What's on your mind today?

[Icarus]

Have not seen posts from Bruce or Hermes for quite a while.

[Asmodean]

I have a bit of a somber topic on my mind today, prompted by some long-going events on the periphery of my inner circles.

Relationships end. Sometimes there are kids caught in the middle. Sometimes the kids are made to live with the "worse" parent. Note that I am speaking internally-comparatively here. Not saying a bad parent period, nor a bad person, even... In any case, then there is someone new involved, who looks at those kids and sees... I don't even know what. Acceptable baggage, I guess. From there... Drama and trauma. The compounding sort.

Heh... "War is young men dying and old men talking," someone said. Yeah, kinda...

[The Asmo wanders off to brood on]

[hermes2015]

Have not seen posts from Bruce or Hermes for quite a while.

Oh, you are so right that I've been quiet, although I check in almost daily. The reason is simply that I have had a lot going on and by day's end I just want to go to bed! The only other forum I belong to is called Creative Spark, which is an international group of artists. I have been taking part in various activities there, as well as a number of domestic projects that have taken up a great deal of my time. I should really make a point of posting some of my art here as well to show what I've been doing. So, apologies for my absence, but I realize now that I should participate more actively here.

[Dark Lightning]

Hey, it's Hermes!  How have you been?

I have a wood finishing question. I bought an antique (ca 1880) French Country style buffet from the local Habitat ReStore. The top was gouged so I sanded it out, mostly. As a result, all my exposed skin- head, scalp, neck, and hands and arms developed a bad rash. Of course, I inhaled some of the dust and damned near ended up in the ER, as I was almost maxed out on my two asthma inhalers. I got a regular doctor visit and am much better after 11 days of steroids. In talking with my wood working buddies, they think that the finish may have had castor oil in it, which I've never heard of being used. I use lacquer, shellac and oil based coatings with impunity- just the usual ventilation. I doubt it was the oak wood, because I use that all the time. Have you ever heard of such a thing?

[Tank]

Wow! That sounds pretty bad. Glad your getting better now.

[Dark Lightning]

Thanks! Not a pleasant experience. I forgot to mention- I'd get up in the morning with my left eye glued shut, and the right eye only open far enough to see to stumble to the bathroom and rinse my eyes so I could see. What a mess!

[hermes2015]

Hey, it's Hermes!  How have you been?

I have a wood finishing question. I bought an antique (ca 1880) French Country style buffet from the local Habitat ReStore. The top was gouged so I sanded it out, mostly. As a result, all my exposed skin- head, scalp, neck, and hands and arms developed a bad rash. Of course, I inhaled some of the dust and damned near ended up in the ER, as I was almost maxed out on my two asthma inhalers. I got a regular doctor visit and am much better after 11 days of steroids. In talking with my wood working buddies, they think that the finish may have had castor oil in it, which I've never heard of being used. I use lacquer, shellac and oil based coatings with impunity- just the usual ventilation. I doubt it was the oak wood, because I use that all the time. Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Hi there! I've been pretty busy working on some projects like painting and sculpture, as well as refurbishing a 45 year old Eames Lounge Chair (genuine,  not a knockoff) that I've passed on to my daughter. I have managed to lose 5 kilos in weight and I'm feeling well.

I've never heard of such an allergic reaction from varnish or wood, but perhaps whoever made the piece used a homemade formulation that contained a toxic additive. Perhaps you can get a lab to test the dust if you have any.

[Recusant]

Hey, great to see a post from you, hermes. 

* * *

As for the reaction to the sanding dust from the antique, Dark Lightning, it may have been castor oil (I've not heard of it being a common ingredient, but I'm no master of antique finishes). However it's possible that the troublesome ingredient of the finish was a natural resin. According to this article any of a number of resins may be added--copal, dammar, and mastic are mentioned. I wouldn't be surprised if there are others used by the old-time furniture builders.

[Dark Lightning]

Hey, it's Hermes!  How have you been?

