SAFETY COMES FIRST!
Using dangerous substances in modeling activities: the other side of the story. Also, cleanliness is next to safety!
- John Preston
Safety First or Winning First?
Congratulations, John Preston, for your article on safety! One year ago, after reading Bob Hoeckele's article, I started gathering up my wife and children to evacuate the house, go to the nearest motel, and stay until EPA could enter my hobby area and remove all hazardous materials. Fortunately, I was reminded of an upcoming contest and called off the evacuation!
Fifteen minutes later, back in my basement, my wife was bringing me a cold beer and a pack of cigarettes. I kept thinking about the article and became more disturbed. Why? Not because of the article, but due to the fact that I had spilled beer all over the balsa wood and a cigarette had fallen from the ashtray, landing on my fiberglass cloth and burning a hole in it. I thought to myself, "What could be more harmful or hazardous than that?"
Now, if I have your attention, I will get to the point. My name is Jack Kinney. I own Kin-Craft Manufacturing Company, Inc. We place just about every product out in the hobby field that you've read about in John Preston's article, "Safety Comes First" (MA, Oct. '81) and we are going to distribute a three-part (not two, yes, I said a three-part) paint in the near future. I have sent samples to people in the hobby field, who have tested it—following the safety instructions. This clear coat will cover anything from MonoKote to fingernail polish and will put an Imron finish to shame. When it becomes available, I will guarantee that the labeling will explain all necessary safety precautions and its proper use, as we do on all our other products.
Let me remind Bob and John that the first step to safety is education, not scare tactics! Just about anything in your home is dangerous if not used properly or in compliance with its original design. Remember, the automobile is probably one of the most lethal weapons we possess when it is misused, and it is obvious that we are not going to start walking to the flying field.
Now, let me update John and Bob on some of the safety measures and precautions that have taken place in this past year to protect the hobbyist.
First of all, how many users of polyester resins have experienced an improper cure in the past year? The main reason for this is that the peroxide level in the hardener (MEKP) was lowered for your safety. The government and industry claim it would not affect the curing of the resin. We know different! The problem arose when applying the resin in super-thin layers. The reaction was not strong enough to generate a proper cure, so adjustments were made in the resin to compensate for the weaker peroxide level. MEKP is still dangerous at this percentage, but with a lesser risk of losing one's eyesight, if the 15-minute flushing with cold water procedure is followed as stated on the labels. A pair of safety glasses or mono-goggles could greatly reduce the chances of any problem. We now include a thousand-word pamphlet in our resin kit on the uses of polyester resins, thus giving the user a better understanding of the product.
We have available an engine cleaner which contains methylene chloride. Why? Because soap and water just can't hack it! Why choose methylene chloride as our main ingredient? It's simple: it is the strongest solvent available that will not harm aluminum, and it works! As far as labeling goes, we provide adequate warnings, precautions, and recommended medical treatment. If you were to pour our product into a closed container or into a sonic cleaner, placing a small amount of water on top (water will stay on top and will not mix with the solvent), this will keep the fumes isolated. One of the problems we are working on is to achieve a longer shelf life for this product. Methylene chloride has a rapid evaporation rate—its best safety feature. Also, it is one of the few non-flammable solvents.
We also market primers. These primers contain both xylene and toluene. If there were primers available that didn't contain these solvents and would prepare a base for a fuel-proof finish, we would use them. When we decided on a certain blend, it was discovered when we developed a fast-filling, fast-drying primer that would hold any paint available in the hobby market, that sanding became a small added safety feature. For best results, it should be wet-sanded, thereby keeping the dust down, preventing the hobbyist from inhaling it or making the wife mad by sending dust throughout the house.
One thing we have experienced is that it is a little-known fact in the hobby field that a respirator with replaceable cartridges can be purchased at a cost of between $15.00 and $25.00 from any automotive paint supply outlet. Also, we at Kin-Craft provide dust masks for sanding and protective gloves for handling chemicals. We now have gone to child-proof lids on containers. We feel we are taking steps in the right direction in assuring winning products with safety first.
One thing to keep in mind before rushing outside to build your model, as John Preston recommended, is that all glues, resins, primers, paints, etc., require a certain temperature range to dry properly. I, myself, could probably get by with sanding a few bugs and dust from my model, but it's the blisters from the hot sun or the soggy resin from a too-cool temperature that makes me frustrated, and then I become hazardous!
Admit it, Bob and John, people want to be winners and will use the products necessary to achieve it! So, we would like to see more articles dedicated to educating the modeler on the safe use of the products that are now on the market.
