After turning my second acrylic, I'm starting to think I may be relegated to turning them in the garage in warmer weather. I have a 1 micron dust collection system installed and wear a respirator, but the problem is the acrylic smell ends up stinking up the whole house. Unfortunately my shop is in my basement with no windows. Anyone have a clever solution to this I may be missing? I'd love to continue turning acrylics but my wife and kids don't appreciate the smell..
Acrylic Smell
- Thread starter tv68
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WriteON
Member
Same problem. Regardless ...wood finishes are a killer indoors. Every finish is hazardous and stinks up the place. Maybe an air filtration system of some kind will help.
danhoke
Member
In addition to a dust collection system, I also have a Rikon air filtration unit; helps a lot. Hope you work this out.
FGarbrecht
Member
I have a couple of Wen air filtration units that do a good job of taking fine dust out of the basement shop; its done a good job of keeping this stuff out of the rest of the house. If you have issues with vapors and/or toxic fumes you could consider a home-built fume hood vented to the outside. If I were to do it for turning acrylic, I might try a small lathe mounted dust hood connected to my shop vac and then route the air output of the shopvac to outside. I haven't done this because I don't turn acrylic, but I do turn ebonite which smells like sulfur, so maybe I should do it anyway 
qquake
Member
The only solution that I can think of, is some sort of exhaust system that exhausts to the outside. I don't know if that's possible in your situation. I'm not sure any kind of filter would remove the odor.
Hey guys, appreciate all the suggestions. Sounds like some type of solution that vents outside would be best. Not sure how much that would be, but I'll be looking into it. I haven't had an issue with wood since I'm typically only using a small amount of finishing product at a time. Might have to limit myself to that for the time being..which is unfortunate because I just got in a couple Kirinite blanks I was looking forward to turning!
I don't believe so, but I'll double check. Our washer/dryer is located in the first floor, and I'm working in the unfinished basement.
qquake
Member
Sorry, not sure what you mean?
qquake
Member
WriteON
Member
Fun to work with. Look great when finished.
wolf creek knives
Member
You could always use the excuse that your making beautiful art. Worked for Da vinci.
1080Wayne
Member
You used the word `acrylic` , which is frequently misapplied to other plastics . Different plastics have different smells . Some of them you and your family might not find objectionable . What were the blanks you turned called by the supplier ?
That's a good point..I'm lumping all the acrylics together when some are probably different. The first one I turned was called Aquapearl Hot Pink Pearl and the other was Cosmic Dark Bronze. Both had the same pungent odor.
Truthfully, I'd be less concerned (and probably more likely to continue to turn them on occasion) if I knew the vapors weren't harmful, but up to this point I haven't found much convincing one way or the other.
eharri446
Member
My wife had a friend who did nails in her garage that was fixed up to be her shop. I can still remember the smell from the acrylics that she used. I know that she had an air purifier that removed the odors so that they did not go through out the house. I turn acrylic in my garage and have never had a problem with the smell getting into the house. I have less issues turning acrylics than I do turning any type of cherry wood. When I turn cherry would my sinuses turn into water falls so I do not turn it very often. Also, I found this link when I did a Google search on the issue:
https://www.penturners.org/threads/toxicity-of-acrylic-fumes.120402/
https://www.penturners.org/threads/toxicity-of-acrylic-fumes.120402/
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eharri446
Member
Further research into the subject pointed out that it is the dust more than anything else that seems to be harmful. The vapors can be as well if you are burning or using a laser to cut acrylics. I always use wet or dry sand paper with water and micro mesh with water when sanding acrylics.
Just to clarify, I lump all plastics into the category of acrylics even though the chemical composition may not be the same.
Just to clarify, I lump all plastics into the category of acrylics even though the chemical composition may not be the same.
Woodchipper
Member
I use a Shop Vac to draw off the odor when turning any synthetic material. Never had any problem with the odor outside the closed shop which is a converted garage in the lower level.
Sylvanite
Member
Please see https://www.penturners.org/threads/not-all-plastics-are-acrylic.148328/. It is a mistake to refer to all plastics as "acrylic". Acrylic is a type of plastic - not the other way around. Each synthetic material has its own specific smell; and different turning, sanding, polishing, and lasering characteristics. Using inaccurate terminology just leads to misinformation and confusion.
