Hey Guy's!! Thanks for all the great info and links. I do have a scuba tank and also a plastic bag so maybe I should give up my search for a good respirator!!!!!! Jim

: Several years ago I had to do some very messy overhead sanding of drywall,
: and after getting a mouthfull, and filling both eyes, I decided that there
: had to be some way to get the job done without ending up looking like a
: snowman.

: I had previously adapted my scuba tank to provide a cheap, steady air supply
: for airbrush work. I bought an inexpensive regulator from Sears and
: connected it to the 1st stage of a 2 stage SCUBA regulator. The scuba
: regulator lowered teh air pressure from the 3000 psi in the scuba tank to
: about 105 psi, and the Sears regulator lowered the 105 psi to 20 or 25 for
: my airbrush, or 55 for my bike tires.

: I unscrewed the airbrush from its hose, put a clear plastic bag over my head
: and stuck the hose into the bag. With the regulator set at about 5 psi the
: bag inflated like a balloon. I needed to put a couple of rubber bands
: around the bag to hold the hose next to my neck, and keep the bag from
: blowing off, but I had a constantly renewed air supply which I felt farily
: comfortable with. The amount of air leaking out at the bottom of the bag
: was so great that I flushed out the CO2 constantly, and since the air was
: put in the tank by the scuba store, I had no qualms about breathing it.

: So I went back to work. The drywall dust fell from above, powdering me
: greatly, but it did not stick to the plastic bag, so I could just shake my
: head occasionally to see clearly.

: I was working merrily when my assistant came in. Over the noise of the belt
: sander I was using I did not hear her enter -- but when she saw me with a
: plastic bag on my head, covered in white dust she shrieked.

: And that I heard.

: I must have looked like some alien space creature from a 1950's B scifi
: movie.

: By the way, I no longer recommend people using plastic bags over their heads,
: even if the do have a good supply of fresh air.

: PGJ