Technical Respirators-Working on Surface Rust

I'm going to be tackling my car's rust problems soon and wanted to figure out what kind of respirator I should be wearing to not die from the dust it will be putting off. The body has mostly surface rust and when you take a wire brush to the body, it is also lightly pitted in places. I plan on using an angle grinder with wire brushes/cups, flap sanders and perhaps wire brushes.

What level or type of respirator should I be wearing when I start doing this? Also, if I decide to start sandblasting, is there a respirator and suit that would recommended for that?

Thanks

 

A N95 particulate respirator aka Dust Mask is fine. This is a nice one

 

First off can you actually wear a respirator? Have you tested to make sure that you have the lung capacity? If your lungs are not up to par they will do more harm then good.

After that unless you are in a confined space you don't need a respirator for rust removal or sand blasting. A particle mask will be just fine. Where rut or oxidation becomes a problem is in a confined space where it can quickly eat up the oxygen that you need to sustain life.

 

I've never used any respirator when doing rust removal.
Should I be worried?

 

No you are below the equator when you remove rust down there it just turns back into good metal. LOL

For most metals just a particle mask will suffice or even a bandana.

 

I never wore one either! Does that mean I need to put all of that rust back and do it the right way this time? Seriously, a dust mask will be fine. I'd bump it up to a good particle mask if you're grinding off a ton of filler.

 

I use the kind in this thread because you don't know what is underneath that rust, I prefer to err on the side of safety.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/wire-wheel-only-pic-thread.504985/page-16

 

Sand blasting is not the same as normal rust removal...silicosis is a real danger.

But yeah, a dust mask would be a good idea when grinding.

 

I always wear a dust mask because I don't like black Boogers.

 

I can't stand the taste of rusty metal I get if I don't wear a dust mask, so yeah, I wear one. I wear one just like the one loveoftiki posted. Plus, it can only help save yer lungs!

 

I use a 3m model with dual filters, it seals my face decently. If i'm getting heavy into something, i make sure i shave my beard back or off to seal up well.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=094HMJ26TMMGD4QK4DB1

 

Yes, in order to properly wear a respirator of any kind you need to be clean shaven...unless you are doing this for a living and your pretty healthy you should be able to wear a mask like the one I posted. For sanding filler, grinding rust, the one I posted is also fine...3M also makes a dust mask that's acceptable for welding....up yes you should wear something for welding....sand blasting is a whole other animal...and a dangerous one at that.

 

A regular dust mask is plenty sufficient. One thing you must understand about the respirators with the filters on the sides is that they limit breathing capability and cannot be worn for hours on end because you might pass out. We have to have a physical exam done at work before we are certified to wear one to make sure you can take in enough air while using it. Some guys here are in great shape but lack the lung capacity to get certified.

 

I wore a respirator while hanging insulation in the rafters of my garage. I wore it so long I could dump water out of it when I took it off. It restricted my breathing at first, but I got used to it.

Thanks for the info, since all I need is the little one with the rubber flap, I'm covered. What is the type for sandblasting? Silicosis does not sound healthy...

 

Yes, for rust removal you should use gloves, face mask, respirator and a hazmat suit and you need to don and doff the protective gear in a specific order.

Doh! Never mind, that's for ebola.

 

ultimate safety for you is get somebody else to do it.

 

A quality dust mask would be a good start.
When I see how much crap collects on a mask & have to shake the mask out to keep breathing it makes me wonder how the lungs can cope with that much dirt. I appreciate a mask so I am not coughing crap or blowing crap out my nose.

Porkandbeaner & others make a very valid point about making sure that you have a healthy respiratory system before using a mask. As mentioned, it is best to be clean shaven where the mask makes contact for a proper seal. We were trained & tested to use the disposable masks and the respirator masks. Recommend that anyone unsure read up on the masks, make sure that it is correct for the work & how to check the fit. For a respirator then learn the choices of available cartridges to help pick the best cartridge.

When I first started work we cored into pipe & vessel insulation that was asbestos to do UT thickness. Asbestos was just another material then and was just starting to be known as a serious problem. We wore our masks. Knowing how asbestos work is performed now that was barely minimal protection. I knew a pipefitter that had asbestosis and a couple others with forms of deteriorating asthma. It is a terrible way to go. About 15 years ago we had a contractor with a batch of young boilermaker welders that were wearing respiratory masks under their helmets & the older guys kidded them. Now it is common to see welders wearing half masks as the effects of welding especially on some alloys is well known. Can't be too safe.

