Protective Wear 4 Composite Work

[GalleyHo]

The best thing to take off uncured epoxy that I have found is white vinegar (or probably any vinegar). It's very easy on the skin and cheap. I always wash with vinegar and soap after doing anything with epoxy, even if I don't think I've gotten any on myself.

I am surprised how many of my fellow epoxy-using sailors don't know this, and I would have thought that someone would have mentioned this in this string before now.

Bill

[seaman-lew]

I had a really bad reaction to working on the hull

[HopCar]

The talk of using compressed air to cool you while in a tyvek suit reminded me of the time I watched a guy sandblasting a wall in the Florida summer noon sun. I asked him how he could stand it. He showed me some thing called a vortex cooler. It's a tube with no moving parts. You put compressed air into the side of the tube and hot air comes out one end and very cold air out the other. It is kind of like magic. They also use vortex coolers to cool metal when you are machining it.
Cold Air Guns Products - Vortex Air

Have any of you guys used a vortex cooler?

[scherzoja]

Talcum powder on exposed skin before sanding (if I remember), nitrile gloves, drink lots of water, learn to like the heat and sweat. Get used to it; it'll be over at the end of the day. the itch only lasts overnight. Get used to the feel of a respirator on your sweaty face. Make sure you dry it out or mold will grow in it. Running a box fan on one end sucking air out, brings the > 100* temp down below to a cool 90*. It also sucks out some of the dust from sanding.

Usually I forget everything but the knee pads gloves, and respirator.

[hellosailor]

John-
If you ask any EMT or the medical staff in any local hospital, they'll show you how to properly remove gloves. You do this by pinching the first above the wrist and pulling it off inside out, and there is NO skin contact if this is done properly. Then in theory you can insert the clean fingertips under the second wrist and pull that off the same way, balling up both gloves in one ball with just the clean wet interior now on the outside.
In the worse case, you grab another glove or some paper towels, and do your grabbing again without contact.

I've tried putting a cold pack ("instant cold" slap pack) against the base of my spine to stay cooler when wearing tyvek. It helps--but those packs have a usually unprinted expiry date, and they're either expensive, or expired and useless. A thinner "blue goo" re freezable pack is more reliable, but too cold for skin contact.

[ValiantV]

Originally Posted by HopCar

The talk of using compressed air to cool you while in a tyvek suit reminded me of the time I watched a guy sandblasting a wall in the Florida summer noon sun. I asked him how he could stand it. He showed me some thing called a vortex cooler. It's a tube with no moving parts. You put compressed air into the side of the tube and hot air comes out one end and very cold air out the other. It is kind of like magic. They also use vortex coolers to cool metal when you are machining it.
Cold Air Guns Products - Vortex Air

Have any of you guys used a vortex cooler?

Back when car engines had carburetors and those carburetors had bimetal coils to close and open the choke, we vortex cooler/heaters to cool/heat those choke coils to test the.

Haven't heard of vortex coolers since. Thanks for the (cold?) blast from the past.

[minaret]

I use a shop vac because I'm using compressed air for my tools and I usually need more than I have. Dedicated cheap shop vac. Then put a bag of ice in it. Cheap swamp cooler.

[minaret]

Gerson spray sox. Much longer neck and better material. Huge difference.

[minaret]

Xtra Tuff rubber boots. Then duct tape your Tyvel up high on the rubber boots. Creates slack and prevents Tyvek from ripping when you do Boat Yoga.

[minaret]

The newer 3m Tyvek suits with the blue triangle on the back. Big upgrade, though a little hotter.

[minaret]

A Shoot Suit, for those who are getting serious.

[minaret]

SAS class D forced air rig. Game changer. Forced air for about $500 instead of $2500.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Minaret, thanks for the tips. But are you trying to pad your post count? That's a lotta' one liners

[Delancey]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

John-
If you ask any EMT or the medical staff in any local hospital, they'll show you how to properly remove gloves. You do this by pinching the first above the wrist and pulling it off inside out, and there is NO skin contact if this is done properly. Then in theory you can insert the clean fingertips under the second wrist and pull that off the same way, balling up both gloves in one ball with just the clean wet interior now on the outside.

Another reason for double gloves. Can take off the outer pair more easily with less risk of exposure. Sometimes with epoxy on your fingertips it's hard to get a grip on the cuff of the first glove.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Minaret, thanks for the tips. But are you trying to pad your post count? That's a lotta' one liners

Totally!


Nah, just having lunch and on the phone.