I have a wood finishing question. I bought an antique (ca 1880) French Country style buffet from the local Habitat ReStore. The top was gouged so I sanded it out, mostly. As a result, all my exposed skin- head, scalp, neck, and hands and arms developed a bad rash. Of course, I inhaled some of the dust and damned near ended up in the ER, as I was almost maxed out on my two asthma inhalers. I got a regular doctor visit and am much better after 11 days of steroids. In talking with my wood working buddies, they think that the finish may have had castor oil in it, which I've never heard of being used. I use lacquer, shellac and oil based coatings with impunity- just the usual ventilation. I doubt it was the oak wood, because I use that all the time. Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Hi there! I've been pretty busy working on some projects like painting and sculpture, as well as refurbishing a 45 year old Eames Lounge Chair (genuine,  not a knockoff) that I've passed on to my daughter. I have managed to lose 5 kilos in weight and I'm feeling well.

I've never heard of such an allergic reaction from varnish or wood, but perhaps whoever made the piece used a homemade formulation that contained a toxic additive. Perhaps you can get a lab to test the dust if you have any.

I have enough HAZMAT training to avoid getting contaminated during remediation, which consisted of spritzing the dust with water above where it would disperse if I hit the stuff directly, and then carefully scraping it up wet and closing up the container before it dried. Lots of fun, when every bit of "furniture" in my "shop" is made of wood.  All done with that. Should have used that training beforehand, but who knew? First piece made before 1900, in my experience of wood working. My neighbor has some antique piece that she wants to sell; she thinks it's from the late 1700s. It'll get the full treatment, if I think that it's something I want.

[Dark Lightning]

Hey, great to see a post from you, hermes. 

* * *

As for the reaction to the sanding dust from the antique, Dark Lightning, it may have been castor oil (I've not heard of it being a common ingredient, but I'm no master of antique finishes). However it's possible that the troublesome ingredient of the finish was a natural resin. According to this article any of a number of resins may be added--copal, dammar, and mastic are mentioned. I wouldn't be surprised if there are others used by the old-time furniture builders.

Thanks, Casey, I'll go and check out more future life-threatening finishes I could encounter in my misadventures! 

[Icarus]

DL you are an experienced wood guy. Why would you sand a flat surface for refinish prep? The job goes a lot faster and is almost dust free when you use a cabinet scraper or luthiers scraper. Faster than sanding and leaves a superior bare wood finish.

Old time furniture makers, boat builders,and other craftsmen used bad ass chemicals such as formaldehyde, copper sulfate, various leads, and other stuff that has been obsolete for a long time.

Yes, I have heard of finishing materials such as shellac, and varnish that used castor oil as a vehicle. I had no idea that it could be toxic. What the hell,I was given castor oil as a medicine when I was a kid. I have used plenty of it as a fuel lubricant for my outboard racing engines.

Glad that you have recovered from whatever it was that put you down. Hang in there friend.   

[The Magic Pudding..]

Monday was work and
do you want to buy a ticket in the sweep for the race that stops the nation?
No, not really, I always lose, how much?
$5,
I don't do money anymore, I only have a $50,
I have change,
oh alright then. 
Hand into bag and extract Absurde (I don't know the why of the "e")
Doesn't look bad, probly more than 20 horses and my one is equal 4th when I look at the odds.
Tues and the race stops the nation and my horse comes fifth, kudos to the odds people.
I dislike losing.

 Wed:
My septic system has issues, the tank isn't draining.
I dislike digging
Position phone to hear what the Americans are doing as I dig
Much digging and in an attempt to clear a root I put an axe through a pipe I thought was elsewhere whilst the Americans elect Trump
I  questioned anti Nazi's enthusiasm for punching and was declared a Nazii
I queried an anti Trump person calling a protest for Palestine voter a stupid slut
Brain is said to reward some for running with endorphins, never got any for that but the joy I'm getting from granddaughter is absurd 😊

[Tank]

You have a lot on your mind!

[Icarus]

Here a prestigious college professor tells us about things we need to know.

[Asmodean]

The Asmo caused a horrific and highly-dramatic parking lot MVC with His work truck vs a wrongly-parked vehicle, resulting in some paint damage on both vehicles. His rear bumper vs The Asmo's rear wheel arch.

The whole moving-The-Asmo-vs-stationary-the-other-vehicle situation aside, He totally blames people for parking where they shouldn't. Ought to be punished, etc. (Not really though. The people The Asmo actually blames are those whose responsibility it is to ""manage"" the local parking garage. They quite simply do not.)