Odd job

[Texas Ranger]

This is the lower half of a 110 year old mantel.  The heat had carbonized the finish, and part of the wood.  Stripper would not cut the carbonized stuff, not the new stripper anyway.  So, after fighting it for a while, I bought some fine walnut hull blasting media.  Wonderful stuff, tough enough to cut the carbonized stuff, yet very easy on the wood.  Only problem, first time I used it I forgot to wear my mask, and I found out I am not only allergic to walnut dust, but also walnut hulls. 

Live and learn, the hard way.



 

[Ernie]

Good job TR, you're never too old to find a new allergy :(

[tyb525]

hey that's a nice drywaller's platform you got there, I have several, they're about as handy as pocket on a shirt ;)

I think walnut dust is pretty irritating to a lot of people, even if they aren't allergic to it. I'm not allergic to it as far as I know, but too much of it does bother me, sort of burns my skin, especially green sawdust.

[Texas Ranger]

Yep on that platform.

Walnut, and exotic woods, shut my breathing down with allergic reaction.  Miserable for up to 10 days.  I spent to many years breathing the stuff, and it got me.

[Planman1954]

No kidding...I've built tons of furniture and doors out of walnut and never had a problem with dust....until I helped my Daddy cut one down that had poison oak wrapped on it. I was young, and didn't know any better. The doctor said I should get the trophy for the worst case he'd seen that year. It turned into a solid sheet of red. Had to lay on the couch for a week...au natureel...as they say. It was BAD.

[WDH]

Looks like that you did a fine job!

[Magicman]

Very nice job on the mantel.

Sanding dust is what put me out of my cabinet shop and into sawmilling.

[Brad_bb]

Interesting that you bring this up.  I was just thinking yesterday about dry ice blasting that they do for mold remediation.  I wonder how well that would have worked, and no mess to clean up.