Do you wear a Respirator?

[seadog]

i've seen a couple of pictures of people working and noticed they aren't waring a respirator (unless they took it off to pose ;) )
so wanted to know how many people do ware them

[gphood]

i've seen a couple of pictures of people working and noticed they aren't waring a respirator (unless they took it off to pose ;) )
so wanted to know how many people do ware them

Hi Seadog

You should wear masks with everything you spray, whether the paint, primer or clear is toxic or not. Any atomised liquids can get into your lungs and give you problems. For clearcoats it's not just breathing the spray in that is a serious danger to your health, it can get into your system through your skin as well - particularly through the corner of your eyes, so you need to be wearing a full visor when you're working with that stuff as well as rubber gloves etc.

People were more-than-likely posing for the camera without a mask so they can get their face seen. Nobody will recognise you if your head is completely covered with breathing aparatus.

I'm sure most of us in the trade are aware of people who haven't worn masks when they should have and are either dead or very unwell as a direct result.

[Whit]

In the 70's we used laquer,, spray a job,,
leave the booth,, blow yer nose,, whatever
color you were spraying,, that's what came out !!!
Todays stuff is different,, chem dry,, it'll kill ya !!!
Even tho I only use the resperator for 2 stage
myself,, I don't recommend anyone spraying
anything without at least some kind of personel
safety filtration,,, bad habits are hard to break
so just don't get started on the wrong foot !!!
Happy Sprayin,, don't forget your Resperator's !!!

[gphood]

[QUOTE=Whit;14706]In the 70's we used laquer,, spray a job,,
leave the booth,, blow yer nose,, whatever
color you were spraying,, that's what came out !!!
QUOTE]

Well, you're not pushing up the daisies yet Whit so there's hope for the rest of us :)

[sharonsstudio]

My Dad use to spray cars in the 60's We use to watch him He would always make sure we had some type af protection or he wouldn't let us watch.. he is in his 70's and excelent health still 4 wheels climbs mountains and travels alot..
My Neighbore never used protection and he has all kinds of lung and resperation problems can't even walk out to his mail box with out getting winded and he never smoked.. he's only 60
goes to show you what the chemicals do to you I alway wear a resperator no matter what psint I use..

[Full Blast]

:tee: Ive been paintin T's for acouple of years now on weekends. Ive always made sure I had what I thought was adequate ventilation.A fan moving the air in and out of my booth. Two weeks ago I finally brought in a simple box fan with a filter on the front, set it up next to my easel. Ive spraid all my rattle can clears(used to spray outside) and adhesives into it plus the overspray from paintin shirts. two week ends and Ive got to change the filter already. Even if youre not paintin Uro's your still paintin your lungs. :)

[Whit]

Actually (fingers crossed,, Lord willin) the only
adverse effects I've noticed were,, I'm thinkin,,
from the lead we used so freely back then !!!
The base for wall work was a white lead,, and
from there the paint pigments were added !!!
My pinstriping suffered from it due to a twitch
that developed,, so there went the long straight
lines I was so proud of for the classic cars that
the judges would squat on one end and look
down the stripe to see if it was a clean line !!!
I'm only 65,, but I'm thinkin were it not for the
lead in the paints back then I could still pull
the long ones,, but the small design stuff is still
available as I can work it in between twitches
or simply match the twitch on the other side:clapping2:
Today it's lead free but much more Deadlier
in the content as todays stuff chemicaly dries
in your lungs sealing the inside of your lungs
against any oxygen intake at all !!!
Always wear your Resperator,, and a good
one at that,,,
You'll appreciate it when you hit 60 with your war stories,,,
(saw a T-shirt once)
"The Older I Get,,, The Better I Was"
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERBODY !!!:partyalone:

[dubie]

I spray water based paints (Auto Air and Etac) and only wear a respirator when I am spraying full basecoats on panels, helmets etc.... But I have started wearing one all the time now. I have found myself developing this nagging cough and think it might be linked to the paint. Better to be safe than sorry

[Mark]

I try to always use a respirator, especially, like Dubie says, when spraying bases and clears. But, i kinda slack when airbrushing. Lately though, I have at least thrown on a dusk mask...I like Fruity Pebbles as much as the next guy, but not up my nose!

