Respirators

[HakBot]

Hello,

I did a lot of grinding and welding this saturday. I am worried about my lungs! Combined with all the yard work/mowing + the welding and grinding I was feeling pretty bad sunday. I feel fine today but I dont want to do that again. Does anyone have any recommendations for respirators?

I think the small white paper type would be OK for grinding and cutting however I would like to get a good model that fits well to my face but I am worried that it wont fit under my mask.

[aametalmaster]

The paper ones suck because they still let stuff in around the nose. I use a 3M half mask and it fits under my hood just fine. The pink filter is for grinding dust and particulates but i use the chemical one for welding. I always can taste stuff in my mouth after welding but not when i have the mask on esp on galv...Bob

[DesertRider33]

I've been welding a ton of gavanized on the job I'm on now and a 3M respirator with the the pink filters works good. I don't get sick or smell the galvi fumes.

[Jack Olsen]

Yeah, you can get a 3M 6000 series on Amazon for less than $10. Get the filters that are specific to welding. They're a lot more comfortable than the cheap paper surgical-style ones.

An extraction fan where you weld wouldn't hurt, either. I paid $80 for an attic fan that I put right above my table. You can hear the garage door make a sound when it kicks in -- it moves 1200 cfm.

[L. Hyatt]

You need to be checked first by a medical doctor that you are able to wear a respirator. Not everyone can wear one. The fiber ones with the rubber band straps are more for dust, not for fumes plus they are combustible from welding sparks so they shouldn't be used.

[HakBot]

Are those pink filters the entire filter or a cover? What filters are specific to welding?

Also what conditions would mean you cant wear a mask? Seems odd that you can huff in metal and toxic fumes but you would say some cant wear a respirator....

[cnywelder]

I have a North brand respirator with a "backpack kit".
This adds tubes that go around behind your back so that the cartidges are behind your back instead of squeezing them in under your helmet.
Here's a link to a picture
http://ep.yimg.com/ip/I/masksnmore_2052_16030874


They also have an adapter to turn their masks into a supplied air system.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally Posted by HakBot

Are those pink filters the entire filter or a cover? What filters are specific to welding?

I use a 3M 2091 filters. They're the filter, not a cover, and are "for use in a variety of applications including welding, brazing, torch cutting, metal pouring, soldering, and exposure to lead, asbestos, cadmium, arsenic, and MDA."

[L. Hyatt]

There are many medical reasons you may not be able to wear a respirator, such as diseases and conditions of the lungs, heart, circulatory system, neurological system, etc. People shouldn't be breathing in metal or toxic fumes; but they do. If they choose to breathe this stuff in, it's their choice. By their choice they have decided not to protect themselves from the metal or toxic fumes. They still may not be medically fit to wear a respirator whether they breathe this stuff in or not. If they choose to protect themselves from the metal and toxic fumes and are not medically able to wear a respirator, they should exhaust the fumes away from themselves so they don't have to breathe them. The first choice should always be engineering controls (exhaust devices) over personal protection devices (respirators).

[FoxholeAtheist]

I got one of these for particulates when working on my boat... Resp-O-Rator, but I don't think it would do much (if anything) for welding fumes. I have a full beard, so this works quite well. I'd like to get something like what cnywelder posted, but with a mouthpiece.