# Dust Mask ?



## Big Mack (Jan 23, 2011)

Recently I have been told by two doctors to use a face mask when I get sanding or turning bowls.What do you guys have?where did you buy it ? and how much ?Thanks for any and all info;(this would be for breathing clean air)


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Don't bother with a dust mask. They only catch a small portion of dust and are very uncomfortable especially in hot weather. Find a paint spray respirator that fits you well. It will filter all of the dust out and when you inhale you will be drawing in cool air from the room instead of recycling the air in the mask.


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

There are battery powered forced air systems built into a face shield that a lot of turners use. Not cheap, but very effective. Here's an article about them:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/tool-guide/article/breathe-easy-respirators.aspx


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## Hwood (Oct 21, 2011)

Dust mask is better than nothing.


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## saculnhoj (May 18, 2015)

I will try to remember what I bought for rotary carving and spraying lacquer. It's comfortable and easy to wear. Not very expensive and takes replaceable filters. I bought it on recommendation from other turners. I'll pull it out when I go out to the shop in a few minutes so should be able to post something on it by lunch time.


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## NCPaladin (Aug 7, 2010)

The two most important things to me is the efficiency and the micron size.
I use 3M similar to these which are rated at 100% (N100 - actually 99.97%) and down to 0.3 microns. Note the seal on the back of the mask.
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Particulat...1452522534&sr=8-1&keywords=3m+respirators+100
Even the expensive ($300+) systems only filter down to 0.3 microns and some are not as effective.
These are rated for 160 hours use but I normally trash mine after about 30 hours or so. Just turn it face down on the workbench to allow any trapped moisture to escape between uses (do not place in a zip lock baggie). So they cost me about 25 cents per project ...not too bad.
If you search for 3M respirator 95 then the cost drops to about $1.75 per mask instead of $7.50 but still good for about 160 hours. Filters down to the same 0.3 microns but at only 95% efficiency.
After my first couple of purchases I was able to get a 10 pack of the N100 for about $35 on the bay.
I typically only wear them while sanding as the chips/shavings while turning are too large to breath anyway. Occasionally I will wear them turning dry punky wood which may produce dust.


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## saculnhoj (May 18, 2015)

I'm using a 3M 6211 Paint Project Respirator. It was recommended by other wood artists and I like it a lot. I normally hate wearing those things or dust masks or face shields but this thing isn't a problem. I had to wear it for about 4 hours the other day doing some power carving and it wasn't annoying at all. It's also easy to wear hearing protection which I also had to do that day.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Both of the dust masks mentioned by NCPaladin are very good (N100 and N95) and I agree that the N100 HEPA dust mask is a wiser choice. If you will also be breathing dust along with oil based fumes then you should consider using a P100 dust mask or a P100 with a carbon filter layer.

I have one of the N100 masks that NCPaladin mentions and it is probably past its prime. I bought some replacements, but being frugal (AKA cheap), I bought N95 masks. While they are very good, I ought to think more about my lungs than my wallet ... after all, I can always buy a new wallet when the old one gets to the end of its useful life.

One objection that some people have about wearing dust masks is fogging of glasses. The situation is much worse in hot humid weather and a face shield can also become fogged. I bought a 3M Airstream HEPA Powered Air Purifying Pespirator (PAPR) which is NIOSH and MSHA approved. It is a helmet type personal protective system which has a ANSI Z87.1+ face shield along with the P100 filter. The helmet is certified to ANSI Z89.1 Type 1 for blows to the top of the head. The blower provides 10 CFM of air across the face so it is much more comfortable than a mask especially in hot humid conditions. The battery is worn on the belt so the headgear is light enough to wear all day since it only weighs one pound. This my preferred breathing and face protection system since I mostly turn larger stuff (mostly mesquite which is really dusty when it is dry) and the weather here usually makes wearing a mask uncomfortable for use longer than about 30 minutes.

The downside of the 3M Airstream is the price. Since it is a piece of industrial safety gear, it also has an industrial strength price tag of about a thousand dollars if you get the smart charger for the battery. Sometimes you can find used ones on eBay for a bargain.

I have heard that the Trend is very good, but some turners have said that it is somewhat top heavy.

Breathing dust of any kind is a health hazard. Years ago I recall hearing a lot of woodturners argue that dust from most species of domestic hardwoods contained no toxins and therefore couldn't possibly be harmful. Fortunately, most woodturners today aren't in denial about the health risks of dust and that there isn't any such thing as too much protection. The hard part is determining how much is enough. The smaller the particle size, the more serious the risk because our respiratory defenses are not able to trap extremely small particles nor remove those particles once they are in the lungs.


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