SCUBA Gear for painting

[NudeDiver]

So, I am in the garage a little while ago, painting pieces for the off-road SCUBA support adventure trailer that I am building, with the new HPLV pain gun I bought from Home Depot just for this purpose. There I am, with my respirator, protective eyewear and protective hood, spraying all this crap around, doing the Darth Vader style breathing as I look through this plastic mask sort of thing - and it occurs to me - this is a lot like dive gear.

I will say, the cheapie (about $25) respirator I bought really does make a difference in my personal air quality while in the middle of such a process - but I'm wondering if I could step it up a notch by using SCUBA gear. I've already got the reg and (I think) a long enough hose that I could put the tank on a bench or something and just breathe off of that rather than the respirator. I realize that I'd have to cover the stuff up with plastic to keep paint from getting on it - and also go rent a tank for $10 or whatever - but I'm wondering if it might be a healthier, more effective breathing solution than just using this cheapie respirator.

Any thoughts?

Cheers!
nd

 

[rstofer]

I use a cartridge type respirator every time I paint (other than Latex). It wouldn't even occur to me to want to get my scuba gear anywhere near the fumes from some of these paints. I can't imagine the fumes doing the hoses any good. Certainly, the external surface of the 2d stage diaphragm is also exposed to the fumes. If that fails underwater, life will get exciting real quick!

Richard

 

[Phrenzy]

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail." Abraham Maslow

 

[john1bl]

The SCUBA gear will work very well The Fire department used SCUBA gear but call it a BA. But I don't think you will want to dive with it after you have used it for painting:shocked2:. If you have a old or real cheap one that you can dedicate to painting that would be an option.

 

[NudeDiver]

All - yeah, good point about the fume damage to the working parts and such. Didn't think about it. Knew this idea was too good to be reasonable.

OK - I'll stick with the respirator

Cheers!
nd

 

[Garrobo]

Most of the spray painters I've worked around on constuction jobs over the years just smeared their face with Vasoline, tied a rag around their head and another one like a bandana mask and sprayed away. Of course most of them died in their 40's.

 

[mudhole]

Breathing in fumes is the problem, the solution is breathing clean air out of a regulator. . . The danger is contaminating your regulator. . . the solution is to wrap a 99 cent shower curtain over your head front and back and tie it to yourself with a belt. No worry about plastic bags over your head. . . you've got more than an hour of breathing time. Works well, if you're spraying correctly, you can even reuse the shower curtain.

 

[Blazinator]

As a former professional finisher, I would say that techinally, the healthiest way to spray would be from a tank like you suggest, but for the occasional finishing (as opposed to those who spray urethanes and such for a living) job, a respirator with NEW charcoal cartridges rated for the type of paint being sprayed, is quite healthy enough. However, you always get air leaks around the mask, so a regulator is an awesome idea.

I wouldn't be as concerned about the solvent fumes on the hoses and equipment - solvents are always offgassing into a diffused state, so unless your hose and reg got a full spill of paint onto the rubber parts, overspray will very soon lose its solvent and damaging effects (just my opinion).

When I plan to respray my boat with two part catalyzed marine urethane, in my shop where venilation is tough (don't want crap landing in the wet finish) I think I will use your idea for sure.

 

[muddiver]

The AGA full face mask was developed from the Drager Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (i.e. SCBA). I think that is what John1bl is trying to refer to. They are very similar but also very different.

Breathing off of a tank of compressed air is the best choice to work in a contaminated environment. I think you should type supplied air resporator into ebay or your web brouser and see what the cost would be for a terestrial model before you try using a SCUBA regulator. I am sure the SCUBA 1st stage wil work fine as a supply, but I would be hesitant to use a SCUBA second stage (that is designed to work in a heavier and thicker fluid "water") unless it was an emergency and you were trying to save someone. The mushroom vale over the exhaust port along are designed for a lower back pressure on an SCBA so a SCUBA unit might not seal.

Your thought process is valid though.

 

[rdivingrick]

Be carefull you can die easier than you think