AWilson

My 15 year old son and I plan on prepping and painting my 68 over the summer. The original paint being 40 years old probably has lead in it, correct?
From what I understand children do not physiologically handle lead nearly as well as adults and it can have permanent effects.

Questions:

Should I just not have my son involved with this project? That would be disappointing but if that's the way it has to be....

If he can, would he need to wear a respirator during all the long repair, block sanding and prep process? If so he may not want to do it then and I can't blame him.

I was planning on just a paper mask for myself and a respirator only when spraying. Would that be ok for the kid too?

capecorvette

paper masks are worthless, get yourself a cartridge mask for you and the kid. home depot sells them or any auto body supply place. my brother inlaw had me work with him when i was 10 years old, it was awesome, i was spreading bondo and grinding. i would definitely have him work with you

porchdog

i wet sand everything. have the car media blasted then go from there.

crazywelder

If your son really has interest in helping with the project, he won't mind wearing the masks. If he is hesitant to wear them or adhere to other safety issues, than he probably isn't that interested.

Both of you will need 2 syles of masks, a dust mask and an approved paint spray mask, stick with 3M products as they are arguably the best. The best dust mask is a 3M #8271. It is paper but it has a wide foam seal that seals the entire mask to your face (no leaks) and it has an exhale valve to keep it cool inside, very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

A 3M 7000 series paint spray respirator is designed for automotive paint and it is disposable. Lasts about 20-30 hours and throw it away. Just bought one last week at $18.05. There are also some respirators that supply fresh air. What you choose for painting depends on the amount of exposure you have and the type of ventilation in your work area.

Mark G

1) You should always wear a mask when dry sanding. So should your son. If/when you wetsand, you don't need to.

2) If you strip is chemically, you don't need to worry about dust, ...but fumes from the stripper can be strong. I did mine outside on a cloudy day.

3) I agree with the others about using 3M respirators. You may also find some Supplied Air Respirators on Ebay for less than what paint stores sell.

Be safe and enjoy the project.

chris75stingray

at first masks are a pain but you get used to it. wear rubber gloves too when using thinner and stripper

OzzyC4

I believe a lot of the safety warnings are a bit overzealous. (lawyer involvement)

IF the materials are as dangerous as made out to be how did all of us old farts working with these materials back in the day survive?

I was the ripe old age of 13 when I did my first paint job and I am still here with no health problems related to this hobby.

Just good old common sense is required, dust is dust, don't breath it. Chemical fumes are just that, don't breath them either.

My grandson is 12 years old and loves to help me work on cars. He has no problem with wearing a dust mask or respirator, he thinks it is cool.

Kids love to imitate their idols/heroes and hopefully you are one of those to your son.

Click here for Lead paint Info

As far as the lead concern, do you have copper plumbing in your house? Is it over 15 years old ? If so - you are drinking trace amounts of lead that are leaching out of the solder joints.