Neman here. Forgive me if I misspell words......having trouble seeing tonight. Years ago, while building a longbow with a Cocobolo riser, I used a carbide burr in a Foredom tool to help shape the riser. The burr became clogged with the oily Cocobolo, so I hit it with a propane torch to burn off the wood. Bad mistake! The smoke hit my faces and I suffered for days with swollen eyes and blisters under my nostrils. The sneaky thing is that the symptoms didn't up for several hours, so I continued shaping the riser, until my eyes really started to burn. That was the last time I used Cocobolo in a bow. Two days ago, while cutting out a riser of Zebrawood, Padauk, and Purpleheart, I threw the scraps into my wood stove. A few minutes later, I opened the stove door to add more wood and WAM! A huge puff of smoke boiled out right in my face. Within an hour, my eyes began to swell, and continued for several hours, to the point of swelling shut! The itching and burning was severe. Tonight, the swelling is going down, and I'm slowly getting back to normal. I'm become sensitized to a variety of popular bow woods even though I always wear a respirator and goggles. So, be careful! It's not fun! Now I have to figure out what to do with the 12 bows I have cot out ready to shape. Be careful! Richard

Incas revenge.

Hope it clears up for you, sounds intense. My friend somehow became allergic to deer dander he breaks out in a severe rash. I had to field dress a nice buck for him this year, not fun? I think he is faking it.

Dave

Thanks for the warning

Benadryl will help with the swelling and itching. Glad your sysmptoms are wearing off!

In the 1930 the well known Wisconsin bowyer/bowhunter Roy Case had to give up using Yew and Osage wood due to developing an allergic reaction to the fine dust created during the bow making process.

Grinding glass and eating sawdust from exotic wood are the main two things that really caused me to stop building bows in my garage. Some of that dust is still in there and every time the wind whips up everybody in the garage gets some.

Sounds like the same issues many guys get from taxidermy epoxy. They become so sensitive they turn red just having a can opened in front of them

Richard, This is awful news! I hope you continue to improve. Lance

I know your probably already hearing it, but please go see the Doc, Some of that stuff can grow in you.

I was told rosewood dust is very toxic to breath .

It can get systemic like poison ivy get some steroids.Rosewood gets me had to quit using it.

Sounds like a common problem, as many people have problem with chemicals, oily woods and dust. I would get a better respirator, goggles and stop burning scraps. Install a good dust collector for your sanding, cutting etc. Be careful.

cocobolo gets to me pretty bad. But being a professional bowyer, and it's cocobolo, and so many people like it, I just have to get through it. Bamboo allergies are too much for me though, same with ipe.

damn, that sucks. Not many options besides better dust collection and supplied air respirators

The last bow I did will be the last bow. A special order blank. I don't know if it was the yew or the cocobolo, but my hangy down thingy in the back of my throat, I know what it is really called, got so swollen that if it went backwards, I started to choke, if it was going forward it covered most my tongue. I could have bought a new bow for the cost that insurance didn't cover in the emergency room. I have allergy issues, i just got done with a sneezing fit, that you can read about in the book of Revelations.

Dang! The hidden hazards, eh?

Hope you get well soon - and STAY that way!

This website is informative:

https://www.wood-database.com/wood- articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

Precautions always. No matter how trivial. Too many great bowyers, out of work too soon.

I hope all goes well always used respirator and wood shop goggles

I get the same thing from cutting firewood. A few things that help me are: Benadryl, alaway eye drops and washing my eyes with baby shampoo and hot as comfortable water. The wash helps take the sting out.

Get well soon sir.

Praying for you Richard that God heals those eyes and gets you back to seeing in Jesus name. God Bless, Keefer's <')))><

Nemah is probably lucky his throat didn't swell like his eyes did. Plenty of people die from severe allergies every year, and swelling that bad is a warning of what's to come. Inhale too much of the allergen and anaphylaxis (anyone know her?) can happen. Immune system reactions like this should be taken as a warning to completely avoid the causative agent. I'm allergic to anything pistachio-related and it makes my throat swell...so I have to be careful eating food away from home.

Reports like this are concerning. My shop is full of yew, osage, cocobolo and other rosewoods, bocote, ipe, and more. Plus glues, solvents, finishes, etc... plenty of toxins/allergins. I'm putting a dust collection system in, but I could also use some better ventilation.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All-3M- Products/Safety/Worker-Health-Safety/Personal-Protective-Equipment/Reusable- Respirators/Full-Facepiece-Respirators/? N=5002385+8709322+8711017+8711405+8720539+8720550+8720784+3294857 497&rt=r3

I pray ou get well soon. George

Sorry to hear of your reaction. Please take care and precautions as others have said. I bought a bow from you a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoy it. You are a master at your trade and I hope you continue on for many years.

