Tom, It sounds to me like you're definitely having an allergic reaction here. My advise would be to go to Walgreen's or any drug store, grocery store, and get some Benedryl IMMEDIATELY... If your symptoms get worse, don't hesitate to go to your nearest clinic or hospital... Anaphylaxis can be life threatening, and with the symptoms you just described can definitely be detrimental...
Rodney... NREMT - Paramedic Life is too short, go fishing... ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Davenport To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 8:47 PM Subject: [VFB] Trial by Cocobolo As many of you know, I turn reel seats as a hobby (I have one customer who buys a couple of dozen a month which is about right to keep it a hobby). I take any money I make and use it to buy more wood. I bought some Cocobolo lumber and decided to rip off a couple 1"x1" strips to covert into 1"x1"x4" blanks and see how it looked turned. I have no dust collection for my little bench saw, I just take it outdoors when I need to do some ripping. I also didn't bother to wear a dust mask. After all, it was going to just be two quick cuts. I managed to turned one reel seat, an interesting piece that has both Cocobolo heartwood and sapwood. Why only one? Well, all hell has broken out. I feel like I have been rolling naked in poison ivy. My face is swollen, red and puffy, I have-flu like symptoms and it hurts a bit to breathe. Cocobolo is a perfect wood for reel seats because it is naturally water proof and rot resistant. But it is a known to have oils in the wood that can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. I have had itchy skin before but nothing like this. Here is a link http://www.danshapiro.com/blog/archives/000096dont_inhale_the_coco.html which has some interesting information about Cocobolo. You might want to avoid Cocobolo if you ever decide to start turning your own reel seats. Tom Home Page: http://homepage.mac.com/tsmd Webshots Albums: http://community.webshots.com/user/tsmdav
