The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Respirators

Is there a reasonablly priced alternative to a respirator for those of us with to much facial hair???

I have a fairly decent one that works pretty good for the most part. When Im really going at it I try and use the respirator, goggles and a full face mask and sometimes even a few t-shirts to keep the crap out of my face, mouth and lungs. But I always wondered if there was something that would work a bit better?

Im referring more to blasting, grinding, wire wheeling, etc.

Thanks, Jeff

You could use a diving bell Jeff or just SHAVE like the rest of us civilized men do.
Just pullin' yor jeeber Jeff, I know where your comming from, I used to keep a beard every winter years ago and had the same problems with the dust maskes. the beard made them pretty much usless.
Of course with the blasting you should be using a diving bell or rather a hood with fresh air coming in. That taint very practicle for the otheres though. Even the full face masks for spraying won't cover a full beard.
Now if you are willing to get rid of the full beard and just keep one of those Devil beards like Bruce Springstine and other celebs have that would solve your problem also.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Auto Restorer magazine had an article several months ago that described modifications to divers scuba gear to use for painting.

I looks like you're more concerned about particulates. A plain old dust mask will work great. The beard will stop about any particulates the size you refer to. My face has been unshorn for over 40 years & all I used while sanding/grinding was a dust mask. The biggest problem I had was where it fits around the nose. No problems at all pulling crud through the beard.

You just have to think of your beard as something kind of like the element on a oil bath air cleaner. Just soak it in oil for a while before you work and it should catch all those particles!!

I'm just being a smarta$$ Jeff.

I like it!

I've wondered about these. They're cheap enough to try:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Russian-GP-5-Civilian-Protective-Gas-Mask-Adult-size_W0QQitemZ150284192339QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150284192339&_trkparms=72%3A552%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

I dont know, I might spook the neighbors and be arrested in some terrorist plot!

All joking aside, ask any industrial hygenist and he'll tell you that the finer the particle the more damage it does to your lungs 'cause they get injested deeper down into your lungs. There's only one way to have a good seal with a resperator and that's a clean shaven face. Also, those cheap paper dust masks (plain old dusk masks?) are no protection at all. I have a half face and a full face with air supply at my job and they both require a clean shaven face. I even had to shorten my fu mancho !

I worked in a shop as a painter and metal refinisher that had a awesome down draft bench, iron grating over the top. I have thought many times that it would be great to have my grinding wheel or buffing wheel used over something like that (universal mount). The motor was explosion proof since it was mainly used for spot primer on small items for finish sanding and cleaning metal after buffing with thinners prior to clear coating, but the draft could flush the air in the shop in less than an hour.
If you have ever been on an industrial grinding wheel or buffer for any length of time you know that your cloths with be riddled with tiny holes that grow with each washing or black with dust that will ruin any good maytag and still be gray.