Comments and Follow-up
Jack does not say whether the three-component paint that he is about to distribute is one that contains polyisocyanates. We assume that, if it is, it will be appropriately labeled with a warning that states that the user should wear an air-fed respirator. Such an item is not generally found in the home workshop but is, in our opinion, a must if you insist on using such paints. Be alert to other members in the household who may be exposed to the vapors during paint-spraying operations in your workshop. (That is, unless you happen to be fortunate enough to have a self-contained, remote-from-the-house workshop.)
We have done some checking and can find no government regulation that has lowered the peroxide level in MEKP, the hardener with polyester resins. We are therefore puzzled by Jack's statement that "The government and industry claim it would not affect the curing of the resin." If any readers can throw any light on this we would appreciate a letter.
One final comment regarding Jack's article concerns methylene chloride. It appears that the "experts" are somewhat divided in their opinion on its toxicity. Back in 1976, a petition was submitted to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requesting that paint strippers that contained methylene chloride bear a special label that warned heavy smokers or heart patients that serious illness or death might result if they used these products. Apparently, it was believed that brief exposure to the vapors could result in the elevation of carboxyhemoglobin in one's blood to levels that would stress the cardiovascular system. Smokers and persons with heart problems were believed to be especially at risk.
Work performed by the staff of the CPSC in response to the petition resulted in the opinion, based on available information, that such special labeling could not be supported. Furthermore, it was noted that there are many household products that, in addition to containing methylene chloride, also contain other hazardous substances for which special labels are required. The addition of a warning aimed only at smokers and heart patients might tend to negate the other cautionary statements that are intended for all users.
On October 1st, the Commission acted on the staff recommendation and denied the petition for additional labels on products containing methylene chloride. Despite this denial, we would still recommend that you avoid prolonged breathing of the vapors from such products. Avoid their use in enclosed spaces such as basement workshops. Use your garage (if you have one) instead, and keep the door open.
In response to our request for information on the hazard of breathing the vapor that results when cyanoacrylate glues set or cure (see also October 1981 MA), we had three letters. Two were from modelers and one was from Herb Hunter, V.P. of Satellite City, the makers of Hot Stuff and Super 'T.' Bob sent us a very informative brochure containing general information and technical data. While we are assured that the vapors are not toxic, as we all know, they are lachrymatory (tear-producing) and can cause eye irritation and tearing when used in poorly ventilated places. One of our modeler correspondents related an experience of lung congestion that, after many visits to the doctor and treatment for allergies, was attributed to the use of cyanoacrylate glues.
The Satellite City brochure has this to say about mucous membranes: "Mucous surfaces can become irritated by prolonged exposure to cyanoacrylate vapors in poorly ventilated areas. Vapor irritation to the eyes and mucous membranes will be most noticeable under conditions of low relative humidity."
We had a visitor from Australia staying with us for a week during the summer. Some of you may know him—Ford Lloyd, who was the Australian team captain at the 1980 Scale World Championships and was also a Scale judge at the U.S. Nats that same year. Ford mentioned having experienced sinus problems when using cyanoacrylate glues. This may have been accentuated by the low humidity of the Australian climate. So be on the lookout for such symptoms if you live in Arizona and use cyanoacrylates. If the vapors do cause you a problem, maybe a small fan near the workbench would help.
To wind up this month's column we'd like to alert you untidy modelers to a possible fire hazard that may exist because of your sloppy habits. (Of course this doesn't apply to the majority of us who routinely clean up our work area after each building session!) Some recent correspondence with Dremel tells us that they are adding a paragraph to the instructions that accompany their belt sander. It will state the following:
- "Cleaning: Remove accumulated dust and debris from the inside of the motor at frequent intervals. To do this, hold a vacuum sweeper hose to the rear motor vents, see figure 20, while tapping the motor housing with a screwdriver handle or light, non-marring hammer to loosen the dirt. Do not blow air into the motor, as this will blow dirt into the bearings. Failure to keep the motor clean will result in overheating of the motor and could result in a fire if the dust is flammable."
Be forewarned that balsa dust is flammable! A couple of modelers have reported smoldering-type fires in Dremel belt sanders, and one modeler reported a similar experience with a table saw. If you have a workbench like Bill Northrop's (see "From Bill Northrop's Workbench" each issue of Model Builder), you could have a problem!
Have a safe month.
John Preston 7012 Elvira Court Falls Church, VA 22042.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
