On 26 Apr 2005 17:20:14 -0700, "abripl"
wrote:

Make sure to wear a dust mask. I was sanding my project without wearing
a mask consistently and got it into my lungs and triggered an asthma
problem for a year. AND dont rub your eyes with your dusty hands - my
face got swollen one time really bad. The epoxy/fiberglass dust is
worse than the epoxy mixing fumes. Otherwise the fiberglass dust is no
problem.

There are a number of "It depends" here.
Whether One of the epoxies, or ester type resins some people develop
severe allergic reactions to them. If that happens, it's time to sell
the project and move onto something held together with rivets.

Another source of irritation: Some poor souls are allergic to Latex
and we use Latex gloves by the box.

Also the fumes from Vinyl Ester resin just plain aren't good for a
body...unless you want to preserve it.

The problem with fiberglass dust, is It contains mainly Silicon
Dioxide SiO2 (Quartz) plus fine particles of resin and many a sand
blaster has ended up with severe lung problems. Now, if you do sand
blasting in industry I believe it's lung X-rays at least once, if not
twice a year. The super fine quartz gets into the small pockets in
the lungs and does not come out, much like the black lung disease
suffered by coal miners.


You can easily trim excess cured fiberglass while it is relatively soft
and not 100% cured.

My manuals recommend trimming in the "Green State". When the cure is
just right it's like cutting soft plastic.

Of course there are both areas and times when cutting in the green
state just isn't practical.

Well... Back to the shop to coat the elevator ribs with a micro sphere
and resin mix to seal the foam.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

====================================
SQ2000 canard: http://www.abri.com/sq2000/