Have your eyes ever swelled shut or have you broke out in a horrible rash?????

This may point out and issue that we are overlooking, we are using industrial chemicals and materials but may not be taking all the necessary cautions seriously. There is a msds on the westsystem web site and it talks about the potential symptoms and also the precautions needed to avoid exposure. You may be very sensitive to some chemical in this particular expoxy but with the proper precautions avoided or minimized the effects. I know I dont alway grab my gloves, or watch the ventilation especially during a glue up, but I am going to read the msds for these materials and work with more caution than now.

Sorry you had to be the one to help us be more cautions, get well
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. After all the research ive done Im surprised its never happened to me before. Im getting a bonus in a couple of months and decided to put it all in the shop. I plan on getting an air filtration system and a dust collector. I think Im going to try a poly based glued like Gorilla glue. Ive heard of some makers using it with success. Anyone have any experience with it? I was told you have to start with flat tang and scales and clamp hard, in fact, the website said you cant clamp too hard. It doesn't fill gaps so I wonder if I should even drill out the scales at all with it.
 
Maybe look into AcraGlas bedding compound? I've heard it spoken of as a very good bonder for knife work. I don't know if it's really similar to most epoxies or not...
 
Geesh William, that's sounds horrible. Of course we already knew you were a mystery, what with resurrecting your knife making heritage and all. :) Sure hope your symptoms recede / get resolved. All the best!
 
Just a comment for these situations. Sometimes a problem isn't what it appears to be. Say a person breaks out every time he glues on a handle. He says, "Its the epoxy"...and may be right. But it also may be the acetone he is using to clean everything up with....including his hands.

Good ventilation, nitrile gloves, safe handling and use procedures, etc. All have to work together.

Even with all this, you may be allergic to some ingredient, like the peroxides in epoxy, that sets you off. The build up of antibodies may also be slow, and you may have used it for years with little or no problem.
 
John White said:
Like many of the materials we use in a knife shop, epoxy can be hazardous. Oily exotic woods, synthetic material like G-10, solvents, dusts, and epoxies; all pose real concerns.

For many of us, knifemaking is a pleasurable hobby, and we don't pay the attention to safety that we should, starting with thorough review of safety information.

Some few are allergic to epoxies, all can become sensitized, especially to hardeners. Few persons, once sensitized, can resume epoxy use.

A few precautions can reduce problems.

1) Keep the epoxy in the mixing pot and on the part. Don't wallow in it, get it on your clothes, or on your skin.

2)It's best to use nitrile gloves when working with epoxy. Latex poses it's own hazards of sensitivity, including to the powders commonly found in latex gloves.

3) Never use a solvent to clean epoxy off your skin if you do get it on you. Solvents dry the skin, leaving micro-cracks that invite sensitizing, as well as fungus invasion.

4) Waterless cream cleansers, such as G0-JO, which have lanolin or aloe, are best for washing up, or removing epoxy from skin, but no soap or cleanser with pumice should ever be used, due to previously mentioned micro-cracking and scratching.

5) Avoid sanding un-cured epoxy, and avoid breathing epoxy sanding dust in any case.

6) Take special care to avoid wiping epoxy or epoxy dust in eyes, nose, or mouth.

These simple precautions can help prevent the serious problems like this thread addresses.

I've used epoxy almost daily for some 40 years, in my boatbuilding days by the gallon, without coming to anything but mental anguish, but I've seen others have exactly the same reactions described here.

This post closely follows the short lecture I used to give all new hires in the boat-shop, minus the special four-letter emphatic terms.

Hope this adds something to the discussion; safety is a much neglected subject. We're all trying to have fun, but it's a dangerous world out there.

John
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Thanks for posting these precautions. I don't think I had even worried about epoxy as a hazard aside from the mess and fumes when grinding.
 
Some epoxies are also considered a possible carcinogen, so let's all keep safety utmost in our minds.
 
I have had an anapylactic shock episode from grinding. Throat was swelling shut! Luckily, I called my Dr. friend and he prescribed a methyprednisolone dose pack. Within 3 hours of starting the medication my symptoms were subsiding. I never had any allergic reaction before or since, and I never figured out exactly what caused it. These reactions can be deadly, and Benadryl won't help much, if at all. Talk to your MD and explain what you do. Ask him to prescribe the dose pack so you can have it on hand if symptoms occur. My heels and palms felt like someone had beat them with a ball peen hammer. I was breaking out in hives.
 
Thanks Phil, This is a good post as we all need to take precautions. I'm reminded of a quote. "Some people learn by their mistakes, some by others mistakes, and some people need to pee on the third rail themselves".


Phil Dwyer said:
Geesh William, that's sounds horrible. Of course we already knew you were a mystery, what with resurrecting your knife making heritage and all. :) Sure hope your symptoms recede / get resolved. All the best!
Click to expand...
 
Polyurethane glue is a sensitizer that can cause an allergic response as well, so be sure to glove up and take precautions. You want to keep it off your skin anyway because water is what makes single component polyurethane glues cure, and there's plenty of water in your skin...
 
KFU said:
Thanks for all the replies guys. After all the research ive done Im surprised its never happened to me before. Im getting a bonus in a couple of months and decided to put it all in the shop. I plan on getting an air filtration system and a dust collector. I think Im going to try a poly based glued like Gorilla glue. Ive heard of some makers using it with success. Anyone have any experience with it? I was told you have to start with flat tang and scales and clamp hard, in fact, the website said you cant clamp too hard. It doesn't fill gaps so I wonder if I should even drill out the scales at all with it.
Click to expand...

I used to use Gorilla Glue a lot back when I was building longbows. You want your surfaces FLAT and tight. Clamp HARD. Make sure you moisten the surfaces first, when I would glue wood together I would just get a wet rag and dampen both surfaces. Put the glue on both surfaces too. You will get a lot of foaming and it's usually hard to wipe it off while it's uncured because all of your clamps get in the way. It'll cut off with a razor blade pretty easily though. You can use plastic wrap to contain the excess, Gorilla Glue won't bond to plastics. A bottle doesn't have a long shelf life, start with using small bottles until you figure out how fast you are going through it.

Good luck man, and stay safe
 
After working with Acra Glass you can clean up your hands with soap and water if you do it before it sets.
 
I know what you're going through man, I'm allergic to Cocobolo and Bocote (among other woods i have yet do discover)my eyes swell up and i get rashes from contact. when you grind them up there is really no simple way to protect yourself. get a full mask espirator and wear coveralls or just avaid the stuff all together. If you do have to work with it move to hand sanding or a less aggressive form of stock removal. Sorry to hear about your reaction.
 
If you're having strong allergic reactions to ANYTHING I would strongly suggest you talk to your doctor about a prescribed epinephrine pen or two to keep around the house. If your reaction is strong enough you might not be given the opportunity to administer a swallowed antihistamine.

EpiPens are relatively inexpensive, and are lifesavers - literally!!!!!! I watched someone nearly die on an expedition I was on (6 hours ride from any help) due to a bee sting. Brought a big, strong guy to complete helplessness in under 15 minutes. I'm not allergic to anything, but I have EpiPens scattered all over my usual haunts, just in case!
 
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