Just like making fingerskate decks, manufacturing fingerboard wheels is not without risks.
This blog aims to give you a few tips to keep your lungs safe despite the various harmful products used in fingerboard manufacturing.
Warning: the risks you take when handling these hazardous materials also apply to those around you—family members and pets. Take the necessary precautions to avoid exposing them.
During Resin Printing
One of the first steps in wheel making is resin printing. Obtaining a “master” model is labor-intensive; I went through about 80 prints to achieve my final master model.
It’s important to know that with each print, a full safety process must be followed to avoid inhaling potentially carcinogenic fumes.
The minimum required equipment costs some money but is absolutely essential:
- A certified gas mask
- Nitrile gloves (not latex, as resin penetrates latex)
- A good supply of paper towels
- Safety goggles to prevent splashes
During resin printing, risks are constant because resin continuously releases carcinogenic vapors. A gas mask is mandatory throughout the entire printing and cleaning process.
Printing must be done in a well-ventilated room.
Another contamination risk is resin splashing onto the skin. A pair of nitrile gloves and long sleeves are required. I also recommend wearing gloves when initially handling the machine, and for cleaning printed parts and cleaning the machine/workspace, wearing two pairs of nitrile gloves layered on top of each other.
When cleaning the resin vat, safety goggles are mandatory; a droplet can easily end up in the eye.
Printed parts, even once dried using UV light, can remain harmful. Washing your hands after handling them is a habit you should adopt.
It is sometimes necessary to sand resin-printed parts. Extra caution is required due to the very fine, airborne dust generated, which can lodge directly in the lungs.
During Polyurethane Resin Casting
Polyurethane resin emits fumes that are less volatile and less odorous than printing resin, but it is still carcinogenic.
Polyurethane suppliers are required to provide safe-use instructions along with the necessary equipment to remain protected.
Some PU resins are even prohibited from sale without proof of training in handling such materials.
During casting, a ventilated room, a gas mask, gloves, and safety goggles are mandatory. Due to the volatility of PU fumes, a kitchen extractor hood can sometimes be sufficient to draw them away.
It is recommended to have a flat protective surface when handling PU, as it seeps into wood, stains stone, and marks glass.
During Wheel Finishing
Like fingerboard deck manufacturing, the wheel finishing stage presents significant risks, mainly related to sanding and lathe turning.
Polyurethane may sometimes leak out of the mold during the curing phase. This excess must be removed. Whether using a lathe with chisels/gouges or sandpaper, the risk remains the same.
The microparticles generated by sanding wheels are not highly volatile but remain suspended in the air for a few seconds. One deep breath is enough to inhale potentially carcinogenic dust, which is why wearing a gas mask is also mandatory here.
When using a lathe, debris can be projected throughout the workshop if no extraction system is in place. Cleaning and ventilating the room are necessary after each finishing session.