: Q3. (You will all probably
: get a good chuckle out of this one) How are you supposed to wear eye
: protection and a respirator at the same time? My glasses fog up so much I
: can't see what I am sanding! Nancy

Hi Nancy,

Are you wearing a respirator or a dust mask? The paper dust masks make your glasses fog up but you can eliminate this by getting the ones with the valve on the front for exhaling. These are the better ones to use anyway and you can even get them with activated charcoal to filter some organic matter.The best thing is to upgrade to a proper respirator and get rid of the dust mask.

If you are already using a respirator, check and make sure that the valve in the front is not restricted. This sometimes happens when the rubber flap jams. It usually jams open though and this causes the air to come in through the valve on inhaling which is the same as not wearing a mask.

If you are using the paper mask with the valve already, make sure that you bend the seal around your nose or the air will get in and be exhausted here instead of being filtered by the mask. You can tell if this is the problem as you will have sanding residue around the sides of your nose when you remove the mask.Usually the fogged glasses problem happens in cold temps or with heavier breathing which could happen in the winter or with lots of hand sanding.

Anyway, these symptoms are indicative of a problem with your choice or use of the respirator and should be addressed soon.

I hope this helps you out.

Ian