a word of caution about cuemaking

bman43

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
working in the industry i do has giving me illness at 43 that has shortened my life.my hobby and now business is cue making and repairs.there r hazards in cuemaking as well.please use caution with the epoxys, clear coats,plastics and even exotic woods.take the extra time to put on gloves and breathing protection.at the 2008 super billiards expo i left the first day feeling very weak.i drove home(40 mins)the next day i was in the icu.the drs told my wife i was done.but i made it.(Probably so i could make it back to the expo.)lol. so get use to using gloves if u dont.sooner or later chemicals will effect your health.its a wise man who learns from others mistakes... and damn im still not wise...brian
 
working in the industry i do has giving me illness at 43 that has shortened my life.my hobby and now business is cue making and repairs.there r hazards in cuemaking as well.please use caution with the epoxys, clear coats,plastics and even exotic woods.take the extra time to put on gloves and breathing protection.at the 2008 super billiards expo i left the first day feeling very weak.i drove home(40 mins)the next day i was in the icu.the drs told my wife i was done.but i made it.(Probably so i could make it back to the expo.)lol. so get use to using gloves if u dont.sooner or later chemicals will effect your health.its a wise man who learns from others mistakes... and damn im still not wise...brian

With the improvements in todays waterborne finishes there is no need to be using the very DANGEROUS auto finishes anymore. You are building a cue not something for NASA or something someone has to depend their life on. It's an f'n CUE. Is it really worth dying over. These new finishes are very good and no customer will be disappointed with the outcome of the cue. And if they don't like it, f^ck um. Talking about the dangers of wood dust. I have a friend who by the way is a doctor. He does wood turning as a hobby. One day be began coughing up blood. After a zillion tests it was determined it was the wood dust. Talking about the Auto finish, have you ever known an old auto finisher? If they are still alive they shake like they have Parkinson's disease. It seems to be the side effect of those finishes. The shaking starts pretty early just after a few years of exposure. This is not stuff to be messing with without extreme protection. Mean time you will see some cue builders spraying the stuff in their garage with a fan blowing out the window. Pretty unbelievable.
 
no hey man your telling the truth. When you work don't act as if your superman. ALWAYS WEAR PROPER PPE (personal protective equipment) if your equipment is loud WEAR EAR PLUGS.

Safety Glasses
Gloves
Respirator (when turning certain woods and spraying)
NO LOOSE CLOTHING


Don't let being a hero affect your health...when you think something wont happen it can and WILL....anything can happen and you never know what will.


stay protected,
Grey Ghost
 
Even if it doesn't effect you today, it will tomorrow. Took me over two years until I developed an alergic reaction to 5 minute epoxy. You see videos of guys slathering it on wearing nothing. Now I wear nitril gloves evey time I glue.

What caused your illness? Hope all is well.
 
Even if it doesn't effect you today, it will tomorrow. Took me over two years until I developed an alergic reaction to 5 minute epoxy. You see videos of guys slathering it on wearing nothing. Now I wear nitril gloves evey time I glue.

What caused your illness? Hope all is well.

Many people have tolerances against many toxic items but with continued use these tolerances seem to break down. I've never had poison ivy or oak in my life. Cocobolo was always one of my favorite woods and never bothered me at all. The last 3 or 4 years however every time I use cocobolo I get a rash for a week or so and each one is worse than the one before. You do know that Bob Meucci doesn't even go to his plant because he has built up a reaction to epoxies that if he even smells any he has a bad reaction.

Dick
 
I have an alergic reaction to gasoline.
Every time I go to the service station, I go broke.
Just teasin ya, no laughing matter tho. One of the first things I purchased was a decent respirator.
I've known several body men that had to get out of the business.
 
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The chemicals will slowly kill you. The over spray can kill you the first time you use it.

Cover your eyes and skin!
Your eyes absorb the chemicals.

The clear over spray isn't something to mess around with. It enters your lungs as a liquid and dries deep inside your lungs. You will not feel it coming! You will feel short of breath and can pass out before you have time to do anything about it.

I've talked to several builders and they didn't know the charcoal filter has a 48 hour shelf life only if they are stored in an air tight container. The nice air tight bag they come in is for storing them between uses.

It's expensive to replace the respirator after every cue so in the long run full face fresh air masks are a money saver. Nothing fancy just a pump placed where the air is clean with a tube and full face mask. I use a pump for blowing up air mattresses/beds that I found at the second hand store for $5. It's set up so I plug in when I enter the booth and easily unplug when I walk out.

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Here is a link if you don't believe me.

http://www4.uwm.edu/pps/Usaa/RESPIRATOR/PPS_faq.html
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This is the important thing about this link.

What's the shelf life for black/charcoal filters?
Left with their original packaging intact, the charcoal filters can be stored indefinitely. Once opened, the cartridges should not be used if stored more than a few days, and then only if they were stored in an airtight container.
 
