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Respriator Questions



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 17th 05, 07:21 PM
Jim Carriere
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Default Respriator Questions

Hello group,
Who here has worked with MEK and other wonderful solvents? Where did
you get your respirator gear from, and what models? The filter ones
available in the chain "hardware" stores have fairly vague
specifications on the labels: usually suitable for aromatics,
solvents, etc. This is not something I wish to leave up to chance.
Do I need to fork over the big bucks on this one and pay for a forced
air system?

Thanks in advance.

  #2  
Old January 17th 05, 11:20 PM
Dave S
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Default

speculation: an organic vapor cartride should be adequate...

Comment based on professional experience: If you want to be assured of a
respirator doing its job, you need to be fit tested. If you ask really
nicely down at the local hospital's occupational health dept, or offer
to buy them lunch, you might be able to get them to do a saccharin fit
test for you. A HEPA filter is appropriate for the fit test session. If
you want a good fit you need a clean shaven face for the test and during
actual use (clean over the mask seal.. mustache is ok). For a non-IDLH
(non-deadly) atmosphere this should suffice. My background on this was
conducting testing for, and using equipment, in deadly atmospheres as
both a firefighter and an industrial safety vendor.

Dave

Jim Carriere wrote:
Hello group,
Who here has worked with MEK and other wonderful solvents? Where did
you get your respirator gear from, and what models? The filter ones
available in the chain "hardware" stores have fairly vague
specifications on the labels: usually suitable for aromatics, solvents,
etc. This is not something I wish to leave up to chance. Do I need to
fork over the big bucks on this one and pay for a forced air system?

Thanks in advance.


  #3  
Old January 18th 05, 12:48 AM
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Default


Dave S wrote:
speculation: an organic vapor cartride should be adequate...


This is one area where speculation can get you killed. Take the five
minuets or so it will require and call someone like Lab Safety and get
the correct answer and a proper recomendation for the exact chemicals
you are going to use and the anticipated accumulative exposure time. It
my require multiple cartridges for what you plan on doing. They can
also tell you the cart. life after opening.
Craig C.


  #4  
Old January 18th 05, 01:37 AM
Morgans
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Default


"Jim Carriere" wrote in message
...
Hello group,
Who here has worked with MEK and other wonderful solvents? Where did
you get your respirator gear from, and what models? The filter ones
available in the chain "hardware" stores have fairly vague
specifications on the labels: usually suitable for aromatics,
solvents, etc. This is not something I wish to leave up to chance.
Do I need to fork over the big bucks on this one and pay for a forced
air system?

Thanks in advance.


You need not pay a ton for a forced air system. I made my own, from stuff I
had around the shop, for less than 20 bucks.

I used a respirator, and took off the cartridge on one side, and duct taped
a 1" PVC elbow onto it, and closed off the other cartridge with duct tape.

I went down to the big box hardware store, and got 50 feet of 1 1/4" bilge
hose (any light plastic pipe will do) and fastened it to a little squirrel
cage blower I rescued from the trash, long ago. A substitute would be a
large size muffin fan (like for computer cooling) enclosed in a small box so
you could couple the bilge hose on the high pressure side.

Other notes, on this. Don't use compressed air from a regular air
compressor. Make sure the air flow is adequate to keep flowing out of the
exhale valve, even when you are inhaling. With positive pressure, the
leaking duct tape will not be an issue.

I saw something along this line suggested on this group, some time ago. It
worked very well for me when I sprayed my son's car with urethane enamel. I
never smelled the least bit of the paint. I guess Rube would be proud! g
--
Jim in NC


  #6  
Old January 18th 05, 02:05 PM
Jean-Paul Roy
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Default

Jim, you are a king. Thanks for posting this kind of inexpensive solution.
I did a complete recovering job on my Challenger last year and really wished
I could have had this system. Even with an ordinary respirator, it's a pain.

Thanks a thousands

Jean-Paul
Qc. Canada
"Morgans" wrote in message
...

"Jim Carriere" wrote in message
...
Hello group,
Who here has worked with MEK and other wonderful solvents? Where did
you get your respirator gear from, and what models? The filter ones
available in the chain "hardware" stores have fairly vague
specifications on the labels: usually suitable for aromatics,
solvents, etc. This is not something I wish to leave up to chance.
Do I need to fork over the big bucks on this one and pay for a forced
air system?

Thanks in advance.


You need not pay a ton for a forced air system. I made my own, from stuff

I
had around the shop, for less than 20 bucks.

I used a respirator, and took off the cartridge on one side, and duct

taped
a 1" PVC elbow onto it, and closed off the other cartridge with duct tape.

I went down to the big box hardware store, and got 50 feet of 1 1/4" bilge
hose (any light plastic pipe will do) and fastened it to a little squirrel
cage blower I rescued from the trash, long ago. A substitute would be a
large size muffin fan (like for computer cooling) enclosed in a small box

so
you could couple the bilge hose on the high pressure side.

Other notes, on this. Don't use compressed air from a regular air
compressor. Make sure the air flow is adequate to keep flowing out of the
exhale valve, even when you are inhaling. With positive pressure, the
leaking duct tape will not be an issue.

I saw something along this line suggested on this group, some time ago.

It
worked very well for me when I sprayed my son's car with urethane enamel.

