CA Safety

[rlmill]

Does anyone have any details on the safety concerns of the CA fumes? I'm thinking of experimenting with this for a finish. What kind of repirator filter would be appropriate? Has anyone had issues with this affecting cartridge or felt filters?

 

[DCBluesman]

In general, exposure to CA fumes is a temporary irritant. You can filter away the smell, but it is usually easier to either suck them up with an air handler/shop vac or to simply blow them away with a small fan. CA fumes are NOT listed as hazardous on the various EPA lists.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

I have wondered about sucking CA fumes up in a dust collector. Are they explosive fumes?

 

[rlmill]

Originally posted by DCBluesman
<br />In general, exposure to CA fumes is a temporary irritant. You can filter away the smell, but it is usually easier to either suck them up with an air handler/shop vac or to simply blow them away with a small fan. CA fumes are NOT listed as hazardous on the various EPA lists.

Thanks Lou, that's what I was looking for!

 

[Scottydont]

Originally posted by Mac In Oak Ridge
<br />I have wondered about sucking CA fumes up in a dust collector. Are they explosive fumes?

I don't think CA is but the accelerator is.

 

[DCBluesman]

Based on the handful of CA products I have used, CA has a low flammability rating. Each manufacturer's CA is slightly different and therefore I suggest a look at their MSDS for their product. See the FAQ section for a link.

Originally posted by Mac In Oak Ridge
<br />I have wondered about sucking CA fumes up in a dust collector. Are they explosive fumes?

 

[J. Fred Muggs]

I've been using CA as a sealer/finish for sometime now with an 1100 CFM dust collector port just under the bed of my lathe. I never even smell the stuff with this set up. I suspect with that kind of air flow, if any of the fumes are explosive, they are dissipated to well below the lower explosive limit (LEL). That's the weakest concentration of fumes that can explode. Obviously, if I can't smell it at all, it's not an irritant either.

 

[Guest]

I read for quite a while about people complaining about CA fumes and the smell from deer antler.
I never had a problem with it.
I then realized I had an HVAC boot suspened from the ceiling hooked into my D.C which is mounted in the "attic" of my shop.
My source of heat is not hooked up to a thermostat and runs constantly,
(Propane radiant)
My D.C. is run through a homemade chip separator and any fumes are not an issue.
The D.C. does not get the big stuff but it is fun to watch the "thin shavings" get sucked into the "boot" and keep going.
It sometimes helps when I am turning acrylics and corian.
For those of you who are not using a D.C. remember it's the stuff you can't see that does the damage.

 

[dougle40]

For those of you who are not using a D.C. remember it's the stuff you can't see that does the damage.

That is soooo true , I learned my lesson after turning a piece of Cocobolo without a mask and when I was done , blew my nose and everything was BLACK . Just imagine how much got past the nose hairs and into my lungs . This can't be good for you .

 

[wayneis]

It may not be listed by the EPA but there are quite a few people who get pretty sick when using it, myself included. Whenever I try using CA even just to glue up a blank I get very ill, I've come close to loosing my cookies more than once. Thats why some of us started looking for other alternitives. Thats why I now use epoxy for glue and Enduro for my finish work.

Wayne