Mark

[corey]

Good double layered dust mask for waters and a 3M resperator for my hoks and then when i clear i have a fresh air helmet.

[seadog]

it's quite interesting that so far more people have ticked the "Depends what paint i'm using" box.
i painted my first 2 pics without one and noticed it gave me a cough

[blinddog 99]

Seadog, that's intersting, for sure. I didn't wear one for quite a while, now, if I'm doing very fine line detail, I will remove it briefly, but for everything else, the mask is on. When I was blowing down some intercoat one day, I started to cough and couldn't stop. That was enough for me...

[Whit]

I think it messed up my hair once,,, but,,,
I've always had a bad hair day,, so it
was kinda hard to be sure !!!:partyalone:
(always wear one with automotive paints)

[Cowboy]

I,m rather surprised no ones mentioned Sealed Eye protection , of coarse maybe not as important if using waterbase . But with Uro,s, at the very least as important as a very good respirator. Also both are very important to wear while mixing paint as well as spraying it.

I sprayed laquer for years and years with no protection ( because I,m stupid ) & honestly dont think it affected Me much , except make Me a lil more creative. It definetly gives You A buzz to say the least.

My biggest problem is when I switched to uro,s Is I didn,t think anything of it except it sure as hell smells worse. Luckily I had a decent paint booth Or I,d probably be dead by now. Well I,m just stupid , Lazy, stubborn, or what ever you want to call it & I,ve been paying for it the last 10 years.

Bottom line is that crap is very dangerous. And protect as much of You as You can With the best equipment you can find, ( Not afford ) . If Youre doing Yer own clearing I,d suggest a full fresh air helmet. Or just farm that part out. Anyway, Protect Youre eyes You only have 2 , I,m about 75 % blind from My stupidity & cant walk 20 feet without a break .Not to mention My hands are purple & leather like, & constantly split open for no reason . Paint safely. Cowboy

[egneg]

I use a dust mask for airbrushing along with good ventilation. If I am using a minigun to base or intercoat I wear a respirator. I would like to clear small items but I would have to build a better ventilation system first. I think proper ventilation is the key ingredient to safely spray any type of paint. Masks, respirators, and hoods are a secondary protection. I would not want to be in the middle of a paint fog from spraying in a area with poor ventilation.

[PHLASH]

I noticed im more tempted to wear a mask when others are around, a chitchat firewall while in production mode, perhaps....

It protects the artist from the art ,when it comes to floating chemical cancerous particle, probably...

If your using air to carry paint, the same air you ingest, wearing a mask should come as a second nature.:pumpup:

[xtremekolor]

hi guys... never forget to wear respirator during work with water base or auto paint ,.
Safety must be priority...dont be like my friend now he got this lung inffection...when u start getting cough all the time after doing some airbrush work, must do your medical check up ... life is short but dont make it shorter...
:cheers:


herman

[Stephen Casey]

Being new to airbrushing I wanted to know my tolerances so I worked with the medias I planed on using for a day with out a mask; Com-Art & Auto-Air. If I had any bad reactions i would elliminate them as acceptable media for my use. I had no ill effect from these and no need for clearing or other urethane applications. After that I have been using the 3M double cartridge respirator Model 7502. It cost about $55 at a local automotive paint retailer .

Egneg made a very good point about not working in a fog. A good mask can do a lot of good but there are limits to what a cartridge filter can do and for how long. My ventilation needs improvement and I will work on this factor over the next month.

A good "Cleaning-Station" is a big help to. Instead of just blowing out your airbrush into a coffee can or something. The darn things are only $20.00, I have had my hands on this model and it is a nice heavy little unit.
Product ID: NAC-201
(Iwata) Medea Table Top Cleaning Station
Price: $19.95
http://www.coastairbrush.com/search.asp
Best I could tell, Dixiart does not carry the item. They really need to add a search function.

