Dangerous Blank Materials?

[PenHog]

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!

 

[Dalecamino]

I guess I'm doomed! I've turned all of the materials you mentioned.

 

[PenHog]

Hi Chuck,

You're probably not doomed I think it all depends exposure level, genetic predisposition, etc., and I'm NOT a doctor.

And just to be clear, I'm not claiming anything about the other materials I mentioned, I'm only asking if anyone here knows if they warrant any extra precautions. I figure this community is the one to ask.

I think I'm fairly skittish about asbestos, probably in part because I've seen lung cancer up close, and it's a gruesome way to die. Mostly, I'm concerned about minimizing any exposure to my family.

 

[More4dan]

Carbon fiber and fiberglass (G10) are also dangerous to your lungs.

I've wondered what might be lurking in 5000-10,000 year old materials, bog oak, mammoth ivory and teeth.

Danny


Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app

 

[Dalecamino]

Apologies! You're right to be concerned for your family, and there are some very helpful members here to help.

 

[jttheclockman]

Deer antler. As mentioned carbon fiber and fiberglass. Metal dust of any kind can not be good. Many people are allergic to certain woods like from the rosewood family. I would say dust of any kind especially when sanding.

 

[mark james]

As a life-long asthmatic, I'll offer a few thoughts. I have a Jet Cyclone Dual Stage dust filter. I also have a Jet ceiling mounted air filtration system. And depending on the temp/winds/snow fall, etc, I have a window in my basement shop with a window fan sucking air out to the yard. I use all systems.

When I am doing a bit of sanding or turning, even with all systems on, I am amazed at the amount of gunk I get in the overhead filter - that which I would otherwise breath.

As for specific materials bad for family exposure, I'll simply say that if you do not have adequate filters for the shop (and, entry way to the house), your family will be exposed, even for a small exposure. Do what you can. I had a favored cat that loved to follow me to the shop, had a perch to sit on, then would follow upstairs when done. What would she do then... groom and lick her paws that had all the dust and related materials on her paws. I was remiss to clean her paws as we ended our shop nights. She passed with multiple cancers. IF we ever get a pet again, I'll have better precautions.

All shops are different, all have advantages, all have disadvantages. All can be great!

 

[PenHog]

A big thanks to all of you! This is all helpful and reassuring. I'll be staying away from antler, carbon fiber, and fiberglass.

I've been looking at getting a Fein Turbo vacuum and setting that up with the Rockler lathe attachment. Does that seem reasonable as a dust collection method?

Mark: I looked up the Jet Cyclone system, and if I've got the right one, it looks to be roughly $1500, which is on the expensive side for me. Looks great, but I don't know if I can afford that currently.

Thanks again.

 

[mark james]

A big thanks to all of you! This is all helpful and reassuring. I'll be staying away from antler, carbon fiber, and fiberglass.

I've been looking at getting a Fein Turbo vacuum and setting that up with the Rockler lathe attachment. Does that seem reasonable as a dust collection method?

Mark: I looked up the Jet Cyclone system, and if I've got the right one, it looks to be roughly $1500, which is on the expensive side for me. Looks great, but I don't know if I can afford that currently.

Thanks again.

Yea, mine was about 1/2 that a few years ago. Not sure if the tariffs have upped it. Sucks to buy things with the tariffs in effect.

 

[jttheclockman]

There is no reason to stay away from blanks like that. Just have to be aware of the dangers and use caution. Many people here work with them all the time.

 

[PenHog]

Thanks, John. Maybe in the future, if I'm lucky enough to retire with enough energy to turn pens, and I can set up a work place with sufficient collection/ventilation, I'll give those things a shot (I think it'd be fun). But there's plenty of other stuff I've collected so far that I can turn for the next couple years, probably.

 

[Woodchipper]

Is turning any more dangerous than driving on the interstate? Take precautions as mentioned. When I turn- ear plugs, dust mask, face shield are the standard items.

 

[PenHog]

Is turning any more dangerous than driving on the interstate? Take precautions as mentioned. When I turn- ear plugs, dust mask, face shield are the standard items.

Depends if my wife is behind the wheel...

 

[Woodchipper]

Depends if my wife is behind the wheel...
[/QUOTE}
What would she have to say about this? Actually, men are more involved in accidents as they think they are bulletproof. Had a guy pull in front of me yesterday, just missing the front of my car, turn in the same place I was going. He parked two spaces from me. Beat me by 3 whole seconds!!! And we wonder why our insurance is so high?

 

[PenHog]

Hi John,

She agrees. Driving makes her nervous, and while she has many strengths (in science and in cooking, as two examples), operating a vehicle is not one of them. Luckily, we don't live in a high-traffic area.

My statement does not apply to all women, and hopefully it's not being interpreted that way. I'm sorry you had to deal with a jerk, I've been there too.

I'm aware that men cause more accidents in aggregate. But if you want to dig further, my understanding is that men also drive substantially more miles on average than women (roughly 30% more). And, if you normalize by the miles driven, the numbers I've seen indicate that men and women are involved in a similar number of accidents per mile, with men coming out slightly better.

And, yeah, car insurance is high in large part because a small fraction of bad actors drive up prices. But that's the story in many areas of life. We all spend too much time in airport security lines because, again, of a small number of dangerous people. We waste time on passwords and 2-factor authentication because there are some individuals who would otherwise clear out our bank account. And so on...

 

[Woodchipper]

PenHog, well said. I was in sales and drove 76K miles in 12 months.
I look at airport security and think, "How effective is it?" Saw one of the humorous photos with a security guard playing solitaire on the monitor instead of watching the passengers pass through.
Viet Cong shot down a C-130 transport with a mortar round. Sat in the high grass at the end of the runway and timed the drop with the plane overhead. Boom!

 

[PenHog]

I was in sales and drove 76K miles in 12 months.

That would kill me. After about 2.5 hours on the road, I'm done, it's time to pull over and take a nap.

I look at airport security and think, "How effective is it?" Saw one of the humorous photos with a security guard playing solitaire on the monitor instead of watching the passengers pass through.

Yeah We need the TSA, I just wish the rules didn't apply to me (slight sarcasm).

Viet Cong shot down a C-130 transport with a mortar round. Sat in the high grass at the end of the runway and timed the drop with the plane overhead. Boom!

There's a great story here, I think...

 

[Woodchipper]

I was 24 years old. That does make a difference. 11 hours to Lancaster, PA two years ago- stopped every two hours. BTW, I-81 in VA had rest stops about every 40-50 miles. Great for us old-timers.

 

[wolf creek knives]

Since I live off the grid, completely, I can't use a filtering system most times of the year (lack of sunshine). So I bought a Trend face shield with a built in filtering system that keeps filtered air blowing inside the enclosed face shield. Works great for me and I can use it for up to 8 hours a day. I do use a small vacuum to clean up the chips after each turning. I also use a shop vac that I've got hooked up to my belt sander and it keeps the dust down, but I only run it when the sander is on.