Old dust, health and motivation

[Robert Engel]

Facial hair (I have some) is going to impede the fit of any mask, whether it is a cheap 3M n95 fuzzy mask or one with a silicone seal. I used one of their $30 automotive paint respirator masks while spraying latex in a basement (with as much cross ventilation as I could get) and could still taste the paint two days later.

Just to clarify, when you say full face mask, are you speaking of the ones with that also cover your eyes? Or one like this:

First, big diff between paint overspray and wood dust. You obviously were not using the correct mask for painting.
2)My point was the paper dust masks are inferior because they do not seal well. This is the main reason why they are not recommended. Common sense tells us they will perform even worse with facial hair.

Yes, I'm referring to the second type of mask. If you think the $2 mask is working, then use it because its better than nothing.
Its your lungs I'm done trying to convince you.

[Ole Anderson]

First, big diff between paint overspray and wood dust. You obviously were not using the correct mask for painting.
2)My point was the paper dust masks are inferior because they do not seal well. This is the main reason why they are not recommended. Common sense tells us they will perform even worse with facial hair.

Yes, I'm referring to the second type of mask. If you think the $2 mask is working, then use it because its better than nothing.
Its your lungs I'm done trying to convince you.

Mask #2 is not a full face mask it is a "half face" respirator. It may "breathe" a little easier and be cooler, and certainly "look" like it would do a better job but if both have a NIOSH N95 rating, how is one better than the other with respect to lung protection? I was looking for data, not opinion. And just to be clear, I am not speaking of the 10 for $5 paper mask with a single strap. And I attribute the spray painting incident to facial hair, not use of the improper mask. I was using a 3M 5000 series paint respirator which specifically recommends not using it with facial hair. My thought on the "fuzzy" mask is that it may seal better with all of the fibers intermingling with the hair, whereas the silicone seal on the half mask may just sit on top of the hair.

[Skip Helms]

Update:

Hi Folks. I ordered a snail-shell blower instead of the exhaust fan I showed in a previous post. Roughly the same CFM, a bit cheaper and much less remediation for the exit hole. Plus, I can use the thing for other jobs if needed. I'll post my experience when the parts are here and tested.

My studies revealed a potential opportunity. It looks like an inexpensive, corded leaf blower will be fine for stirring the dust off shop surfaces. Even the cheap ones often are a combination of blower and vacuum/leaf mulcher. The stock leaf bags are porous but with some creative sewing, it looks like they could be lined or replaced with a HEPA fabric to become a de facto shop-vac. It would be nice not to have to drag my canister unit around the floor for out-of-the-way cleaning.

Has anyone worked with a HEPA fabric for unconventional dust-collection tasks? Even better, are ready-made high-tolerance bags on the market?

Thanks, sh

[Jon Endres]

My solution would involve taping off the stairs to the first floor and letting rip with a big leaf blower. Go to a local rental yard and get one of those monster fans that are about 5' in diameter and point it outside, make sure you have a window at the other end open (or two!) so that you don't draw the dust back in around the edges. Keep the fan running for half an hour after you "clean up".

[Skip Helms]

Thanks Jon, Alas, the only door into the basement is 36" wide. It blows into a stairwell from ground level so I expect some resistance.

I just ordered a 4k CFM snail-shell blower (the kind used for drying carpets). I'll rout a hole in the door to fit the exhaust port and rig a hinged stand on the inside of the door to hold it securely. When not in use, the table will fold up and latch to keep someone from being able to reach in the hole and unlock the door. On the outside I'll figure out some kind of weather-flap.

Once that is in place, I'll take a leaf-blower and blast all of the shop surfaces to get old dust into the air-stream. It may take some auxiliary fans pushing air into dead zones to get everything moving. A window on the far side of the basement will supply the air. Also on order is a Elipse P100 mask.

I see this taking a while. I've got things to organize. Much of what gets organized will be organized into trash bags. My wood storage needs attention. Things I thought might be useful someday weren't and with so much extra space (relative to what I actually use as a shop) it has been piling-up for a long time. Initially I'll hit all of the surface dust just to clean what I have to rearrange. Then I'll have to do it again to get under where it sat.

I'm saving the floor for last. The basement has cinder-block walls and a solid concrete floor. It slopes gradually towards a central sump-pump. I'm thinking I'll hit the lower walls and floor with the hose, brush it towards the drain and use my fancy new fan to dry things out. I'll get some help from a whole-house dehumidifier.

All of this is overdue. I've spent more time in the shop lately and noticed a scratchy throat even when I'm not doing anything dusty. Dust is everywhere. I'll certainly never get all of it but it's a start. Cheers, sh