PR fumes

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babyblues

babyblues

Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
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658
Location
Portland, ME, USA.
How do you all control PR fumes? My landlords have graciously allowed me to set up shop in the basement of my apartment building. With the onset of winter here in Maine, I do my casting indoors. They live on the first floor and they ever so politely informed me that the last time I was casting with PR, they had to open all the windows because of the smell, lol. I have an attic fan that I have mounted in a box with some furnace filters that I use for dust control. I haven't tried putting that in the window yet, but I'd like to avoid putting them through that again, so I wanted to hear opinions. Do you think that would control the smell? Maybe another fan behind me to push the fumes toward the attic fan in the window?

I can sense a comment about using Alumilite coming, lol, so let me say that I do use Alumilite. However, I have some snakeskins I want to cast in PR, just because I like PR better for snakeskins.
 
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just think about degassing the pressure pot (if yu use one). I am with Ed. Unfortunately the landlord lives right above your shop so you are limited. You might make them aware that you are "experimenting" with getting rid of the smell, so next time you will warn them before you start and ask them to inform you if it still smells with the 2 fans.


It may not be cost effective, but a small "Casting Booth" like a paint booth type set up might work way better.
 
ed4copies said:
Great, but it's still gonna SMELL!!!
Click to expand...

Stick the toaster oven outside :)

Seriously - I think you're fighting a loosing battle... PR smells enough just turning it after its fully cured. When its curing or if you turn it while its "fresh" its gonna stink.

I vote for saving casting for warmer weather and only turn in the basement in the winter. (at least for PR.....)
 
As a person in the multi family industry I can tell you that the landlord is being nice by letting you use the basement and the next time he talks to you it will be to tell you to get your shop out of his building. If your going to try something to deal with the smell warn them first and if it doesn't work don't do it inside anymore.
 
Or build a fume control box. These are pictures of the temporary one from my workshop.
This is a medum sized cardboard box, with the flap extended so I could slide a tray of mixing beakers in and out as needed. I decant the resin all at one time and slide it into the box with the fan on and drop the flap till all my pigments are set up to mix.
1_fume_control_box_and_vent_002_-_r.jpg


I used a bigmouth dust collector scoop to mount to the back of the box with a gate. Use plenty of duct-tape is a must.
1_fume_control_box_and_vent_003_-_r.jpg


The fan in the wall is a attic fan with a 7 position switch.
1_fume_control_box_and_vent_005_-_r.jpg
 
alphageek said:
Stick the toaster oven outside :)

Seriously - I think you're fighting a loosing battle... PR smells enough just turning it after its fully cured. When its curing or if you turn it while its "fresh" its gonna stink.

I vote for saving casting for warmer weather and only turn in the basement in the winter. (at least for PR.....)
Click to expand...


thats what i was wondering
im also having "fume issues, but if i can cast in a toaster oven i can cast out in my (unheated-sealed from the house) sunroom
so can it be done? it would solve the cold problem, and i hear they're cheap.
 
I think you are "weweing in the wind"

Two things are universally true in PR casting.

1. It Stinks

2. Even if you take it outside and forget to close all doors and windows, it still stinks.


If you ever ride through Missouri or Indiana with the car windows down, you can tell whick towns make boats because the resin stinks up the whole town. This is the same type resin that you are making pens with.
 
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count your blessings

If the smell is too strong I would encourage you to keep the shop as long as you can, it is better to be able to still turn and maybe not do PR for a while than lose the shop and have no where to do anything
 
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