Dust mask recommendation needed

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Tecumsea

Tecumsea

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Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
5,296
Location
Chesterfield. Derbyshire. UK
After preparing four resin busts ready for painting yesterday I woke up at 2am coughing and to avoid waking the boss spent the rest of the night downstairs in a chair.

The kits required a minimum of prep and I used a scalpel with minimal sanding.....but still it got me...LOL

I did have an industrial mask but gave it away as it has two filters either side and looked like something from a space mission.

Are there effective masks out there without going to industrial solutions.

I suffer from Hay Fever particularly in damp weather so I'm very susceptible to dust and pollen.

Any suggestions (apart from cutting my head off ) gratefully received.

Keith
 
IMG_20171102_210958.jpg
 
All the methods I know about require dust control or some change in materials to limit exposures.
Could you adapt your work methods from dry to wet?
Can you adapt to using ventilation in the painting and surfacing work?
Can you wear an individual respirator?

When I was working with aircraft trades ['70s thru the '90s] the results we were getting from air monitoring required changes - ventilation, changes in materials, paints, fillers, etc., going from dry to wet sanding and respirators. None of these were popular with the workers.

Now, I use a combo of wet sanding, dry sanding, & small fans for modelling and I don't wear an individual respirator. I don't use a respirator because I'm not clean-shaven and all of them depend on that.

Attached are some modelling article excerpts on wet sanding and related methods from a brief Bing search... You'd probably find more on You Tube...
Would be interested to know what works for you...

All the best,
Dan
  1. How to Use Wet Sandpaper | Hunker

    https://www.hunker.com/13401522/how-to-use-wet-sandpaper
    Attach a strip of 500-grit wet sandpaper to a hand-sanding block. Hard rubber sanding blocks work best. Dip the block into the soap and water solution. Sand the wood lightly with a circular motion. Continue dipping the block into the water to keep the surface of the wood wet.
  2. Wet Sanding Gives Your Projects a Scratch-Free Finish

    https://makezine.com/2016/05/10/wet-sanding-gives-your-projects-a...
    Wet sanding is typically done after dry sanding to get an even finish. Unlike dry sanding, wet sanding is done not to shape a surface, but to remove the large scratches left by dry sanding.
  3. Images of wet sanding methods for models

    bing.com/images

    See more images of wet sanding methods for models
  4. Wet-sanding a model car body | Scale Auto Magazine

    www.scaleautomag.com/how-to-models/.../06/wet-sanding-a-model-car-body
    Wet-sanding a model car body June 20, 2014 Q: I'm a 41-year-old dad who needed a hobby to keep my sanity, so I bought my first model kit in 25+ years.
  5. Rules for Sanding Wood | Popular Woodworking Magazine

    https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/rules_for_sanding_wood
    Three Sanding Methods. Other than using a stationary sanding machine or a belt sander, which will take a good deal of practice to learn to control, there are three methods of sanding wood: with just your hand backing the sandpaper, with a flat block backing the sandpaper and with a …
  6. Wet-sanding a model car body | Scale Auto Magazine

    www.scaleautomag.com/en/Subscriber Extras/Tips and Tech/2014/06/Wet...
    Wet-sanding a model car body. June 20, 2014 Q: I'm a ... By wet-sanding early in the process – say, during the primer phase – you might actually smooth the surface too much, which might prevent the color coats from adhering to the basecoat primer. ... Our best advice is to experiment with several different painting methods until you find ...
  7. What grit sandpaper or sticks should I be using? - Scale model

    cs.finescale.com/fsm/tools_techniques_and_reference.../t/151298.aspx
    What grit sandpaper or sticks should I be using? Posted by Brogar on Monday, December 03, 2012 9:30 AM I'm attempting my first airplane in 20+ years and I am having difficulties sanding …
  8. Wet Sanding - When, Where, and How to Do it! - Dr. Beasley's

    https://www.drbeasleys.com/blog/2014/03/21/wet-sanding
    One of the less dangerous applications for wet sanding is in leveling touch-ups. By going lightly over a few localized spots with wet sandpaper, technicians can use spot sanding to “haze up” the paint enough to make polishing easier. There are also cases where wet sanding is more effective than compounding.
  9. HOW TO | Wet Sanding & Polishing - YouTube

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_e9WOMO6s
    Dec 16, 2012 · This video show how to wet sand and polish your model cars. link for the abrasive cloths: http://www.micromark.com/micro-mesh-finishing-kit,7601.html
  10. Airfield Models - Model Builder's Guide to Selecting Sandpaper

    www.airfieldmodels.com/.../model_building_tools/sandpaper.htm
    Wet or Dry sandpaper is designed for non-porous surfaces. It is good for sanding paint, fiberglass, metal, etc. Finer grades are good for finish-sanding balsa wood. It is good for sanding paint, fiberglass, metal, etc. Finer grades are good for finish-sanding balsa wood.
 
Keith
use aa mask with a 3p rating which you can get from screw fix for a few quid and you will not look like something from
quatermass . showing my age here LOL
 
3M make masks with changeable filters which you can get in DIY stores. I bought one after priming several things with an aerosol in my old garage and blowing out black bits when blowing my nose the next day. I smoked a couple of cigarettes afterwards pondering the issue iof masks.

Cheers

Huw
 
I use a 3M respirator with the pink filters.. canget you the number .
also, most of the time, I do not 'sand' the resin but chisel away the defects using small japanese chisels... it does reduce a lot the amount of dust in the air.
 
I agree Ron, the Russians are currently setting the standard for casting together with some of the European producers, there are a few that need to catch up. There does however seem to be limited number of casters around which seems to be a reason for some of the smaller companies experiencing supply difficulties.

I've a mask arriving today recommended by Richard at Oakwood studios. It has a 3P filter as recommended.

Thank you all for your help.

Keith
 
Another thought on respirators...I think I'd be remiss if I didn't bring this up.
No respirator will prevent you breathing in dusts or vapors unless the respirator fits your face - [small, medium, or large] and you are clean shaven in the area where the mask contacts your skin. If you are not clean shaven, gaps between the face and the mask can allow contaminated air to bypass the filters.

A couple of you have mentioned the 3M respirator products, and specifically the pink [or magenta] P-100 filters. These are fine for protection against dusts and particulates. If your exposures will include paints and/or thinners, I would use the #60926 combination cartridge and filter.

Do not try to mix and match parts from different manufacturers. Example, the 3M P-100 filter will not fit on a Willson respirator.

You can buy the 3M respirator products on Amazon or WalMart. For help with questions about 3M safety products, they have a consumer portal at https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/consumer-us/.
I'm not a rep for 3M, Willson Safety products, Amazon or WalMart.

All the best,
Dan
 

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