I
never smelled the least bit of the paint. I guess Rube would be proud!

g
--
Jim in NC






  #7  
Old January 18th 05, 07:29 PM
Bruce A. Frank
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Default

Jim,

The suggestion of how to fabricate an inexpensive fresh air mask is a
good one, but don't be afraid of single or twin cartridge respirator
masks. An automotive paint store will have the organic type filters and
well fitting masks that will work perfectly for these paint solvents. A
whiff of MEK or acetone or any other paint thinner is not going to
destroy your liver. If your mask shifts so that it is not sealing
properly you will smell the solvent and correct the problem.

The one disadvantage I find with the fresh air mask is having to deal
with the hose following me around as I duck and bend to shoot paint on
all the parts. I improved my home made system by using small tube from my
compressor, 1/4", at 90 psi to an adjustable valve attached to my belt.
The valve let me regulate the pressure and flow to the modified mask and
only a small tube followed me around the fuselage as I painted. The only
time I use the fresh air mask is when shooting two part urethane because
it contains isocyanates. Epoxies an solvent based paints are completely
filtered by the charcoal type organic filter cartridges.

Jim Carriere wrote:

Hello group,
Who here has worked with MEK and other wonderful solvents? Where did
you get your respirator gear from, and what models? The filter ones
available in the chain "hardware" stores have fairly vague
specifications on the labels: usually suitable for aromatics,
solvents, etc. This is not something I wish to leave up to chance.
Do I need to fork over the big bucks on this one and pay for a forced
air system?

Thanks in advance.


Bruce A. Frank, Editor "Ford 3.8/4.2L Engine and V-6 STOL
Homebuilt Aircraft Newsletter"

| Publishing interesting material
| on all aspects of alternative
| engines and homebuilt aircraft.


  #8  
Old January 18th 05, 11:11 PM
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Default


Bruce A. Frank wrote:

...

The one disadvantage I find with the fresh air mask is having to deal
with the hose following me around as I duck and bend to shoot paint

on
all the parts. I improved my home made system by using small tube

from my
compressor, 1/4", at 90 psi to an adjustable valve attached to my

belt.

Uh, how do you get 90 psi? Common air compressers contaminate the air
with oil and are unsafe for breathing.

Do you have something like the compressors used to fill scuba tanks?

... Epoxies an solvent based paints are completely
filtered by the charcoal type organic filter cartridges.


Activated carbon filters don't stop anything 100% But they
typically stop organics quite well up until 'breakthrough' as
it is called, occurs. Thereafter the concentration coming
through rapidly rises until it is the same as in the incomming
air. Long befor then you should begin to smell the contaminant,
depending on what it is. One peculularity of activated carbon
filters is that once breakthrough has occurred the filter
will begin to contaminate clean air that passes through it.

Also keep in mind that if you do not have an external air supply
you must have adequate oxygen in the ambient air. Many fatalities
have occurred when someone used a filter-type respirator in a
confined area where the contaminants have displaced the oxygen
in the air--for example underground gasoline tanks or coal bins
using a nitrogen fire suppression system.

That is probably NOT a consideration for spraypainting unless
you're spraying in a closed room.

--

FF

  #9  
Old January 19th 05, 02:01 AM
Roger
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Default

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 12:21:57 -0600, Jim Carriere
wrote:

Hello group,
Who here has worked with MEK and other wonderful solvents? Where did
you get your respirator gear from, and what models? The filter ones
available in the chain "hardware" stores have fairly vague
specifications on the labels: usually suitable for aromatics,
solvents, etc. This is not something I wish to leave up to chance.
Do I need to fork over the big bucks on this one and pay for a forced
air system?


When I put 3 coats of 2-part epoxy paint on the floor of my shop I
didn't have the equipment I have now.

Sooo... I took a standard face shield, one large garbage bag, two
lengths of the cheap 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 bilge (sump pump hose) and a
squirrel cage fan I had on hand.

I put the face shield inside the garbage bag, taped it to the inside
of the bag, cut out the bag for the face plate,

I taped the corrugated hose in position on my back with one piece of
duct tape around my waist and another just under my arms. This left
the hose open at the back of my neck and blowing up and over the top.

The fumes were so strong you would have needed a full face mast any
way.

Using this set up I was able to give the floor three coats of epoxy.
It did take several garbage bags as they are not the most sturdy
things in the world, but I did have fresh, clean, COLD air.

Total cost was less than $10 as I had the face shield on hand.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Thanks in advance.


  #10  
Old January 19th 05, 02:02 AM
Morgans
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Default


"Bruce A. Frank" wrote in message Jim,

The suggestion of how to fabricate an inexpensive fresh air mask is a
good one, but don't be afraid of single or twin cartridge respirator
masks.


I'm not afraid of resirators, and only use fresh air systems when using the
nasty stuff, like the two part urethanes.

The one disadvantage I find with the fresh air mask is having to deal
with the hose following me around as I duck and bend to shoot paint on
all the parts.


I solved this problem by attatching the hose to my belt, mostly around my
backside. It wasn't much in the way, like that.

I improved my home made system by using small tube from my
compressor, 1/4", at 90 psi to an adjustable valve attached to my belt.


From what I have read, that is a very risky thing to do. The air from a
standard air compressor has oil vapors, and things in it that you should NOT
be breathing.

At very least, I would send the air compressor air through a organic
cartridge, before breathing it.


Epoxies an solvent based paints are completely
filtered by the charcoal type organic filter cartridges.


Yep.

Good to see you back in the funny papers. How is your project going?
--
Jim in NC


 




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