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-   -   Asbestos in car body filler? (https://allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=6307)

hot rivet 06-10-2012 11:52 AM

Asbestos in car body filler?
 
Does anyone know if asbestos was used in car body filler as a "bulking" agent? I'm talking about the early versions circa 1950, as around that time it got used for pretty much anything you could put it into:rolleyes:

fred26t 06-10-2012 10:56 PM

Really Nasty Fillers
 
If the filler was made before about 1978 good chance, If it was made somewhere other than the U.S.A. good chance. Either way it contains fiberglass resins. I worked around and in the resins at Douglas and the McDonnell Douglas Aircraft for eleven years. THey kept telling us is was harmless and maybe it is. Coal dust won't make your skin itch but resins will. I would work it outdoors (the sanding) in the shade to keep the shop clean. Wear a really good mask. When finished you want to take a shower with the water at room temp. Not hot or cold but room temp and rinse it all off real good before using any soap. A liquid soap or shampoo works best. I used to take a 20 min rinse when I got home each day. Then don't go under a "black light" for several days. You will look like twinkle dust. Fred26t

hot rivet 06-11-2012 07:58 AM

Oh s**t that wasn't what i wanted to read! Well the filler is factory applied on a mid 50's car made in the Czech republic, so your saying there is a good possibilty of having asbestos in. So far i purposely avoid grinding it, breaking it out where possible.
As for a mask yes i was wearing one but not good enough for asbestos, the thing that made me think this wasn't average filler was the colour and smell every time touched it with the grinder.

In light of what you say i think i will get it analysed, Thanks

Michael 06-12-2012 12:31 AM

wire brush
 
Nothing will save you from this. But using a heavy duty cup wire brush is better than a grinder. The kind I am talking about looks like twisted wire.:D

Overkill 06-12-2012 09:02 AM

Testing
 
It is fairly easy to have the dust tested for asbestos or lead, both could be in the dust.

The issue with both is that once made into dust, it can get everywhere and it's very difficult to get rid of. Sweep the shop, it's airborne. Use the air hose to clean up, it's airborne. Once contaminated, getting rid of it is difficult at best.

There are methods used when dealing with both, some include wetting and then collecting the run off.

If it's in chunks, not so bad. Once it gets into the air......

Lot's of info online.

52pickup 06-12-2012 09:50 AM

Just put a respirator on an go. Even if you inhale a little be you're ~PROBABLY~ not going to die from it. It's an accumulative problem, the people that have issues from asbestos worked in industries where they were breathing in asbestos fibers daily for YEARS. Grinding out one car worth of asbestos laden filler isn't a death sentence.

dtracy 06-12-2012 04:29 PM

Put some heat on it from the back side and it will fall off on the floor, no dust, no problems.

I personally prefer lead as it has been used in cars since they were first being built. It is strong, waterproof, and adds to the strength of the body. If you're concerned about health issues wear the proper safety equipment.

If this vehicle has so much filler as to be a health and environmental problem, perhaps it's time for some new panels.

Dave.

Richard-S 06-12-2012 06:31 PM

The hysteria about asbestos appears suspiciously like the hysteria about witches in 17th century Massachusetts. Asbestos is available everywhere down here in Mexico and, so I hear, in Canada too.

I knew a man up in California who was making ten thousand dollars a week hauling asbestos to hazardous waste disposal dumps in special trucks. The government was spending millions tearing it out of school buildings where it was completely harmless, covered with multiple layers of paint, sheet rock, plaster, concrete, etc. Your tax dollars at work.

Barry 06-12-2012 09:57 PM

I'll add my 2 cents to what Richard & Bart said. Yes take as much care as you can with some of the ideas mentioned, but the borderline paranoia about a one time exposure is overkill.
Much like the hysteria about using sand in a sandbag because of the potential of silicosis...
Daily exposure in a work environment is different.

fred26t 06-12-2012 11:25 PM

I agree with Barry..
 
..other than the itch part. I used to go into Bar's after getting off work and I looked like metalflake under those blacklights. Fred26T


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