Re: [Paddlewise] Hull Repairs

Robert C. Cline wrote:
>
> On my first experience with fiberglass, I tried with great care to get the
> resin wet glass into place with gloves.  I was trying to patch behind the
> skegbox.  I botched it.  I finally gave up and used my hands to put the
> glass into place.  So, what's the risk with occasional exposure?  Any
other
> solution?
>
It's always hard to fiberglass in hard-to-reach places, but with each
'glassing job, one learns more tricks to make it work smoother *the next
time*.

As Mark Lane points out, epoxy really isn't that acutely harmful.  For the
occaisional boat repair job, it won't kill anyone to get some epoxy on one's
skin.  Having said that, everyone's physiology is different, and while one
person can almost bathe in the stuff, the next person may have a makeup that
is much more sensitive and will feel the effects much sooner.  Since it's a
fact that epoxy *is* a sensitizer, why take chances?  Also remember that
epoxy resin *hardener* is more acutely harmful than the resin itself.

If you do get epoxy on your skin, do NOT use solvents to remove it, as
solvents will enhance the absorption of epoxy into the skin.  Use soap and
water, an emulsifying hand cleanser (Goop) followed by a thorough washing
with soap and water, or the epoxy manufacturer's product for removing
uncured resin from the skin (which is a heavy duty soap).

Regards,
Erik Sprenne


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