>I know that I should be using some sort of breathing protection while turning. I have tried the paper masks and also the "Dust Bee Gone" and cannot handle either one of them. I seem to have an air flow problem through my nasal passages and these things restrict me too much and interfere with my glasses also. Am thinking that the powered dust protection devices might be the answer. Does anyone have any recommendations or pros or cons on those that are available? available?
>Check out the Triton helmet. It's got HEPA filters in a battery powered fan box that supplies fresh air through the helmet. Full face protection and a rip-stop nylon cowl to keep the shavings out of your bib overalls (I'm in the South). Hearing protection is attached as well. The only thing missing is a good stereo, but I'm sure that can be added on. I've had one since last year and like it.
>Triton does not have HEPA filters; they are equivalent to N95. For the cost it is a good unit but if you haven't used one before it takes a little getting used to.
>The paper masks are worthless but the Dust-B-Gon are great little masks. You are the first person I have heard that has had problems with these masks. There are 3 sizes (color coded) ranked according to your neck size so make sure you have the right size. I have the maroon one and I am pretty average sized (16" neck). I am not sure how there can be any restriction in breathing, either from your nose or your mouth. The exhaled air should go right through the mask material so there should be no fogging for your glasses. Make sure the mask material is cleaned occasionally and that the wire is fitted properly across your nose. Plus, you can buy more than 8 of the $35 Dust-B-Gone masks for the price of a heavy, cumbersome, powered mask.
>Jerry - I have similar problems and have used the 3M and Trend powered air filters. The Trend has a better airflow rate and does a good job of filtering. The battery lasts longer too and charges a bit easier. The 3M works fine, too, but is a little harder to come by nowadays.
Make sure the mask is a NIOSH 95 approved mask. Many masks on the market are for nuisance dust only. The 3M power visor and the dust-bee-gone are both for nuisance dust only. A dustFoe, on the other hand is NIOSH 95 approved.
NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - I believe).
>I guess I should have been a little more specific. Actually ever since my youth I have had trouble breathing and have used a nasal spray for 50 years. Just don't like anything close to my nose. Maybe it is a phobia or something but I just do not like anything that even touches my nose. So, I was thinking that one of the powered helments might work for me. Due to the cost, I think I had better try one on in a store before purchase to see if that will work for me. Otherwise I am going to have to build a heck-of-a dust extration unit to suck away the dust and expel it to the outside of my shop.
>I read a review recently that included the Triton helmet and a couple other powered ones. I tmay have been the British turning magazine. The knock against the Triton was the stiff hose pushes the helmet down, obstructing vision and forcing the person to tilt his neck up. From the people who have the Triton, does this occur?
>I had that problem wneh I first got my Triton, the hose was kind of stiff and made for someone about a foot taller than me. The problem was easily solved with a box knife - I just cut the hose to the right length and went back to work. No big deal, didn't even require a power tool (yikes!). I mentioned this to the Triton folks and they said that they were looking into a new, more flexible hose. I've had mine since last Fall and use it with just about all of the dust-making tools in the shop and love it.
>I got mine recently and have about 20 hours on it. I don't have any problem with the hose although it has taken a bit of adjusting to get the headband just right (has a fairly standard "turn the knob" adjustment method).
I think the hose might be a bit more flexible now than when it was brand new but that's a guess.
>Yes, the hose is stiff on the current models - I received mine in late January - but I found it easy to live with once the headband was adjusted properly. The forces from the stiff hose aren't too bothersome at that point. I also tend to wear the filter-fan box on my left side rather than directly in back. This eliminates the problem of the hose being too long. It also solves another problem of a highly personal nature relating to what I might have been eating the night before . . . (The filter intake is on the bottom of the filter box.)
I use the Triton primarily when working on the lathe, but I have also used it while ripping tent pegs on a tablesaw (about 6000 of them made of 5/4 red oak,) and just this past weekend I used it while mowing the lawn. I have about a half-acre of zoysia that is just beginning to turn green. The dried out grass from last year produces a lot of dust and the Triton kept out every speck of it. It was one of the more pleasant "first mowings of the season" I've ever done.
