I know there is a lot of debate about what type of mask to wear whilst painting, priming and sanding and i have been bombarded with so many answers from people in and out of the industry in the UK.

Can someone please give me a straight answer as to what type of mask and filter that should be used whilst Painting, Sanding and Priming?

All of those products have ISOs and other nasty chemicals. Some people have little or no reaction to this stuff, other people can breathe it once and have permanent lung or nervous system damage. There is no fooling around with these chemicals.

Personally I'm reluctant to give any advice about breathing equipment since I'm not an expert on this topic - so the safe answer is to use a full hood and supplied air, with your skin protected as well. Even if you call 3M (which I have) they will not tell you what is safe or how long a charcoal/activated mask will last -- they will tell you that you need localized air quality measuring devices to assure that the air is breathable and that if the air is very saturated even their best activated masks can be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.

Having said that, I personally use the 3M masks with the 6001 activated cartridge filters, with excellent shop ventilation. For painting or sanding.

chris wrote:All of those products have ISOs and other nasty chemicals. Some people have little or no reaction to this stuff, other people can breathe it once and have permanent lung or nervous system damage. There is no fooling around with these chemicals.

Personally I'm reluctant to give any advice about breathing equipment since I'm not an expert on this topic - so the safe answer is to use a full hood and supplied air, with your skin protected as well. Even if you call 3M (which I have) they will not tell you what is safe or how long a charcoal/activated mask will last -- they will tell you that you need localized air quality measuring devices to assure that the air is breathable and that if the air is very saturated even their best activated masks can be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.

Having said that, I personally use the 3M masks with the 6001 activated cartridge filters, with excellent shop ventilation. For painting or sanding.

Chris is right, for the priming, sanding and painting, use respirator with the charcoal cartridge, which through my ppg reps says use for no longer than 40 hours and always leave in a sealed bag. If mask left in the open its the same as using it and wasting hours of use.

I read where OSHA said the charcoal cartridges were only good for 8 hours of exposure to ISO.
This was a few years ago but that is the general rule I have followed. I keep cartridges and pre-filters on hand. Also keep the mask in a sealed plastic bag when not in use.

If you're just standing filler is it ok to use the mask after the charcoal is past Its Time limit?

No, there is never a time when activated charcoal has become saturated that it is "safe" to keep using it for any reason. It is "saturated." The carts need to be tossed and new ones inserted.

DarrelK wrote:No, there is never a time when activated charcoal has become saturated that it is "safe" to keep using it for any reason. It is "saturated." The carts need to be tossed and new ones inserted.

I haven't painted with the mask at all, I just wear it for sanding filler, because I feel a dust mask doesn't work well enough.

But I also use it for sanding my car down to metal, can I keep using it since I didn't paint with it, and I won't paint with this one.

I bought another for when I go to paint. They're the 3m masks for painting so they do have the charcoal filter but like I said I only used my first one for sanding filler and taking the paint off the car.

Using it like that.... hard to tell. The pre-filter would be catching most of the dust like you use it so the carbon carts wouldn't be getting "gassed" in the normal way. I guess you can only go by what they say about most carbon carts., "When you start smelling whatever you are working with, time to change them." No type of test or indicator has ever been made that shows when a carbon cart is truly "done," with absorption and adsorption.

DarrelK wrote:Using it like that.... hard to tell. The pre-filter would be catching most of the dust like you use it so the carbon carts wouldn't be getting "gassed" in the normal way. I guess you can only go by what they say about most carbon carts., "When you start smelling whatever you are working with, time to change them." No type of test or indicator has ever been made that shows when a carbon cart is truly "done," with absorption and adsorption.

The bag the mask came with broke from using it so much, so it sits out in the open now. When I take it off after working on filler and what not I can smell the filler, but with the mask on I don't smell a thing.

What do most people use when they sand cars, just dust masks? I used to get black **** in my nose even with a dust mask on, that's why I used the 3m.

ooops, i just use my sundstrom mask for painting and p2 dust masks for sanding duties, most of my sanding with my orbie is hooked upto my vac so its nearly dust free but still wear a p2 mask, i think around here thats how all the shops work, well thats wat the guy at my local supplies shop tells me, even when i sand my filler, i will sand for a few mins, then suck up all the crap with the vac, then start again, any dust gives me a headache, but i just enjoy panel and paint so much!!
krem