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So, I got into Warhammer recently and I am having a lot of fun building and painting minis. Though ever since I started It, I have been having terrible throat pains and very painful coughing. I think its because of the glue, as everytime I use it, the pain and coughing gets MUCH worse. Does anyone have any suggestiones on what might help?
Thanks in advance


Edit: Problem Solved. I just painted some miniatures outside and while wearing a mask and had basically no coughing. Thanks to everyone who gave suggestiones, now I can finally continue this fun hobby.

Using glue shouldn't cause any issues, but it may be that it's aggravating something inside you specifically. You could try and fault find the issue. Narrow it down. Try using the glue outside and see if you get the same issue or its lessened. Try using a desk fan to direct the fumes away and see if that changes anything. Try using a dust mask and again, see if you get the issue. If that doesn't work, you might have to look at getting a higher level of filtration possibly, but don't jump straight to that. Try the other things first.

Which glue is it you're using? Cyano acrylate (superglue) or poly cement?

Yes, it may be possible that the glue fumes cause issues, could be an allergy.
First of all, improve ventilation in your hobby area, maybe wear a mask (everyone still has some lying around I guess) etc.

Same question: Which glue are you using? Plastic glue or Superglue?
You could switch to the other one and see if anything is improving

I’d see a doctor about this. The Dakka forum is very good but don’t neglect your health, especially if it’s affecting your airways. The last thing you want is a serious allergic reaction or something

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
Using glue shouldn't cause any issues, but it may be that it's aggravating something inside you specifically. You could try and fault find the issue. Narrow it down. Try using the glue outside and see if you get the same issue or its lessened. Try using a desk fan to direct the fumes away and see if that changes anything. Try using a dust mask and again, see if you get the issue. If that doesn't work, you might have to look at getting a higher level of filtration possibly, but don't jump straight to that. Try the other things first.

Which glue is it you're using? Cyano acrylate (superglue) or poly cement?

Thanks, I'll definetly try that. Also, im using the Citadel plastic glue.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 rocksville wrote:
Yes, it may be possible that the glue fumes cause issues, could be an allergy.
First of all, improve ventilation in your hobby area, maybe wear a mask (everyone still has some lying around I guess) etc.

Same question: Which glue are you using? Plastic glue or Superglue?
You could switch to the other one and see if anything is improving

Plastic glue. Will try the mask Thing.

The plastic glue is definitely more caustic than regular cyano acrylate in most cases. It has a definite strong smell. Aye just try some mitigation measures and see if they help in any way. If not, you could try switching to superglue. I use super glue for everything because you can find it anywhere.

Mirror1810 wrote:

 rocksville wrote:
Yes, it may be possible that the glue fumes cause issues, could be an allergy.
First of all, improve ventilation in your hobby area, maybe wear a mask (everyone still has some lying around I guess) etc.

Same question: Which glue are you using? Plastic glue or Superglue?
You could switch to the other one and see if anything is improving

Plastic glue. Will try the mask Thing.

Don't trust a mask unless it's a high quality sealed mask with vapour filters. The junk most people wear for covid isn't going to filter anything much out and even a mask that does filter well but only has a paper filter won't prevent you inhaling the vapours that are cooking off from the glue.

Ventilation is key, mask is a secondary fallback just in case the ventilation fails. Ask anyone who works in occupational health and safety and they'll tell you the mask is the last resort if isolation and ventilation isn't an option or has already been done but the risk is still too great.

Anyway, that aside, different folks have different reactions to different chemicals. It wouldn't surprise me if you have an allergy to something in it or your body just doesn't like it. I haven't heard of people getting coughing from plastic glue specifically (I do know people who have that response to cyano/superglue) but I also wouldn't be surprised at all if that does happen for some folk.

My advice is to avoid it as much as you can, chemical sensitivities can get worse if you over expose yourself again and again (sometimes under certain circumstances you can build tolerances, but that should be done cautiously in small amounts and I perhaps for the chemical that is bothering you building a tolerance isn't possible, I have no idea). If you want to keep using chemicals that aggravate you, have decent ventilation, open a window, set up a fan to exhaust stuff away, I have a small fan that pulls air from another room in the house but that doesn't work as well as exhausting if you can set it up.

Mirror1810 wrote:
So, I got into Warhammer recently and I am having a lot of fun building and painting minis. Though ever since I started It, I have been having terrible throat pains and very painful coughing. I think its because of the glue, as everytime I use it, the pain and coughing gets MUCH worse. Does anyone have any suggestiones on what might help?
Thanks in advance

Not a doctor, don't trust my advice.

Citadel Plastic Glue is a solvent, meaning it melts plastic. What's happening technically is the pieces are welded together, and this releases particles into the air. Carbon dioxide is released when PVC / polystrene / most plastics are welded together, along with particles of the solvent.

The question is what solvent you're using. While I don't know the chemical composition of Citadel Plastic Glue, it's most likely Dichloromethane. DiClo can irritate eyes, skin, and lungs. In trace amounts, it has no affect on most people. It's possible you are simply having a severe reaction to it.

DiClo particles are hard to disperse, they bond with dust and can hang in the air for a while. Simple ventilation, like opening a window, isn't always enough. Industrial applications typically require strong controls, like constantly circulating air filters and spray booths. Moving the air around is probably the simplest solution.

You can test this by setting up a small fan and doing your gluing next to it. Push the air away and force it to circulate as much as possible. If the coughing stops, you are on the right track. You might want to invest in an air filter as well, given you know you have a reaction.

