The fibreglass itching is all the sharp little pieces of glass sticking into your skin. Wear enough clothes and it won't affect you. Or, keep going and eventually you will get used to it. The epoxy reaction is much more serious and is caused by the hardener. So, it affects you even when the stuff is mixed, but not fully cured. Starts with mild itching, progresses to severe (as in clawing chunks out) itching and swelling, in some cases of the throat, making breathing difficult. Treat epoxy like the poison it is. Off your skin and out of your throat. Steroids have been used to prevent the symptoms, but basically, if you get seriously allergic, you are stuffed around boats. Even fully cured epoxy can have enough unreacted hardener to give a seriously allergic person a lot of problems.
House paint is cheap, tough and lasts a long time, but can be a bugger to sand if it balls up and clogs your paper. More of a problem for fix ups and changes than for anything else.
rob
I've heard about the allergic reactions to epoxy in general, but I've never seen it and haven't figured out the difference between it and when I get "itchy". I understand it can be a "build-up" thing. IOW, I may be fine now, and have more and more trouble later on. Right now, I get it even getting up in the attic with the pink fiberglass insulation. Once I take a good shower its gone. Is the "allergic" reaction something obviously different? Is it a chemical contact while the epoxy is still liquid or can I get sensativity to even the cutting and sanding dust? That's a lot harder to avoid since its everywhere?Ductile - There wording is "cures as the most flexible laminate."I'd be interested to hear what you come up with, with the new paint. I wouldn't have thought about house paint. But for MLM, I'll try anything. The house paints sticks to fiberglass? I might could get a Oop's gallon for $5. :)Dennis
From: proaconstrictor <proaconstrictor@yahoo.ca>
To: harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au
Sent: Fri, September 10, 2010 6:35:10 PM
Subject: [harryproa] Re: Epoxy Usage
A friend of mine is building his Wood's Cat with that stuff, and I believe he had terrible allergic reactions to it. I wouldn't worry too much since it is highly personal what causes reactions and the solution, careful work habits, is the same for any brand, just mentioning it.
Ductile when cured? I wouldn't want that, though doubtless fine and dandy for your current project.
Thanks for the info on paint. I an interested in some new Behr paint. I have used their Super white, interior exterior latex with considerable success. They have a new paint that has some nanotech angle to it, and is supposed to be much more durable, but it isn't rated exterior. I need to talk with their paint techs and sort out why. Could be it isn't as elastic, and they fear film failure for that reason, which would not be a concern with sheathed wood. Or maybe it dissolves in water. :) I think there is a good chance it might be superior, but I haven't got any info from someone who has used it.
--- In harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au, Dennis Cox <dec720@...> wrote:
>
> Epoxy - I'm using epoxy from http://www.uscomposites.com/epoxy.html#epoxhard.Â
> It has the 28 hour set time so I can apply another layer the next day and it'll .