Barry:

The only wood which bothers me is lacewood and it is no great loss.

We have a member of the St. Louis club, a woman, who is so allergic to
cocobolo that they had to almost disinfect their shop. She and her
husband both turn. When a show-and-tell piece is passed around at a
meeting, if it is cocobolo, she won't even touch it.

Bill

Barry N. Turner wrote:
Thanks for the kind words...........and the advice. You know, I'm going to
break down and try it again.........just a matter of how long it takes me to
forget how bad the itching was.

Of the woods you mentioned, I've only turned cocobolo and kingwood, which I
also like very much. Wood just doesn't get any prettier than those two
woods. I have a small piece of African Blackwood, but haven't tried it yet.
I probably won't be turning any lacewood.

The trip to the doc was just a minor aggravation. Got a shot and my very
own prescription for Triamcinolone Cr 0.1%. Are you allergic to the stuff
too?

I guess my carefree days of turning in an old T-shirt are over. Maybe I'll
just try a large garbage bag. Maybe I will try the Ivy Block. I must not
be terribly sensitive to the stuff................yet. The only places I
have a rash are the insides of my elbows where skin contacts
skin........with sweat and wood shavings in between. And a bit under my
watch. I don't need a watch to turn.........although it's easy to lose
track of time. Thanks again.

Barry

PS You know, I wasn't even using my Stubby at the time........my old
trusty Jet Mini instead. The Stubby is nice though.


"Bill Rubenstein" wrote in message
. ..

Barry:

Sorry to hear about your allergy to cocobolo -- one of the really
beautiful woods of the world and also one of the nicest turning woods
there is.

If you took a nice hot shower, that may have made the problem worse
rather than better. It does a good job of opening the pores of the
skin. A cool shower would have been better.

At this point, all true rosewoods are to be handled with care. African
blackwood is one of them, Honduras rosewood, kingwood... Lacewood, also
called silky oak, is to be handled carefully since so many people react
to this one although it is not a rosewood. Lacewood is the only wood
I've had trouble with and it was hell.

Another word to the wise... Either turn in a smock which is long enough
to go below your belt line or pull your shirttails out of your pants.
You can guess why.

If you want to chance it again, cover up and try using Ivy Block
(Walgreen's) on hands, arms, neck, face before you turn. It has helped
many.

And when it is too late, get a prescription of Triamcinolone Cr 0.1%.
You can guess how I know how to spell it.

Bill

P. S. We want you well enough to keep that Stubby humping.



Barry N. Turner wrote:

I just came from my doctor's office. I turned one winestopper from a

piece

of cocobolo yesterday.

After I finished turning, I was in the shower within an hour. When I

got

out of the shower I noticed some redness on the insides of both elbows

and

applied some over-the-counter Cortisone 10 cream.

I awoke this morning with raised welts and itching. Also, on the area

under

my watch. I applied more Cortisone 10.

I went on to work, but left at noon to go to the doctor.

I had a minor reaction with cocobolo once before, but it was rather

mild.

Actually, I had forgotten about it. This reaction was much worse and I
don't think I will forget for quite some time. I thought I was being

extra

careful by showering quickly, but apparently this was not enough.

Would long sleeves and dust collection help? Or, should I just forget

about

turning one of my very favorite woods? What other exotic woods should I
avoid? I'm guessing all of the rosewoods. By the way, the winestopper

is

beautiful, but it's gonna be an expensive one!

Barry