paint respirator

My paint store has 3M respirators that are not a supply air system. They are just a mask but they say are fine for paint and hardener.
Anyone have an opinion on these as they are like $30 bucks versus a $400 system and I'm not a painter regularly so I don't have the need for something too elaborate. I plan to also paint outside or at least have plenty of fan/air movement to move fumes out of the barn if I do paint inside. I want to be safe and not make a bad choice. I could just skip the hardener which is another option and feel safe about it and not worry about the drying time and if the paint is super hard. Tractor will be stored inside so won't have risk of sun fading. thanks, MO

You need to have supplied air if you are spraying hardener. You also need a sprinkler system in your house if you are going to sleep in it. A respirator mask must have a federal agency certification on the package that it will remove contaminates down to a certain size, and it has to fit you well also. If you do spray indoors, DO NOT open all the openings that you can! Instead, put one or more box fans in windows on the down wind side, and open other doors and windows no more than what the fans will expel. This will insure air passing THROUGH and VOCs going OUT, rather than just moving around a little.

A lot depends on which hardener you are referring to. The hardener they sell at tractor supply you could use with the 3M respirator but the hardener they make for urethanes is a lot worse stuff and should only be used with the air supplied. I painted one tractor onetime outdoors with urethane and used that type of mask and after I got done I coughed for six months. I knew I should have had an air supplied respirator but I thought I could just hold my breath when I was painting down wind. I found out the hard way that was a big mistake. If all you need to use a air supplied respirator is for is a one time use you could buy one and sell it when you are done with it. People will buy a used respirator to same them some money.

You have to be very careful with spraying paint and using fans. A fan made for use with paint is completely sealed. The motor of a fan creates a spark and the vapors and overspray from spraying paint can ignite explosively. You could use a regular fan blowing clean air in but you shouldn't use a fan to draw paint spray out.

(quoted from post at 07:35:22 10/09/17) A lot depends on which hardener you are referring to. The hardener they sell at tractor supply you could use with the 3M respirator but the hardener they make for urethanes is a lot worse stuff and should only be used with the air supplied. I painted one tractor onetime outdoors with urethane and used that type of mask and after I got done I coughed for six months. I knew I should have had an air supplied respirator but I thought I could just hold my breath when I was painting down wind. I found out the hard way that was a big mistake. If all you need to use a air supplied respirator is for is a one time use you could buy one and sell it when you are done with it. People will buy a used respirator to same them some money.

You have to be very careful with spraying paint and using fans. A fan made for use with paint is completely sealed. The motor of a fan creates a spark and the vapors and overspray from spraying paint can ignite explosively. You could use a regular fan blowing clean air in but you shouldn't use a fan to draw paint spray out.

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It takes adequate LEL for ignition, which occurs only very close to spray gun.

You do not need hardener for enamel paint, urethane does.

In all my 35 yrs of auto painting, I never saw a straight enamel (synthetic enamel / alkyde enamel) that used a hardner or would benefit from a hardener. Then they came out with Acrylic enamel and later yet added a hardener to that package since it was developed to react with one. Good deal. You could spray it either way. Then urethanes/acrylic urethanes which REQUIRE a hardener to even dry/cure. You will hear some swear by enamel with hardener. I have yet to see any info on the can of enamel about directions for adding hardener. It takes a specific resin in the paint chemistry to react with the hardener. There are "band-aids" all over the market out there to try to make something cheap into something expensive. Go talk to a local dealership painter and pick his brain about the subject. Don't just take our word for it. My opinion...in your case...use the enamel straight and forget adding the generic hardener to it. It will be generic since I know of no reputable paint mfg that supplies/recommends a hardener for it's straight enamel products. Very few name brand companies even make an alkyde/synthetic enamel anymore. same with acrylic laquer. Also, a store counter man is taking great risk recommending what respirator to use to anyone, especially with hardener. Too many variables in the mix to know.