Safety while sanding...?

[tomstock]

Ok, I've been skipping on a mask until now... not a lot of sanding... but after I epoxy fiberglass the boat, will I be doing a lot of sanding, or just quickly knocking off lumps? What sort of mask should I use while doing this? The boat is outside so ventilation is good.

Thanks

Tom

[adla]

I would and do...wear a 3m mask. They are cheap and disposable. I skip a lot of other safety measures but rarely sand without a mask. When you sand glass definately wear a mask. (my opinion)

Adla

[Frank Hagan]

Protect yourself from the dust somehow. A dust mask is suitable for it. I also like to have a fan behind me blowing the dust away from me ... I have a beard so the dust masks don't filter everything.

Roll or squeegee on several light coats of epoxy rather than trying to do it too heavy. You don't want runs and sags which have to be sanded off. If you're a woodworker, try one of your cabinet scrapers to knock down any sags or runs ... it works great and no dust.

[Mark Gudschinsky]

Scrape first, sand last and if you power sand hook up your shop vac with a good filter to the sander, and wear a mask. Its worth it!

[Dave Fleming]

Frank, I too have a full beard. I have been using the Dustfoe 88 and it works just fine.

BUT>>>the mask is now discontinued by Mine Safety Appliances!

Highland Hardware is carrying the replacement filters till the end of 2004. I just ordered a bunch.

Should be some comments on replacement masks on some of the Woodworking Forums though.

[ken connors]

i would never sand epoxy or fiberglass without a respirator. it would really suck if my boat killed me :evil:

[Ed Jones]

I sanded a little yesterday on a few rough spots in the cabin and am I glad I used a respirator. If I hadn't my lungs would be itching like the rest of me.