Your experience really sound’s severe. My brother can’t work with Osage without having a really bad reaction, even wearing a respirator.

Hope you feel better soon. I was looking up wood toxicity recently and was surprised how many woods can be toxic. Although it doesn’t mention burning wood this website does outline some possible toxic effects.

http://www.wood-database.com

I get irritated hands from working Walnut. Doc said it was the oils in the new sawn wood. Other woods I use seem not to bother me. Your shop not only needs a good vacuum system but a good air filtration system. Can’t imagine wearing goggles, I don’t even like glasses.

We'd probably be sad to know exactly how many o builders have died with terminal diseases due to breathing fiberglass wood and epoxy dust.

Wow that’s scary, Be careful y’all - I had an eye close one time but it is because the dude was about 6 foot 2 230- :)

Sounds rough. Lord watch over this and give the method to restore health please and follow up on him to heal him.

PRAYERS UP! GET WALL ASAP!

I'm like that with WRC. After years of using it I developed an allergy to it. Hope you get better!

Hope you heal up quickly.

IPE really tore me up....

See an allergist ] a bad allergy is nothing to play with

I got a tick bite, one of many ate a Bar-B-Q sandwich and swelled up and couldnt breath barely made it to the ER after a second episode eating a stake on the grill the ER sent me to an allergist gotta carry an EPI pen and can't eat red meat due to the tick bite (Alpha-Gal)

darn near died both times

Richard, being allergic to a wood species is very common. Once you become sensitized to a wood species,it NEVER get better, more likely worse. Over the years I've known several bow-makers that had to give it up because of becoming sensitized to various woods. (Cocobolo and yew being among the worse.)(I have a problem with zebrawood).

I am so touched by the outpouring of kind words and prayers from you folks! Thank you all so much! I went to the doctor this morning and received a shot in the butt and orders to take a more powerful antihistamine twice a day. I even received a very kind note from an ophthalmologist who frequents the Leatherwall. This accident was my fault. I was burning scraps from a Paduak, Zebrawood, and Purpleheart riser. I opened the stove door to add more wood ( Doug Fir) but forgot to open the damper first. Whoosh... a cloud of smoke right in the face. I immediately wiped my face and eyes with baby wipes but it was already too late, my eyes began burning in just a few minutes. I always wear a respirator, eyeglasses, (I'm far sighted) protective goggles, and a full faceshield when sanding or grinding risers or glass. But not while filling my stove. My dust collection system is on and I often have a large fan sucking dust out of my shop when sanding. Oh, well...It's always something! I hope those of you who work with wood and fiberglass double check your precautions. Your comments and experiences are priceless and very informative and should be required reading for every bow maker. Thank you all and God bless you! Richard

Never had any reaction to dust from bow making. Never did that type of work, I did do arboris work and had my eyes shut 5 times from poison ivy. Couldn't pick your tree to work in just had to do the job. Sorry to hear your going through that. Hope it clears up soon for you.

I have breathed every thing from fiberglass to asbestos in my life time plus the dust from the bows that I have built over the years. I am paying for it now.Protect yourself any way you can.

Nemah, where you said you forgot to open the damper before you opened the door reminded me about the dreaded “back-puff”. I built a wood stove and put it in my house, I even read a book about heating your house with wood, but I must have missed the part about clearing the smoke inside the stove before opening the door to reload. Every Spring cleanup in our house partly consisted of sweeping the smoky back-puffed black cobwebs off the walls/ceiling! Never burned exotic wood, but whole lot of White Oak and Walnut. Those were happy times. Hope you heal up quickly sir.

Woods with a higher 'oil' content, beware. Adhesives, dust, finishes, solvents, and on and on.

This is supposed to be *fun*, so stay safe.

Hope you're feeling better!!

Coco is bad enough I don't handle it anymore.

Yew gives me a blasting headache.

Walnut a slight headache.

Been so long since I had a beer I can't remember but folks say it does too... :)

I've heard about firefighters getting all kinds of reactions while fighting fires here on the West Coast.

https://www.keyt.com/news/fire/hundred s-of-firefighters-get-poison-oak- poisoning-while-fighting-whittier- fire/599760765

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