finishing protection

[Austin Dienner]

when finishing with a lacquer finish the smell can get very strong. I have heard people talking about wearing masks when finishing. What kind of mask do i need and where can i get them? Anybody with any ideas please let me know.
thanks
austin

[mark page]

Austin,

You need one rated for paint, lacquer, pesticides, etc. I use a 3M respirator myself only because I've had it for years and can still get replacement cartridges for it. Do pay attention to the required changing intervals of the filter cartridges and keep your respirator sealed when not in use. The active charcoal and other items work 24/7 and leaving them exposed shortens the lifespan of them. I have seen cheap ones sold in a plain package not sealed and without a resealable bag and would not trust them for initial use myself. Also without good ventilation, you might consider a full face mask version if your eyes get irritated. Depends on the amount of fumes and overspray. My hvlp gun does not have much of an overspray issue as most of it turns to dust before hitting the floor or finishing table. I use less protection using water based lacquers such as Target USL, but still use a respirator rated for high dust volume. Not so much fumes with water based. My wife can walk through the shop when spraying water based and cannot even tell I'm spraying. Oil, solvent, catalyzed, etc, are on the otherhand very dangerous to your health in more ways than one. If you even get a slight hint of smell from these finishes, either your filter is bad or fully consumed OR YOUR VENTILATION IS LACKING AND YOUR SPRAYING IS OVERLOADING YOUR RESPIRATOR. If my memory serves me right, the maximum allowable amounts of air contamination for respirators, and I due believe in compliance with OSHA regulations also, are 1000 parts per million. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. I do not have equipment to measure these amounts so don't ask me about them. Probably the closest source of this equipment would be my local fire dept. haz mat team.
Rule of thumb, when in doubt you cannot ever be over protected.