Quick Resin Question

[Weiser_Cain]

How careful do I have to be with resin? Do I have to worry about breathing in dust? Getting it on my skin? I'm a pretty messy guy and I was wondering about this before moving ahead with some initial experiments.... umm ingestion?

 

[Spacemunkie]

Are you casting or just prepping kits?

Either way I'd be careful about breathing in dust and fumes.

Polyurethane contains isocyanates and these are nasty. I cast resins with no issues for several years and then suddenly became hyper sensitive to the stuff. This was using quality respirators too.

Pays to be careful with the stuff I say

 

[Shade]

Yeah it really depends on what you're doing. I know a couple of friends who resin their Pepakura creations outside with no health problems but it is dangerous once the hardener has been added particularly with Fiberglass Resin. Fumes and contact with skin aren't great for your health so I advise outdoor use with, if nothing else, a dust mask and gloves although if you have the money I recommend a high quality respirator but ALWAYS resin outdoors. You don't want those fumes around your house, and you don't want to breath them once the hardener is added. Once it's dry it may stink but it's nowhere near as hazardous to your health as when wet with hardener.

 

[exoray]

The cured resin is pretty safe, it's pretty non toxic in the cured form but the dust will still be an irritant so wear a dust mask... And wash up afterwards...

The liquid components are toxic as the people above have said they contain free isocyanates that over time can cause issues out of no where...

 

[CustomPropSculptorGuy]

best best either way is to use at MINIMUM a dusk mask out side or a respirator mask. Out of now where is right - I've never had asthma before in my life - and I went in to a full blown attack because I tried doing a quick pour and I did it with out gloves, with out a mask, and as I was driving home from the shop - holy ***** -

Just take the proper precautions and you should be golden.

 

[AbsoluteSciFi]

The airborn particulate matter of ANY plastic is fine enough to cuase lung damage over a prolonged time period. Even in the short term, the particles are small enough be evacuated by the evolii(?) in the lungs, thereby becoming a permenant irritant. Use a corbonic respirator on any mechanized sanding. Better safe than die a horrible slow death.

 

[Weiser_Cain]

Looks like resin is not for me.

 

[Wesman]

I assume you are talking about a rigid urethane? Well, some people are more sensitive than others. The fumes are not good in any kind of concentration. Don't cast in some small unventilated room. I always recommend that you wear latex gloves during the mixing and casting. Breathing dust of any kind is not good, so wear at least a dust mask. If the parts you are sanding are still green, you may also be getting a lot of outgassing, so you may also need an organic filter on a respirator. I think that ingesting a cured piece of resin is not in itself dangerous (but certainly not healthful), but either of the components ingested would be very bad. Since it's not acidic, I would throw it up, but you should check with poison control and see if they have a real answer. This is all stuff you've probably already heard, but there you go--Wesman

 

[Mostly Fantasy]

The liquid state can also be a health problem- I used to work with a guy who never wore gloves when handling/mixing urethane, and he developed allergies to the material. I second all previous posts about the dust.

 

[panzerwerk]

I have been using polyurethane resin almost full time for 20 years now both for my home Business and professionally, I never wear gloves , cant stand them , and use good ventilation when pouring , I tend to pour pieces 4-7 hours a day in my Garage , I do not wear a mask or respirator, When sanding I use a table top belt sander and have a shop vac hooked up to it to collect the dust , If I am doing a lot of sanding I will wear a particulate mask just to be safe , I have never had a reaction , and the worst experience I have had is when i have gotten resin in the eye WEAR SAFETY GLASSES :lol
Of course that does not mean 20 more years from now the stuff wont kill me .

With that said , we hired a guy to do casting once in the early 90's , withing a week he was covered in hives and rashes , he looked like a burn victim, so it all depends on you and your sensitivity to the stuff !

 

[Decipher]

What resins are you all discussing, specifically? Would this apply to Smoothcast 320 and 321? Would Aqua-Resin be a good alternative?

I can't use anything overly toxic as the only area I have to work in is relatively public in that children are usually playing as near as 2-4 meters away.

 

[treker2557]

As with most products always read the safety hazards. I know that for resin when sanding and such you should wear a good dusk mask. I would purchase the ones that are made for drywall sanding by 3M. Also if you are casting with resin then a respirator and proper ventilation is important and handle with rubber gloves.

 

[exoray]

so it all depends on you and your sensitivity to the stuff !

The problem with isocyanate exposure is that you can be fine one minute (even for years) and than literally the next moment your could be knocking on death's door from isocyanate exposure... You can have a reaction on a dime even if you have never had one before, best to take all precautions and play it safe if you care about your health...

I keep a box of good latex gloves around, not the cheap stuff you get at Wal-mart but professional grade ones, they fit and perform much better... I use them when I need or require more control or what not, for quick grab the resin and cast I generally just use some of those very cheap clear plastic food service gloves you can get them at places like Sames club for cheap...

 

[Darth Humorous]

Vinyl gloves may be better for those with latex sensitivities.

Mark

 

[exoray]

Vinyl gloves may be better for those with latex sensitivities.

Certainly... Or even nitrile gloves...

 

[Mostly Fantasy]

I really like the nitrile gloves- seem to last longer than anything else, and don't swell up or melt when in contact with some solvents.

 

[Decipher]

Thanks for the excellent tips, guys. I will probably have no choice but to work with resins for my planned projects, so this advice is invaluable.

 

[CaptCBoard]

I've been working with resin since 1984. Back then, it was fairly toxic. Today, not so. The best advice I can give is to simply request copies of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the particular product you want to use and follow the recommendations. I use Vagabond 36-XXX-Slow. I don't use gloves, mainly because of the 'transfer factor', and just wipe anything that gets on my fingers off with a paper towel and acetone. The fumes are so faint, they are not a concern. Don't drink the stuff. Cured resin sands like anything else and unless you are sitting in a cloud of resin dust, no mask is necessary. Cured resin is inert. Bottom line-- if you're just a hobbiest making stuff for himself or a few others, there is nothing to be concerned about. If you're going into the garage kit business, use the precautions that fit you the best. I do know people who are sensitive to polyurethane. I'm not. Most people will have no problem.

Scott