Replies

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Apr 08, 2008 06:02pm | #1

   Your glasses are fogging up because the respirator doesn't seal well just below your eyes.   Warm moist air is escaping throught that crack to fog the lenses.  The solution is to get a respirator which fits your face better.   And BTW you'll be protecting your lungs better; if air can flow out through that bad seal, it also can flow into the respirator through the same crack.

2. 
   MaxYak | Apr 08, 2008 06:08pm | #2

   I have the same problem.  Try to adjust the dust mask so it seals tightly on the upper edge, around the nose and upper cheeks.  The idea is to keep your exhalation from going up through leaks in that upper edge straight into your glasses.

   I had to search around a bit to find a dust mask that fits right.  I am rarely able to make the cheapo paper ones work.

   To the man with a hammer, all the world is a nail.
3. 
   blewcrowe | Apr 08, 2008 06:40pm | #3

   Finding the perfect fitting mask may be the Holy Grail, and maybe I'll do the bucket early, but I can't bother working my hobby and walking around like Darth Vadar. If your search doesn't turn up perfection, a few companies make a fog preventing spray that works on plastic goggles. I use it (can't remember the name exactly) on my goggles and face shields (Lexan) for motorcycling.

4. 
   nboucher | Apr 08, 2008 08:52pm | #4

   I had that problem until I switched to these:

   https://www.gemplers.com/product/GR50/N95-Dust-Mist-Respirator-10-box

   They have a metal strip on the portion of the mask that fits over your nose. After you put the mask on, you bend the strip to fit the profile of your nose below your eyes and this creates a good seal.

   Norman

1. 
   sawdust1943 | Apr 09, 2008 04:40pm | #10

   Norman

   Thanks for the suggestion. When you mentioned a small strip on top that you bend I realized I already had a version of that that I was wearing it upside down with the metal strip on the bottom. It never dawned on me to reverse it & form it to my face. However I must admit  after reading the directions which came with the mask it  said exactly that "bend the metal stip to conform to your face". To be honest I never thought to read the instruction on a dust mask, another mistake to add to my list

   Dennis

1. 
   nboucher | Apr 09, 2008 05:39pm | #11

   Dennis, don't get me going on the general decline in writing ability. (I'm an editor by profession.) The ability to write a clear, simple, English sentence is a craft that's definitely in decline, so it's not surprising that manuals and written instructions have suffered. I can totally understand your confusion. Anyway, glad you got it worked out.
   Norman

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Apr 10, 2008 03:46am | #14

   I am a writer and agree with you that sentences and spelling are going downhill.  Infact, I often enjoy reading (or trying to) these instructions and disclaimers.  Some of the translated instructions and labels provide the most amusement.Chris @ flairwoodworks

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

2. 
   sawdust1943 | Apr 10, 2008 02:01pm | #15

   Norman

   Much as I'd like to I can't blame the writer of the instructions, I have to blame myself, since I didn't read the instructions, to tell you the truth that's not the first time I've done that.  I think there may be one or two other woodworkers who have failed to read instructions on occasion.

   Dennis

1. 
   nboucher | Apr 10, 2008 04:20pm | #16

   Dennis, I'm an instruction-reader, or at least skimmer, but my wife is the opposite. I also like to plan things out a bit when we travel; she likes to just get in the car and wing it. I think the world is divided into instruction-readers and wing-it people.Another thing that works for me when I don't want to be bothered with reading instructions is to ask my daugher how to use the device. Especially when it comes to computers, I'm convinced that kids are now born with their heads stocked with instruction manuals. How else to explain their ability to pick up any new electronic device and immediately know how to use every single feature of it???

2. 
   flairwoodworks | Apr 11, 2008 08:15am | #19

   Well, I, for one, usually read the instructions.  I also prefer to wing it whenever possible.  I prefer not to build from a plan, but rather from an idea of what the finished product should be.  Design as you go, you know?  It may seem ironic, but this seems less stressful than building to spec.

   For the record, I am 20 years old and am boycotting all portable electronics (with the exception of power tools, of course).Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

3. 
   Tinkerer3 | Apr 11, 2008 09:25am | #20

   Yes, I always use the desk top instead of the laptop also.

