Breathing Masks/Respirators and Lip Balm

Tuatha · Post by **Tuatha** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 10:30 pm

A friend of mine collects Military gas masks, I figure if they can keep out Sarin gas then Playa dust should be no problem but has anyone had experience with them?

I don't really wanna carry them all the way to BM only for them to be a pain in the arse.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 10:47 pm

You can COUNT on them being a pain in the ass. Hot, seaty, no ventillation and generally very uncomfortable even after 10 minutes. You won't see many folks wearing them on the playa - even as part of some off-the-wall outfit.

Not worth the hassle IMO.

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 11:28 pm

> the 'nose potatos'

ITYM potatoes. Dan Quayle did at least have some basis for his idocy.

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 11:34 pm

Goddamn I hate the no edit thing.

calsur · Post by **calsur** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 11:43 pm

Tuatha,

Do not bother with a gas mask. Did that in the Army and they are just a pain in the buns. The big problem is they are made of a rubber like material, generally black in color, and your face just sweats where they make contact with your skin. Filters are only good for about 8 hours. Save yourself a lot of hassle and do not do it. To say nothing of the possibility of being asked by airport security about why you have this item. And those straps that go over the head always tear out some hair when you take them off. Do you require more details?

Tuatha · Post by **Tuatha** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:21 am

Thanks yeah i figured they would be hot and sticky but they would look cool Though the fact the filters would only last 8h's kinda sucks :(

Plus i wanted to see if my friend (who would be bringing them over) would actualy make it through customs without a close encounter with a rubber glove :)

calsur · Post by **calsur** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 2:56 am

Tuatha wrote,

"Plus i wanted to see if my friend (who would be bringing them over) would actualy make it through customs without a close encounter with a rubber glove

"

Tuatha,

You are a really sick little puppy. Welcome.

Tuatha · Post by **Tuatha** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 5:34 am

Hehe Thanks Calsur :)

I figure if you dont return with at least some interesting storys your not doing things right ;)

kairyth · Post by **kairyth** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:00 pm

Chap-stick addicts unite!

Because I'm a dork and never remember to put pockets in my costumes, last year I happened on a solution to the "how not to lose put the lip balm?" question. Lip balm (plastic-tube type), piece of ribbon, and 3-4 inches of electrical tape wrapped around lip balm and ribbon. Chances are you have something to loop it around, no matter how minimalist you costume is (bra strap, backpack strap, belt loop, neck), and there it is!

Lip Balm on a Leash!

-K

@man · Post by **@man** » Mon Jul 26, 2004 6:25 pm

The best respirator that I've found that didn't fog up my glasses & wasn't huge is the AO Safety #95190. There are a few sources on Amazon, here is a better image 4 afew bucks more:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp? ... ncy=2&SID=

I think I got mine @ OSH (Orchard Supply & Hardware), they are the only local source I've found that have them & the replacement pads. I've taken it 2 BM a couple of times (I've heard enough tales of dust storms lasting for days) but haven't had to use it yet. I bring enough bandanas for a clean one every day, plus a few extras.

I'm still looking 4 the best goggles. This year I'm trying military surplus goggles.

ScottV · Post by **ScottV** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 8:40 pm

Get the ones with the *two* straps and the valve. Check your local safety supply store. I also found goggles that fit over my glasses there.

@man · Post by **@man** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 12:38 am

The AO Safety #95190 model respirator has 2 straps which are adjustable for best fit, plus 2 exhalation valves, plus the replaceable filter pad at the intake. The area of coverage is narrow enough that it doesn't fog up your glasses (or any of the goggles I've tried it with).
I've used lots of different disposable (& a few non-disposable) respirators in construction work. This is the only one I've found that is reasonably small and doesn't fog up eyewear.

'stine · Post by **'stine** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 2:21 pm

So I went to buy my dust masks today and thought I'd share a morsel of thought about this experience on this thread. I tried on the 3M dry wall sanding masks, making sure it had the 95 percent effective rate. Had a good fit, smooth edges against my skin, and didn't feel clautrophobic. Made sure I got the right size - didn't think that they actually came in sizes. In another aisle I found a similar 95-rated product but for only $1 more I could get a pair of safety goggles and ear plugs. At first I thought this was a good deal, but then I tried on the mask. The edges were rough against my skin and the mask had an unpleasant chemical smell - something I never thought about was the smell of the mask. So, before buying masks - try them on for size and smell and then try the goggles on on top of them for the feel of the complete package.

'stine

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:37 pm

I was wondering if anyone tried out a Respro mask at BM?
Were there many dust storms?

Ranger Genius · Post by **Ranger Genius** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:57 pm

Were there many dust storms?

[fit of hysterical laughter]were...there..hee! many...ho ho ho...Dust...oh, you're too much![/fit of hysterical laughter]

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:06 pm

[fit of hysterical laughter]were...there..hee! many...ho ho ho...Dust...oh, you're too much![/fit of hysterical laughter]

Uh, ummm............Santa, is that you?

