kooldino
Well-known member
I weld a lot of stainless steel, and I've been told that they make special welding respirators that can fit under my welding mask.
Does anyone know anything about these?
Does anyone know anything about these?
I picked up a 3M welding mask during the last trip for shielding gas. I use it mainly for welding on my car which is galvanized. After doing some research, I won't weld without one any more. Zinc poisoning doesn't sound like much fun.
I use the one in the first post in this thread...
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/ple...ator-158033.html?highlight=welding+respirator
Pretty much any half face respirator will fit under a welding hood, the trick is finding filters. I use a North 7700 with P-100 pancake filters, which are good for most welding fumes including galvanized and stainless.
Thanks a bunch. Do you get them at your local ACE or did you find them online?
At my gas/welding supplier... but they are a bit cheaper online.
North 770030 with North 75FFP100NL filters.
Add S, M, or L to the end of 770030 for the size, i.e., 770030L for large.
http://www.drillspot.com/products/66041/North_770030M_Dual_Cartridge_Half_Mask_Respirator
Have you used this under a full face welding mask before?
Are they more effective than the 3M ones?
I have both the North and the 3M. I like the North better because it's 100% silicone. The P100 filters are the same between North and 3M. The P100NL are supposed to give you a little more protection from fumes. I just use the regular P100 filters myself, but only if I'm running NR232 because of the slag dust being so nasty.
That is the north 7700 like I wear. It fits fine under a welding hood, provided you use pancake style filters, I've worn it under my miller elite, my 3m speedglass, and a standard Jackson fibre-metal hood.
Effectiveness is the same across brands, *provided the respirator fits correctly*. Spend the $100 to get fit tested, both by vacuum and bitter fumes to make sure it seals correctly, and make sure you are clean shaven when wearing the respirator so a proper seal is formed, I keep a razor in my toolbox just for days I forget to shave.
Does one or the other tend to fog up the inside of your face glass while you're wearing it?
Excellent, thanks.
Wow, you don't mess around.
Are you a full time welder?
Where could I get fit tested?
Does one or the other tend to fog up the inside of your face glass while you're wearing it?
those little things are rated for welding.. I find that hard to believe. A half face respirator with 2 cartridges, maybe.
You are right, a dustmask style filter like the 3M N95 in the hotrod link is good for filtering out grinding dust, and occasional fumes. A NIOSH rating of N95 is only good for 95% of particulates of .3 microns or larger, and is useless for fumes and vapors.those little things are rated for welding.. I find that hard to believe. A half face respirator with 2 cartridges, maybe.
Merk if your glasses are getting fogged up then you need to tighten down the top straps or go one size bigger on the respirator.
You actually don't need the charcoal filter, because the zinc is not an organic vapor. Save a couple bucks and buy a bunch of P100 filters that get replaced often, instead of one more expensive combo filter that doesn't get changed often enough. Also, the activated charcoal is only useful for a day or two at most, unless placed in a sealed bag between uses.scottguehne said:I don't know how good the protection is against galvanized, which is what led to me stuffing the thing under my helmet, but I figure with an outer filter acting more as a particulate filter, and then the activated charcoal on the inner filter, I'm certainly better off than without any kind of respirator at all.