Official Luthiers Forum!

A few weeks ago I posted a question asking if anyone had any experience using nasal filters. I got a few comments but it didn't seem to me that anyone had direct experience. So, since they are cheap, I ordered a couple of different brands to give them a try. These are my first impressions.

Here's a picture of the nasal filters I ordered:



The ones on the left in the picture are the "Protection Plus" as available at this web site: http://www.modernalchemyair.com/products/protection-plus-nasal-filters/ I ordered these first and they were available locally. The ones on the right are the "Woody Knows Super Defense Nasal Filters" as available here: http://www.supermasknasalfilters.com/wk ... lters.html They came from Australia.

I received and tried the "Protection Plus" filters first. The task I was doing while wearing them was carving a guitar neck. I did a fair amount of sanding during this process and, from past experience, know that had I worn no type of respirator, by the time I was done I'd be feeling it in my lungs and my nose would have a lot of dust in it. However I was pleased to find that by wearing the nasal filters I had none of these problems. I found them more pleasant to use than my respirator and, in fact, after a while I hardly noticed them at all. There was some air resistance but not too much. They did not clog up in the time I was using them and I see no reason why the same ones couldn't be used for another few sessions at least. On the down side, they were fairly hard and if you hit the side of your nose while these were inserted, it would hurt. Also, although they didn't bother me too much while wearing them, I did notice that my nose was a little sore afterwards.

I tried the "Woody Knows..." filters while sanding and buffing out the finish on the same guitar neck. Again, I know these are tasks for which I should be wearing some kind of respirator. If you go to the web site for these filters you can find a video of a young girl explaining the advantages of these kind of nasal filters. Everything she says is true. The filters fit into a flexible frame and it doesn't go as far into your nose. So even if you hit your nose while wearing them, it won't hurt. They also have a larger surface area and breathing through them is easy. I found that I forgot entirely that I was wearing them and could easily see wearing them all day. They also seemed to do the trick in keeping my nose clear. So, in my opinion, these are better, hands down.

So I think these nasal filters are a good thing. They seem to work, can be way more comfortable to wear than a respirator and they do not "clog up in a New York minute" as had been suggested in response to my first post on the topic. I recommend giving them a try - you've not much to lose.

Please note that I am not saying that nasal filters can always take the place of a respirator. I tried them in conditions where I knew I needed something but not in my most dusty conditions like when I'm ripping wood on my table saw. I will try that when I get the chance. On the other hand, I've become very sensitive to CA fumes and now don't use the stuff unless I am wearing my respirator with an organic filter. The nasal filters will never work for this.

Cheers,
Pat

_________________
There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Thanks for that review Pat - I think I'll try them.

_________________
Thank You and Best To All

Pat, Thanx. I didn't know that such a thing existed.

That's cool, I'll try them. Thanks.

_________________
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Great review, Pat! Thanks for posting it.

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Seems to me any breathing from your mouth is still subject to getting in your lungs...

_________________
Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Thanks Pat!

_________________
John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

So don't be a mouth breather when sanding!

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Some of us have such bad noses that we have no choice but to be mouth breathers.

I've been called worse...

_________________
Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

just take em out of your nose and stick em in your mouth! Problem solved.

just found these online, they aren't inserted but rather adhere to the skin on the outside of the nostril. May be a bit more comfortable long term

http://www.filteryourlife.com/

One really nice thing about these is you avoid the fogging up of safety glasses that so often accompanies a dust mask , or the difficulty with wearing glasses and respirators. I think I'm going to give them a shot.

Thanks for the recommendation! Never even heard of nasal filters, but I've always hated having to wear a dust mask, so I'll give the WK Super Defense a try.

Another advantage over masks is having your mouth free to blow dust away I'll stick with wet cutting for shell inlays so I don't have the micro-dust floating around the room for the rest of the day, but should be great for wood inlays since I usually do those without a mask specifically for that reason.

You guys are kidding yourself if you think these are going to provide any real protection from saw dust. But go ahead and try them. What could be the downside?

I found 3M respirator with dust filters (p100) works very well. It's fairly comfortable too.

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

These are cool! No more wood boogs!!!! I'm gettin some. I remember years ago wishing I had something like this then forgot. Thanks Pat!

I have been using this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00009363 ... ot_redir=1

I like it, it fits well, don't smell a dang thing with any chemicals either. Takes some getting used to with breathing though, you have to breath a little deeper or heavier.

_________________
久保
美智え

One thing I did notice though to add. While working in the cold (my workspace is on the enclosed porch) there was condensation in the mask over the period of two hours. Not a lot but enough to where I wiped it out.

_________________
久保
美智え

One downside is that some people will depend on these, rather than a full mask, thinking they are protected. These nasal filters may not trap the really dangerous fine particles through the nostril, and certainly won't trap any of the particles unconsciously breathed through the mouth.

I use a 3M face mask and live with the aggravation it brings. I think I will look back years from now and appreciate the aggravation.

Heck, I may get some of the nostril filters and wear them inside my mask.

James

James, it wasn't apparent, but I was being sarcastic about no downsides. We ARE talking about our health.

I'm glad people are finding this a useful post. I've already been contacted by the fellow here in Ottawa that sells the Protection Plus filters to say that a couple of people off this forum have already ordered some and he wanted to quote my review (just the Protection Plus part) on his web site.

Their actual effectiveness is a good question. The little experience I reported on was very qualitative. How much does my feeling of clean airways and no sawdust boogers mean? The Woody Knows site states some effectiveness down to 1 micron particles and there now seems to be one or two studies showing some effectiveness against pollen. What I can say for myself, and I'll bet this is true for others, is that I'm not as conscientious about wearing my respirator as I should be because it's a little uncomfortable, it's awkward with my glasses - even worse with my magnifying goggles, it's extra weight hanging off my face and sometimes I'm just plain lazy. Since the nasal filters address most of these "problems" I think I'll be more likely to wear them and overall I'll be inhaling less dust. I hope.

I'm quite interested in other people's experiences with the filters. Whoever gets and uses them, please post some updates.

Pat

_________________
There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

The problem with these type of filters is that if they were effective and you are making a lot of airborne sawdust, they would clog up almost immediately due to the small amount of surface area. Real respirators have several square feet of surface area inside each filter cartridge, which is several hundred times greater than these little nostril plugs. They just don't make any sense for woodworking.

Note that the intended use of nasal filters is for allergy protection. When you are outside, the quantity of mold spores and respirable particles you would inhale is very low, so filters this size will not get clogged very quickly and may provide a few hours of protection.

By the way, I am responsible for respiratory protection for workers in my day job.

Yes, I understand the comment about small surface area. I also know, as I stated in my first post in this thread, that I tried them in two situations where I know ordinarily I would have ended up with a significant amount of dust up my nose and in these cases they did not clog up. Have you tried them? I'm looking forward to other peoples experiences after they have tried them.

In my day job I was Director of Reactor Thermalhydraulics for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the division I ran was responsible for the thermalhydraulics aspects of the safety basis for Canadian nuclear reactors.

Cheers,
Pat

_________________
There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Pat,
Thanks for the post. I've ordered them (woodyknows brand). I have a bad habit of sometimes working in my shop without a respirator, simply because I hate it, but I'll usually put on a dust mask. I'll let you know how well they work for me. I'll rate them 1 to 10 on a NBPN scale. That's "no booger picking needed". I'll hold my breath too.

In my day job, I wear safety glasses while staring at a computer screen.