Respirator or no respirator, that is the question (part 2)

[James Duxbury]

I can't believe this---I had all of these same problems. And I invented the Resp-O-Rator. It's under $50.00. Works great with beards. Totally compatable with all ear and eye protection. Does not fog glasses even at zero degree temperatures. Fits under a face shield and most welding helmets. Does not fog them either.
People spend hundreds of dollars for these face shields with little fans and batteries. Most are about $275.00 This thing costs $50.00 and with a $15.00 full face shield it is $65.00---Total. No little fans buzzing, No batteries to charge and replace in a year. Their battery often costs over $65.00 and it is only good for 4 hours.

Better than all of that these units have filters that say pre filter, fine filter, main filter,final filter??? What does that mean? No matter what respirator you use, read what the filtration is in MICRONS. This is the heart of the system.
This Resp-O-Rator has HEPA Filters. That is a minimum filtering efficiency of 99.97% down to 0.3 microns. It is the best particulate filter made. Why shouldn't it be - I made it for myself.

Next--whatever you use for a respirator, when you turn the grinder off, do NOT take the respirator off. That is often the time of highest concentration. Wait until the air has cleared or you leave the area.

Hope this helps. If you have any queations, on any of these things I'll do my best to answer them.

 

[Dan Pierson]

Hope this helps. If you have any queations, on any of these things I'll do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reminding me of this. I vaguely remembered it and was about to look around after getting annoyed with my (fortunately used) Racal PAPR helmet.

There is one problem this doesn't solve for knifemakers -- some of our materials require chemical filters as well as dust ones. Micarta is an example because grinding it releases formaldehyde. Have you given any thought to a variant of the Resp-O-Rator that accepts standard chemical filters?

Dan Pierson

 

[David Loukides]

Respirator or no respirator, that is the question… tis noblest in the mind...well, never mind the Bill Shakespeare. How does everyone feel about wearing respirators? Mine is decent, though it fogs up my safety glasses when I wear it. I am torn between blindness or cancer. Has anyone read a report saying metal filings cause cancer, or the dust that is o’ so common in my shop causes cancer…..

When I made my basement shop the first pryority I had was good air to breath. I have two large Hepa filters. One of them goes 24hrs a day. The other goes on when I turn on the lights. A furnace filter with 3 large computer fans drawing air thru them in the ceiling. A floor furnace air filter with a squiral cage blower. A exhaust kitchen fan in the window. If the room was filled with dust and smoke the air clears in less than a minute.
Also both shop vacuums have Hepa filters so I don't blow the fine silt back up into the air during clean up.
Lastly As far a respirator goes please look at my advartor.

 

[James Duxbury]

Thanks for reminding me of this. I vaguely remembered it and was about to look around after getting annoyed with my (fortunately used) Racal PAPR helmet.

There is one problem this doesn't solve for knifemakers -- some of our materials require chemical filters as well as dust ones. Micarta is an example because grinding it releases formaldehyde. Have you given any thought to a variant of the Resp-O-Rator that accepts standard chemical filters?

Dan Pierson

Dan,
So far the particulate filter is about all we have time to get into. We have just upgraded to the HEPA Filters and revised all the packaging. It's quite a time consuming job.

The chemical filters are a whole other world and --- maybe someday. For your Micarta problem I would suggest an exhaust system and proper ventilation. The chemical filters on any respirator have a useful life that really is not very long. Also there is no way to be sure if they are used up, just change them often or go by taste or smell as manufacturers recommend. You often see craftsmen use the same filters for months. Some have never changed them. I would ventilate as much as possible.