: Looking for advice on respirator types for using a Dremel on fiberglass.

: I was reforming the fiberglass seat in my all-fiberglass kayak, using a small
: Dremel cutting wheel and sanding drum attachment. Created a great deal of
: dust, so I wore my 1/2 face North Respirator with particulate
: (P100)cartridges. (It's an old one, perhaps not made for sanding but I
: check the seal whenever I use it - cover the intake cartridges and make
: sure the exhale opening isn't leaking). In doing this Dremel work the
: cutting action created a strong smell - a bit like a chemical/resin smell
: but also perhaps like burning. But the kayak is 13 years old - so there
: shouldn't be any uncured resin that would generate a smell when
: sanded/cut(?). (I assume it's polyester resin, it's an old VCP kayak). I
: am wondering if my respirator was actually leaking allowing the dust to
: get it, hence the smell? Or if the action of the Dremel tool could have
: generated a vapor that wasn't blocked by my particulate filter? Isn't
: smoke a particle - and therefore the smell may indeed have indicated a
: leak? Can a Dremel tool release resin vapors despite the fiberglass being
: many years old?

: When I do new (wet) fiberglass/gelcoat work I use OV cartridges on my
: respirator, and no smell gets through.

: I was covered in dust after cutting/sanding away at this thing for over an
: hour - tossed the clothes in the wash. Just wondering why there was a
: smell and if I should throw out my 6+ year old respirator (that seems to
: be fine on visual inspection.)

: Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks. JIM

No respirator takes out every particle, thus the smell. Assuming you're changing the cartriges if the respirator is maintained it should last a long time.

There are dust filters that lay on top of the cartriges that'll extend the cartriges life considerably. The filters are cheap, the cartriges arn't.

Bill H.