Windshield Repair Forum

I am guilty of not wearing my gloves....ever. I have plenty of them to. I do plenty of repairs every day and I am getting the effects I expected on my hands....cracks(painfull)...roughness....I am also getting nausious and dizzy towards the end of my day especially...is it possible that by using alcohol to clean my hands after repairs that I am absorbing resin into my system carried in by the easily absorbed alcohal? Just wondering if anyone has experienced this...I am going to try to make an effort to wear gloves from now on regardless...just curious to know if its a common reaction or maybe Im just getting sick.

instead of using alcohol to clean the resin off your hands, try a bottle of water / dawn soap mix. I use that to clean the windshield anyway.

How are you getting so much resin on your hands when you are using a eye dropper to fill the injector? I verry seldom even get resin on my hands, but my hands rough enough from everything else I get into with my hobbies..

I dont know if its because my location is so new or if I hit the mother load but my wsr site is non-stop...all day every day....I hustle and get to hurrying and my hands get resin on em when I clean my tool in alcohol...If I was careful I guess I could avoid it but I get in a rush and just can't stop or slow down much....I dont wanna watch people drive off.....so I get resin on me and it sits....sometimes I notice it has cured on my skin and have to pry/rip it off....I aint complaining about being busy, but a slight slow down would be good....I hope its just because Im in an area that has had no wsr...surrounded by 2 military bases and flanked by the airforce acadamy to the north gives me a flux of constantly changing population...we are saving to buy another kit and add a location a few miles up the road....it is possible to be too busy I believe....snow day tomorrow has me thankful...resin gets on me....what can I say....its delicious. OK now just read the first letter of every word here.....just kidden.

Your skin will absorb resin, which is why we always recommend wearing proper fitting Nitrile gloves. Alcohol will very definitely increase the rate in which the resin is absorbed into the skin, so it is even more critical that you protect your hands when you are cleaning your equipment.

Some individuals are also far more sensitive to windshield repairs than others as well, but even if you have been repairing windshields for years without any sort of reaction, you should never let down your guard. Windshield repair resins are sensitizers, meaning repeated exposure increases the likelihood or an allergic reaction.

Some resins are far more likely to cause skin irritation than others, but regardless of the resin you use you should take every possible precaution to keep from getting it on your skin. I have been repairing windshields for 23 years, the first 10 of which without the use of gloves, and so far have had no negative reactions to the products I use. However I now use Nitrile gloves and eye protection whenever doing windshield repairs, and work in well ventilated areas whenever possible.

I have never heard of anyone getting sick from working with windshield repair resins, but I would imagine that like with any other chemicals if enough resin and alcohol is absorbed through the skin it is possible. If the problem continues I would encourage you to seek medical attention, and by all means start taking proper safety precautions whenever working with chemicals of any kind.

Safety first and foremost...always!

I have a bad habit of not wearing my gloves also. I don't do that many WSR though. Iam a full time waste water treatment plant technician. I use a lot of chemicals and I come in contact with lots of hazordous material everyday. I wash my hands on an average of 15x a shift even though I use gloves. My nitrile gloves often split or leak at times. Alcholol & clorine will dry your hands out and cause the cracking. Use soap that has a mositurizer in it such as Dial and just regular water. I also bathe my hands in baby oil to keep them soft. Get a small pump size for your vehicle and carry a coke bottle or jug of water. White vinegar can neutralize some chemicals. Try this & remove contaminated towels or rags from your work area after each job or seal it in a plastic grocery bag. When I empty my groceries I collect the bags and keep them in my vehicle. I do a lot of Headlight restoration and the UV coating has a strong odor. If your hands are cracked & bleeding, please use some triple antibiotic ontment or neosporin to help with infection & healing. If I had as much business as you say, I could retire now. I recently started wearing my dust mask, because of the sanded particles from the headlights. I thought that I didn't need it since I was outside and only sanding a headlight it wasn't needed. My doctor advised me to use the mask to prevent breathing problems down the road. I use to live in Colorado Springs in the late 70's. I enjoyed my tour of duty at Fort Carson. USA & USMC retired: Have a safe day

Get your self some compressed air (Staples) to clean the injector between jobs, If you do not get all the alcohol out of the injector for the next job it may contaminate the resin.
Keep a bucket of soapy water just to wash your hands as needed before the resin sets up...

Here is a funny story for you. I started a new account on Monday and while servicing several vehicles the wind started to kick up. The gusts can really blow here in NM so I decided to close the hatch door to my van and just take the items that I needed to fix a few bulls-eye repairs. I was wearing a pair of cargo shorts "loose fit" my style and decided to drop my resin bottle in my pocket. About ten minutes into a repair I get a strong odor of resin hit my nostrils. I paid it no mind and went about my business. I finished the repair, parked the car, found my next car to repair and drove it around to my repair area. I set up the bridge and injector, reached in my pocket for the resin, pulled it out, a noticed it was empty. I looked down at my shorts and noticed a huge wet spot on the pocket and freaked. I ran to the restroom, pulled off the shorts and underoos and started to bathe myself in the sink thinking the whole time my skin was gonna burn off. Well, I got lucky and needed no medical attention, but I did have to finish the rest of my work commando and in wet shorts because I made sure those were washed out really well. With the wind kicking up as it was it was a chilly morning. Oh, well, live and learn.

P.S. My wife washed my shorts twice when I returned home and they still reek of resin.

David Cortez

C.E. Rock Chip Repair

Resin sensitivity is nothing to laugh about. I personally did repairs for many years without a reaction, then one day had a seal blow out, spraying resin into my eyes. Never was the same after that...every resin contact after that happened... became a problem. Spent over 3,000 dollars with doctors and dermatologist to resolve it but it continued to haunt me daily.

I'm fine today (after 4 years of painful symptoms) but will never, ever do a repair without eye protection and gloves. Best advice to new people is is never take that chance. Always use protective wear.