A handy way I think I've figured out for preventing resin dust

[Connectamabob]

This is something I just figured out. One of those things where once it occurs to you you wonder why it didn't wayyyy sooner, as it seems so simply obvious in retrospect. In fact I'd be surprised if I'm really the first to think of it, and this trick isn't already floating around out there somewhere I just haven't seen. Decided to share my epiphany with you guys, as I know the dust issue is one of the big bugbears of working with resin. For those new to resin discussions: sanding or filing resin produces dust which is chemically inert and if inhaled cannot be removed from the lungs by the body, so too much exposure can eventually cause Pneumoconiosis and related health problems.

One of the ways people will use to manage the dust problem is wet sanding, wherein the part and/or abrasive media is kept lubricated with water. The water binds the resin dust as it's created, preventing it from entering the air. I've done that before, and found it to be problematic. It's VERY messy: water and the dust it bears gets everywhere, so once the water dries, you've got deposits of dust everywhere that need to be carefully sough out and cleaned up lest they re-contaminate the workspace. And the water is constantly drying, needing to be constantly rewetted, creating more mess, and so on. Huge PITA, IMO. Understandable why some people would want to avoid that by simply avoiding resin altogether.

The other common method is by using a dust mask or respirator. This does nothing to protect the workspace, so the workspace has to be somewhere quarantined from the regular living areas, and/or someplace easy to clean (such as a garage or patio). It also does nothing to prevent dust from getting into your clothes, arm hair, etc., which can then carry it through "quarantine". As above, easy to see why some people consider it simpler to avoid resin than to deal with that.

Third option is to just go "YOLO, MoFo!"/"Meh, it'll be fine", and roll without any protection at all. I suspect that's secretly the most popular one, but I don't think the most rational.

AAAANNNYYYway, my "big" idea was this: wet sand with glycerin instead of water.

Glycerin is thicker than water, and it doesn't slop and splash an spatter around like water, making it much easier to apply/use in targeted fashion. It dries very slowly, and when it does, it forms a sticky/slimy film instead of dissapearing altogether, so the captured dust stays captured. It is also water soluble, making it easy to clean off the parts and tools.

Oils would do all this as well, but would require degreasers/detergents to clean off the part. An oil wouldn't dry out, but glycerin dries slowly enough to make this advantage negligible within the timeframe of a single session.

I tried this out, and it worked really well. I put some glycerin in a dropper bottle, and used it to apply just a drop at a time to the tool (I like to use diamond needle files and emery sticks for most of this stuff, rarely actual sandpaper). Unlike with water, it stayed highly localized to just the work piece and the tool (and fingertips). Also unlike water, the resin dust stayed captured as a paste instead of returning to dust as the media dried/thinned. I could relax, and file away to my heart's content, occasionally re-wetting the tool as I moved about the workpiece. I eventually put a few drops of glycerin in the "natural snuffbox/coke spoon" part of my off hand, and used that to more conveniently re-wet the tool instead of going back to the bottle. The glycerin did not dry significantly during the session, but rather slowly turned to paste as it got filled with resin, and/or got wicked away though crevices to other parts of the mini.

When I was done, all I had to do was go to the sink and rinse off the mini and the file, and wash my hands. If you're using steel files, it might be good to swish the tool in denatured alcohol after to displace the rinse water, but that's the only added complication.

Basically, I think I've found the secret to eliminating resin-dust paranoia without making things messy or awkward. I can now safely file/sand resin parts in the same casual fashion as brush painting (i.e in an easy chair in front of the computer/TV).

[OSHIROmodels]

Interesting idea. I've heard of people using KY jelly before but I would assume that would be a bugger to clean up 

I do 90% of my resin sanding at work where we have proper extraction so it's never really bothered me before.

cheers

James

[Daeothar]

Very interesting and also brilliant idea.

I just love my therapeutic filing sessions (read: removing mouldlines etc when I'm too tired to actually paint), but resins are always a no-no for those because of the nasty dust. basically, I've had no structural solution for that issue bar sanding one or two resin pieces outside when the weather is good.

I think I will be trying out your method the next time I have to abbrase some resin...

[grant]

I cough like I have TB and spew large gobbets of greyish-green sputum - is this from resin dust? I just sand and grind.

I don't feel very well.

[Connectamabob]

@Grant: I'm a little confused. Are you saying this is happening when you use the glycerine method I described, or are you saying you normally grind/sand without protection?

[Daeothar]

I fear it comes across as a sarcastic response to being careful with hazardous materials to me... 

[SBRPearce]

I've heard of people using KY jelly before but I would assume that would be a bugger to clean up

No, I think that's a different "buffing my toys" scenario, man.... 

[dbsubashi]

I have always sanded resin using wet/dry sandpaper in the bath tub. I fill it about a foot deep with warm water, sand away, and then let it all drain away. For small jobs, I use the kitchen sink. I often sand and wash all at the same time. This usually means I "save up" resin projects so as to complete them all at one go however...

[Connectamabob]

That works for large general sanding, but is inconvenient for stuff like using needle files to clean up seams on a figure while keeping detail intact, or using files to dry sculpt rather than generally smooth or hog out. That sort of thing tends to be too time consuming to do in big collected batches, and usually has to be done as part of an ongoing build sequence, sometimes repeatedly, so isn't often postpone-friendly.

IMO you can't beat the convenience of just being able to do filing whenever you need, at your regular bench/table/chair.

[dbsubashi]

That would be true C-Bob. I only use sandpaper (so I can toss it after use) or a knife on resin, too paranoid about the dust. And files would rust if used in the tub! Hmm, I will pass on your tip to those who paint/model in my FLGS. With all those resin GW figures, they could use the tip!