Grinding/Particulate Masks??

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mopowers

mopowers

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Do you guys use masks when grinding or doing any other type of steel fabrication? If so, what type do you use?

Depending on what I'm doing, sometimes I get lazy with putting a mask on. I've noticed that lately I'll be pretty congested for a day or two afterwards though. Plus, I'm sure breathing in the metal dust isn't good to a person's health. The masks I do have don't seal too well and fog up my safety glasses, which gets annoying. I figure it's time to be a little more proactive and find some decent masks that'll work. Short of a full on respirator, which isn't the most practical, what do you all use?
 
I need to start and I'm leaning towards getting a cheap half mask. I have a good one for painting, but for this crap I just want something to keep it out of where it doesn't belong. Not worried about vapors. Blew my nose after grinding the other night and it was all black...
 
Cuda416 said:
Blew my nose after grinding the other night and it was all black...
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That's the eye opener for me. That tends to happen quite often. I figure it's probably time to fix the problem. The cheap dust masks I have help, but not by much. I still have black snot afterwards.
 
Regular N95 mask. You need the better one with the foam seal, that will help keep glasses from fogging. Next option would be a half face respirator.
 
I work in a machine shop and working the burr bench with plenty of fine grinding of aluminum is a regular part of the job. Depending on the type of work I am doing/ set up changes the mask I use but I ALWAYS use a mask. Like a previous post already said, one of my first days doing it I didnt think a mask was necessary and I felt like I had allergies the rest of the day (congested and constant sneezing) When I got home and showered I noticed a ton of black snot coming out. Now If I am working in a well ventilated area with a fan or some kind of wind flow sufficient enough to blow most of the dust away then Ive gotten away with the cheap nuisance dust masks, both the surgical mask style and the molded style. If I dont have any kind of wind flow I use a half mask and change the filters regularly. It might seem uncomfortable at first but I can only imagine that major lung issues would only be worse later in life.
The cool thing about the half masks is that you can buy different filters for different things you might need to do, regular dust particulate filter, n95 filter, and I have even seen cartridges for vapors as well if you're painting or welding. Just a good overall investment to make for yourself.
 
I often use those types that cover the nose and mouth, with a replaceable filter and it's in a cloth band that velcros around the back of the head. Woodworkers use then, often. No fume protection, very good particulate filtration. I forget the name, but you'll kind of look like a ninja character from the Mortal Combat video games - sorry best reference I can come up with at the moment.
 
3m half mask.

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Projectile Dart said:
I work in a machine shop and working the burr bench with plenty of fine grinding of aluminum is a regular part of the job. Depending on the type of work I am doing/ set up changes the mask I use but I ALWAYS use a mask. Like a previous post already said, one of my first days doing it I didnt think a mask was necessary and I felt like I had allergies the rest of the day (congested and constant sneezing) When I got home and showered I noticed a ton of black snot coming out. Now If I am working in a well ventilated area with a fan or some kind of wind flow sufficient enough to blow most of the dust away then Ive gotten away with the cheap nuisance dust masks, both the surgical mask style and the molded style. If I dont have any kind of wind flow I use a half mask and change the filters regularly. It might seem uncomfortable at first but I can only imagine that major lung issues would only be worse later in life.
The cool thing about the half masks is that you can buy different filters for different things you might need to do, regular dust particulate filter, n95 filter, and I have even seen cartridges for vapors as well if you're painting or welding. Just a good overall investment to make for yourself.[/QUOTE

aluminum is toxic, low level at that but it can get you sick. Usually gives me a blasting headache and you don’t have to be grinding it, just cutting it with an endmill or drilling holes will do it.
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I thought it was the stuff that came off the grinding wheel was the problem. Never wore any mask for grinding/ welding except galvanised or hard facing buckets as rods have high amounts of maginese both of which are not good to breath in
Worked in power generation in the coal yard for a few years, there was no such things as a respirator, we used rags tied over our faces
Nothing for asbestos, fly ash, chemicals, burning steel, toxic paint fumes coming off steel while burning out old rotted sections.
Today many of the young guys welding and burning, grinding use respirators and thats good thing
Its to late for me but not for some of you.....Protect your health
 
mopowers said:
I have one of those 3M half masks. I'll probably go pick up some P100 filters for it tomorrow or Friday. I just wish there was a decent option that wasn't so cumbersome.
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Ya, cumbersome sucks and so does the fogging glasses that go along with them. There is just not one answer. Different operations require different levels of protection. Good old 3m N95 masks should handle most grinding operations. Good safety glasses help with the fogging. Face masks can help that. You have to think of it as an arsenal and not just one "fits all" application.
Being connected to oxygen 24 7 seems pretty cumbersome. Don't forget about your hearing too. :thumbsup:
 