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i am lucky to have no alergies. over the last few years i have started to protect myself better. loves eye wears masks ec.... sometimes its easier to just start without them but worth the extra time to protect yourself
 
Being 45 and having my eyes change recently, the greatest invention I found this year is safety glasses with readers built right in the bottom. Not even $10 a pair on ebay.
 
my grandfather was a Body and paint man...had his own shop....as a kid i can remember him painting with no mask or gloves while smoking a cig.....he lived til 78 or so....but he did have problems with his hands from all the chems they basically were swollen so bad that he couldnt grip anything really tight and his skin on his hands wasnt skin colored from being stained...he had some skin problems later in life.

i few times i walked into his shop when he was painting and almost passed out......i dont know how he did it.

my Uncle followed in his steps....he paints for a living...for a big dealer. he used to not wear protection....but the last 15 years or so hes worn full protective equipment....his hands are the same way my grandpa's were....and he does have skin probs.....

i dont think i could paint without full gear....
 
Be careful !!!

The chemicals will slowly kill you. The over spray can kill you the first time you use it.

Cover your eyes and skin!
Your eyes absorb the chemicals.

The clear over spray isn't something to mess around with. It enters your lungs as a liquid and dries deep inside your lungs. You will not feel it coming! You will feel short of breath and can pass out before you have time to do anything about it.

I've talked to several builders and they didn't know the charcoal filter has a 48 hour shelf life only if they are stored in an air tight container. The nice air tight bag they come in is for storing them between uses.

It's expensive to replace the respirator after every cue so in the long run full face fresh air masks are a money saver.Nothing fancy just a pump placed where the air is clean with a tube and full face mask. I use a pump for blowing up air mattresses/beds that I found at the second hand store for $5. It's set up so I plug in when I enter the booth and easily unplug when I walk out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a link if you don't believe me.

http://www4.uwm.edu/pps/Usaa/RESPIRATOR/PPS_faq.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the important thing about this link.

What's the shelf life for black/charcoal filters?
Left with their original packaging intact, the charcoal filters can be stored indefinitely. Once opened, the cartridges should not be used if stored more than a few days, and then only if they were stored in an airtight container.

My brother in law has bought a old auto painter setup which has a hugh tank
for spraying and air tools - but in addition it has a very special
compressor for the face mask !

If you just grab something which blows air you might get exposed to small
oil fumes which leaks through the system. Not good to be exposed to in the
long run..

I'm in the process of adding dust control on my lathe so the turning and routing
could be done without the wast amount of dust exposure.
Not to mention, I don't need to dirt down my lathe and clean it up every time
I'm using it.
As mentioned several times, get those dust collecting air systems OUT of the shop !
Those ones using the big fans and bags puke all the fine dust
in to our shops and THAT would hurt us....

Kent
 
With the improvements in todays waterborne finishes there is no need to be using the very DANGEROUS auto finishes anymore.

I am all for using something waterborne, however, I still have not found anything that I think looks good. I asked the guys at two different paint stores. Neither had a good suggestion. One made some phone calls for me and didn't have a solution.

If anybody has a suggestion, you can pm me the info and I'll give it a try. So far all the products I have tried have come up short.
 
I am all for using something waterborne, however, I still have not found anything that I think looks good. I asked the guys at two different paint stores. Neither had a good suggestion. One made some phone calls for me and didn't have a solution.

If anybody has a suggestion, you can pm me the info and I'll give it a try. So far all the products I have tried have come up short.

I have been using this stuff for a few years now and it is great.
http://www.generalfinishes.com/industrial/industrial.htm

I get the Enduro clear poly gloss and use the cross linker.
It polishes out to a crystal clear shine you can see yourself in. Very easy to use. I met them at the BCA show a few years ago, they had a booth.
I believe the Gibson guitar company is now using their finish. I don't see how a finish can really be any better, it meets all the needs you are looking for and will not kill you.
if you call them they are very helpful and may even send you a sample. Before i found them I was using Kem var W from Sherwood Williams a waterborn conversion varnish. It was very good as well but I was not able to get it in small quanties.
I used to split a 5 gallon can with a cabinet shop. I would not change now from the Enduro though I am so happy with it. I have a feeling there are other cuemakers using waterborn finishes but won't say due to some stigma.
 
Thanks Macguy. I have a can of that. I tried it once and wasn't satisfied. Maybe I did something wrong. When I get back after Christmas, I'll give it another try.
 
I am all for using something waterborne, however, I still have not found anything that I think looks good. I asked the guys at two different paint stores. Neither had a good suggestion. One made some phone calls for me and didn't have a solution.

If anybody has a suggestion, you can pm me the info and I'll give it a try. So far all the products I have tried have come up short.

I've never found a waterbased finish that was worth anything. However I do use a waterbased sanding sealer that works great.
 
hazardes every where you look

sorry to hear about your illness . i to have a dangerous occupation.
auto body & paint self imployed 35 years. allways use a a good quality
dual cartridge respirator . spray a lot of two part 2k primer and clear
coat with hardner . no matter how much you proctect your self
there is so much than can go wrong. masks and gloves are not 100%.
they do help proctect your skin and lungs.all my friends ask me
are you scared that stuff will kill you. i tell them the truth , yes i am.
i reply every occupation has its bad side, what about a fireman that goes
into a burning house to pull other people to safety,may not get out himself
what about a officer the next call or car he pulls over may be his last.
the linemen that works with high voltege. need i say more:
no matter what our health is today we all are only one doctors visit away
from a bad report. we hear those bad reports more than we like to.
take care of your self ,hope you get better john107: anderson sc
 
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