poison ivy

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Dec 3, 2009
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went to a gun show last sunday. had a conversation with a knife maker and he told me that cocobolo was poison ivy and you should handle with long sleeves,gloves and respirator. any truth to this?????

thanx
 
It is not poison ivy. They can both cause what I think they call contact dermetitis if you have an allergy to them, but they are not one in the same.
 
No, cocobolo isn't poison ivy, but it CAN cause a rash similar to it. However, ALL wood should be treated as such when grinding/sanding it. It's very hard on your lungs if inhaled.
 
Agreed they are not the same however they can cause a similar reaction:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cocobolo is a tropical hardwood of the tree Dalbergia retusa from Central America. Only the heartwood is used: this is typically orange or reddish-brown in color, often with a figuring of darker irregular traces weaving through the wood. The sapwood (not often used) is a creamy yellow, with a sharp boundary with the heartwood. The heartwood is known to change color after being cut, lending to its appeal.
Cocobolo is oily in look and feel. This oil lends a strong, unmistakable floral odor even to well seasoned wood and occasionally stains the hands with prolonged exposure. Standing up well to repeated handling and exposure to water, a common use is in gun grips and knife handles. It is very hard, fine textured and dense, but is easily machined, although due to the abundance of natural oils, the wood tends to clog abrasives and fine-toothed saw blades, like other very hard, very dense tropical woods. Due to its density and hardness, even a large block of the cut wood will produce a clear musical tone if struck. Cocobolo can be polished to a lustrous, glassy finish. The high natural oil content of the wood makes it difficult to achieve a strong glue joint, and can inhibit the curing of some varnishes, particularly oil based finishes.

Cocobolo working it

Care must be used when cutting Cocobolo, as the wood's oils can induce allergic reactions if inhaled or exposed to unprotected skin and eyes. A dust collection system, coupled with the use of personal protective equipment such as respirators, is highly recommended when machining this wood.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Poison ivy grows throughout much of North America, including the Canadian Maritime provinces, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and all U.S. states east of the Rockies, as well as in the mountainous areas of Mexico up to around 1,500 m (4,900 ft) (caquistle or caxuistle is the Nahuatl term), and is normally found in wooded areas, especially along edge areas. It also grows in exposed rocky areas and in open fields and disturbed areas. It can grow as a forest understory plant, although it is only somewhat shade tolerant.[1] The plant is extremely common in suburban and exurban areas of New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and southeastern United States. Similar species, poison oak, and Toxicodendron rydbergii are found in western North America. Poison ivy rarely grows at altitudes above 1,500 m (4,900 ft), although the altitude limit varies in different locations.[1] The plants can grow as a shrub up to about 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) tall, as a groundcover 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 in) high, or as a climbing vine on various supports. Older vines on substantial supports send out lateral branches that may at first be mistaken for tree limbs
 
The Knife Maker at the Gun Show described or said it wrong.
I have many knives out there with Cocobolo handles, With No complaints, including from my family.
I am not allergic yet to Cocobolo dust.
But Blood wood and Black walnut dust give me poison ivory LIKE Rashes.
Poison Ivory oil will make me blister to the point of needing a Doctors assistance,
 
As someone extremely allergic to the PI, I can assure you that properly sealed PI will not give you a rash. Unsealed, the woody portion doesn't have the higher concentrations of urushiol that the leaves do and isn't as likely to cause contact dermatitis. When properly sealed, you should never be touching the actual wood anyway. I wouldn't think his warning about cocobolo was to be aimed at the buyer as much as to the maker. The urushiol oil is in the highest concentrations in the leaves, not the wood. However, sanding ANY wood produces enough particulate matter to irritate your lungs and it's even worse with many of the tropical/exotic woods that knifemakers like to use. You couldn't pay me enough to sand on poison ivy, however. Additionally, here is a warning from wikipedia:

People who are sensitive to poison ivy can also experience a similar rash from mangoes. Mangoes are in the same family (Anacardiaceae) as poison ivy; the sap of the mango tree and skin of mangoes has a chemical compound similar to urushiol.[23] A related allergenic compound is present in the raw shells of cashews.[24] Similar reactions have been reported occasionally from contact with the related Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) and Japanese lacquer tree. These other plants are also in the Anacardiaceae family.
 
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