27 replies to this topic

[MSwiss]

If anyone has any doubt how strong they are, check out what use to be a small paint brush at the bottom of the Tupperware tub, after leaving it there, for a few days, with the top closed, at night.
 

[grooverunner]

Mike,

What brand of contact cement is that?

Ken

[MSwiss]

Dap / Weldwood.

[Jason Holmes]

That will fry what little brain cells toy car players have left. LOL.
 
Jason

[Mark Wampler]

I'm on my third quart can of Weldwood since I began to mount tires.  

I had a race tonight and far as I can tell, I'm still competitive. So far so good.

[Cheater]

The solvents in Weldwood contact cement are toluene (30-60% by weight), methyl ethyl ketone (7-13%), naphtha (5-10) and n-Heptane (5-10%). The first two are the problem ones and are central nervous system depressants; prolonged overexposure can cause permanent damage to a number of important organs like brain, liver, kidney...

Do like a certain former president: don't inhale. And definitely don't consume!

[The Sawdust Man]

And that is exactly why I will not laminate boxes in the winter months. Unless you have a very expensive shop air filtering system, it is darn near impossible to get the fumes out.

When I am doing laminate work, it is not unusual to have the equivalent if two full 4' x 8' sheets of laminate all glued up and filling the air with a lot of fumes! And compared to yesteryear, the current glue is much less toxic than it used to be. Back in the day the fumes would rust any raw metal in your shop. I still have saw blades from the early '90s to prove it.

Contact glue is some nasty stuff. Use it wisely!

[Cheater]

Bob,

I think there are some activated-charcoal cartridge respirator masks that can help with the personal safety issues, or at least that what I have found with a little cursory research.

Unfortunately, if you have a beard or wear glasses, they don't work very well.

[Mark Wampler]

I've been around chemicals most of my adult life. I think one must have some physical resolve in dealing with fumes. I gave up as a decorating contractor nine years ago which was a good thing.  

 

Charcoal masks help, but finishing massive amounts of cabinets with lacquer, the cartridges load up in a short time. Best solution is a fresh air machine, a high volume, low pressure air pump with a line to the mask.

 

The little amount of fumes from mounting tires is minuscule. I find that grinding tires is more irritating than contact cement.

[SlowBeas]

I think I'll just try to avoid using the stuff, since I left my Level A suit back at my last job. 

[Jason Holmes]

When I first started building airplanes at MDC, now Boeing, we used MEK like water to clean our hands, parts, everything 40 years ago.

 

See how things change and stay the same, just like Retro.

 

Jason

[Matt Sheldon]

When I first started building airplanes at MDC, now Boeing, we used MEK like water to clean our hands, parts, everything 40 years ago.

 

Probably poured it down the drains when it was dirty, too.

[havlicek]

I stopped doing laminate work period years ago because of this very issue.
 

When I am doing laminate work, it is not unusual to have the equivalent if two full 4' x 8' sheets of laminate all glued up and filling the air with a lot of fumes!

 
Absolutely. While having a gallon can of the stuff open can "seem" like the stuff is giving off a bunch of fumes, having one 4' x 8' sheet glued up is off-gassing the equivalent of dozens of open gallon cans because it's only the exposed top surface of the can that's responsible.  

 

Between this and glassing surfboards (the early surfboard manufacturing industry was mostly unregulated, and people routinely did some amazingly dangerous things), I am sure I did a bunch of damage. I was young and very, very stupid.

[Cheater]

Too soon old and too late smart...

[MSwiss]

Here's what it looks like after commingling with the contact cement for about 3 1/2 days.

But even after one overnight, where it sat, without any contact cement touching it, it had deformed to about half the height, and twice the width.

[gotboostedvr6]

Do you guys prefer contact cement over 3M 'gorilla snot' for mounting tires?

[Dave Crevie]

John, we learn something new about you every day. Did you use the highly flammable styrene foam. On my summer

trips to the L.A. area, I used to drop in on the surf board shops at the beaches. There they were, using styrofoam and 

volatile resins and adhesives, all while smoking a doobie or cigarette. How did so many of use make it to retirement

without all the government regulations?

[old & gray]

John, we learn something new about you every day. Did you use the highly flammable styrene foam. On my summer

trips to the L.A. area, I used to drop in on the surf board shops at the beaches. There they were, using styrofoam and 

volatile resins and adhesives, all while smoking a doobie or cigarette. How did so many of use make it to retirement

without all the government regulations?

 

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it's the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Exposure to solvents Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular exposure to solvents consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few hours breathingthose fumes few beers "

- Cliff Calvin on “Cheers”

[Bill from NH]

Do you guys prefer contact cement over 3m gorilla snot for mounting tires?

 

I haven't mounted any foam tires in awhile, but those I've mounted in the past, going back over 40+ yrs., were always done with gorilla snot. 3M now sells it in both yellow & black.

[Bill from NH]

Are you saying he can fly without using an airplane?  

[NSwanberg]

The solvents in Weldwood contact cement are toluene (30-60% by weight), methyl ethyl ketone (7-13%), naphtha (5-10) and n-Heptane (5-10%). The first two are the problem ones and are central nervous system depressants; prolonged overexposure can cause permanent damage to a number of important organs like brain, liver, kidney...

In the industrial waste pre-treatment plant operator's business we refer to it as methyl ethyl death.

[Ramcatlarry]

With Tramp trying to abolish the EPA and all of its rules, maybe our good solvents will come back to the shelves where they are currently banned...

[Markomatic]

Heptane is a great solvent for taking tape residue off of things

[Phil Hackett]

Jeez, you guys... you're not supposed to use that stuff in a closet. Get a breeze going and don't snort the stuff. You're just as likely to get bad fumes from new carpeting, a new car or even a new house all which are spaces you *live* in.

 

BTW... don't put gasoline in styrofoam cups. Same result or better than the above pictures....

[havlicek]

John, we learn something new about you every day. Did you use the highly flammable styrene foam. On my summer

trips to the L.A. area, I used to drop in on the surf board shops at the beaches. There they were, using styrofoam and 

volatile resins and adhesives, all while smoking a doobie or cigarette. How did so many of use make it to retirement

without all the government regulations?

 

Hi Dave,

 

     Surfboards use (mostly) closed cell urethane foam.  Early experiments with foam did use some styro, but manufacturers quickly went to urethane for a couple of reasons.  On the fumes, most boards were made using polyester resin (ie: the stuff used for general laminating of boats and whatnot) with cobalt and other additives to enhance it's properties, and then applied over fiberglass cloth (*as opposed to matting).  Epoxy resin was and is used also, and different types of cloth as well.  Besides the fumes (*imagine doing a "gloss" or "gel" coat on a hot day in a closed room with no ventilation so as not to stir up any dust!), the sanding dust being a combination of resin and fiberglass was both extremely uncomfortable (*itchy as heck) and deadly to inhale.  We did use regular paper-type dust masks for the sanding operations and *mostly* used activated charcoal vapor masks for the glassing, nut like I said, I'm sure we did a lot of damage.