Trend Airshield and allergies

[woodwish]

My eyes started bothering me last night, about 24 hours since I had been in the shop. I had been making bird house ornaments out of scraps for gifts. Turned a few walnut, a few red oak, several in Spanish Cedar, and mostly some really hard maple. Around my eyes were really itchy and sore, this morning they are very swollen. I can't think of anything else that caused this so I am blaming the dust from sanding, although I have worked with all these woods before. But none of these woods have any documentation for contact allergies that I can find. I was wearing fairly snug safety glasses and a dust mask, and took a shower about and hour after turning. Normally I wear a full face sheild but for some reason I just had on glasses. Any guesses to which wood it would be? Once before I had been turning and around my eyes became very itchy and I blamed it maybe on the maple, but I had also turned some cedar that day so maybe it's the cedar?

Not wanting to give up turning at this point I have considered asking Santa for a Trend Airsheild. I really don't have any respiratory problems (yet, but I also always have a mask on) so my biggest concern is the eye allergies. It's really not even the eyes, it's the skin around the eyes. So do you think a Trend would help? I have full beard and I have heard from some that others do not seal around a beard like the Trend does. Any input here?

 

[Bill Grumbine]

It could actually be any of the species you describe, but I would bet my money on the cedar. It has real potential for bothering a lot of people.

Powered air respirators are always a good idea. I have been using one since 1994, and have had the latest one since '96 or '97. They do a very good job with beards since there is a positive pressure inside the mask.

Bill

 

[Donna Banfield]

Trend Airshield

I've been told by other woodturners/woodworkers that simply because you've never had a reaction to a type of wood, doesn't mean you never will. Many people have developed an intolerance over time to all those woods that you were turning. It is possible that you have met your match to one or all those now.

That said, it doesn't mean you cannot turn that wood again, unless it starts to restrict your airways or breathing. In that case, you have a very serious problem and you should get medical attention immediately -- 911! I have the Trend Airshield, and have used it since 2003. It takes some getting used to, because it is heavy, compared with wearing just safety glasses or the standard face shield. It took nearly 6 months for me (my neck muscles) to build up to the point where I could wear it comfortably. Now, I feel naked without it, and I turn full-time, 8 hours a day.

I don't have a beard, but my husband does, and he will wear my shield when he's cutting any exotics (his tolerance level is much lower than mine, apparently), MDF or similarly dusty woods.

This is just my opinion; if you go to the other woodturning newsgroups (Woodcentral, for one) and do an archives search you will find a few threads where this shield, and others have been debated and compared. In the end, regardless of the discomfort you might feel at the beginning, when getting used to whatever full-face or respiratory system you decide, consider the alternative -- giving up woodturning.

Donna Zils Banfield

 

[n7bsn]

There are two types of woodworkers, those that are allergic to wood dust, and those that will be.

Get dust protection, Use dust protection

I use the Trend, Bill I think uses the 3M, others use the Triton.

I didn't like the weight of the Triton, the price of the 3M, was, well, too high for me. The only problem with the Trend is they only publish the spec's as UK spec's, and not what they mean. But Packard-Woodworks claims it filters to 0.3 microns.

BTW, I also use a Delta whole-shop air filter -and- a dust collector (yes, I have no intention of becoming allergic to wood dust)

 

[Bill Boehme]

I have been using the 3M Airstream for about 10 months and really am satisfied with it. It weighs less than 2 pounds and provides 10 CFM of airflow through a HEPA filter which is more than twice the airflow of either the Trend or Triton and neither of those units have HEPA filters. Best of all, it is really comfortable and there was no "getting used to wearing it". It did cause a minor pain in the hip pocket, but that pain quickly went away and was replaced by a "glad that I did it" feeling. You did not say what kind of mask that you are currently using, but if it is one of those that is classed as a "comfort mask", it is basically useless for fine dust. The article, "Battling Dust" in the current issue of American Woodturner is a good reference on the hazards of dust.

Bill

 

[Andy Hoyt]

In a former life I used to occasionally have to work inside 45' trailers loaded with red cedar shakes and shingles that we would open up after they'd been sealed shut for weeks. Huge amounts of dust and other yucky stuff. Never bothered me a bit. Today, I so much as look at the stuff and my chest tightens, me head hurts, and a general malaise consumes me.

But not when I put this rig on.

 

[WODAD]

How well do they work in the cold? My shop is barely heated. My concern is condensation.

Frank D

 

[David Somers]

How well do they work in the cold? My shop is barely heated. My concern is condensation.