I made my own BUT WITH A FILTER. The point is this thing had about two ounces of miscellaneous fluid and chemicals after about five hours of working. I not only do not want to breath the stuff I don't particularly want it on my computer and other tooling either. If you won't drop the coin for a cleaning station, heres a link showing what mine looks like.
http://www.airbrushtech.info/AIRBRUSH/forum/showthread.php?p=16831#post16831

[airarts]

I use water base paints, but I have a fan with filtration next to me. It is hard to wear a mask in Phoenix, AZ. when you paint in the garage! :flames:

[draggin81]

I definitely wear a respirator when priming and clearing, which because I do those things outside, and I live in WI, means I don't do them very often.
Otherwise, I use AA and ETAC. If i'm basecoating or spraying anything but small detail I'll use a good quality mask, but i find they get in the way if i'm really trying to get in there to get some small stuff.
Oh yeah, and wearing a mask anytime you're sanding is a good idea, too. Often overlooked, though

[XZOTIC INK]

i have one hanging right near my work station and everytime im done working i say, o man i forgot to wear my mask!! sometimes when its real powerful the fumes i put it on, but other than that, i forget..it does bother me sometimes, i feel it wakes me at night all that shit in my lungs, maybe its in my head, who knows!

[PinWerk]

well i was spraying lacquers then came to my car n i switched over to hok urethanes. known to have iso's - so did alot of research.. when theres iso's i made my own constant air supply.. got a constant air full mask off ebay fairly cheap like 10 bucks hardly used msa brand i think.. has the tube.. so then i got an oilless compressor , put an filter on it just in case n a regulator whichis mega sensitive.. going have to tie strap it cause when im in middle of painting a coat, the knob shifts around n cuts off my air pressure and im gaspin for air, then im like last panel so hold the air. spray and run out of the booth .. jerk mask off and get air.. did that a couple times. but im going definitly fix that regulator from being over sensitive.
while spraying bases or etc w/o iso's i have a half mask with double canned for vapor air just in case.. easier to manover around unlike chuckin two air hoses around with constant air supply.
but saved me tons of money tho.. think my setup cost under 50 bucks

[REDNECK AIR]

WELLLLLLLLL!!!
I’m a bad boy
But just for some enlightenment I have been in and around paint and body shops
Most my life
I spent 12 years painting air craft for the U.S. Air Force during that time I was
The hazardous waste manager for 7 years which gave me plenty of specialized training
(scary a Redneck with some smarts) but as has been said this shit is bad news Carcinogens’ (well I aint nod fer me spellin) is 1 but even the sanding part of your
Process is way bad “liver, lungs, kidneys’, hart, nerves and yes Natalie even your head can be irreversible damaged many of these chem’s never leave your body after you have let them in and they even small amounts will build up to cause problems later in life EVEN lacquer look at whit his eyes are flashing all the time LOL (just kidding whit)

But think of it this way when you R on location think of the many “KIDS”
Watching you NOT WEAR a respirator and they like us figure you don’t need it why should they “DO AS I DO NOT AS I SAY” type thing
Ok I’ll shut up know But

NO I DON’T AS I SHOULD UNLESS SOME ONE IS WATCHING ME WORK

[redanner]

I wear my C-Pap every night when I go to bed so my palette doesn't drop and cause obstructional sleep apnea!!! Very much true but all kidding aside you should wear a mask! I paint in the 70s & 80s only wore a mask when shooting acrylic enamels with urethane hardeners. The only time I used a mask for lacquer primers and paints were in the wintertime when the shop could not be opened. I even sprayed primer to drive customers off that wanted to watch me work. This I did for about 15 yrs. I am lucky that my lungs are clear and healthy. I’m a lot older now with less time to lose if I should become ill. I believe a mask should be worn. So its not do as I do but do what is best for you.

