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So it turns out I am sensitive or allergic to toulene in glue. I am one of those who react strongly to certain glues which produce short term asthma syptoms or brochiospasms. For some it takes over 8 hours to produce reactions, though for lucky me it is only about 2 to three hours. Kept wondering why I was wheezing and at one point spitting blood. Didn't know this hobby was soo hard core it could seriously mess me up. At least it only took a year to figure out. Has this happened to anyone else? Has anyone else also developed asthma becasue of this?

Ive never heard of that happening, but it can happen obviously. That really sucks man, youll have to find another way to stick your minis together

Have you tried wearing a mask of some sort while gluing? A surgical mask or respirator would probably help you out.

I understand that the UK has stopped allowing products with toluene to be imported, so there should be alternatives. I personally am not affected by this, but one hopes a solution is out there. No one should have to bleed for their hobby...

Yea, getting some masks today. Always thought it was the paint.

DispatchDave wrote:... No one should have to bleed for their hobby...

Unless you Play Khorne...


in all seriousness, My wife is alergic to the spray can fumes when i prime. Even when i go into the garage out side once im done..the odor trails me for a short while and she gets migraines over it and is done. SO i can only prime when she is not home.

Exposure to superglue (cyano-acrylate) can also cause severe allergic reactions given enough exposure. And if you plan on cooking something that has been superglued, make sure it is extremely well ventilated...CA glue gives off cyanide gas when heated.

I've been lucky so far, despite spilling most of a 7oz bottle on myself...

When I use zap a gap and/or loctite super glue for metal mini´s , I will wake up in the night with dificulty breathing ... not good.

I can use GW´s superglue to a certain degree , so I found out another way to put together my mini´s . I always pin them and then seal with greenstuf , hmmm , very time consuming .

Plastic glues are better and for me it´s good ,bcoz more / most model´s are plastic ...

Make sure that you get a good mask that is rated for fumes. The cheap .99 cent masks are only good for large particles such as dust and and fibers. You need one that has replacable filters that is rated for removing Asbestos. This might seem like over kill but it is the best you can get without having mask with it's own external air supply tank.

I have 4 of them because when my wife an I were buying a house we went from one house to the next and a lot of them were foreclosures that have had the A/C off and been shut up for month. My wife is extremely allergic to mold so the masks (which we kept 2 in each car) kept her from getting sick. I think I paid almost $50 USD each but they have a good comfortable face mask and multiple adjustment points. Plus the mask is washable and the filters are relativly cheap. You should be able to get them in any DIY store.

Agreed. If you have a problem, get a quality respirator mask. It will help enormously.

Or you can build a spray box, as I have done, that evacuates the fumes out of the house.

Mine is 3'X3'X3' and runs a 550 cfm squirrel cage fan

No masks, and no fumes; just a slight hum from the fan

I'm allergic to super-glue, it destroys my sinuses and makes it almost impossible to breathe through my nose for days after I've used it.

To say the least, I avoid metal models as much as possible, and when I do have to use it, I use as little glue as possible, outside, and leave as quickly as possible.

daedalus-templarius wrote:
To say the least, I avoid metal models as much as possible, and when I do have to use it, I use as little glue as possible, outside, and leave as quickly as possible.

Too much superglue is worse than not enough - especially when it comes to the fuming it does.
Learning the balance is part of the skillset.

As for the fumes from Toluene - get a respirator OR an extraction booth (or both).

My spray booth is quite suitable for the procedures - the fan being capable of shifting 65,000 cfm (that's 65,000 cubic feet of air per minute). Strong enough that I don't even smell the glue.

Your just looking for a mask with an active carbon filter, and remember you will have to change the filters from time to time.

Alternativly look for a glue made without the cheimical your looking for, a good alternative to super glue would be something like a two part quick set epoxy.

Why don't you just use some toluene free glue as suggested earlier? That would negate the need to buy and wear a mask plus you won't really notice any difference in the performance of the glue.

Oh gak!

I went to my GP last Thursday because I was having breathing problems and coughing and sneezing up blood. She diagnozed me with sinusitis and asthma, the former being viral/bacterial while the latter was something I've likely always had but just was being worsened by the sinusitis.

I had assumed it was linked to the solder and flux fumes from work, as even though we have extraction some escape, but I wonder if this could be a contributing factor....