So you got some fiberglass on you and now what??
1. Rinse!! Don't rub!!
2. Do not compound the aggravation to your skin by over use of oil removing soap
and detergent.
3. Hair rinse is a great tool for floating away those little fibers. Use it
liberally. Rinsing a couple times does not dry your skin and cause other reasons
for tenderness and itching.
4. Do not combine a sunburn with fiberglass work. Over application of sunscreen
will not only keep the sunburn away, it will provide a vehicle to carry away the
fibers. Of course you will need some soap or detergent to break down most
sunscreens. AND!!! The fiberglass sticks to the sunscreen more than bare skin so
the best thing to do is not grind in the sun period
5. Hand creams. I use Lubriderm brand. You do not rub it in. Think of it as a
vehicle to carry away the fibers.
Get a big wad of the stuff on your hands, smear it around and then rinse it off.
Don't rub and don't over wash.
6. Wear long sleeves in the first place. The under side of your forearms and
inside of your elbows not only are tender but, if thet are irritated you WILL
scratch them and YOU WILL make it worse.
7. Hood!! Hooded sweatshirts are great for grinding. I don't care it it is 100
degrees. It was 104 today in Austin and I sanded fiberglass for two hours this
afternoon. I sweated through my sweatshirt before I picked up the sanding tool.
Soaking wet is soaking wet. You probably cool as fast or faster in a wet
sweatshirt than stark naked and since there is no way anybody is going to grind
fiberglass naked to check out my theory, I am right!! I don't have ANY
fiberglass on me right now.
8. Grinding glass inside sailboats is torture.
9. Those white "paper" suits sold in the stores are way too small. I am only
5'10" but I wear XXXXL suits when sanding. I use a shock cord around my waist to
hold the crotch of the suit up against the crotch of my sweatpants. The huge
body section allows me to lift my arms over my head without tearing the suit.
The shock cord keeps me from tearing the crotch and letting the dust in at the
worst possible place. The suits with elastic around the wrists and ankles don't
work. Get rubber bands and seal those four holes properly. If the zipper seems
the slightest bit questionable, put duct tape over it from end to end.
10. Always thoroughly clean up the work area before getting out of the suit.
Most fiberglass dust irritation comes from the powder left behind and
consequently ground into your body while you are without protection.
Edit: Johnson's baby lotion works really well because it does not hurt anything and it moisturizes your hands like....well you already know....a baby's butt.