One reason why to use a good respirator!!!!

marekz

marekz

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
1,699
Hello all, I work in a hospital and come across alot of folks with various medical problems. I work as an occupatiuonal therapist and today I came across a fella who has been making knives for over 20 years. He is now 77 years old. We got to talking and he told me he always wore one of those white slip on masks while grinding. He now has end stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is on oxygen and has extreme difficulty getting a " full" breath. He never smoked.The dust particles that made it through the mask sorta settled in his lungs. He has scar tissue all over his lungs that caused multiple nodules. The doctor agrees with him that his problem is 100% related to not using the proper respirator.He is facing a extremely difficult and a fearfull situation. Imagine not be able to catch your breath. I wish him the best and have compassion for him..
I just wanted to share that story. Thank you-Marekz
 
Thanks for that reminder. I find myself grinding all the time without one and I know better, but I get lazy or impatient. I'll remember that guy next time.
 
Thank you for sharing Mark. I'm still new to knifemaking, but reading Ed's story last year scared me into buy several respirators. I now make it a point to never turn on a piece of equipment in the shop or begin hand sanding without putting the respirator on. Once I start working in the shop, the respirator stays on until I leave.
 
Man, this is a subject that folks need beat into their heads on a regular basis. We are not "normal" people. We have long term chronic exposure that will catch up with us unless we observe precautions that casual hobbyists might think is silly.

The cutlers of yesteryear all died young.

Ultra fine dust that goes right through dust collector filters and stays airborne for hours is the most dangerous pollution because it penetrates deep in the lungs and crosses cell membranes. And it doesn't cause black buggers. Nuisance masks give a false sense of security.
 
Thanks Mark. I have a pretty good dust extraction system so I have a false sense of security and I don't wear the respirator nearly enough.
 
I suppose now would be a good time to ask what type is needed then. I use one of those slip on masks and I assumed it was sufficient as the packaging says for sanding and grinding...now I'm not so sure.
 
I don't wear a respirator because it fogs up my glasses. Can you guys reccomend a respirator that would let me see without fogging up my glasses at every breath? Man, that's a scary story, I'm a convert.

Dave
 
BladefulArt said:
I suppose now would be a good time to ask what type is needed then. I use one of those slip on masks and I assumed it was sufficient as the packaging says for sanding and grinding...now I'm not so sure.
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I thought the slip on masks would be good enough for knifemaking as well, but after reading Mark's post, I'm going to be looking into a good respirator that fits well! :eek: -Matt-
 
David Stifle said:
I don't wear a respirator because it fogs up my glasses. Can you guys reccomend a respirator that would let me see without fogging up my glasses at every breath? Man, that's a scary story, I'm a convert.

Dave
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The Powered Air Purifying Respirator does not, My trend respirator, as well as the more expensive 3M versions have a faceplate attached to a hard hat of sorts and supply a continuous stream of filtered air from up above the glasses downward exhausting around the neck area. My Trend has always been fog free inside as long as it is turned on. If you have a half-mask that is fogging your glasses, you do not have a good seal. PAPR respirators do not depend on sealing to the face which is why they are recommended for people with facial hair

-Page
 
David Stifle said:
I don't wear a respirator because it fogs up my glasses. Can you guys reccomend a respirator that would let me see without fogging up my glasses at every breath? Man, that's a scary story, I'm a convert.

Dave
Click to expand...

Dave,
I upgraded to a 3M 7502 half-mask w/ the pink P100 filters after Ed's thread from a few years ago. My old AO half-mask from HF did not give me a great seal, and exhausted to the front... both of which contributed to fogging my glasses. The silicon seal and downward-facing exhaust of the 7502 have solved the fogging problem for me. I do not typically have much facial hair, so if you keep yourself groomed like Grizzly Adams, your mileage may vary. :D
Erin
 
I am going to buy the 3m 7500 series, as I wear glasses/safety glasses and the down facing exhaust is supposed to work well to keep from fogging them up. Someone on Amazon has them pretty cheap! Add the P100 filters, and it should ship for free I think.

Ha! Erin beat me to it :D
 
YES...Wear a good respirator! All of a sudden over the past year I have been getting these staph infections and believe me they are NO fun.After being on anti-biotics for so long they still would not go away completely.Well after test after test after test it was established I have a infection in my right lung probably caused by some sort of dust particles.After being looked at by I don"t know how many specialist and them finally finding out I make knives the cause was narrowed down (after a lung biopsy) to either Elk antler dust or ivory dust.I am now on a antibiotic that seems to be working with the strict orders to stay away from knife making for 15-20 days and stay off my feet.:mad:Anyway I have purchased a very good respirator that will be wore in my shop always.Thats my story so WEAR YOUR RESPIRATOR:D
 
I have a beard and glasses and I have been using a resp-o-rator http://www.resp-o-rator.com/ the last couple of months and find that I use it a lot more than I did my previous respirator. It is light and comfortable plus it is quick to take out of your mouth to talk on the phone etc.
 
I don't always wear a proper respirator. If I'm deburring a few parts real quick I'll put on a 3M P95 dust mask (which is classified as a respirator) because it is simpler than putting on a real respirator and I see it as "good enough" for a minute of exposure.

It is important to throw these away once they start to look dirty because you'll start pulling in air from around the mask instead of through it because they don't really seal well.

If I'm sitting down to grind for more than a minute I use the 7500 series 3M respirator that Ed Caffery researched. I don't turn a grinder on without something. This includes belt sanders, surface grinders and buffs. Nor do I stay in an area that exchanges air with my grinding area without something if I've been grinding recently.

A P95 dust mask is better than nothing. But it lets a lot of the smallest harmful particles through. Way more than just 5% of them. In fact a P100 respirator doesn't filter out everything, some of the smallest particles still get through, but in amounts that have been deemed "safe".

I figure, your lungs don't have to last forever. But they do need to last the rest of your life. And damage is accumulative. You see these guys at construction sites working in a cloud of dust cutting block with an abrasive saw, and they look healthy. But in 20 years, I'm afraid many of them won't still look so healthy.

I find the 7500 series respirator to be comfortable to wear all day. I modified a pair of eyeglasses so they fit well with the respirator in place. It vents to the bottom, so fog is a non issue. I have a medium large head and found size large fits me right.
 
Thanks guys. I Was a macho kind of guy before as well. I have since let my membership to the black boogers club expire.

I used to laser cut Acrylic, with zero dust collection. It looked like that prank smoke in a tube stuff was floating all over. I would breath this stuff in, not to mention steel dust, and get sick as a dog. Had pneumonia when I was 18, and was prone to getting sick very easily. I finally pushed to make sure we got a good ventilation system in place, and since then my lung infections have been fewer and farther between.

Your stories here reminded me to use a respirator at home as well.
 
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