PenHog
Member
Hi All,
I recently learned that Bakelite typically has asbestos in it, and the consensus seems to be that asbestos is a dangerous substance linked to lung cancer. Being an old plastic, I should have checked this out myself (luckily, I have not turned any Bakelite, but I had toyed with the notion previously).
This got me wondering: What other blank materials should I be wary of? In particular: Are there other types of older plastics, perhaps some of the vintage materials we see sold on here sometimes, that pose the same degree of danger? (related: I see some prior threads on turning antler)
-- In particular, what about old cellulose nitrate (outside of its flammability) or cellulose acetate/cebloplast?
-- Old Parker crushed velvet?
-- Original Omas/Conrad Stewart acrylics?
I always wear a respirator when turning, but I do not own a vacuum setup (I vacuum by hand afterwards), so there is some dust in my garage and I'm concerned about either (i) tracking some of this stuff inside the house, and (ii) having my kids exposed to something dangerous by accident when going to the car.
Thanks!
I recently learned that Bakelite typically has asbestos in it, and the consensus seems to be that asbestos is a dangerous substance linked to lung cancer. Being an old plastic, I should have checked this out myself (luckily, I have not turned any Bakelite, but I had toyed with the notion previously).
This got me wondering: What other blank materials should I be wary of? In particular: Are there other types of older plastics, perhaps some of the vintage materials we see sold on here sometimes, that pose the same degree of danger? (related: I see some prior threads on turning antler)
-- In particular, what about old cellulose nitrate (outside of its flammability) or cellulose acetate/cebloplast?
-- Old Parker crushed velvet?
-- Original Omas/Conrad Stewart acrylics?
I always wear a respirator when turning, but I do not own a vacuum setup (I vacuum by hand afterwards), so there is some dust in my garage and I'm concerned about either (i) tracking some of this stuff inside the house, and (ii) having my kids exposed to something dangerous by accident when going to the car.
Thanks!