After reading lots of posts on here and talking with my wife, I’m gonna be picking up a respirator soon (hopefully on the way home from work this evening). I’ve been using a particle mask (the type you’d use for sanding) which works okay, but I want some more protection.
My questions are as follows:
I was thinking dual-canister, but would single-canister work as long as it’s rated for painting?
I have a beard (goatee really), am I still gonna be okay using one of these? I know that in the Army my blasted gas mask wouldn’t fit right when I hadn’t shaved for a few days on field exercises, and that’s an issue someone mentioned in an earlier post, but I was wondering if anyone had any actual experience with that issue?
A respirator coupled with a spray booth and proper ventilation and I should be good to go, right?
You can get a 3m relatively cheap online from a lab safety dealer for about $ 8-10. Cartridges (Organic Vapor) around $7-9.
You can test the fit against the beard by holding you hand over the relief valve and exhaling, you know right away where the leaks are.
It’s a good idea, you should be fine with a half mask, dual cartridge. They are supposed to be changed after 8 hours continuous use, I tend to toss 'em when I can detect some odor or notice the airflow slowing down.
Do you guys wear respirators/masks only when airbrushing, or at all times? Seems like everything we use is toxic, so I was considering wearing it constantly…
I always wear my respirator when I’m airbrushing or working on resin (sanding, grinding or sawing) and on those occasions when I’m trying something new and am not sure of possible reactions. Otherwise I don’t wear my respirator, just make sure that my modeling area is well ventilated. (I also tend to have on rubber gloves anytime I were my respirator - strange I spent 16 years as the BN NBC NCO - hated MOPP IV - but now look forward to it 'cause it means I’ve just about got another model finished)
It has a lot of posts, but pay special attention to those made by Styrene. He goes into a lot of detail about how to choose a mask, how to test and use it, and what to watch out for. His posts on the effects of chemicals on the human body are always interesting and knowledgeable so when he speaks I tend to listen.
They are invaluable. I used to paint R/C car bodies with laquers and I’d have a headache for a couple of days afterward. No telling how smart I’d be if I hadn’t killed off all those brain cells [:p] Just kidding, but I do wish I had known then what I know now.