Projectile Dart said:
I work in a machine shop and working the burr bench with plenty of fine grinding of aluminum is a regular part of the job. Depending on the type of work I am doing/ set up changes the mask I use but I ALWAYS use a mask. Like a previous post already said, one of my first days doing it I didnt think a mask was necessary and I felt like I had allergies the rest of the day (congested and constant sneezing) When I got home and showered I noticed a ton of black snot coming out. Now If I am working in a well ventilated area with a fan or some kind of wind flow sufficient enough to blow most of the dust away then Ive gotten away with the cheap nuisance dust masks, both the surgical mask style and the molded style. If I dont have any kind of wind flow I use a half mask and change the filters regularly. It might seem uncomfortable at first but I can only imagine that major lung issues would only be worse later in life.
The cool thing about the half masks is that you can buy different filters for different things you might need to do, regular dust particulate filter, n95 filter, and I have even seen cartridges for vapors as well if you're painting or welding. Just a good overall investment to make for yourself.
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A while ago at the last gig, a co-worker lobbied & insisted that We needed clamshell enclosures for the brake lathes, which I had no problem with. However another tech had his own lathe, & did not receive, nor want one for his. This culminated in a confrontation one Sat., which I ended up having to get between them, & got them "back to their corners". I decided to research the level of merit for concern when I got home. The upshot; inhalation of ferric oxide dust even in a high-production environment is basically harmless, just irritant induced expectoration & in extreme long-term careers iron deposits in the lung tissues...considered a benign condition. There is no brake dust given off turning the rotors, & drums only if You don't hose them with cleaner 1st. HOWEVER........
I then out of curiosity did the same for Al-U-minimum/oxide, as I for years had taken advantage of the advent of the new turntable style tire machine & Roloc discs, just as Al rims had become common & old. Corrosion City. I'd set the table in motion & let the dust fly! Sneezing fits were common, etc., ....BAD!! No less than 12 different CHRONIC lung diseases could be traced back to this exposure.
Research Buddy Epson & what happened to Him, as the Original Tinman in the Wizard of Oz, & almost didn't survive it,....& was unable to finish filming.
 
If you smoke, what's the point? lol
 
There was this one guy would walk through the welding shop to get to were he was going . He bitched about the smoke, then it was he got flashed, always something to complain about.
I told him one day to go get a job in a office if he is so worried about his health, all the while he had a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket.
 
For anyone doing a decent amount of grinding/blasting, this should be a minimum of protection.
There should be anti-fog spray that you could use on the glasses.
Righty Tighty said:
+1 vote for the 3M half mask. Yes, they're cumbersome, but I've found them to be the most effective for what I do.
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Agreed. As stated before, eye and ear protection too! A buddy of mine was using a cut off wheel when it exploded, shrapnel hit him in the face. He now has a permanent scar from the corner of his mouth to the bottom of his jaw. He looks like a ventriloquist dummy. I went out and bought a face shield after I heard that story...
 
When I started my project 8 years ago, I started tearing things apart "just like on TV". after the 1st or 2nd day, my lungs were hurting and I realized I needed masks. Of course then (pre-covid), you could easily find them. I went through a couple boxes over the entire project. The 3M N95 masks I think from Home Depot. I basically used each until the elastic was worn out or they were extremely filthy, as long as the inside looked clean. Probably should change them out a little more often,
But I won't even go out and cut a piece of steel or trim down a bolt without a mask & face shield now, waking up with **** in the corners of your eye that feels like steel wool isn't cool either. Even if its directed away from you, That stuff flies around everywhere, especially in a closed garage. I take stuff ouside as much as I can as well.
 
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