Cocobolo loves me not

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Lenny

Lenny

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Joined
Jan 6, 2009
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Location
Searsport, Maine
I made this New Years day as a birthday present for my wife. (a New Years baby)
She had asked for a letter opener and I figured why not make it a set.

Trouble is, now I seem to be allergic to cocobolo. I have a rash on the crease of my arms at the elbow, neck, and chest! :eek:

The worst thing is I Love Cocobolo! and I don't like the thought of not being able to work with it! :mad:
 

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Displaced Canadian said:
Lacewood does the same to me. What is the best way to deal with it?
Click to expand...

Well, I guess that's what I'm hoping to find out. I can tell you my dust collection needs to be better.
I usually wear a jacket when turning that does a good job of sealing off at the neck and sleeves but .. I started turning (just a little bit) before I put it on..:redface::frown:

I had little hints of this leading up to this ... slight rash, itch, ... I had wondered at that time If I needed to switch laundry detergent ... thought that was causing it.:confused: ... but this time was much more severe and seemed to spread.

any thoughts on the subject would be welcome
 
Cocobolo and some Rosewoods get me pretty bad. That is until I started wearing long sleeves, nitrile gloves and a tyvek hood that covers my head and neck. Havent had a problem since. Make sure to have a good respirator too, I havent had the "pleasure" but I understand if it gets in your lungs, you will be out of commision for a while.

Good Luck
 
Along with everything else mentioned above, I always wash with Fels Naptha and Lava (over kill?). I get hit worse in the warmer months when there is a shine of sweat on my body. I was miserable until I figured out what was making me break out. I found that baking soda stops the itch. Made a paste and covered my hands. Good luck. Because it is wonderful wood, isn't it?
 
I just bought the portable dust collector from PSI and the magnetic dust hood too. I'm wondering how I got along with out them. The turnings get sucked right up and sanding is such a pleasure now no residual saw dust to speak of other than what gets on my hands while sanding. I have asthma and sometimes the sanding could be a problem so I used a pressurized full face mask from Trend that helped a lot but was cumbersome and constantly needed recharging. I also wear latex disposable gloves sometimes with wood that has bothered me in the past. If your dust collector is not working well I recommend this one I've been very please so far with it.
 

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I broke out with that rash 4 years ago------it only takes about a week for it to clear up. I now wait for cold weather and use a fan with the BIG dust collector when turning Cocobolo.
Some things are just hard to give up.
 
Cocobolo is the WORST for allergies from what I understand. Saw lots of traffic about it on the knifelist and the custom knifemakers forums. It's one of those things that you get sensitized to over time and unfortunately, it never goes away. Lots of things will help after the fact, but the only way to avoid it is to not get it on you.
 
pensmyth said:
I just bought the portable dust collector from PSI and the magnetic dust hood too. I'm wondering how I got along with out them. The turnings get sucked right up and sanding is such a pleasure now no residual saw dust to speak of other than what gets on my hands while sanding. I have asthma and sometimes the sanding could be a problem so I used a pressurized full face mask from Trend that helped a lot but was cumbersome and constantly needed recharging. I also wear latex disposable gloves sometimes with wood that has bothered me in the past. If your dust collector is not working well I recommend this one I've been very please so far with it.
Click to expand...

This is very similar to the dust collector I have with the exception that mine was used and when I ordered a replacement bag from Grizzly the one they sent has an opening of about 18". I called to say they had sent the wrong item and they insisted that it would work (and wouldn't exchange it). By the time I gather up all that cloth in the clamp there is enough excess fabric to effectively make the hole about 1 1/2" I think!:frown:
I do like that magnetic dust hood! That and a better bag might just be the ticket.
Thanks!
 
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Gary Max said:
I broke out with that rash 4 years ago------it only takes about a week for it to clear up. I now wait for cold weather and use a fan with the BIG dust collector when turning Cocobolo.
Some things are just hard to give up.
Click to expand...

In good weather I would be turning in my small shop. My other lathe was heavy enough that I just barely got it in through the door and spun against the wall. So when I turn out there I can open the door up and have nice light and ventilation.
This Winter I've been turning on a Jet mini in the basement and it has really opened my eyes to how much dust it makes.:eek:
I'd sure hate to give up turning Cocobolo though!
 
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Lenny said:
I made this New Years day as a birthday present for my wife. (a New Years baby)
She had asked for a letter opener and I figured why not make it a set.

Trouble is, now I seem to be allergic to cocobolo. I have a rash on the crease of my arms at the elbow, neck, and chest! :eek:

The worst thing is I Love Cocobolo! and I don't like the thought of not being able to work with it! :mad:
Click to expand...

Get a good smock... I have same reaction to Paduak.
 
Outside what was spoken already I have no good advice...other than if you want to give up your cocobolo, I happen to live right up the road from you in Bucksport. I would be happy to take it off your hands LOL ;)
 
Zebra wood gets me. made 5 pens one day and had a small reaction to it. Have not turned it since. I have a few cocobolo blanks I want to ruen but I was thinking of waiting till the warmer months and I can open the door for more air. Just in case I have the same reaction to it as the zebra wood.
 
Once you are sensitized it will never stop..how you can avoid getting it on your skin or breathing very fine floating dust, I do not know..all the air cleaners/suction/clothing & hoods, may do it..but golly how uncomfortable..hard to see thru hoods etc...there are thousands of woods to turn and keep your health...
 
try taking zyrtec the day before and the day you are going to turn any woods you are allergic to. Still try to reduce breathing it, though.

It reduces the effects to barely noticeable for me. Helps with the CA allergy also.

You can get a bottle of it anywhere, but Costco has 250 tablets for under $10.
 
From a medical perspective you need to be very careful. Each exposure makes you more sensitive and it could cause you to have an anaphylacitc response. If the dust on your skin causes swelling, redness and itching it is also doing the same thing inside your lungs. This is not a good thing at all. Exotic wood sensitivity does not go away, no matter what soap you use, antihistamine you take, or clothing you wear. Your body is telling you something very important and it is wise to pay attention. Don't want to sound like I am harping, but I have taken care of patients with allergeries who ignored the warning signs and end up being hospitalized or dying from the allergen. Please be careful-you can't wash your lungs.
 
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