Ventilation - Pouring in an apartment?

[nwbass]

I have no experience and would like to start pouring my own soft plastic baits.
I currently live in an apartment and want to be safe about it.

Coupled with a mask, is an open window with a fan adequate?
Can these fumes affect your health hours later if not properly ventilated? Can they get into the carpet, etc?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Anglinarcher]

You can get a lot of different answers on this one, all depending on how lawyer proof they want to be.

Most Safety Data Sheets say that Plastisol is not hazardous.  Well, with one exception, I have seen some that have exceptions for California which considers everything dangerous.  LOL

So, for years and years and years I poured without any ventilation at all.  I still don't us a mask, but I do open the window and use a fan.  My wife has allergies to everything, I think even me, but she does not have issues with the plastisol. 

Still, the smells are there (fumes, vapors, etc., have specific meanings and I don't want to go there), and can linger for a little time.

If I were pouring pounds of the stuff every day like a lot of the guys on this site, then I would at least increase my ventilation.  Perhaps mask would be advisable for those that are sensitive to the smell.

All I can say is that you will need to review the Safety Data Sheets yourself, then try to make an informed opinion for yourself.  You can request a Safety Data Sheet (formally called a Material Safety Data Sheet) from the company.  I will attach a couple I have obtained myself for your review.

Good luck on this one, and remember, You can get a lot of different answers on this one, all depending on how lawyer proof they want to be.

SDS - PM101[113] Polysol.pdf

Alumisol SDS.pdf

Edited July 17, 2017 by Anglinarcher
Did not like how it read

[mark poulson]

The short answer is don't.  

Even if you can stand the smell, your apt. will smell like a tackle box on a hot day.

If you pour indoors, you should have an explosion proof exhaust hood that vents outside, and use an organic vapor respirator with replaceable carbon filters.

I pour with a 20" box fan blowing from behind me and out the overhead garage door in the summer.  In winter, I use a mask, too.

[Driftwood]

And if you cook ANY scent into the plastic, your neighbors in the apartment complex will not like you lol.

[Baitjunkys]

The problem is the first time you overheat it you will wish you had a respirator on, I would not even consider this in a apartment building. Or in any dwelling were anyone other than myself resides. 

 

If you cant dump it on the ground, why would you want to breath it in?  Just reading one of those safety sheets posted.

Edited July 18, 2017 by Baitjunkys

[Anglinarcher]

2 hours ago, Baitjunkys said:

 

 

If you cant dump it on the ground, why would you want to breath it in?  Just reading one of those safety sheets posted.

Ya, that one SDS is all over the place, non-toxic but don't .........

Lots of good points made above, especially about the scent, which I did not consider because I never add it in the cooking process.

[ipt]

the stuff stinks, i wouldnt do it inside a house or apartment. 

if you're dead set on doing it, i'd get a strong fan going out the window and pour right onto it. you'll know real quick if you want to continue doing it.

[Good Fishing]

On 7/17/2017 at 7:35 PM, mark poulson said:

I pour with a 20" box fan blowing from behind me and out the overhead garage door in the summer.  In winter, I use a mask, too.

 

I pour with the same basic setup, but with the box fan in front of me on the other side of my melting pans (pulling the fumes away vs. pushing them). I tried it with the fan behind me, but had trouble maintaining temperature with the constant airflow. It also seemed like any time I was pouring a really fine stream of plastic the breeze would catch it enough to blow it exactly where I didn't want it.

I did prefer having the fan behind me since it cleared the fumes a little better. Did you have any of the same problems, or am I doing something wrong? 

[zx250]

On 7/17/2017 at 8:35 PM, mark poulson said:

The short answer is don't.  

Even if you can stand the smell, your apt. will smell like a tackle box on a hot day.

If you pour indoors, you should have an explosion proof exhaust hood that vents outside, and use an organic vapor respirator with replaceable carbon filters.

I pour with a 20" box fan blowing from behind me and out the overhead garage door in the summer.  In winter, I use a mask, too.

IDK I like the smell of a tackle box on a hot day.   But then again my wife says I'm weird.

[nwbass]

Thanks for the replies.

I don't plan on using scent.

How long does the plastic smell last?
An hour? A day? A week? Forever?

 

[mark poulson]

4 hours ago, Good Fishing said:

 

I pour with the same basic setup, but with the box fan in front of me on the other side of my melting pans (pulling the fumes away vs. pushing them). I tried it with the fan behind me, but had trouble maintaining temperature with the constant airflow. It also seemed like any time I was pouring a really fine stream of plastic the breeze would catch it enough to blow it exactly where I didn't want it.

I did prefer having the fan behind me since it cleared the fumes a little better. Did you have any of the same problems, or am I doing something wrong? 

I do have the problem of fine streams drifting when I hand pour thin lines, so I cut the fan speed down to 1 or 2 when I do that.

[goldenshinner]

Cured pvc,is stable,doesnt break down..will last for hundreds of years. The oils and gasses are problems..some manufacturers claim phthalate free plastisol.from biological perspective the problem is humans live long..might affect kidney,liver etc in 30 years,but without alot of statistical data points its hard to point finger.for sure shouldnt use in dwelling at all..at least do it outside,or in Comercially zoned area.....colorants that stain skin are possible vital dyestuffs and would be suspicious as damaging to liver..

[Chance_Taker4]

When I first started pouring I was in an apartment. I opened all the windows, used a box fan and turned on the range fan to clear everything away. After I was done pouring the apartment would smell for about an hour. I always made my wife go out shopping while I poured so she didn't have to smell it.