I'd rather repin than all this work / hazard. Jon Page At 07:55 AM 5/9/99 -0400, you wrote: >Thomas Carpenter writes; > ><<I`m thinking of trying the CA application. >....if applying 1/2 to 1 oz. won`t the odor by overwhelming? >....How long will it linger? >....Will it be unsafe to inhale for a time?>> > > >I have a lot of experience with, and interest in, the above questions. > >Experience A >---- I treated a grand with CA glue, tapped the pins, pitch raised, tuned, >was there for 4 hours. Twelve hours later I easily could have gone to the >hospital, but I thought I had just gotten a severe case of the Flu. My eyes >were tearing, my nose was running, I was uncontrollably coughing, my lungs >were burning, and I had trouble breathing. I was knocked flat for two full >days, and canceled three days of work. > >Experience B >----I did an internet search regarding CA glues, and got into some medical >databases and the Material Safety Data sheets (MSDS) for the chemicals which >comprise the CA glue. These are ethyl cyanoacrylate (95-100%), and >hydroquinones (0-1%). Amongst other hazards, the MSDS’s say “vapor highly >irritating to eyes and mucus membranes above 0.2 ppm exposure. Prolonged and >repeated overexposure to vapors may produce symptoms of non-allergic asthma >in sensitive individuals.” AND - lucky us, you can become sensitized to the >chemicals after repeated overexposure! ( I understand that the “odorless” >stuff is just as bad, just a different ester, but I am not sure of this.) > >Experience C >----I tipped an upright and treated it, windows open, big fan blowing across >block, me wearing new organic vapor canisters in mask. Treated it as fast as >I could, 10 minutes, stood it up and left. Didn’t take the mask off until >outside. I was knocked flat for a day, same symptoms as in experience A >above. > >Experience D >----13 days later (the people went on vacation) I returned to this upright >and pitch raised and tuned it normally, without a mask. House and piano had >been closed up. Later I felt mild respiratory symptoms for several hours. >Proving that I personally am highly allergic, or sensitive, to the stuff. > >BIG QUESTION --- So what happens if you treat a piano and run like a chicken >thief away from the fuming chemicals in the piano? - The customer doesn’t! >This upright’s owners, a couple in their 70’s, were frail. Where does it >leave me, or them, if 6 hours after I leave they call the paramedics because >one of them is in respiratory distress? Do they sue? Am I negligent? Am I >liable? > >They sell CA glue in tiny little bottles and tubes, as it is normally used as >a spot here, a dab there. Now, out of the blue, tuners are pouring ounces of >the stuff into pianos and the piano sits there fuming off for days! Piano >technicians, once the height of innocuous people, are in people’s homes >acting like toxic waste dumpers! > >MY SOLUTION? >The CA treatment is so darn effective, I would really hate to stop using it. > >- I have a small oil-less air compressor that can feed outside air through >30 foot of tubing directly into my mask. Good for me, useless to the >customer. (not used yet) > >- I just bought 30 feet of 2” swimming pool vacuum cleaning hose, so that I >might set a shop vac outside and suck air from a flimsy plastic sheet or >cardboard hood which I can set up over the pinblock. (not used yet) I like >this approach because if accelerator is used, the “fuming” should be of short >duration, and the fumes are evacuated from the house, reducing my exposure, >the customers exposure, and my liability. > >- Move it out! Bring the piano to my shop, treat it with a huge airflow, >protecting myself, then days later work on it and move it back, and charge >the customer for the ride. About zero possibility of adversely affecting >the customer or me. > > >HAS ANYONE ON THIS LIST NOTICED OR HEARD ABOUT ANY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES TO >THE HEALTH OF THE CUSTOMER OR TECHNICIAN from doing CA treatments? If so, I >would really like to hear about it. > > >So, Mr. Carpenter, you asked good questions. I will watch for the feedback >of others. > > >Sincerely, > >Bill Simon >Phoenix > Jon Page, Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. mailto:jpage@capecod.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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