: Hello all -

: I just picked up an old tandem kayak for free. It's a fiberglass boat and has
: had some really rough patches in it's life. They're ugly with really thick
: fiberglass used and resin all over the place. My plan is to sand the
: patches down as far as I can to get a fair surface -- even if it means
: that I have to put new patches overtop.

: Anyway, I digress - my real question is what do I need to do to keep myself
: safe when sanding this fiberglass. I was looking at the Enviro Safety
: Products web site and was planning on buying a respirator, nitrile gloves
: and Tyvek coveralls.

: The respirator that I am considering is a 3M 6000 series. Is it worth the
: (WAY!)-extra money for a full-face respirator versus the half-face
: respirator? And, from a tiny bit of reading about epoxy sanding protection
: - I was thinking of the Organic Vapor cartridges.

: For the Tyvek coveralls, what level of protection is needed? Just coveralls
: with plain sleeves and ankles? With elastic? With hood and booties?

: I'd rather err on the side of precaution and safety. I'll probably do the
: sanding outside (rather than dirty up the garage w/ the fiberglass dust).

: Anyway - comments & suggestions are welcome.

: Thanks.

: -Doug

The biggest problem with sanding fiberglass is breathing the dust. The fibers will make your skin itch but it's not a danger and goes away after a day or so. Doing it outside helps alot and makes clean up much easier. I too wouldn't bother with a full face (I've got the one mentioned and it's nice, also very hot and I almost never wear it). The half face mask works plenty well enough assuming you don't have facial hair, impossible to get a good seal on any mask with facial hair, then you need a hood.

Bill H.