If you are thinking of using resin, say with an arts and crafts project, then you won’t find a better method of laminating certain products and keeping them from wear and tear. What better birthday present than by getting a card covered in resin for that nice, professional finish?
Luckily, if you are working with this stuff, then you won’t have to worry about getting harmed or poisoned by your product. This stuff is designed to leave absolutely no harmful residue afterward and is very easy to clean up.
However, this stuff can be very sticky and cause irritation to the skin, so you’ll need to make sure you’re wearing gloves and staying safe. You’ll need to find a resin that is tope quality and unfortunately, sometimes this isn’t always the case.
You might get some resins that have cheap filters in them to drive the overall costs of your resin down. This might result in some harm being done to you and could result in a substandard product.
So how toxic is resin exactly? Why should you use this material over other resins? What safety precautions can you use to stop any cheap resin from potentially harming your skin? Will gloves help minimize any risks when handling resin?
Well, if you are looking for answers to these questions and a lot more, then we would recommend that you keep reading.
We have compiled a complete how-to guide for handling resin and best you can avoid causing yourself any serious injury. First off, we’ll tackle the question of how toxic resin is exactly and whether it is safe to handle.
How Toxic Is Resin?
Luckily, a lot of the high-end resin manufacturers have made this substance very non-toxic, which makes it safe for you to handle. They do not contain additional solvents, mainly because artists will be working quite closely with them, which will be the cause of some irritation.
However, there are some brands out there that are using cheaper ingredients to lower the cost of a lot of resins. This is because a lot of the ingredients used in resins are very expensive, so a lot of people will want to keep the costs down.
To do this, they have to include cheap fillers that will often not metastasis when the resin dries.
These resins do not contain alcohol, however, some artists like to add their own alcohol in order to speed up the whole process. This is perfectly safe to do and will not impede the process of your resin drying.
Now that we’ve established the fact that resin is basically safe to handle and will not produce many fumes, we’re going to be having a look at how you can use this material without getting anything harmful on your skin or in your eyes.
These rules are very easy to follow, ideal for people first getting into the noble art of resin use.
Safety Rules For Resin
Here are some of the basic rules that you should follow when handling resin. If you do not follow these rules, this will not make the whole process more dangerous, but rather more tricky to use and slightly messier.
Wear Gloves
Resin often comes in a liquid form, so when you are using it to treat your chopping board or to coat a piece of wood, then we would recommend that you wear gloves and apply it with a flat tool so that the mixture will spread evenly.
Resin can cause skin irritation, particularly when it dries on the hand. If you have any existing skin complaints, then this might be another reason that you’ll want to wear gloves.
If you are working with resin and you can’t source any gloves, then you should clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you’ve finished.
You’ll often find exclamation points on the side of a bottle of resin, which will inform the users that this will be harmful to anyone who might be allergic to resin.
If you do know that you have an allergy to this material, then we would recommend that you wear protective gloves and eye goggles.
Work In A Well Ventilated Area
Resin does not release any noxious fumes, but it will give off an odor, particularly when it is still in its liquid form. It is always advised that you work with your resin near an open window, as this will allow all the gasses to discharge naturally from the liquid resin itself.
If this product does come into contact with your eyes by mistake, then you should rinse them out immediately with cold or warm water.
If you experience burning or irritation in this area for a prolonged period of time afterward, then we would suggest that you see a doctor immediately.
If you really want to avoid feeling light-headed or ingesting any fumes, then we would recommend that you use a respirator. There are many companies that have designed pretty advanced respirators that will stop any fumes from getting into your lungs.
Clean Your Area
As we have mentioned earlier, it is important to keep your area clean when you are working with resin, as it will dry to any surface and cause you some damage. We would recommend that you lay down a safety mat which you can then discard after use.
We would also recommend that you don’t use any more resin than absolutely necessary, as this will lead to clogging, which will be difficult to remove at a later date.
Our Final Say
We hope that our guide has helped you understand a little more about resin as well as the safety procedures that you need to follow to avoid irritation to the eyes and the skin.
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