Respirator and Intro.

[Alden Cole]

Hello all, I have been making "knives" for a couple of years. This is a great forum you've got here, and reading your opinions, WIP's, and stuff has been really encouraging and helped a lot. One thing I'm concerned about, especially for a teen like me, is long term health issues. So what kind of Respirators and procedures do you guys use for keeping steel dust out of your lungs. Thanks!

 

[John Wilson]

Welcome! and great question.

I like the 3M 7502 because it is supremely comfortable and gives a great seal.

I use P100 filters. (pink pancake style) because they fit easily under my face shield. My face shield is the Uvex Bionic. You can get it for about 30 bucks on amazon.

 

[Alden Cole]

Thanks, I'll check it out!

 

[Alden Cole]

Thanks for the advice, it arrived the other day and is working well!

 

[John Wilson]

Great to hear. Comfort is worth every penny because they’re no good if you don’t wear them.

 

[Drew Riley]

I have a decent sized beard, so I like the Resp-O-Rator, which used a scuba style mouth piece. It's a bit more comfortable to wear with face shields and welding masks.

The downside is, that it's made pretty "cheaply", and the plastic is a bit brittle in cold weather. Also, I think that for what it is, it's about twice the price it should be, but it's still worth every penny, and there's not much else quite like it on the market.

 

[John Wilson]

I have a decent sized beard, so I like the Resp-O-Rator, which used a scuba style mouth piece. It's a bit more comfortable to wear with face shields and welding masks.

The downside is, that it's made pretty "cheaply", and the plastic is a bit brittle in cold weather. Also, I think that for what it is, it's about twice the price it should be, but it's still worth every penny, and there's not much else quite like it on the market.

I've looked at those. Do you wear a nose clamp to keep you from breathing through your nose?

 

[BossDog]

There are vapor and/or particulate filters. Make sure you have a particulate filter for grinding.

 

[Drew Riley]

I've looked at those. Do you wear a nose clamp to keep you from breathing through your nose?

Sometimes I wear it, though it’s not completely necessary. If I do wear it, I normally wear it loosely so that it’s just “inconvenient” to breath through my nose. That way it’s a little more comfortable.