There are many cheap (less than the cost of a DustFoe filter) NIOSH N95 dust masks available. There are also many cheap NIOSH N99 dust mask available.
Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR) don't have an N95 standard. They must meet an much higher standard. Comparing passive and PAPR using NIOSH certification as the basis for comparison is comparing apples to oranges.
NIOSH N95 testing is for dust, mist and fumes. The Dust-Bee-Gone is not designed for mist and fumes.
Woodturners have specific needs with regard to protection from wood dust. I would like to see testing done with those needs addressed. I want a dust mask that meets my needs without having to meet the needs of health care workers, miners and first responders. I think their needs are valid as well, but if in meeting their needs I end up with uncomfortable dust protection that I don't wear then NIOSH is not meeting my needs.
I have the DustFoe and I have used it. I find the mask to be uncomfortable for prolonged use. I don't wear it. I also have an Airmate. I find it to be a lot more comfortable. It obscures my vision when dust clings to the face shield and I don't use it as much as I would like The Dust Bee Gone mask is comfortable and doesn't obscure my vision. I can wear it all day long. To me, a NIOSH N95 mask that is uncomfortable to wear is a poor substitute for a mask that I will actually wear.
>I had the same problem with my original Racal and with the Triton when it was new. I solved it by wiping down the faceplate with an anti-static dryer sheet. That cut the sticking dust by about 90%.
>Another important issue for turners concerning the dust masks that are available - they don't protect you from flying wood. Dust masks won't protect your face/head from impact at all and a light weight face shield will only offer minimal protection. It only takes one chunk of high velocity wood to ruin your whole day.
>Good point, Robert. I always wore a face shield and a rubber N95 dust mask when turning and wondered about the filtration benefit of the Triton over such a setup. The combining of dust protection with far superior physical protection (better face shield and a hard hat) made the case for getting the Triton. Also, I got hearing protection in the deal as well.
After hearing from more than 1 turner who woke up on the floor in front of the lathe, I am convinced it is well worth it.
The man that invented the Resp-o-rator air filtration device did a presentation at our turning club month before last. He had experience as a scuba diver and engineer. It is a passive device that has a mouthpiece and nose clip and 2 hoses that rest on your sholders and 2 air filters that that are behind your neck. It filters down to .3 microns. It is great. I had a 3M battery powered air mask and like this much better. It's also nice not to have the batteries run down in the middle of sanding a project. It only cost $50 and is avaliable at Woodworkers Supply, Woodcraft, Packards, Craft and the other catalogs. I think this does a much better job than Power Visor and rather than weighing a couple of pounds weighs a couple of ounces. I wear this with a regular face shield and have the same combination as the Power Visor.
I don't have any affiliation with Resp-o-rator or any of the companies that sell it. I just bought it and think it is the best thing since slabed cherry.
I absolutely agree with you on the "hassle factor". An unsued mask is worthless. I have an Airmate set-up which I use - usually. I also keep a box of N95 paper 3M filters right next to my lathe that I can slap on quickly. A box of 10 costs around $20. My DustFoe is mostly a dust collector now for the reasons you state.
Having said that, we have two doctors in our club that gave a dust presentation at a club meeting more than two years ago. They scared the daylights out of me. Basically, your body has the ability to clean out a certain volume of dust on its own of various particulate sizes. The most dangerous are the 1 micron and smaller particles. These tiny particles get all the way nto your lungs. Enough exposure will permanently damage your lungs, but it doesn't take a lot to reach your body's threshold at self-cleaning.
Bigger particles are actually handled better by your body. They tend to get stopped by your nose, throat, etc. before reaching your lungs. You can still breath too much of this stuff, however.
Nuisance dust masks like a Dust Bee Gone, the 3M Power Visor and many single-layer paper filter masks are not rated to get the small particles. They reduce the big annoying stuff significantly, but they don't stop the 1 micron particles. As you say, you need to have an appropriate level of protection.
>I used to use a lightweight face shield and a dust mask before I ugraded to the Racal, then to the Triton. My lesson came in the form of a partially roughed out piece that stuck the face shield just about forehead level. It saved me from a cracked skull, but I got 3 stitches over my left eye where the headband sliced me. I haven't been hit again, but I take head/face protection very seriously.