For example, if the blank you're turning has a strong, unpleasant, chemical (styrene) odor, then it is probably polyester. If it has a strong, unpleasant, rotten-egg (sulfur) odor, then it is probably ebonite. Urethane has very little odor, but some formulations can be more difficult to polish to a high shine. PVC turns and polishes well, but do not attempt to laser-engrave it (it releases corrosive gas). True acrylic (PMMA) has a mild odor, and is one of the easiest plastics to turn, sand, and polish -- and it laser-engraves well with good detail.
If you are bothered by the smell when turning a plastic blank, find out which one it is and try a different synthetic material instead.
If you are working in an enclosed space, then look into getting good ventilation. Any sanding dust - wood or plastic - can be hazardous to breathe, and the fumes from a wide variety of solvents and finishes can be harmful as well.
Regards,
Eric
Of the types you mentioned, are there any that would be considered more "indoor friendly"? Ultimately, my plan is to improve ventilation in that area so this isn't an issue - unfortunately my penturning-related budget is currently at zero after all the initial expenses.
WriteON
Member
I do not think anything is indoor friendly.. dust, vapors, fumes. We can protect ourselves with respirators but not the air itself. I played pool in a Smoke friendly room... They had various filtration systems. I smelled like rental car after while.
With the 1 micron dust collection system and dust mask or respirator I feel ok turning most woods. Any vapors from finishing products have been minimal since I use them in such small amounts. Acrylic/plastic blanks have been the only ones so far that have really permeated the rest of the house (and not just from turning, they start to stink even drilling at the lowest speed in my lathe). And like I mentioned, I've only done 2 so far, so it could be whatever this particular type of plastic is. That being said, I'll probably stick to wood indoors for now until I can build in some better ventilation. Definitely limits my turning choices, but better to play it safe.
Sylvanite
Member
If the problem you're trying to mitigate is odor, and you're ok with your dust exposure, then you might want to try a blank cast from Alumilite Clear or Alumilite White (both urethane). Alumilite White is the easiest-to-turn plastic that I've used and it polishes pretty well too. It is opaque though. If you want a blank with depth to the colors, you'll need the Clear. Alumilite Clear is more challenging to polish. It can be done, but some people resort to a CA for a high-gloss finish. Both resins have very little odor. Blanks from both are available from a number of suppliers who are members here.
I hope that helps,
Eric
Thanks, Eric. Sounds like the safest approach is to hold on turning the other "acrylics" until I can install some better ventilation. In the meantime sounds like a good opportunity to explore some new woods and kits.
howsitwork
Member
You can get, over here anyway , filter units with activated charcoal filters but they only remove odor close to the source . Ventilation might be a safer option for you.
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking - just hold on them until I can afford to outfit my shop with better ventilation.
Unless I'm missing something though, I don't see any reason I can't continue turning wood with my current setup (dust collector and mask/respirator), since there's really no noxious fumes to spread through the house.
Sylvanite
Member
Dust from plastic is not inherently more dangerous than dust from wood. (With some exceptions) the danger is more from the particle size than the particulate matter. If you aren't afraid of wood dust, you shouldn't be afraid of plastic dust. Go ahead and try an Alumilite (urethane) blank and see if it solves the odor problem.
Only have to worry about finishes then.
howsitwork
Member
Yeh
your set up seems to give protection from any dust issues for you. Just make sure the fine dust doesn't get to the house though as doubt you would be ab,e to persuade rest of inhabitants to wear dust masks when you turn.
Just remember to leave the dust collector on for a while after you finish to clean the air a bit.
bgio13
Member
Check out Exotic Blanks, they have quite a few Alumilite blanks for sale. I've turned a few of their Lava Explosion blanks and there is considerably less odor than other acrylic blanks. I stopped turning acrylic blanks from Craft Supplies as the odor filled the house. The only drawback is the depth of shine is not as prominent in Alumilite, although others might disagree. Hope this helps,
Bill
Bill
Thanks Bill, I'll check the Alumilites out.
Just to close the loop on this, I turned a Kirinite blank today and decided to try opening the small window near my work area while blowing a fan over my lathe towards it. Result was virtually no smell once I took my respirator off, and no one upstairs even noticed.
Now to be fair, this was my first time turning Kirinite so it's possible it might just produce less of an odor than the other acrylics I've turned - but my hope is that the window + fan method will provide enough ventilation that I can continue turning them without issue.
Now to be fair, this was my first time turning Kirinite so it's possible it might just produce less of an odor than the other acrylics I've turned - but my hope is that the window + fan method will provide enough ventilation that I can continue turning them without issue.