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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 04-08-2012, 07:16 PM
T. Spencer T. Spencer is offline
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Toxic wood

As I am getting things together to start making knives, one thing I did purchase was a good respirator. Some of the woods used for knife handles can cause some problems for some people, other woods are just scary nasty. I encourage anyone to use a respirator even when grinding metal. I am "retired" partly because of the working conditions of the early 1980s where "real men don't need safety equipment". Believe me if I knew then, I would have used a respirator. As far as woods here is a link to a good list of toxic woods.

www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

Last edited by T. Spencer; 04-08-2012 at 07:21 PM. Reason: link would not work
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Old 04-08-2012, 09:26 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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It's still a problem getting "real men" to wear a respirator. I used to work for a clinic that did industrial health. We would occasionally have to put welders off their jobs because of the heavy metal fumes that they would inhale welding. One man who worked in a coal terminal came in because he was coughing up thick black junk out of his lungs but said that he didn't think that it was a bad enough problem to wear a respirator for. I don't grind or sand with power equipment without wearing one. Dust masks don't do anything but make you that that you're doing something. I have no desire to walk around with an oxygen concentrater slung over my shoulder. Respirators a cheap when compared to a doctor's bill.

Doug


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Old 04-08-2012, 10:09 PM
metal99 metal99 is offline
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I work in the auto body trade and see this same stuff happen daily . . . I am guilty myself but I'm trying to get better at remembering. 1 trip to the doc and 1 rust ring being ground out was all it took me to relize safety glasses are important . . .
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Old 04-08-2012, 11:11 PM
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TexasJack TexasJack is offline
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Because woods are chemically complex, you can have an allergy that amplifies the body's reaction and that can be painful or even deadly. A lot of people find that cocobolo dust gives them a rash. A long-time knifemaker I know has that problem, but he swears that it only happens if the dust mixes with sweat.


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Old 04-18-2012, 08:38 PM
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ATalley ATalley is offline
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Great information Tony, its easy to overlook that. Thanks


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Old 04-18-2012, 11:52 PM
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AUBE AUBE is offline
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I'm one of the people affected by cocobolo. Usually I work in short sleeves but when i work that material I wear long sleeves,a hat, scarf around my neck, etc. Any bare skin it touches gets quite itchy. Luckily I don't get a severe rash or anything but I know with a lot of chemicals the more exposure you have to it, the more allergic you become.

Another material that my body doesn't agree with is malachite stone.


metal99, man that sounds unpleasant! Did you wait a few days to get the metal sliver removed? I have had 2 metal slivers in the eye..one from working underneath a car about 20yrs ago, the other was earlier this year from grinding knives (I was wearing safety goggles too, somehow it made it around them). Luckily the slivers just needed to be extracted with no grinding.
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