Help!

[kissmyglass]

My kiln isn't here yet but I am practicing and using a fiberglass blanket but oh my gosh - my hands itch and BURN! I feel like I have fire ant bites in places. My DH says its the fiberglass blanket. Allergies? or just Stupidity? Does this happen to you? What should I do? forget about the blanket? These are just practice and play beads. The ITCH!

[beadsbylaura]

I started off with a fiber blanket and it used to make my hands itch - mainly in between my fingers. V annoying. It also made me sneeze! I switched to using warm vermiculite - aahhh! I batch anneal in my very basic (but nice) kiln.

I know this has nowt to do with a fiber blanket, but I just want to say I've just ordered a Chili Pepper kiln and will soon be joining the digital people! Wahey :D I'm so excited!

Anyway, back to the blanket issue . . . do you suffer with any other airborne allergy? I get real bad hayfever. Maybe allergy sufferers are prone to fiber blanket irritation?! :confused:

Laura

[Geneva]

Take a couple of sheets of Heavy tin foil and fold them together around the edges Set the blanket onto the and fold about 1/2" around the blanket to form a book cover effect this will keep the fiber off of you and out of the air and all you do is lift it open and slip the bead onto the exposed blanket
Geneva

[beadsbylaura]

Wow! Nifty tip, Geneva! :clap:

Laura

[kissmyglass]

Geneva,Thanks for the tip I am going to try it after dinner, and Laura interestingly enough I have become really sensitive to dust and pollen and maybe ragweed. YYYYeah on your kiln!!!! Congrats!!! mine comes on the 7th. Can't wait. i made twisties all morning - So much fun!!! my main medium is still oil paint and i lived and painted in Central Mexico for about a year ( last) and have only been back in states since March _ I am so excited to have discovered glass! it has made coming back here more bearable for me. Thanks again.

[pmoores]

Hey tks for the tip too... I'm itchy all over right now....

As itchy as the first few times some 14 years ago when I let a pet Trantula spider crawl across my chest. Wait, that was actually worse.

Got me over my fear of spiders though, mostly, after a few weeks of staring it down. But no more Trantula crawling over my chest for me.. and no more exposed fiber blanket either it appears.

[StefaniBeads]

Arrow Springs has a fiber blanket that is supposed to be made of a safer material, it's $16 I think. I want to get this one for cooling down my "frit sample" and "experiment" beads. I've been air-cooling them to see what the results are before I make more of the same.

The thing is that I have so many of these beads, and even if I batch anneal them, they are probably still going to have a lot of breakage. So I figured that I could slow cool them in a fiber blanket, and then batch anneal them later. A lot of these beads have been turning out nice, and it's a shame to have them in my "do not sell/may break later" jar. :wink2:

[!Karen]

As itchy as the first few times some 14 years ago when I let a pet Trantula spider crawl across my chest. Wait, that was actually worse.

Got me over my fear of spiders though

Hmmm...........wonder if it would work for Paintfool - "Oh Cheryl......"


:evil: BWAHAHAHAHA

[MeltingPoint]

Hey tks for the tip too... I'm itchy all over right now....

As itchy as the first few times some 14 years ago when I let a pet Trantula spider crawl across my chest. Wait, that was actually worse.

Got me over my fear of spiders though, mostly, after a few weeks of staring it down. But no more Trantula crawling over my chest for me.. and no more exposed fiber blanket either it appears.

EEEWWWWWW YUCK!!! I got goose bumps just reading that!!! I hate HATE HATE spiders. I'm so scared of them I can't even watch them on t.v. without getting all jumpy and screaming when they show a close up. I think I would just die if someone was to put a tralantula on me!!! :crying: You're very brave indeed. I still call my DH to come kill a spider!!!...but funny thing I will kill one if he's not home because I'm afraid it'll attack me when I'm not looking....gggroflol.....when I kill it I"m doing the running in place dance, using a broom and screaming...gglol
Darlene

[shestamps2]

Great tip Geneva
When you put the foil on don't forget to wear gloves, even those of us whose hands are like gloves still itch when handeling fiberglass. I use a barrier cream when I work with that stuff. When I used a blanket I always just picked it up with tweezers. The alum foil is a better way and it would keep dust out and fiber in. I still batch anneal, even with my kiln sitting right here, but I flame anneal and use hot vermiculite 1st.
Rick

[ByrdBeads]

Someone posted a great tip with the fiber blanket here and they rolled it up (like a jelly roll) and put it a coffee can. You never have to touch it and just slip your beads in between the layers or rows! Shoudl be able ot hold many beads this way as opposed to one pouch.

Robyn

[Laurie L]

Okay my question about the fibre blanket is....I was told that they are carcenogenic....they cause cancer due to the fibre pieces becoming airborn and getting into your lungs. Is this true or are people just trying to scare me ? I have had several glass shops tell me this. I do not touch the blanket at all with my bare hands. I use a thick foil also and then do not have to touch it.

Has anyone else heard that the fibre blanket is carcenogenic ?

~Laurie