Darryl Keil
Posts: 1455
Joined: 2003-05-22
Location: Maine
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Scott,
I have this saying that goes "If its bad its really good, and if it good its usually no good", which is to say glues and especially finishes that are not so good for the human body are usually quite good for the performance or look of the wooden object. When these things are easy on the human being its often weak on performance.
Unibond 800 is a good performer partly because of things that are not so good for you. The question is how bad? There's no black or white answer. Its more of degrees depending on the individual and the amount of exposure. I see two solutions, one, limited exposure. The other, protective equipment, meaning ways to keep it off your skin and out of your lungs. Most people are using it fairly infrequently so high level protection is not so much of an issue. Unibond 800 is not highly dangerous but its not harmless either. Every day use should see precautions taken.
For most people keeping it off their skin is fairly easy, for you it seems more difficult because of your situation. First I would suggest a very good fitting pair of latex gloves. If that's out of the question try a product I have used for years called "Clear Shield". Its a product that foams out of a can like shaving cream. You rub it over your hands, let it dry for 5 minutes and then it suppose create a barrier against chemicals penetrating your skin. It doesn't feel strange on your skin at all. I get it from a friend so I don't know where you would get it in your area. Here's a link I found for it http://www.goshoppingamerica.unfranchise.com/index.cfm?action=shopping.uoShopProducts&storeID=12&cat1ID=USA11301&cat2ID=USA21330
If you are really using it every day I would also suggest proper ventilation. I have a Tyvek hood with a face shield that I use when I'm going to be exposed for a long time to things like epoxy and certain finishes. You hook it up to the exhaust port of your vacuum pump and put it in another room. Its supplies you with a constant supply of cool fresh air through any light weight hose. Way better than a respirator in my opinion. It's very light weight and the air tube that passes over the top of your head inside the hood keeps me nice and cool.
If you sit in one place to do your work a good exhaust fan could do the job as well.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely
Darryl Keil
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