Facial hair

D

Dr Feelgood

Joined
Jan 3, 2011
Messages
71
Im a hairy mofo with a beard like moses.
The other day I went to the store to look into getting a respirator but they dont get a good seal over my beard plus I was thinking (could it possibly catch fire ??) I like the whole norse god look but will I have to cut it off to do this kind of work ?? Do any of the experienced guys here have bears and such ??
Thanks again!
 
There are several threads about respirators in the last two months which also included facial hair.


-Xander
 
The inexpensive half mask one will require a trim and a shave


A full beard will cost you $ with other models, see the last 2 links for others

3M PAPR
Resp-O-Rator
3m Breathe Easy
Trend Airshield Pro
Air Cap II



Respirators
Chronic lung disease and cancer really suck the joy out of life.
The minimum I would consider are the 3M 7500 and North 7700 silicone half masks with a P100 Filter.
Use a VOC & P100 combo cartridge for protection against acetone and solvents.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=788837
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=726309
 
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Beards are for sissies!!! :eek:

;) :p Just kidding...

When I worked at the paper mill and we'd have to get a "fit test" done, they absolutely would NOT do the test on someone with a beard (that poor lady in the store-room had to shave :( ;) ). And we had ALL the fancy schmancy stuff, like PAPRs.

I talked to one of the mill safety guys that was very down to earth and not a safety nazi, and he told me that you can still get a pretty good seal with a trimmed goatee, but much of a full beard and you really will never get a great seal with most all of the units.

Guess it's a good thing I never hit puberty and can't grow a man's beard! :eek: :foot: :D
 
I have a pretty thick beard that I've recently trimmed to about 1" to 1.5" long. For me, a regular stanley brand respritor from Menards seals PRETTY well. That being said, I has a harness/strap for the top,back part of my skull as well as for behind my neck, and I keep it sinched pretty tight. I definitely keeps the big stuff out, and I can get a decent amount of suction when I cover the ports.

Will it ever work as well as a clean shaven face? No, but it's better than nothing by far.
 
Just wanted to add that, since starting the thread recently about full-face respirators and beards, I've actually been using a 3M half-mask model quite a bit lately, with a full beard, because I haven't had a chance to order a full face model.


Is it an OSHA satisfying seal that'll safe your life from super toxic crap? No. Absolute not. Does it keep the vast majority of grinder/forge/etc dust and metal particles out of your lungs? Absolutely.

The safety police will probably give me a hard time for this, but most of us that are serious about our beards aren't going to cut them, period. I don't know what percentage of filtration I'm getting, but anything is better than just filtering with my beard. I do know confidently that I'm not coughing up black shit anymore, or blowing ink out of my nose at night, so it must be pretty effective.

I still plan to get a full face model as soon as I get a chance, since I don't find the fit comfortable with the half-face model and safety glasses, but I'm definitely feeling healthier with the lesser solution.
 
I'm an old gray beard and never found a respirator that I liked as they are all uncomfortable. I use alot of dust removal equipment in my shop to compensate. I have a large window exhaust fan that I use in addition to a dust collector system and a shop air filter system aswell. This cuts down alot of dirt in the air. I still get some black goop in my nose particularly when grinding handle materials and polishing. Been doing this for almost 25 years and have no ill side effects, but I am sure all the smoking I did earlier in life has had more of an effect than the few knives I make each year with a well ventilated shop.

For a full time maker, a respirator would be a good idea.
 
In the Infantry we used to have Pioneer Platoon which did engineer type tasks as per tradition they were allowed to have beards . To get a good seal with gas masks they would apply vaseline to where the mask contacts the face and got good seals . Enough to keep out tear gas /CS gas and were rated for all the other chemicals/ biological weapons too. So try vaseline with your mask and you can save the lumberjack beard.
 
Mmmmm mmmm..... lumberjack beard full of Vaseline! :barf: :D I can sure see where that would beat getting tear gas in your face though!!! :eek:

In all fairness, I should have pointed out that I'm horrible about this sort of thing. It's amazing how you can say, "Oh I'm just going to grind the corner off this micarta block real quick" and then you have that smell in your nose all day and that black crud at night. :o

I got one of those full face respirators and HATE it. It's very uncomfortable and I sweat like there's no tomorrow with it on. So half the time I just don't put it on. I wear those cheapy semi-disposable masks quite often... I always figure they suck but are better than nothing at all.

I'm going to have to find a new 3M half-mask here soon.
 
I'm just an amateur, so my investment in equipment is only moderate.
Of the disposable masks, I've found these work shockingly well: 3M 9210, "Respirator N95 Particulate"
I have full-but-short facial hair and these 3M's keep the crap out of my air holes.

Other equipment I regularly don:
work shirt (optional)
apron
safety glasses (over my regular specs)
earmuffs
ball cap to keep the dust out of my hair and sparks off my forehead.

I really hate crap in my lungs. I'm a non-smoker, reasonably fit, and like to bicycle when I can. The 3M's work pretty well for the amateur and don't have problems with glasses etc.

-Daizee
 
I bought an Airshield by Trend recently. Heard about it first from Page (Sunshadow) on here. I haven't tried it yet but will post about it when I do. Looks promising. Only problem is it makes you look like a doofuss. Ok who am I kidding, I look like that anyway. :D
 
Unless your working outdoors and even then there is no excuse for not wearing at least a half-mask, there $30 and will save you from things like cancer. You don't see the fine particles that are the most harmful for you. Regardless if you make one knife a year you should have a proper respirator, that's my opinion.But I smoke a pack a day and have been exposed to some really toxic smoke and fumes without anything so I don't need any extra crap in there.
 
A specalist in the safety mask thing chatted with me after his very informal presentation. I don't have a beard by the way. He felt any help was better than none and that the 3M particle masks did do some good and if you weren't going to use a full face, then why not go with at least one of those? Frank
 
I recently bought the powered air mask from woodcraft ,$69.00 . I like it and it is more comfortable than any other 1/2 mask I have worn .
 
I like the Air Cap II. It is good enough for normal grinding. A beard makes no difference.
I have a Trend Airshield, too, but it is much more bulky and it looks like I'm running a meth lab.
I have heard from others that the new powered half masks ( like ONeil mentioned) are not bad for the price.
 
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