Dust Bee Gone?

I have the respirator, Darrel, but it's really not comfortable for long sessions.. I feel like a scuba diver.. Just looking for something a bit more comfortable for general turning..

mac

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mac davis wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Mac, First I enjoy your's and Darell's post to the newsgroups. You guys are a font of knowledge for us. Now to the question. The mask shown on the link would not is something that will provide you a great deal of fine dust protection. If your thinking about using it for general turning and then put on the respirator for the sanding part, then it would probably work. The difficulty with these types of masks is that they are fitted to your face tight enough to give you significant protection.

Be well and thanks again for your knowlege and willingness to share.

Karl

Hello Mac,

I've had one of the DustBeeGone masks since they first came out. I purchased it from Paula Nicks, its creator, at the AAW Symposium, probably in 1997, but don't really remember exactly. When I need a dust mask I use it, but we have an overhead air filter between Mildred's and my lathes and a good dust extractor system, so don't need it often. It can be washed out when dirty and can be worn wet to stop even more dust. This is especially handy when the weather is hot in summer. I find it better than the little paper cup dust masks and more comfortable than a resperator. It does keep the dust out and doesn't fog one's glasses.

There is a review on it at my More Woodturning web site written sometime after I got the mask. I first reported on the DustBeeGone mask in the November 2006 issue of More Woodturning and Paula had invented it sometime before that. That happened to be the second issue of More Woodturning.

Fred Holder

I should have provided more detail to avoid confusion.. lol I have a very good vapor/dust respirator but I hate wearing it, mostly because of my beard, I think..

I'm looking for something other than the paper masks that I wear when I'm turning.. I try to wear the canister jobby when I'm sanding..

mac

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Cool.. thanks..

mac

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font of knowledge for us.

Thank you, karl.. but I'd never put myself in the same class as Darrel, Leo, George, etc... I'm just a product of their mentoring here in the group....

will provide you a great deal of fine dust

the respirator for the sanding part, then it would probably work.

Exactly... Also, I'm not nearly as good as I should be about eye and lung protection, so anything I wear is better than nothing..

I'm one of those dummys that tell everyone to wear a face shield and have mine hanging on a wall while I wear safety glasses.. *sigh* Very bad, since I probably spend 40 hours or more a week on the lathe..

tight enough to give you significant protection.

Well, my beard will filter it a bit.. lol

You too, Karl, happy turning!

mac

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Thanks, Fred... That's exactly what it would/wood be for..

The DC goes on when the lathe is turned on, and I have a ceiling filter, but there's still usually a fine layer of dust on things in the shop after a few days... The "handkerchief test" is usually fine, but I figure that a little caution can't hurt and I HATE wearing the canister respirator..

mac

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I got a couple of them some years back when I first heard about them. For a dust mask, they are fairly good. I also am one who seldom wears a mask. 90% plus of my turning is wet wood. The rest is smaller things out of dried wood. For the wet wood, you don't need a mask. For the smaller things, with a proper hood/dust collector, you can get almost all of the dust. When sanding my bowls, I also have an excellent hood, and can sand black walnut for 6 hours straight, and blow my nose, and what comes out doesn't have any dust in it. When I do use the masks, I like them better than the paper ones. You can wash them, and you can form fit them to my face way better than the paper ones. I also have a beard. However, I don't really trust them to get all of the dust, mostly because of the beard. With a sanding hood, this can almost make up for it all. I do get a little fog on my glasses, but if I control my breathing, it is minimal.

Darrell, I also have sleep apnea, I have a spare machine that I am trying to figure out how to hook up to a mask. I have one of the older

3M face shield with a filter and battery powered fan which is nice, but too heavy for extended use. No batteries, pre filtered (I need a better filter than what comes on the CPAP), but I would be on a teather. Still need to think about it.

robo hippy

I bought one a couple of years ago but was very disappointed with it so it no longer gets used. I mistakenly bought a small one so perhaps that's the problem, but I found that when I blew my nose after a turning session there was wood dust there. I don't get that with my normal rubber mask (with s single filter at the front). Maybe I should try it again some time.

Duncan

I never felt the need until I got into ironwood... Not going to find wet ironwood and it's a MESSY wood to work with..

mac

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When I started turning my wife bought me the RACAL air filtration system. Cumbersome, heavy, and uncomfortable characterize the system which is probably is the reason it'is no longer available. As an alternative I bought Dust Be Gone mask about 5 years ago and used it a lot at first. In addition to the mask also use a 2 hp dust collector within inches of any turning and an air cleaner that recirculates the shop air 5-6 times/Hr.

Even with all this equipment there is still a layer of fine dust on all horizontal surfaces in the shop. The fact that my mother walks around leashed the an oxygen tank caused me to search for a better solution that was reasonably comfortable during extended periods of use. My solution is an NIOSH N100 half face mask made out of silicon rubber for comfort. A NIOSH N100 filters out 99.97% of all particulates.

Check it out here:

When I inquired what certification the DBG mask had the answer was NONE !!!!!! In my mind that speaks for itself. Another point I have never seen any other product made from the same materiel.

In message , Juergen writes

Hi I am fairly new to woodturning, OK since September and am currently looking for suitable protection , so have done a lot of research here in the UK. For starters I have a beard so that tends to make most face masks in-efficient as you cant get a good seal, those damn hairs just get in the way.

This has lead me to look at the positive pressure systems and looking at the two main ones I could find in the UK Aircap and Trend Airshield. I have decided to go with the airshield.

There is one proviso though I am going to wait for the release of the PRO model which is due next month, rather than pick up the obsolete product that is being discounted. My reasoning is 1, its more expensive, and I like spending more money (oops that's not a reason)

2, its heavier than its predecessor ( again not a reason but, and there had to be a but. This model has batteries that last twice as long as the predecessor and they are placed at the back so on the new model the centre of gravity is more centralised on the head, which should reduce fatigue on the neck. 3, its reasonably quiet, 70db, which although isn't stated is to the ear, not measured how normal sound measurements are taken at 'x' feet 4 but finally the most important is they have improved the filtration system which makes it far more efficient, this has been brought about by new EU regulations, and from what I can tell parts for the predecessor are required to be obsolete in the next couple of years, though in the US they will still be available which makes me wonder if the newer model will be available there.

My advice to anyone is if in doubt wear a face mask of some sort, its far better to have lungs that work than don't. And as I already have difficulties in that area I won't take the risk of aggravating it

I'd recommrnd against it because the DustBeeGone mask is only rated @ 3.0 microns and is not NIOSH or OSHA appproved. When I researched this I was surprised that many dust masks and most dust collectors that are recommended for woodturners do not filter the small particulates that are most hazardous (0.5 microns and smaller). For dust masks 0.3 microns should be the maximum amount let through. So I use foldable N95 masks, which are approved and filter to 0.3 microns, and they are cheap and disposable. They also filter mold. I get the kind with a breathing port and bendable nose piece so that I don't fog up my glasses or face mask when wearing them. They cost about $.50 each and last for weeks.

Woody

I've got a real nice double canister one, Woody.. rated for dust and vapors.. The problem is, I only wear it when I really, really have to, which isn't often enough..

I figure that this mask will have a chance of being worn during average turning and light sanding, when I should be wearing a mask but don't..

mac

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Of course, filtration is the second to last line of defense, and the least important. Deflection and collection are the major items. Dust is redirected away from the airflow into the individual, and some is captured by the irregular surface, which will trap the finest of particles, because there's not enough pressure to pull them into a filtration situation. Like silt in a a river, it takes a very strong current to move them.

A cheap mask discarded often may still be less than the expensive ones. Let your kleenex tell you what you need.