CA Glue - Over exposure

[Kyle Young]

I'm new, but I have seen plenty of opinions on CA glue already.
I had a project that called for a lot of CA glue and coffee grounds to fill up a ton of tiny cracks. I have used it before and didnt think much of it. Later that night, my sinuses lit up and I took on cold symptoms for almost 48 hours. My guess is a chemical burn in my sinus. Anyone else do this?
More concerning is for a few weeks, I would easily break out in an random itchy hive if I started scratching my leg or elbow, etc. Its gone away now. But it has me worried that A) I've burned too many brain cells to avoid this again. B) I may have a heightened allergic response to a woodturning remedy that is super helpful.

 

[Jim McLain]

I'm new, but I have seen plenty of opinions on CA glue already.
I had a project that called for a lot of CA glue and coffee grounds to fill up a ton of tiny cracks. I have used it before and didnt think much of it. Later that night, my sinuses lit up and I took on cold symptoms for almost 48 hours. My guess is a chemical burn in my sinus. Anyone else do this?
More concerning is for a few weeks, I would easily break out in an random itchy hive if I started scratching my leg or elbow, etc. Its gone away now. But it has me worried that A) I've burned too many brain cells to avoid this again. B) I may have a heightened allergic response to a woodturning remedy that is super helpful.

View attachment 60178

Kyle - I have never had your kind of reaction. I have had my nostrils and eyes burn a little. For the most part I wear a versaflo powered air respirator with a chemical filter when working with ca. I cannot smell it and my eyes appreciate it.

 

[Craig Morton]

Kyle,
I had exactly the same reaction to CA. I used CA as a finish on a pizza cutter handle. By the time I was finished my eyes were burning and shortly thereafter my sinuses swelled. This lasted a couple days. I now use CA for small, quick, repairs and if it starts to smoke I exit the area. No more CA as a finish.

 

[Michael Nathal]

Parfix is a brand of CA glue, it is called a "medical grade" if I recall. It cures very slowly, an accelerator is almost necessary. I have used it, seems to be better for this.

 

[Brian Nowak-Thompson]

I have felt some CA off gassing in my sinuses when using "a lot" of CA. I think there is enough heat generated to help volatilize some of the CA monomer. I've seen light puffs of vapor and when you inhale it the enzymes/moisture in mucus membranes will cause some of the monomer to degrade which makes it feel acrid in my nose. This is similar to what you experience with horseradish/wasabi.

 

[Charles Cadenhead]

I haven't had any issues with CA once I started wearing a mask or respirator when working with it. It's not good it inhale those fumes.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

I use it when needed, and I get the burning eyes and nose even with open ventilation in the shop. No permanent reactions yet... but I do know a guy that used CA a lot in model flying aircraft construction. He lost his sense of taste (long before the Covid pandemic).

 

[Dana Paul]

Wow, Kyle. How we suffer for out art! I use CA in many variants frequently, and I try to take it outdoors whenever it isn't snowing.

I'm curious though about your project that involved coffee grounds, since I also use the CA-coffee combination on occasion. Maybe you could share some examples?

Here's an Instagram link to a cafe tap handle set, installed. The cracks and voids were filled with espresso grounds and CA:

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

View: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrE4i0eO9oc/


And here's a link to a short video about them: Coffee Mob tap handles.mp4

 

[Dave Bunge]

Fumes from normal grades of CA, especially from the thin viscosity versions, irritate my nasal passages and eyes.

Starbond makes a "no odor" version which is much more pleasant to work with: https://starbond.com/products/odorless-thin-ca-glue-3d-infiltrant-no-05

It has some drawbacks compared to their "superfast thin" standard grade: almost 50% more expensive, a little thicker so it doesn't wick into fine cracks as well, shelf life seems shorter. But it doesn't make my eyes and nose burn...

 

[David Croxton]

I'm new, but I have seen plenty of opinions on CA glue already.
I had a project that called for a lot of CA glue and coffee grounds to fill up a ton of tiny cracks. I have used it before and didnt think much of it. Later that night, my sinuses lit up and I took on cold symptoms for almost 48 hours. My guess is a chemical burn in my sinus. Anyone else do this?
More concerning is for a few weeks, I would easily break out in an random itchy hive if I started scratching my leg or elbow, etc. Its gone away now. But it has me worried that A) I've burned too many brain cells to avoid this again. B) I may have a heightened allergic response to a woodturning remedy that is super helpful.

View attachment 60178

hi Kyle, I first started using CA as a pen finish about 15 or so years ago. At first, I didn't have any major adverse reactions to it, but over the years that has changed for me. I have always used ventilation and air circulation but for the last 4 or 5 years - in addition to lots of fresh air circulating, I also make sure to wear my 1/2 mask respirator with the chemical cartridges. But sometimes, depending on how close I need to work, or if I don't get the air flowing in the right direction- it can still sting the eyes a little bit.
I have also tried a few of the Parfix CA viscosities and have found that I have had no adverse reactions when using them so far - I still use the air circulation and mask but there is no residual CA fume/odor in the shop & no stinging eyes ---

 

[Tom De Winter]

If I'm using very much CA I do it at the lathe with the dust collector turned on. This draws sufficient air across the piece and into the DC that I'm not affected by the fumes.

 

[Dana Paul]

All the interest and information that has surfaced this thread was started has made me start thinking about my exposure to CA. One of my most-used adhesives is a product called Rapid Fuse, which I believe is still sold by Dap. I use it for making contrasting laminations, and many projects require 6 or 8 veneers pressed together tightly, often only 2 at a time per step, and the session might take 45 minutes to complete the sequence. Like the OP Kyle Young, I have experienced mysterious but intense itching on my lower leg (but with no discernable rash) which I slather with lotion to dispel. I also use Stewart Macdonald Super thin and the whole range of Loctite CA adhesives in cue making and repair. I never have kept track of whether the itching episodes correlate to CA exposure, but I intend to do so from now on. For the past month I've been working on small spindle turnings from single-species blanks, and haven't done any CA glue-ups.
I intend to pay close attention the next time the CA comes out of the refrigerator, just to see if I've been blind to a reaction to a toxin. If so, I'll be grateful for this thread.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I have experienced mysterious but intense itching on my lower leg (but with no discernable rash)

Down here we call those "chiggers".

 

[Dana Paul]

Down here we call those "chiggers".

I come from Charlottesville, and I learnt about them chiggers, them "sand fleas", them no-see-ums, copperheads, water mocassins, rattlers, brown recluse spiders, and anybody doesn't like Hank Williams Sr.