Grinding Micarta, how dangerous?

A

A Zone

Joined
Jul 1, 2003
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41
I have good ventilation and wear a respirator, but the micarta dust collects everywhere. I have read that long sleeve shirts should be worn when grinding. Others seem to say that they will not enter their shop without wearing a respirator.

How careful must we be to stay safe when grinding and working around this material?

I now feel the danger is so great that I may switch to using only hardwoods.

Please help.

Thanks in advance,
A Zone
 
Some hardwoods can be just as bad for you. Knifemaker's get pretty serious about safety for a reason, but don't let it scare you away from materials. Just use common sense -- Vacuum up your mess, use your respirator, and you'll be okay. :)
 
A-Zone - Micarta gives off fumes while grinding, you need a resporator filter designed to filter organic compounds. That's supposed to take care of the formaldahyde micarta gives off.

It's funny you ask that question. I'm working my first piece with G10 and have the same question. Based on my surfing around G10 is a type of Micarta, but is not paper (or linen) and phenolic resins.

Instead, it's fiberglass and epoxy. The good news is it's not phenolic resin. The bad news is glass. The only thing I've found out so far is one manufacturer uses 'continous fibers' and doesn't believe the dust is a major threat. The dust looks about the same, I didn't get any 'itcheys' from either, but G10 doesn't stink like micarta.

But I'm still trying to get more information. I was about to ask, when I saw your post.

So if anyone has more G10 information I'm interested in that too.

Steve
 
Here is what I do to knock down alot of dust when working G10 .I put a sponge that is soaked in water on top of my belt up were my tracking wheel is
I clip it there and let the belt run under the sponge,it is like wet sanding
I only use A/O blets for shapeing handles and I have not have any split on me
Cut the mess down greatly.Just some thoughts :)
 
I take my small grinder outdoors and do the grinding of micarta there. The mess is outside so I don't have to worry with clean-up. I still wear a respirator when working with it even outside. Most of my grinding of any handle material I do outside because it goes every where inside. I mostly work with bone and horn.
Scott
 
Thanks Sando. The MSDS information makes me feel a lot better. I guess that the dust from grinding is not that bad(other than an irritant). The fumes I can deal with, it was the dust that had me worried.
 
You will need cartridges that are rated for "organic vapor", AND "formaldehyde". Micarta gives off both phenol, and formaldehyde gases.The phenol is handled by the organic vapor part, but the formaldehyde requires extra protection, hence a dual rated cartridge.

As far as the dust not being dangerous, I beg to differ, but I got it straight from a dept of health toxic materials guy in Californis some years ago that it WILL absorb through the skin, especially if you are sweating. I placed that call after coming down from a micarta induced bout of serious high blood pressure, and rage. It was so bad that I spent 8-10 hours laying in bed and grinding my teeth before it wore off.

When I became more rational, I called the health dept., and finally got ahold of this guy. He told me that exposure to phenolic resin gases can produce reactions that are much like the drug "PCP". A super adrenalin flow that can last hours, and result in sensitivity to chemicals(me) etc.
Why even take a chance? Use every bit of protection you can. If you have pets, especially cats, the dust can be particularly hazardous to them as they are very sensitive to phenol, and will ingest it by licking the dust from their paws.:eek:
Just something to think of.
 
Mike, do you still use Micarta? Besides the respirator and cleaning up most of the dust is there anything else I can do while/after grinding? Maybe wear white Tyvect(sp) overalls like the one used for spraying weed killer?

How do you other makers deal with this problem? Does anyone else feel that their shop is heavily contaminated after seeing all the surfaces covered with Micarta dust?
 
A Zone said:
Mike, do you still use Micarta? Besides the respirator and cleaning up most of the dust is there anything else I can do while/after grinding? Maybe wear white Tyvect(sp) overalls like the one used for spraying weed killer?

How do you other makers deal with this problem? Does anyone else feel that their shop is hopelessly contaminated after seeing all the surfaces covered with Micarta dust?
Click to expand...
I have used it since that time, and if I were making a belt knife for myself I'd use it again.
I've had no problems since that bad exposure, even though I had become sensitized to various chemicals due in part to it, but, I use a good respirator, and try to keep any dust from remaining on my skin for any length of time.
I doesn't take me long to shape a handle on a belt grinder, so sometimes I don't wear long sleeves etc, but just have a fan blowing across my front to keep as much dust as possible off me. As soon as I finish with the grinder work, I shut down and vacuum the shop, completely, starting with myself. It doesn't take as much time as you'd think. My grinding shop is the size of a one car garage(which it is), about 10X20-25', and I can do it in about 15-20 minutes tops, and that's with all the junk, er.........uh............I mean valuable handle material laying about everywhere.;)
I do dump my clothes in the washer after cleaning the shop, etc., too. They just reek of phenol, and while it may be psychological, I don't like to wear them stinking of toxic material like that.

The hand sanding is done with just a respirator on, if that. Most of the time I just have a floor fan, again, blowing across the front of me to take dust downrange a ways. I sweep, or vacuum that up when finished too.

I don't believe it's a good idea to have the dust go outside either as years ago I visited the shop of a maker for some reason, and was looking at his evacuation fan, which was nothing more than an attic fan set between joists in back of his grinder. When he turned it on, it sucked the air out, and opened the grill allowing me to see his back yard. Nothing grew for about 25' the other side of that fan. He said he ground a lot of micarta.!!!!!!:eek: The rest of the yard, where the kids were playing, was green grass.

You can get good accordion filters for shop vacs that won't spray contamination back into the air as you clean. They make them for the sears versions also. They can be cleaned, and reused.
 
Hi Nathan,
I will try your wet sponge trick today. Hope it works for me. I'll be glad to try any suggestion posted on this forum. The MSDS information leads one to believe that Micarta dust is harmless, but that is not consistent with the experences of Blade Forums members. Any bits of information would be helpful. Thanks everyone.
 
Beleive me folks years of accumulated dust in your lungs

:barf: :barf: SUCKS TO THE BIG TIME :barf: :barf: :barf:
 
one of those cartridge respirators good one 3M

and an old furnace fan directly behind the grinder to suck the dust right out the window. A box fan fan with an air filter taped to the back. You'd be surprised how much airborne stuff this picks up.


But I'm moveing my set up.

I got a whole house canister vac to set up and then the furnace blower gets moved to a vented hood over the grinder bench
 
I grind in the garage and it gets lots of traffic. So, this is an important topic to me too.

I tried using our whole house vac. But it is soooooo darned loud!

I also have a vacuum motor connected to a 2" pipe, connected to a trashcan, .... then it gets complicated. That system works pretty good but setting it up each time is a pain.

Right now I'm looking into using a dust collector, with bags. Anyone know how loud those are?

Steve
 
the whole house vac is loud it is going outside the garage wall in it's on little enclosure.

One of the things I want to create with hte blower is air movement up and out.

that should keep the dust from settling all over the garage. A big thing since this winter the wife gets to park in the garage for the first time in 9 years. :)
 
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