[XZOTIC INK]

,for 2 yrs now i have NOT WORE A RESPIRATOR,,NO FANS OR WINDOWS OPEN,,,,,
WELL THE PAST MONTH I CAN HONESTLY SAY----my boyfriend brought me a respirator,,the 40 dollar one NO more dinky dusk mask hanging form my easel,,,,the good one,,KEWL LOOKING ONE,,HARDCORE PAITER ONE,,LOL,,he said he bought it because i was coughing in my sleep and i was also blowing paint out of my nose,,i felt all clogged and stuffed up,,,etc...etc..

SO NOW I HAVE ONE,,,and still not a fan yet,,BUT I WILL GET ONE SOON,,and i have started to OPEN THE WINDOWS,,and i feel 100 times better,,,MUST GET A FAN THO,,,

BUT Ive been wearing it on and off,,,trying to keep it on,,but i only remember when i go for EXTENDER OR OPAGUE WHITE,,because its a stronger smell to me,,and than im like o my god no respirator,,,SO IM TRYING,,,

[Shiva]

you dont need no stinkin Respirator.. see the attached picture..
20" filter... 10 minutes spraying..

thats your lungs...not a problem.. IF you DONT wear one.

[redanner]

I've been trying to wear a paper mask for acrylics but it makes my glasses steam up! Does anyone have a suggestion on how to prevent this reaction from taking place.

[DIAZ]

I sometimes forget to take it off when I come in to eat dinner, scares the hell out of the dogs!lol!

[sharonsstudio]

Nat check out what shiva is showing I so this with the Fan in my basement plus wear a resperator.. even when I paint with etac. auto air any thing.. it's a box fan with a furnace filter taped to it.. works well..

[Shiva]

I've been trying to wear a paper mask for acrylics but it makes my glasses steam up! Does anyone have a suggestion on how to prevent this reaction from taking place.

paper has has a wire thinge across the bridge of the nose? IF SO, then take glasses off, and make that wire fit the nose REAL GOOD, THEN put glasses on TOP of that little bit of paper.. if no wire, THEN GET that type next time.

[Shiva]

Nat check out what shiva is showing I so this with the Fan in my basement plus wear a resperator.. even when I paint with etac. auto air any thing.. it's a box fan with a furnace filter taped to it.. works well..

that filter came off a 20" box fan that was designed to HOLD a filter- Walmart had it on clearance one year and I grabbed quick, shoulda got 2 I guess.
has the clips etc to hold tight

[air_fx]

I really only wear mine when i'm using a full size gun.....and I always wear it when i'm shootin clear.....but I seldom ever wear it while airbrushing.

[BR@VO]

I voted for depends on which I'm shooting. I know I prob. should at least wear a dust mask when I shoot wb but I fig the out side air is just as bad as that LoL

[dubie]

I spray water based paints (Auto Air and Etac) and only wear a respirator when I am spraying full basecoats on panels, helmets etc.... But I have started wearing one all the time now. I have found myself developing this nagging cough and think it might be linked to the paint. Better to be safe than sorry

Update: I have started wearing it at all times when painting. I have found the less I wear it when spraying, the more trouble I have catching my breath. Thought it was just something left over from a cold, but this has been 3 months now. Even tho I spray water based paints, the mask isn't coming off

[wzkrbzkt]

Neber weareded wun b4, so farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, not none negartive effec effec effec effec effec effec effec effec effec effec:snapoutofit: effects.

ha ha JK

Just finished painting a job with coal tar epoxy. Three days worth of that crap.
Respirator? You better believe it. I can feel that stuff coat the back of my throat as soon as I mix the base and converter. Nasty!

[ABD]

Back when I was learning the whole paint game..(my Teen years)..The paints were robbed from a Spray can..I used regular Automotive Clear coat...I had a maybe 5'x5' room with one window and a box fan!....Never had a respirator...Man, I musta took 15yrs of my life in that lil room....All the Iso's I sucked in..Plus plain ole colors and whatever's in a Spray Can..(Haha, Scary, I still love the smell of Clear Coat)...Lucky I'm still here to type, from the stories I hear.....I had zero info or knowledge on the whole thing...Didn't know what an Iso was.