I treat all the the work at home to the same std as required at work. I came out the other side of work safe after 40 years. If safe work procedures, OHSA and personal protective equipment kept me safe performing work for an employer for a lifetime then best to use similar work practices for home. The dangers are equal in either place or greater at home.

Point is that no one knows what the effect is of anything worked with or its accumulative life time effect. Easier to err on the side of caution then end up sucking wind.

 

We only come equipped with one set of lungs,I have never smoked so I have tried to protect them,from spraying paint,sandblasting or just sanding,the old ounce of prevention way of thinking. HRP

 

I always wear respirator when dust in air. Don't imagine that 70 year old paint dust is too healthy. You don't get old being stupid. Guy who bought my previous house stripped all paint off siding without a mask. He ended up with lead poisoning and was hospitalized for some time. He had no idea initially why he was so sick. Modern medicine fingered it out.
You would wear a mask if you could hear my neighbour barking up a lung daily! The result of sandblasting for years with only a hood.

I use this type for dust
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Free-shippi...376486?hash=item2ed1530ca6:g:02cAAOxyGwNTDbxt

 

Everybody is talking about rust but it's the old paint and lead filler that I would be really worried about. If you know you're dealing with lead you should have complete protection not just a dust mask. Disposable coveralls and rubber gloves as well as eye protection should be worn....keep the kids at a safe distance too.

 

Ok...first is a "bodyman" respirator. You can weld with it, grind off rust, spray solvents like brake cleaner, spread and sand filler,

Second is a "painters Respirator" you can do everything the "Bodyman" respirator will do, but it's large organic vapor cartridges allow you to be protected while spraying paint products. If I were messing with lead I would wear this also.

 

I have never been able to certify, I was really sick when I was little.

Most places I have worked never let that bother them if there was an ugly job to do and it required a respirator I was the go to guy.

 

That "painters respirator" is not enough if you spray paint catalyzed with isocyanates.
A supplied breathing air face shield mask is required for that.

 

I work in a business where respirators are required and I can vouch for the fact that silicates in blasting sand can damage your lungs. I was sweeping up in a shop once after many times not using a respirator and began coughing up blood. Now I have chronic lung issues. Any particulate matter that can reach your lungs can cause damage. Any time you are doing anything that generates a lot of dust/rust/airborne particles, you should be wearing at least a half face respirator with purple HEPA filters attached. Don't forget that we are working on old cars who could have asbestos or other things embedded in them. It doesn't matter if you are in a confined space or not. If you can breathe it, wear a mask. Your older self will thank you. COPD is a terrible painful way to die.

 

Wear one. When you find out the hard way, it will be too late.

 

I've never used a respirator for cleaning up rust, grinding etc. But after blowing rust boogers from my nose for days following I decided to take a different approach. Specifically, I built a plywood box large enough to house a furnace squirrel cage fan and motor. On the intake side I mount a couple good furnace filters (first filter a cheaper coarse filter, and the second finer and more expensive). I set this near the work area and allow it to blow inside the shop (does not blow to exterior...do not want to lose all my heat in winter). It works great. Also use it while welding...significantly less nose boogers! I also recently used this fan box to exhaust my home garage spray paint job and it worked great for that too.

If interested I can post a picture...it's not pretty but it works.

 

Pretty much everything sprayed today has ISO's. That respirator will protect you provided you don't use it longer then those cartridges are good for. Also your eyes are the second point of entry for ISO's. So a full face would be better, but a properly set up fresh air system would be best. But painters hate them because of the additional hose ya gotta haul around the booth.

 

Safety isn't a tangent off of what we like to do. Back 25 years ago when I was a fresh-faced kid out of college, I was sent into fabrication shops for structural steel, pressure vessels, pipe, etc., I noticed that all of the old salts had safety glasses, but some of the middle aged guys would whine about having PPE and would have to be told to get that shit back on. There weren't many old salts, and I noticed that; granted, you have to be hard as the hubs of hell to work in some of these metal fabricating shops, but the old guys that were there learned their lessons about PPE the hard way by either burying friends or missing fingers. Some office pogue somewhere finally figured out the cost of LTI or lost time incidents and I watched as companies across the country really started embracing safety culture. Now, if you go out into a shop and your PPE is not right, someone will say something about it to you. Are there still companies and people who don't care, yeah probably. I remember some of the scoffs and comments about wearing PPE, it wasn't manly, but to me the trade off was not getting a condition where I would wake up everyday wishing I was dead.

 

Listen to the guys saying "wear a mask " at least. Take it from me, you don't want COPD.

 

Yea man, and watch what ya use for welding filters. Not paint filters or dust masks. And if you're welding any stainless or exotic metals be really careful. Look up radon daughters!