I am asking this info because I know many of you paint. We primed my steelies tonight, I used a respirator that my buddy had. I dont trust it....cough.hack.argh..........Well, not really that bad but I want to buy a good quality one of my own since I am getting back into the painting. Any thoughts on types? I wear glasses, is there one that does better with them? Price? Online places? Just asking since I am curious. BTW, I will post pics of the final flaked wheels sometime this weekend!!!
A respirator isn't good enough for some of the new Trick Shit(tm) paints.They require a mask with a fresh air supply.
There are many available, buy a brand name and you'll be OK. My only recommendation is to get a full-face mask; many people don't realize how much of the overspray actually enters your body through your eyes. Since you already wear glasses, a full-face mask would suit you even better. Good luck...
[ QUOTE ] A respirator isn't good enough for some of the new Trick Shit(tm) paints.They require a mask with a fresh air supply. [/ QUOTE ] Unkl Ian is right, look for isocyanates in the paint, that's the shit that'll kill ya. The only paint I use that have isocyanates is the clear top coat. Better to check manufacturers safety sheet before you start...
I use a 3M respirator....the kind with charcoal canisters. I'm not really a painter...but thats what my painter uses and what my paint rep sells us. do not leave it open to the air.....they will be useless after about 30 days...keep it sealed in the bag it comes in!
$14.00 desposables. Paint store stocks em, keep in a sealed coffee can between uses. Good for two complete paint jobs. Cal
Cal, I used a disposable. I can feel it! I am looking to another option. I need a good charcoal mask I think.
I had to get a fresh air system because I had a severe reaction to Isocyanates. I stayed in the shop for a whole evening drinking beer and watching TV while the car I was painting was curing....real STUPID! I ventilated the shop til the solvent smell was pretty much gone but that wasn't enough. Isocyanates don't smell and they keep outgassing for hours while the paint is curing. Had a REAL bad fuckin' headache for days and puked for two days. I also got nerve damage. They call it peripherial neuropathy. Now if I'm even around it a little, my feet and hands feel like they're on fire and numb at the same time, and it never goes away, but each exposure to isocyanates makes it worse. The nerves are deteriorating and I'm on pretty heavy drugs....expensive too. I was over to a guys shop last weekend and he had painted some DP90 earlier and we were in the shop drinking beer for a couple of hours where the parts were hanging. The parts were still gassing isocyanates while they were curing and it fucked me up again. Once you get a good dose you're more susceptable to smaller exposures in the future. Trust me, it ain't worth it. The charcoal masks don't filter out everything. If you've got a good paint booth with real good ventilation, they'll do ok if they're fresh. Get a fresh air system if you're going to do a lot of painting. They're a pain in the ass to paint with but what's your health worth? The one I got is a Neoterik that I got from Len at Autobodystore.com. I found that if I leave it out where it's real easy to get at instead of in a box somewhere, I'm more likely to use it. Permanently installed would even be better. Then all I'd have to do is turn it on and put the hood on. I still paint without it sometimes but I can tell my health is getting worse and I know I shouldn't. I have trouble seeing thru the plastic window in the hood because of reflections and paint is attracted to it. I bought a roll of double sided tape and a box of those clear plastic sheets from an office supply place that they use for overhead presentations in meetings and use them as tear offs. I change them while I'm filling the gun or between coats and I can see pretty good. I know there will be a lot of guys say that they use charcoal respirators or hold their breath and basically don't protect themselves and they've never had a problem. I was that way too but now it really sucks to be me just because I thought I knew it all. I've also had two friends die in their 40's from lung cancer and both were painters and smokers. ....just my $.02 worth...
I know two guys who had to get out of the bodywork and paint business, as even though they used all of the latest respirators and fresh air systems, they kept getting sick. When they got the flu, it lasted a month. When they got a cold it easily lasted two weeks. Their Doctors finally figured they had developed some sort of chemical sensitivity to the compounds in the air at a body shop and that it had screwed up their immune systems. Both of these guys had been doing this type of work for more than 15 years. They both had to find new careers and now no longer have major health problems, but they do both feel that they will probably have a weakened immune system for the rest of their lives. Think of all the stuff that's floating around in a body shop other than the fumes/chemicals from the paints and thinners/reducers: bondo dust, residue from sandpaper, sanded off paint and primer dust, fumes from cleaning agents and paint strippers, dust from spot sandblasters, etc., etc.
CharlieLed, Isosyanates are every where you turn in the auto body industry. It`s pretty much a fact of life in this trade.
[ QUOTE ] CharlieLed, Isosyanates are every where you turn in the auto body industry. It`s pretty much a fact of life in this trade. [/ QUOTE ] That's a good point, that's why I suggested checking the manufacturer's safety sheets for the products you may be using. I hope some of the younger guys on this board read this thread well, especially purplepickup and BigJim394's first hand experiences, warning labels are usually not read and if they are they are most times ignored. Real people with real ailments add perspective to this issue that can't be gotten from a printed warning. As an added note, how many of us have used "Super Glue"? Look at the label, this is probably the most common household product that uses isocyanate as it's main active ingredient.
I feel like a religious fanatic when this subject comes up. You need a full air makeup system to be safe....Have you ever met an 80 year old bodyman???...didn't think so.
[ QUOTE ] There are many available, buy a brand name and you'll be OK. My only recommendation is to get a full-face mask; many people don't realize how much of the overspray actually enters your body through your eyes. Since you already wear glasses, a full-face mask would suit you even better. Good luck... [/ QUOTE ] Not only does it enter through your eyes, it's also absorbed through the skin. I wear a full tyvex disposable suit and laytex gloves.
Seems that every time I see photos of guys on this board spraying paint, they're doing it in a t-shirt and maybe with a bandana over their nose. That's no-good. And when I said so, I got lambasted by the dudes. I'm glad to see some support for saftey. Painting a car today isn't like the laquer days where you could paint with little protection. It's dangerous. It's deadly. And safety concerns aside, it's expensive and complicated. I'll admit it. I'm a do-it-yourself type guy on almost everything I do, but the economic and health concerns I have about paint make me turn it over to someone with experience and equipment to handle it.
sooo.... if i were to be looking for a good deal on a respirator where would i find one? online anywhere? cheaper to go in person to a dealer?
Isocyanates, superglue?!! Oh shit, I must be done for! I've been using superglue to hold my caps in my teeth since 1984 or 84. Oh well, another pollutant to add to the ever growing list of toxins I've imbided.
I use a respirator from my hardware store in the chrome shop when I'm dealing with chlorine and swap the cartridges for when I'm buffing. Think it wa $36 I'm pretty sure you can get cartridges for just about anything. Of course skin absorption is another matter. Good air exchange or draft is a lot of it. No good taking the respirator off when your finished in a shop full of fumes. But then I'm the guy that holds his dental caps in with super glue.
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