Yeah, I guess it's pretty common, but not as much as some other exotics like cocobolo or bocote. This stuff is like kryptonite to me.
Thanks, very nice of you. I'd argue that there is amazing work being shown in the Shishkov forum!
Well, thanks, I appreciate it. I do like to keep things organized so that I can find what I need when I need it. I swear I'm not OCD about it like some guys are, but if there is too much clutter I can feel anxiety building, so I have to stop every so often and tidy up a bit.
Thank you, I'll try!
Yeah, it can be nasty, but I know several other builders that have no reaction to it at all. It's mainly the fine dust and repeated exposure that gets me. If I do handle it without gloves, I wash my hands soon after to avoid problems. Of course, once there is a coat of finish on it, there's no problem at all.
If I get dust on my skin for a prolonged period of time, it turns red and becomes irritated and feels like it is burning. If that happens a couple of days in a row, the irritated skin eventually dries out, cracks and starts to peel off. All the skin on my upper face, including my eyelids peeled. It also causes the biggest bags under my eyes that you have ever seen. Like, really bad, double bags... The bags have bags... and this takes several weeks to clear up once it starts. On the respiratory side, I get a big lump in my throat, runny nose, watery eyes, etc.
When this all first started around a year ago, I tried to take small steps to prevent it. I always wore a 1/2 mask respirator when sanding, but I added washing my hands and face, blowing off with an air compressor, but symptoms continued to persist. I didn't get it all to clear up until I pretty much completely covered up and wore a powered respirator when sanding it.
Anyway, I think the getup that I wear is freaking hilarious, but it does work for me. I've heard that once one of these allergies starts, it can cause sensitization to other woods, so I'm hoping to prevent further attacks. I don't want to have to wear this crap when I'm working with maple or mahogany. That would truly suck.