I would always sit on the side of safety with old respirators.by AmericanKraut
A bit like a rifle,always assume it's loaded.
Cheers
Dave
Re: Gas masks and Asbestos.
I would always sit on the side of safety with old respirators.
A bit like a rifle,always assume it's loaded.
Cheers
Dave
Re: Gas masks and Asbestos.
Where is a good spot to pour the mixture in the German ones ???
Re: Gas masks and Asbestos.
I just bought a US WW2 relic mask from the Market Garden area, with lots of rust holes in the canister, now what??
Just came across the following...
"The military cannister contains Blue Asbestos (Crocidolite) - civilian masks contained white asbestos (Chrysotile).
There was significant excess of mesothelioma (the cancer from asbestos)in the girls who made the military masks at Leyland and Nottingham (Boots).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...00060-0032.pdf
.......... Geoff Helliwell, Isle of Man, 24th of October 2011"
OK...now I need to get all specific......I'm sitting here looking at a WW2 Brit Civilian respirator (and I'm holding my breath AND wearing a FULL HazMat suit........not!)..... and I'm looking at what holes to fill....and thinking about volume...and product (no, this isn't a shampoo advert!). I've read alot about "sealing", about PVA glue mixed with water so it's not too gloopy and not too thin (?) and about "filling the filter"......please can someone help me with the following?
1) Which "holes" on the respirator filter?...the numerous ones on the outer-front? or those behind the inner centrally-held disk diaphram inside the actual mask?
2) The mix/consistency (water and PVA)...get me close....milk?...single cream?....double cream?....clotted cream?
3) Volume....do I need to obtain sufficient water'n'PVA to fill the entire filter (yes, I know there's stuff in there already) but ROUGHLY how much does it take.....equivalent to quarter of the filter? half? three parts? ...this is important if one's got more than one to do....
4) If you pour (inject? squirt?...suggestions pls) the goo into one side does it flow straight through and start dripping out the other (important point if being undertaken on your wife's fave carpet!)
5) I know the mix will be a contributing factor, but how does one know when it's dry?...after a couple of hours? couple of days? week?
6) as a matter of interest, what's the SCIENCE / FACTS behind the PVA concept........or is it just what someone's mate suggested might work?
...and then we can put this one to bed....and I can inhale again!
When sealing all my masks, I've poured the glue into the outer grille on the filter. I don't bother with the inside, as the only way the disc is going to open is if you breathe through it. On masks with the blue 'pre-filter' I haven't bothered sealing them at all, as it is my understanding that these filters were of a different composition that does not contain asbestos.
Of course, if I obtained one that was damaged or degraded in any way, I'd seal it just to be absolutely safe.
With the mixture, I've been told to use one part glue to two parts water, but after a while I just squirted the glue straight out of the bottle into the filter. It does have a 'milky' appearance after drying if you don't mix it with water, but it doesn't harm the aesthetic of the mask in any way, at least in my opinion. I actually feel better having the visual assurance that it's sealed and safe.
The glue doesn't leak through to the other side of the filter. I've sealed numerous masks, standing upright overnight with the filter pointed up in the air, and have never had that happen, even on masks where the asbestos cotton pad was damaged and flaking.
With regards to how much glue to use, you really don't need that much at all. I tend to put a little blob in each filter hole, and leave it pointed upwards. It spreads out and creates a skin over the pad. If it doesn't, or if there's a place I've somehow missed, I can just add more glue.
What kind of mask is this, by the way? Civilian General or Civ Duty?
Regards, B.B.
Thank you.
re the masks.....Civilian, Service, Army etc etc
Now just not too sure what to do about the helmet-rim-worn asbestos Face Mask (with "window") that fire fighters used....perhaps shrink-wrapping is the answer there! :-)
The Germans used charcoal granules in their filters, so ought to be safe. Even so I wouldn't put one on and run a marathon in it.
Has everybody read this 1989 Porton Down report ? It gives more insight into the masks which contain asbestos but obviously best to be on the safe side.
http://ibasecretariat.org/porton_dow...skaKJaK2_yNTn4
An interesting read, and one that will prove both useful and reassuring to collectors of WWII-era respirators. I had heard talk of it before, but had not been able to locate the report in its entirety. May print this one off and squirrel it away for future reference.
Regards, B.B.
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