Model Paint Safety Information

[Noddy]

So don`t be set aside from yourself in thinking about this! To take care is everytime a good choice, but we are talking about a few minutes, and that not even each day! So what should i talk about when i do my job and use it mainly 8 hours each working day, and that for a decade of more than 20 years???
You will not be hurt so easy, for sure!

I have no idea why anyone feels the need to make any suggestions that the risks are not real, that "a few minutes" isn't going to harm you and "you will not be hurt". I've personally known 2 auto-body painters who died of cancer and a third who has permanent damage to lungs and voice box.
As for the 80s and 90s the only difference is that the information is now easier to find - the risks are the same, maybe even in some ways worse.
Defending your own poor choices or thinking you're home free after 20 years of doing something is no reason to crap on information about best practices.

[Noddy]

I purchased a 3M dual cartridge respirator, and it works decently. However, i'm worried i'm still able to smell the fumes

I think that you will always be aware of some odor but there are two very real possibilities putting you at risk:

1. The mask is not sealing properly. Do you have facial hair? It's a bit more difficult to test a breathing mask than, say, a scuba mask but do your best to seal off the filter mountings and then see if you can get the mask, with no straps, to hold a vacuum against your face. Perhaps if all else fails you could try a different brand of mask?

2. Are you certain that you are using the correct filters for the compounds you are spraying? 3M, for example, make 9 different filters for fumes plus several others for particulates.

[turboF1]

This thread should be bumped yearly to remind old and new about the potential dangers of painting. Especially with the use of 2K clear nowadays.

[Noddy]

This thread should be bumped yearly to remind old and new about the potential dangers of painting. Especially with the use of 2K clear nowadays.

I actually think that retailers and distributors should be required to send copies of the MSDS or at the very least a single page warning notice with every shipment of this stuff. I think there's a subset of the model-building world who still think that 2K paint is no worse for them than the stuff the craft stores sell.

[daveyman]

When I bought my last shipment of 2K from Hiroboy it came with a separate safety notice.

[hquednau]

Since this was my "bump", a little background: I am an art professor when I'm not building models. As such, I have to be trained on aspects of materials safety, and also to let my students know this stuff. Usually the danger from exposure is shown as "how much of this can I suck in over what amount of time?" So, a lot of inhalation over a small amount of time can be bad, but so could small amounts over many exposures.

It's unlikely that painting one model car, even with terrible ventilation and no personal protection, is going to kill you. But most of us LOVE doing this, and will be building for a long time (decades, in my case). Toxins can build up in body organs (like the liver) over time, until you are facing very serious medical consequences.

AT A MINIMUM: don't spray paint or allow a painted model to "gas-off" anywhere near where you or loved ones will be sleeping. Just don't! The vent fan in your bathroom is not going to save you either (could even make things worse, since paint particles are heavier than air- the fan might just stir things up).

Is this all a bit over-the top? Maybe, but would you want to work for an employer that didn't take these safety issues seriously? Didn't think so. Just buy a damn spray booth.

[Noddy]

Is this all a bit over-the top?

No. It is not "over-the top". In fact it is not enough. One session of painting with isocyanates without proper protection could hospitalize you with permanent lung damage. I can't say it any plainer than that.

[gp-models]

So don`t be set aside from yourself in thinking about this! To take care is everytime a good choice, but we are talking about a few minutes, and that not even each day! So what should i talk about when i do my job and use it mainly 8 hours each working day, and that for a decade of more than 20 years???
You will not be hurt so easy, for sure!

I have no idea why anyone feels the need to make any suggestions that the risks are not real, that "a few minutes" isn't going to harm you and "you will not be hurt". I've personally known 2 auto-body painters who died of cancer and a third who has permanent damage to lungs and voice box.
As for the 80s and 90s the only difference is that the information is now easier to find - the risks are the same, maybe even in some ways worse.
Defending your own poor choices or thinking you're home free after 20 years of doing something is no reason to crap on information about best practices.

Sorry, but all your arguments showed me only one point: You absolutly don`t know what your talking about!
But if someone is so ignorant, i will not teach him what the differences are and what it will do to your health. There is no need for you to do it like everyone else, you can accept it or not, but many will do so and that`s good enough for me.

[Hein]

Hi guys,

The worries that are mentioned here about the use of, and the dangers of 2K clear is ok and good to discuss about, very nasty stuff wich need good prep. and good personal protection.

I resently started with Zero 2K becouse of the nice benefits etc.(in the past i encountered a lot of crap with 1K clear!!...)
I make use of a spraybooth at work and a full face mask with good filters.

But i also want to mention PU resin.
A lot of you guys who are building resin multimedia kits and do a lot of rework and sanding on resin parts have to keep in mind that this is the same Isocyanate stuff as 2K clear.
When sanding etc. you also breath in Isocyanate partricles that can couse an nasty allergic reactions after a certain time., or worse…

Hein

[Noddy]

Sorry, but all your arguments showed me only one point: You absolutly don`t know what your talking about!
But if someone is so ignorant, i will not teach him what the differences are

Bumping this thread because it has been quite a while and while I hate to respond to attacks like the one above I guess I have to address the matter.
Everything that I've brought up in this thread can be verified in 5 seconds of Google searching on multiple authoritative sites. Couple that with over 30 years in and around the automotive and model industries AND training in organic chemistry and I've no qualms whatsoever about stating that the "don't worry be happy" mentality of a few responses in this thread have no basis in reality.

So what should i talk about when i do my job and use it mainly 8 hours each working day, and that for a decade of more than 20 years???
You will not be hurt so easy, for sure!

The information I shared was that the materials are hazardous. Period. Not hazardous only in large amounts, not hazardous only if ingested, not hazardous if used only sporadically but hazardous in very small amounts and in one-time use unless strict precautions and protocols are followed. To spread any information even implying anything less is just unconscionable.
I've no idea, and don't really care, why some individual who claims to have been a painter for 20 years or whatever would feel the need to minimize the concerns about these substances or what the products in the 80s and 90s being dangerous too have to do with anything. Carelessness with isocyanate paints can leave you with life-altering conditions with minimal exposure. The damage is irreversible. Why anyone would minimize that threat is just beyond any rational explanation.
Don't believe me? How about the health and safety arm of the British government which found that people exposed to isocyanates in the work place were NINETY times more likely to suffer occupational asthma than the rest of the workforce. NINETY times! Studies in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and the United States confirm these findings. This information and much more has been known about and publicized in the automotive industry for almost 20 years but certain individuals still think that occasional use and an "I'll be fine" attitude will see them through.