age specs. inside it. But, Sod's Law - just after I bought it 3M stopped making them so can't now get replacement filters!

Felt a bit like a deep-sea diver when I first wore it, but now I wouldn't be without a full-face respirator. Plus all that lovely cool air over the face in hot weather! When the present one has had its day I will replace it with similar - the one at the moment is the Trend Airshield. An expensive bit of kit for what it is but, IMHO, well worth the investment in terms of safety and comfort.

Trev.

 

[SquareCircle]

Trend Air Ace for me too. Surprised how easy it was to get used to wearing it, and how comfortable is was. I'd recommend anyone buying one to get the visor at the same time.
Seems like the powered full face shields must be an even better proposition, but they are a different price game all together (at least for a non pro).

 

[Waka]

All

Seems to me the Trend Air Ace is getting some good reviews. I tend to use 3m, but with wearing classes have the problem of fogging. :shock:

Not tried the air ace but form various comments this doesn't give that problem , am I correct?

Also has anyone tried the powered one from trend? Be curious too know what they think of it. For me its a bit pricy, but if it really works, what price health & safety in the workshop.

I don't mind looking like a dalek if it keeps me safe. :roll:

Waka

 

[johnelliott]

but with wearing classes have the problem of fogging. Not tried the air ace but form various comments this doesn't give that problem , am I correct?

No problem with Airace, the breathing is valved, intake through the filter, exhaust directed to vents below the mask, no fogging

John

 

[Alf]

Of course the added atvantage of the Airace is that the Force will be with you...

All right, I'll shut the door on my way out. :roll:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Waka]

Thanks guys

Airace it is. Makes me feel like a fighter pilot.

Waka