can anyone suggest an inexpensive one? Would I be able to use those disposable dust masks they sell at HOME DEPOT, LOWES, etc?[?]
A dust mask won’t work. You need one that has cartridges and is labeled as being good for paints, solvents, organic vapors, or similar words, something like this:
Expect to spend between $20 and $30 - 10 bottles of model paint. If you keep it clean (in a box between uses) it will last a long time and you won’t regret it.
KL
“Snowey,” Kurt’s got it right. If you have any doubt as to the need for a two-stage cartridge respiratior when painting with organic solvents, please see my article “Safety in painting,” in the November 1987 “Model Railroader,” page 153. Be careful out there, Andy
One important thing to add, do your spray painting with proper ventilation. Either spray outdoors or have a vented spray booth to work with if you’re indoors. The spray mist, especially from solvent based paints, can be dangerous if it’s allowed to collect in your basement, for example.
Please add to your must have list a FIRE BOTTLE for Chemicals. Kidde makes them for GARAGE FIRES. About $12.00.
Fumes on floor plus spark =need for the above.
I use water based indoors and solvent ourdoors. I also use a Divilbus Laquer Paint Resperator, have been for 40+ years. I Buried my father because of paint fumes, need I say more.
You definitely need to buy a resiprator for solvent-based paints. Be sure to follow the directions for properly fitting the respirator to your face. Note that if you have facial hair, eg., a beard, you will not be able to get a tight fit which is essential for the proper functioning of the respirator. If you plan to airbrush inside your house, use a vented spray hood. If paint solvent vapors build up to a high concentration in the air, you can have an explosion caused by an ignition source such as a gas water heater or furnace. Even if you plan to use water-based paints in your airbrush, you should use some type of filter mask to filter out fine particles of pigment that become airbourne when you create the spray aerosol. I have a respirator that I have had for a number of years which I store in a large Zip-Loc bag. This prevents the absorbent material in the cartridges of the respirator from picking up chemical fumes or vapors from the air.
Bob
Snowey;
There is one more option, the one I use. True the initial cost is more than a regular respirator, but maintenance cost is way less. A “forced air respirator”. A mylar hood with an air hose attached that reaches out to the great outdoors, far away from the paint room, to an air pump. Fresh air is constantly flowing across my face, do not have to worry about facial hair not allowing a tight seal. The pump has a standard automotive type air filter that needs to be replace every year. Since the air pump is located far from the paint area, there is no paint particles to clog it up. Mine delivers about 50 cubic feet of air per minute, plenty of positive ventilation, no paint “over spray” in the hair. Check out your local automotive paint shops, most are using this type now. Got mine from NAPA Parts store, for just under $100.
Also, remember that the cartridge will not last forever. All you should smell with the respirator on is that nasty rubber smell from the respirator itself. If you smell solvent, either the fit is not right and vapors are leaking around the edges or the cartridge is used up and needs replacing. I wear glasses, they often interfere with the fit of my respirator.
One other note - most solvents will also be absorbed through your skin. Wear a latex or vinyl glove if you hold parts by hand when you spray. When you get paint on your hands, do NOT use slovent to clean it off. The skin absorbtion factor of the solvent is almost as bad as inhailing the stuff. Use a gritty soap like Lava or the gritty degreasing hand cleaners from the automotive store. Or just let it wear off.
The accumulative effect of mineral solvents is brain damage. There was an article in MR 10 or 15 years ago about a guy that did a lot of painting for many years with no personal protection. Eventually he had loss of eye-hand coordination and memory loss. It contributed to his death. This is not what a hobby is about! (If this last has upset anyone, I am sorry. I used to be a safety engineer, and it does not stop just because I have retired!)
George
thank you, but I plan to use water-based paints.
and; I remember that article. Beleive me; it made an impact on me! (besides scaring the [censored] out of me!!!)
The one I always use while spraying paint or paint thinner is a 3M dual cartridge respirator. Another company AO safety sells similar ones at Home Depot and Lowe’s. Whichever you choose you should definately get one even if you’re spraying water based paint. You don’t want paint fumes of any kind in your lungs. Trust me, my aunt is a nurse at an emergency room and my mother was one at a retirement home.