Frank D

Frank,

I can't attest to extreme cold, but it works wonders in hot humid environments. The fact that it is positive pressure, blowing air from the top of the mask down across your face and out vents at the bottom should prevent it from fogging under any circumstances. Firemans masks, the SCBA's, work on the same principle and never fog up. This mask also works well around a beard. It doesn't really matter if the air goes out through the vents or around the seal against your beard. The effect is the same in terms of protecting you from dust.

I like mine.

Dave

 

[n7bsn]

How well do they work in the cold? My shop is barely heated. My concern is condensation.
...

Frank, right now my shop heat is on, it's 49(F) with 78% and my Trend does not fog.

 

[woodwish]

So after thinking about it I told my wife that she ordered me a great Christmas present that should be here in a week or so. Figured instead of just dropping hints I would go ahead and order it, then she can wrap the empty box because I intend to start using it ASAP. After reading on several forums I went with the Trend Airshield.

Went to the doctor yesterday about the skin around my eyes being so itchy and swollen. Not sure that I ever convinced him it was wood dust that caused it. I have been to several doctors over the years that don't believe wood dust will cause a skin reaction. Wish I could find a good allergist that is also a wood turner, at least they would understand the problem. Does AAW have a staff allergist? If not we should think about hiring someone, at least they could call my local doctor with some suggestions!

 

[davidwalser]

Glad you're getting what you want for Christmas

I'm sure you'll love your Trend. For others who are in a similar situation but haven't yet made up their minds, allow me to put a plug in for the Triton unit. I'm sure it's nothing more then personal taste, but the Triton is more comfortable for me than the Trend. The Trend's weight seemed to be pulling off the front of my head while the Triton's weight seemed to be more evenly distributed. At least that's how it felt when I tried both of them on in the store. As they say YMMV.

Both the Triton and the Trend combine air filtration with eye and face protection, but the Triton also provides hearing protection and more impact protection (in the form of the helmet). This wasn't too big a deal for me, but it was for my wife. She's afraid some big chunk of wood will fly off the lathe an spoil my good looks. She just feels better about this prospect with the Triton than the Trend. She also thinks I've got enough trouble hearing her as it is, so she likes the Triton's hearing protection.

 

[Joyce Baldauf]

In a former life I used to occasionally have to work inside 45' trailers loaded with red cedar shakes and shingles that we would open up after they'd been sealed shut for weeks. Huge amounts of dust and other yucky stuff. Never bothered me a bit. Today, I so much as look at the stuff and my chest tightens, me head hurts, and a general malaise consumes me.

But not when I put this rig on.

There's one in every crowd!!!

 

[raisinsawdust]

3M Dust mask & face sheild

I am cheap, but I think I got a rig that works quite well for when I am power sanding and using the Beale Buffing system - it is a 3M combination facemask and respirator. I got it on Ebay for about $60 and it has been fantastic.

Usually I work with my garage door open and a fan blowing at a pretty high rate from the headstock to the tailstock and out the garage door - this is perfect for the non-sanding operations. But when the sander is on, the facemask and respirator are too.

So if you don't want to spend the $300 for the Trend, and need the protection only when sanding, then I think this is a good solution.

The 3M model number is #6898.

Ray

 

[n7bsn]

Ray

Actually 6898 is the face-plate P/N. The overall P/N is 6700PD(small)/6800PD(medium)/6900PD(large) and retails for about $100 (US). The really great thing about this mask (as opposed to almost every other one in this discussion), is you can (with the right filters) use it for painting, finishing, etc.

 

[raisinsawdust]

Thanks - I just got the part number from the front of the mask - I am not an expert on these, but I am pleased that it has both the respirator and the face shield in one piece- makes it safe for the eyes and the lungs! I forgot to mention that I also use it when spraying lacquer and other nasty stuff too!

Ray

 

[Andy Coates]

wood dust and skin conditions

I'm sorry to hear about your reaction to dust, but you've taken a wise course to avoid it in future.

The UK Health & Safety Executive have a website filled with helpful advice and information for woodworkers. Follow the link and scroll down for the wood dust advice sheet...maybe you could email a copy to your Doctor!

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/woodindx.htm

And I do know the US government offer the same service but I can't find the link I stored! But that's one of the problems with a woodturning fav file in excess of 500 links!

Andy

 

[Claude]

I have an Airshield and just love it.
What is very important for charging the battery pack is to follow the instructions carefully if you want them to hold the charge.
When new the battery pack has to be charged for 24 hours.
When the power is no longer sufficient to provide the right flow of air, you have to let it blow till the battery has NO electricity. Then you have to recharge it for 14 hours.
If you turn 8 hours a day every day, just because of these requirements you have to have 3 battery packs.