Now I use the paper filters when regular Ab'ing...I don't have the full fresh air unit for Clears yet..But I have the good respirator (change the Cartridges almost everytime) Googles, and a painter suit I can bundle up in to keep it off my skin.....I'll still probably die young though.hahaha!

[Frog]

For the last week I been painting (AB n AA) didnt have any masks left and to damn lazy n forgetful to get em.
I have noticed shrtness of breath and cough up some nasties in the mornings.
Gotto get them tomorow, my advice WEAR THEM !

[Memas]

Well Dell that explains alot of things bro!!!!!:wasntme: he he!!! Whenever I spray I use a respirator, the 3M and their organic vapor cartriges.

[ABD]

Well Dell that explains alot of things bro!!!!!:wasntme: he he!!! Whenever I spray I use a respirator, the 3M and their organic vapor cartriges.

Hahaha..Sooo that explains it huh?:rockon::partyalone:..hahaa!

Yeah that's the Filter I use now too...lucky enough to get the replacement cartridges localy:)

[Frog]

I posted earlier in this thread about spraying without a msk for about a week.
I have been sick for a few weeks now with an ear infection which came from an infection in my throat. An ear infection is nothing huh. I have hardly been able to move without getting motion sickness or falling over plus the constant whistle in my ear, I am very f..ing depressed.

The point ...... The doc said it has almost definately come from breathing in paint when ABing.

I use AA waterbased, just because its watrerbased doesnt make it safe.



WEAR YOUR MASKS

[Cowboy]

Sorry ta here Yer sick Michael, Wishes from here for a speedy recovery. Hopefully at least with the So Called safer products You haven,t been exposed to any long term effects like the Uro,s can cause. So good luck to You, & I,ll echo You saying, Not only the respirator, But Eye protection & gloves if possible for long term contact. Just because it has the word water in it , Doesn,t mean that much these days .

[minniemouse]

When sanding or watching in the spray shop yeah. But, when spraying my art - then No. I use acrylics. Not much need!

[Sinontin]

Ii dont wear one one and im ffffine , HI

[Jeroen - CDM]

I heard that 2k can kill ya!! pffff (lot of people are now thinking... 'ehhh HELLO!!...DUH!!' whehehe) lol. Yeah....gonna wear protective clothing..hope my neighbours do too wheheh

[AndyW]

Wear a cartridge type mask, even though just work with acrylics, but after reading other posts, I'll be setting up an extractor as well.

[fortysomething]

I wear a mask most of the time, tho for a quick touch up the mask may not come out.

[REDTAIL]

all i can add is read the MSDS nuff said

RT

[FRANKTHETANK]

here's my perspective on this. My boss has been paint 42 years with out a mask ever, and he has no problems with lungs or health. he only has been using a paint booth for like 12 years. so i don't wear mask. 1st reason is this. and 2nd is cause i smoke. so that's worse in my opinion. also we have a downdraft paint booth. so all fumes escape. but even when i paint in open garage no mask.

and think about how much better and safer paints are now. they were so much worse 10 plus years ago.

[Cowboy]

You Couldn,t Be More Wrong Frank. I Been doin at Least that Long. Same Deal. But It was Much different With Laqs, Acrylic Enamels ( With The Exception of Some Of the Hardners ) , Even Sythetic Enamels . Imron On The Other Hand Will kick Yer Butt.

The stuff the last 15 Years or so, Will Find anyway In Yer Body & Never leave. Its Bout The Same Difference as Cyanide Poisoning. If You Want ta Know What You Have to look Forward to. I,ll be Glad ta Tell Ya. & It aint Fun, Trust Me.