3. 
   9michael9 | Apr 10, 2008 06:13pm | #17

   klafam dorngert mrtzigit.

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Apr 10, 2008 08:38pm | #18

   But of course.

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

4. 
   Gurk | Apr 15, 2008 02:09am | #25

   I'm still trying to figure out how to turn something "anti-clockwise."

1. 
   nboucher | Apr 15, 2008 03:05pm | #26

   I guess they mean you're supposed to disregard time and turn it at your leisure. :)

5. 
   AndyE | Apr 09, 2008 03:57am | #5

   There is a product called Plexus that is sold through marine stores. It is a plexiglass cleaner/anti-fog/anti-static product.

   http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/plexus.html

   I use it on faceshields in the shop and the wind screen on my boat. amazing stuff.

   I don't know how it would do on your glasses if they are not plastic lenses.

   http://www.westmarine.com/plexus

   One can will last quite a while, especially if you are doing small areas, like goggles.

   Andy
6. 
   peteryu65 | Apr 09, 2008 04:45am | #6

   products..... there are a bunch of them, but, I find that the easiest way and most economical is to apply a little bit of shaving cream or hand soap onto the outside of the safety glasses and buff it our until you can't see it. Make sure you don't wipe off all of the cream or soap though, as this will defeat the purpose of it. Test it by breathing onto it. The same concept can be used on a bathroom mirror and windsheilds.

7. 
   Don01 | Apr 09, 2008 06:49am | #7

   Dennis,
   You don't say hat type of mask you are using. I use 3M 8293 disposables which have a valve. I don't have any fogging issues.
   If I use the el cheapos with no valve I get fogging.

   Don

8. 
   forestgirl | Apr 09, 2008 07:08am | #8

   I use these pleated dust masks, and squeeze the little piece of aluminum "just so" over the bridge of my nose, works well.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
9. 
   TaunTonMacoute | Apr 09, 2008 03:51pm | #9

   Forget dicking around with the mask.  Just get some anti-fog lens cleaner for your glasses.  Clean them before you start to work.  Probably not a bad idea anyway, huh?

10. 
    Galopin | Apr 09, 2008 08:38pm | #12

    I do not use that kind of mask anymore  I rather use a full face mask since 5 years However two years ago I added an air pump with fresh air coming from outside. It is very conforble, I wear glasses and I can apply lacquer to the furniture I made. No more problem with sawdust and the foggy glasses. My lumbs are clean. The hose is sometime inconvenient but when you are at the woodlathe or routing or spraying furniture it is the best protection. That kind of protection is more and more important with the age.

    Andre

1. 
   Stagecraft | Apr 09, 2008 10:32pm | #13

   Who is the manufacturer of your mask?

11. 
    geppetto425 | Apr 11, 2008 08:22pm | #21

    Best tip, use a dryer anti-static sheet, rub it all over the inside then polish it off. Works better than anti-fog solutions. Works great on ski googles too!

12. 
    jimmar | Apr 11, 2008 08:57pm | #22

    I sent this in as shop tip (FWW) a couple of years ago, but will pass this on to you. Take your glasses off, grab a bar of soap and rub a thin film on the lenses(both sides). Now polish them. Put your glasses back on and go back to work.

1. 
   blewcrowe | Apr 14, 2008 10:59pm | #23

   Yeah, but when you get caught in the rain, you get a bubble bath in your goggles.

1. 
   jimmar | Apr 15, 2008 01:57am | #24

   Guess what...I picked that up when I was welding ion a shipyard here on the Cdn. wet coast. Worked like a hot damn in those circumstances.

13. 
    WoodBurl | Apr 27, 2008 09:10pm | #27

    The best dust mask I have found at a reasonable price is the 3M 9211 respirator http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/product/3M-9211-N95-Respirator-Mask.html. This face mask has an exhale valve and seals really well. I have tried them all. If for some reason this doesn't work, try an anti-fog solution. I use this since it gets very hot and humid where I live.
    http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/product/Anti-Fog-Solution-4oz.html