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:15 pm

Someone posted a link to this one someplace, I think it is the one I will get for 05 ...

http://www.allergycontrol.com/store/pro ... DRBQQ53N9A

Let's see, in 04 Sunday and Monday were hot and calm. The wind came up on Tuesday night and blew most of Wednesday. We had the poles snap on oen tent Tuesday night and it was covered with dst by Wednesday night, just looked like a lump-o-dust. The other tents had vents that could not be closed (summer style tents) and filled pretty good with dust over the course of Wednesday. The Pagoda burn was called off that night due to high winds and moved to Thursday. Thursday it started to die down a little but there was still a steady breeze from the deep playa and the side of the city around 3 o'clock was still plenty dusty. That also started a chill down with Friday being downright cool most of the day and the nights were FREEZING ASSED COLD with Friday night down around freezing, it i recall. Saturday warmed up a LITTLE for the man burn, Sunday was a little warmer still for the temple burn and Monday was hot and still again.

During the dust storms on Wednesday you could not see squat more than 3 feet in front of you in the area around center camp.

So ... the hottest stillest air was during setup and teardown.

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:33 pm

Geekster, those masks are MORE expensive then the Respros!
I saw some Respros on a online auction site (gee, which one might that be?) For a bit less.

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 7:04 pm

yeah, but I thought that style of mask would look cool with these:

http://maximumeyewear.com/productfolder ... ggles.html

or maybe even these ...

http://maximumeyewear.com/productfolder ... ggles.html

I wear glasses and wont be able to get my cornea sculpted this year before the event.

swampdog · Post by **swampdog** » Tue Dec 28, 2004 7:43 pm

I had the respro "bandit" mask but didn't really use it. It seemed fine when I did use it. I've got a big ol' pointy nose and even this high end mask was uncomfortable for me. I actually found that I was fine without any dust protection. I made a point to breathe thru my nose so the snot and nosehair could do their job filtering. I did get a few vicious nosebleeds, so I started treating with vinegar to neutralize the base of the dust and moisturizer and that worked great.

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 8:00 am

Geekster, thanks for the dust update! I was wondering about dust storms since I guess in '03 they weren't too bad, so I had heard.
Swampdog, thanks for the respro info!

I've been trying to decide if the Respro mask is worth the $$. They sure look cool. I could get a lot of conduit for the price of the mask!
I think shelter will be first on my list.

Oh, many pages earlier someone mentioned Burt's Bees lipbalm......I just got a stick......WOOO, the peppermint in it stings your lips!! YOW!

Mister Jellyfish Mister · Post by **Mister Jellyfish Mister** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 8:04 am

I had some fun with the higher quality disposable dust masks on '04. They make great gifts and fashion accessories when decorated with sharpies (don't wear until dry unless you like that kind of buzz). They even look cool slung on your shoulder until you need them or covering your bald spot instead of sunscreen. Since just about every kind of mask gets clogged so quickly, you can have a different one for every day at a low cost. Home Depot and other outlets sell them.

Messages included:

Sardonic grin
Kiss Ass
42
Cake Hole

Any other suggestions?

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:04 pm

Martiansky wrote:.

Oh, many pages earlier someone mentioned Burt's Bees lipbalm......I just got a stick......WOOO, the peppermint in it stings your lips!! YOW!

I use Burt's for foot cream. They make the best there is for foot rubs. For lip balm, you would want something with some good sun protection. My lips got sunburned in 04 and it wasn't fun.

Just the plain old dust mask will work better than nothing, or even a bandana over your face. A pair of ski goggles will work to keep the stuff out of your eyes. Get some after the season is over.

When the big duster hit on Wednesday afternoon I dove under a blanket in a chill dome at about 6:00 and Esplanade and waited it out for an hour. It didn't let up so I went into a nearby themecamps dome till it finally subsided an hour or so later. Generally the dust storms last an hour or less but CAN continue for days. What really sucks is when a weather front comes through and the wind switches direction (which is what happened Wednesday/Thursday of 04) so all the dust that drifts up against stuff (just like snow drifts), gets blown back out across the playa to drift up in the other direction.

The dust can also be very localized. On Thursday morning, the side between 2:00 and 6:00 was getting hammered while the side from 6:00 to 10:00 was mostly clear (if a bit chilly).

If money is an issue and you are coming alone, yeah, worry about shelter and food and water. If you have a large group that is pitching in together, that stuff might be slightly less of a burden on any one person and you can splurge a bit on fashion.

Martiansky · Post by **Martiansky** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:23 pm

Dang! I just spent on my DOG's teeth to be cleaned, enough to have built a dome and buy a (low-price)ticket!
But what can you do? She's my "kid"!

Yeah, I'll probably end up going alone......My mom is kinda freaked out about that..."But mom, I'm 39!"

Don't put lipbalm on and then touch your lip with your finger then rub your EYE!! IIIEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Runs to bathroom)

Breathing Masks/Respirators and Lip Balm

Reply

Lip Balm on a Leash

dust masks 4 use with glasses

Some other considerations

respro masks

respro

Mask Fashion