Grinding Fiberglass sucks

[Joef]

Men:

Took your advice on relocating the seacocks in my boat to a more easily accessible spot. While i have the one engine out, i removed the old rubber-plug type seacocks that sat almost underneath the oilpan (i'd love to meet the guy who decided to put them there in the first place)

. I had to remove the old hardware and chisel off the soggy wood backing plate - no big deal - and i followed Capt Pats building tip for patching the holes. ..no big deal...except, that in order to create the "dish" around the hole, you gotta use a grinder. And when you grind fiberglass you get this fine powder all over everything. As soon as i started i thought...hmmm...this stuff has got to be bad for you - so i put on a mask, hat and glasses. ...then ground away until i achieved the result - at the end of the job, i looked like a giant powdered sugar donut.

I dusted off and finished the glass work - then started to notice that my hands and face itched. ...i showered and went to bed...and it still itches. The crap got into my eye lids and now they itch. I am an itchy, grouchy SOB today.

...but the patch job looks great and i'm sure it will work great - THANK YOU Capt Pat for the tip. I just wish i read your TIP for avoiding the dreaded FG itch...i'd be SO much Happier today.

Joe

[JP Dalik]

According to the MN Dept of Public Safety Glass itch is described as follows:
GLASS ITCH
Another skin problem, glass itch, is caused by fibers from glass reinforcing products rubbing on the
skin and irritating it. Glass fibers can also be so fine as to cause respiratory problems. Most new
workers stop itching after a week or so on the job. However, the itch may temporarily return after your
vacation or if you miss work for long periods.

So according to this you just have to do more of it. LOL

[Harry Babb]

Joe
Just part of the job.........been doing it myself off and on for since December.............your right it SUCKS big time........but the pay off is big also.

I dress up for the occasion in Tyvec suit (with a hood), kitched dish washing glooves, rubber bands around my wrist, paint respirator, and goggles. Usually I get a little itch on my face between where the hood stops and the goggles start.

I keep a vacuum cleaner nearby to clean up as much dust as I can before I take off my grinding uniform.

Try not to think about grinding and think about catching the "Big One" later this summer.......then just gut up and get thru it........

Harry

[In Memory of Vicroy]

I've used a cream in a tube - forget the name - that you put on exposed skin and it keeps the fibers from getting at you. Stuff is real yukkky tho, but better than the itch.

Just proved once again that stuff you learn here makes things a lot simpler....today repairing a wooden lattice garden gate that the bottom 2x4 had rotted bad and into the 2x4 uprights at the bottom....got it in the shop, dried the rot out, dug with a chisel and screwdriver and ended up with a couple of big voids in the bottom of the verticals that needed filling......Capt. Patrick's trail mix of epoxy resin and vermiculite did the trick. Used cardboard and thumb tacks to make a box around the ends to keep the stuff in place while its kicking - used silicone grease as a mold release on the cardboard......used the left over resin from my hatch job, still good after a pretty long time....the infrared gun confirms its kicking real good. Sand it off tomorrow, fit a new treated board on the bottom, slap some paint on it and I'ze be's done......being retired expands your horizons a lot. Like the Coonass say: "what time to a hog?".

UV

[CaptPatrick]

I just wish i read your TIP for avoiding the dreaded FG itch...i'd be SO much Happier today.

ROFLAMO! Sorry, Joe, not to make light of your discomfort, but I just couldn't help myself... Yup, reading the Itch tip may have saved you some grief, but at least you know better now.

I used to suit up big time, and still do occassionally, especially in the summer when sweat will have the dust into a slurry before you can blow it off. Like JP quoted from an artical, you do build a tolerance to fiberglass dust. I can say it first hand since I do a lot of grinding. I've got the lack of lung capacity to also prove it ain't good to breath. A mask is a must!

Glad your projects going well...

used the left over resin from my hatch job, still good after a pretty long time

UV, Un-mixed epoxy resin & hardner will last for years if kept in a cool dark environment...

Br,

Patrick