I have been using smooth cast 300 recently in the last two week and every time I use it I break out with small itchy bumps on my lower arm and my cheeks. They last for about a week then go away, but are itching like crazy while they are there. Has anyone else had this problem, and should I try using alumilite instead of smooth cast? I would really hate to stop puzzle building because of this.

First off, here's the MSDS for Smooth Cast Part A and Part B.

It doesn't sound like the vapor is much of a threat, but it does say Smooth Cast can aggravate pre-existing skin disorders and allergies. Are you making direct contact with uncured casting resin?

Please make sure that you are in a well ventilated area and you are using thin latex gloves. It is a concern that you are getting a reaction and a very good reminder for the rest of us.

Safety with this hobby is of paramount importance, especially with younger people getting interested.

I've moved this thread to puzzle building and will sticky for a couple of weeks.

Good thread! Drewseph, did you ever end up going to a dermatologist and having it checked out?

Thanks everyone for your response, I have been working in a well ventilated area. I also wear non-latex gloves to keep the chemicals from touching my skin. I do every once and a while get the resin above where my gloves are and that must be causing the reaction. I still am not sure why I have a small rash on my cheeks to, maybe I rubbed my face or something. Well I will be more careful in the future and take more precautions. My reaction seems very similar to drewsephs that he discussed a while back and it should go away.

It is amazing how often human beings touch their faces without noticing it. It can take a conscious effort to stop yourself from doing it. It wouldn't be surprising if you touched your face with resin on your gloves without realizing you had done so.

Unfortunately I don't have any advice beyond that which you've already given yourself: be more careful in the future. If you make sure to keep in mind where your hands are while you are wearing gloves that should stop you from touching an uncovered part of your body without thinking.

My rashes have gone away. using a skin moisturizer accelerates the healing process greatly.

I can't help but also realize that mixing the SC300 results in much more splash back than the alumilite. probably because its much lower in viscosity. I can say that the SC gives me the same rashes as well, and only when I get a spray of part A on me.

If I drop everything I do and wash /scrub that arm for a minute or 2 then I prevents the rash most of the time. but you have to act immediately.

Avoid resting your arms on any surface that you may have spilled the SC on.

My dad is a doctor and I showed him the rash and he brought me home some Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream. My rash is going away quickly, and I recommend having a tube of it on hand just in case you run into the same problem.

I've splashed both parts of alumilite on myself multiple times, and I usually don't wear gloves, yet I've never had a reaction. The vapor is much more of a problem for me, so I cast next to the open door of my garage.

Also beware of Alumilite's UMR. That stuff is very nasty. It is heavier than air, so it easily settles to the ground and will stay there unless you flush it out. I keep a floor fan running at all times for this reason, and an open garage door.

UMR?

A very easy google search returns this as the first result:

http://alumilite.com/ProdDetail.cfm?Cat ... s&Name=UMR

I was wondering for the past couple of days why I had the same type of bumps described around my knees, but no where else. Then I remembered that I was casting last week and I was using a small table outside that was about knee height where everything was sitting and i would stand in front of it when mixing my SC 300. I always where gloves, ventilator, safety glasses, and a long sleeve shirt. But I never thought to wear long pants. I don't think I got any splash back because I was stirring near my chest. I guess maybe the vapor can do the same type of thing.

That's just weird!


While sweeping the workshop a couple weeks ago, I didn't realize how much mold release was on my floor until I started to TASTE it! The sweeping kicked it back up into the air, and let me tell you, it was NASTY! I couldn't get rid of the taste! I started to get paranoid, but then the cocktails kicked in, and I forgot all about it!

I must be prone to casting mishaps, because the other day something similar happened to me. I was stirring the resin and my hand slipped, and flung some of the resin in my mouth. That stuff is truly NASTY , I had to rinse my mouth with mouthwash so many times. I need a new hobby , just kidding, I can never give up puzzle building.

Yikes!! That stuff seems pretty nasty to get in your mouth!

I was casting with a friend one time and the syringe slipped into the blue bottle (part b?) and it sloshed everywhere. He got a taste of it and it didn't look like it tasted that good.

i dont really have many allergies. pollen doesnt affect me, nor does dust... only germs and viruses can make me feel bad..

i only casted once with a friend... he used smooth cast 300.... but we didnt get any on us and were EXTREMELY careful because we were doing it on his granite kitchen counter incase we needed to use the sink or something..

do you think onyx would be good for casting cube pieces? i heard its pretty good. hard as a rock too

To answer your question, you could have searched 'onyx' and found this about 5 posts down rather than bumping this thread and adding nothing.

Hey I was wondering does "bumping a thread" mean to have to show up in the side bar of the web page or to move it to the top of the list in a section. If it's the second then he didn't really bump the thread because it's stickyed. I agree with you though a search should have been done before he posted on this thread.

Please review rule #10 for a definition. The sidebar is newer than our definintion of bumping so even if it does not show up there because a topic is sticked a post may be considered a bump.

Dave