You can also try replacing the glue. The major reasons for using plastic glue is the welding effect and the strength of the joint. You can get similar results by using a low viscosity glue with strong adhesion. Permabond and Loctite are brands that sell exceptionally strong, low-viscosity glues. I use them for my Forgeworld stuff without issue.

So, I just painted some miniatures, without even using the glue and now I can't stop coughing. It might not actually be the glue, but the paint.

Mirror1810 wrote:
So, I just painted some miniatures, without even using the glue and now I can't stop coughing. It might not actually be the glue, but the paint.

The paints are made from acrylics. If you are allergic to the paints, you are also allergic to the miniatures. PLS and AAPs have just about the same chemical structure.

Wear medical gloves, keep paint brushes out of your mouth, consider wearing a mask when painting.

Painting would not explain why your lungs are going off as they are not aerosols. Unless you are using an airbrush, it would be exceptionally hard to inhale them.

Mind me asking: what kinds of allergies do you have? Another question: can you smell the paints, is there a tart scent?

That's very strange. I can't see acrylic paint from pots causing a reaction due to not releasing fumes as mentioned.

I switched to testors non toxic cement because the n butyl acetate in the citadel brand gives me a sore throat and lightheadedness. It works well enough, though the tube it comes in could be better designed. Allergies to acrylic paint is kind of unusual though.

Certain paints smell more than others, some could be water based/alcohol based too. I remember the old citadel foundation paints smelled way more than the stuff they are producing now.

Go to the doctor

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
That's very strange. I can't see acrylic paint from pots causing a reaction due to not releasing fumes as mentioned.

Acrylic paints do have fumes, just not fumes that bother most people, the fact acrylic paints have a distinctive smell is sign enough that they are shedding some sort of fumes (though just because something doesn't smell doesn't mean it isn't). I have so many chemical sensitivities I'm like a canary in a mine shaft Army Painter's new Speedpaints will give me issues if I don't use them in a well ventilated area, they clearly have something different to most other acrylic paints and Contrasts that don't bother me.

Ever since I had a covid jab my chemical sensitivities have gotten way worse.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Mirror1810 wrote:
So, I just painted some miniatures, without even using the glue and now I can't stop coughing. It might not actually be the glue, but the paint.

I recommend seeing a doctor about it, it could be the paint, it could be the glue, it could be both the paint and the glue separately.

Though I wouldn't necessarily expect them to know or be able to help, they might be able to rule out anything serious, or they might refer you to a specialist (perhaps an immunologist). Research on chemical sensitivities is reasonably new and in my experience you average family doctor isn't going to know much. Stuff that will kill you (e.g. anaphylaxis) is reasonably well understood, but just in the past few years researchers have found that perhaps people can have mast cell activation issues that don't cause instant anaphylaxis but manifest in different ways.

 techsoldaten wrote:

Mirror1810 wrote:
So, I just painted some miniatures, without even using the glue and now I can't stop coughing. It might not actually be the glue, but the paint.

The paints are made from acrylics. If you are allergic to the paints, you are also allergic to the miniatures. PLS and AAPs have just about the same chemical structure.

Wear medical gloves, keep paint brushes out of your mouth, consider wearing a mask when painting.

Painting would not explain why your lungs are going off as they are not aerosols. Unless you are using an airbrush, it would be exceptionally hard to inhale them.

Mind me asking: what kinds of allergies do you have? Another question: can you smell the paints, is there a tart scent?

Unless I get really close with my nose to the pot, and I mean like almost touching it, it doesn't smell. I also have the paint pot closed most of the time, as I use a mixing palette. To my knowledge, I dont have any allergies to chemical stuff.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 techsoldaten wrote:

Mirror1810 wrote:
So, I got into Warhammer recently and I am having a lot of fun building and painting minis. Though ever since I started It, I have been having terrible throat pains and very painful coughing. I think its because of the glue, as everytime I use it, the pain and coughing gets MUCH worse. Does anyone have any suggestiones on what might help?
Thanks in advance

Not a doctor, don't trust my advice.

Citadel Plastic Glue is a solvent, meaning it melts plastic. What's happening technically is the pieces are welded together, and this releases particles into the air. Carbon dioxide is released when PVC / polystrene / most plastics are welded together, along with particles of the solvent.

The question is what solvent you're using. While I don't know the chemical composition of Citadel Plastic Glue, it's most likely Dichloromethane. DiClo can irritate eyes, skin, and lungs. In trace amounts, it has no affect on most people. It's possible you are simply having a severe reaction to it.

DiClo particles are hard to disperse, they bond with dust and can hang in the air for a while. Simple ventilation, like opening a window, isn't always enough. Industrial applications typically require strong controls, like constantly circulating air filters and spray booths. Moving the air around is probably the simplest solution.

You can test this by setting up a small fan and doing your gluing next to it. Push the air away and force it to circulate as much as possible. If the coughing stops, you are on the right track. You might want to invest in an air filter as well, given you know you have a reaction.

You can also try replacing the glue. The major reasons for using plastic glue is the welding effect and the strength of the joint. You can get similar results by using a low viscosity glue with strong adhesion. Permabond and Loctite are brands that sell exceptionally strong, low-viscosity glues. I use them for my Forgeworld stuff without issue.

Thanks, I didn't know that. I don't really have the money for that, but I could try working outside, see if that helps.