Not Tryin ta be a smartass , But Thats not The kind of An Opinion Thats Smart to Tell Newbies. Keep In Mind Some Paint in There Basements , Garages, Maybe Even Apartments . Not Only Putting Them at Risk, but Family members as well as Neighbors .

It might not Kill Ya Right off , but Theres times It Might Make Ya wish You were Dead. Sorry, Just a Really Touchy Subject with Me. & I,d Like People to learn from MY mistakes .

No Offence Intended Either, So I Hope No One takes it that way.

[Shiva]

Imron WILL kill you, so will the new clearcoats..maybe not the FIRST use or the second, but.. Cynaide is cynaide
NO skin/body contact.. NONE.. a complete pressurized suit REQUIRED..
IF you are spraying the old AA (new has solvent in it) then you got 'air born particles' that will get into your lungs.. are they harmless? yes and no.. they are NOT a contact poison, but any particles in your lungs do cause problems eventually..
lung transplants are expensive.

the NEW Createx and AA??? hmm

http://www.createxcolors.com/msds/Wicked%20Black.pdf to read the respirator requirements for the NEW Createx.. I imagine the NEW AA is the same.. see the special protection data..
notice ventilation and GLOVES requirements??

BTW- its flammable???

[REDTAIL]

i going to add alittle CB and Shiva are dead on with this subject
i work were we have alot of asbestos i know old boilermakers that wowlled in it with no ill effect and i know other that are wating to die from it so each is person differnt

so by all menes wear the protection at least a resperator

RT

[FRANKTHETANK]

You Couldn,t Be More Wrong Frank. I Been doin at Least that Long. Same Deal. But It was Much different With Laqs, Acrylic Enamels ( With The Exception of Some Of the Hardners ) , Even Sythetic Enamels . Imron On The Other Hand Will kick Yer Butt.

The stuff the last 15 Years or so, Will Find anyway In Yer Body & Never leave. Its Bout The Same Difference as Cyanide Poisoning. If You Want ta Know What You Have to look Forward to. I,ll be Glad ta Tell Ya. & It aint Fun, Trust Me.

Not Tryin ta be a smartass , But Thats not The kind of An Opinion Thats Smart to Tell Newbies. Keep In Mind Some Paint in There Basements , Garages, Maybe Even Apartments . Not Only Putting Them at Risk, but Family members as well as Neighbors .

It might not Kill Ya Right off , but Theres times It Might Make Ya wish You were Dead. Sorry, Just a Really Touchy Subject with Me. & I,d Like People to learn from MY mistakes .

No Offence Intended Either, So I Hope No One takes it that way.

no its all good. but like i said i just learned not to use one. but like i said we have a $50,000 downdraft paint booth. so when we are spraying. most goes out. but if i was in a non ventilated garage, i probley would wear one.

and imron was the worse,even my boss has told me that.

[Shiva]

http://www.sherwin-automotive.com/media/msds/english/1261.pdf
page 2..

section V health hazard data...

even absorbed thru your eyeballs...

IF, and I am not arguing anything, your boss allows you to spray clear WITHOUT a pressure suit, HIS workmens comp insurance is probably invalid and he dont have enough money.. I would not go ANYWHERE NEAR that situation..

yes, you may not 'smell it' but that dont mean its not getting in your system.
MSDS sheets are for a purpose..

[REDTAIL]

alot of peep's don't know how absorbent the skin can be

RT

[FRANKTHETANK]

http://www.sherwin-automotive.com/media/msds/english/1261.pdf
page 2..

section V health hazard data...

even absorbed thru your eyeballs...

IF, and I am not arguing anything, your boss allows you to spray clear WITHOUT a pressure suit, HIS workmens comp insurance is probably invalid and he dont have enough money.. I would not go ANYWHERE NEAR that situation..

yes, you may not 'smell it' but that dont mean its not getting in your system.
MSDS sheets are for a purpose..

well i work for myself, he owns place i do my work through.so its my deal.but everyone has their opinion. mine is the cigarettes i smoke will kill me before paint fumes.:biglove: