> I have to do some repairs on the inside of the stem on 53 year old racing
> sloop. Think of it as a big kayak. She is cold molded. I need to get one
> of those masks with outside air hoses. The hull is very cramped and I will
> be inside it working with epoxy.

> Can anyone provide a link or phone number? Thank you.

I have used standard SCUBA equipment for working in very dusty environments. If all you need is air for a single job that will take a day or two, consider renting filled scuba tanks rather than a compressor. A contractor's air compressor is bad news for breathing. the compressors used for filling SCUBA tanks are the kind you would want, but they are expensive to buy, and it is hard to find ones you can rent.

Years ago I modified an old two stage SCUBA regulator so I could use the compressed air for airbrush work. It is pretty simple. On a two stage regulator the first stage is mounted on the tank and reduces the pressure to about 100 psi over the ambient pressure. If you are under water this will ary with your depth, but on land this means you get about 100 psi air out of that hose. I bought a standard regulator from Sears (a common, replacement part from one of the compressers they sell for spraying paint) and just had to find an adapter between the different thread sizes so the scuba regulator's hose could feed into the Sears regulator. After that, standard air tool components can attach to the regulator.

Once you have a supply of breathe-able air, if you are on a budget, go to an Army surplus store and get a gas mask. Set your regulator to about 4 to 6 psi, feed the air into the gas mask, and see how it works. Unlike a standard SCUBA system, which only gives up air when you inhale, this will give you a continuous supply of air, so a tank of air will last about 30 to 45 minutes. The continous air flow will purge any exhaled CO2 and also reduce fogging of the lenses, and your face won't sweat a lot.

Firemen use SCUBA tanks with full face masks to supply them with air when inside burning buildings. The ones I've seen are made by the Scott company and sold under the name of 'Scott Air Paks' (I think I have the name right). Scott makes similar products for comercial use. There is one mounted to a wall, (for emergency evacuation use) in a factory I've visited. Call the non-emergency number of your local firehouse and ask them for the name of their supplier, and also for contacts on getting air tanks refilled. I have been divng in the middle of nowhwere and been able to get SCUBA tanks refilled though the courtesy of local fire departments. if they don't have their own compressor then they have a service that fills their tanks for them. I think Grainger may have them -- or something similar -- in their industrial supplies catalog.

A medical supplies company can set you up with a full face nebulizer, or just a simple plastic mouth-covering mask. Ask your doctor. You may need a prescription to be able to rent this, however, if you can get it, you can also get oxygen supplied by a medical firm, too. Breathing pure oxygen is a no-no for divers, (it is poisonous at depth) but on the surface it is great. In fact there are some 'oxygen bars' that let you breathe in pure oxygen, for a stiff fee. For a long term project you can rent a liquid oxygen tank complete with regulator, and the supplier will come to you to refill the tank when necessary. When my wife was ill we had one of these in the house.

Check the local supplier of welding supplies. They deal with compressed gasses, including breathable oxygen, and you don't need a prescription to rent a tank from them. Just enough credit. A lot of welding takes place in confined spaces where the gasses produced are toxic, so these guys are aware of safety equipment and the people who supply it. Tell them exactly what you need and they might be able to sell it to you, or lease it to you.

If you are getting paid to do this repair work, you can write off the cost of renting the tanks.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson