Replies

1. 
   CloudHidden | Jun 18, 2003 05:10am | #1

   Rock wool is an approved fire stop between floors, so that aspect should be useful if you leave it.

2. 
   Piffin | Jun 18, 2003 05:57am | #2

   There's no danger in having it there, if that's what you mean.

   .

   Excellence is its own reward!

3. 
   4Lorn2 | Jun 18, 2003 07:29am | #3

   The less you handle rock wool the more you will like it. This stuff makes the old, stiff fibered, fiberglass, feel good by comparison. This is the itchiest stuff I know of short of industrial asbestos. I know of no reason not to let it be. I can't imagine it causing any problems.

1. 
   CloudHidden | Jun 18, 2003 05:43pm | #5

   >This is the itchiest stuff I know of short of industrial asbestos.

   Am I the only one who doesn't mind it? I can work with rock wool or fg shirtless on a hot summer day and not be bothered. Maybe I'm dead and just forgot to lie down.

1. 
   4Lorn2 | Jun 20, 2003 04:51am | #6

   Lots of variation between people. Some of this is dependant on the conditions of the jobs. A galvanized steel, low-pitch roof about 2PM on a bright August afternoon where you nearly rip your nipples off squeezing under the collar ties is more likely to make you grind in the insulation more. These are prime conditions for a good itch.

   Mineral wool, especially the older stuff, often has shards of mineral glass large and sharp enough to draw blood and have to be removed with tweezers. Older fiberglass, the stiff, thick fibered yellow stuff, is much itchier than the newer stuff. 

   Still there are people, I think some people have no feeling in their skin, who seem to be immune to these irritants.  I have caught at least one helper who claimed immunity just putting on a brave face. I saw his wife in the grocery store buying anti-itch creme. I asked about it and she told me he was having problems sleeping due to the itch. That said some seem unaffected.

   Others are hypersensitive. They can get livid blotching with the least exposure and itching that drives them crazy. I have never had any major problems. A bit of itch before a good shower. Sometimes a bit before bed but never so bad that I couldn't sleep. Seldom have I needed to but if the itching gets too bad oral, and or topical, Benadyl, diphyhydramine, helps.

1. 
   IMERC | Jun 20, 2003 04:59am | #7

   There are pluses to this stuff. Make sure some finds its' way to that special "persons" toilet paper.

   Edited 6/20/2003 1:41:31 AM ET by IMERC

1. 
   SamT | Jun 20, 2003 08:38am | #8

   I don't know about not having sensitive skin, I can feel a mosquito before it lands, but I have never had a problem with FG. A trick I read about a long time ago to get rid of FG on the skin; When you shower, lather up good outside the waterfall. As you rinse, rub down with a pair of the old wifes pantyhose...

   uuhmmm, maybe that was a pair of the wifes old pantyhose...CRS again.

   SamT

2. 
   4Lorn2 | Jun 21, 2003 03:32am | #9

   A few tips post exposure:

   Remove clothing and shake them out strongly. Do this outdoors if possible. If the neighbors complain about seeing you late in the day, on your back deck, shaking your jeans while in your underwear tell them it is a construction thing and that all the better builders do it. Offer no further apology or explanation. Build that mystique.

   Hose off. No soap or rubbing just a deluge of cool water allowed to drain. If you do this on the back deck include this under the mystique thing. 

   Shower in warm water with a good soap moving your hand in the direction your hair grows out. Repeat with a soapy washcloth paying attention to the areas with the most exposure particularly areas where the stuff was ground in. Finish in the normal manner. Pretty common sense but shampoo the hair. I had a female helper who developed a rash on her neck due to mineral wool that remained in her hair and got ground in by her collar. This problem went away when she started getting it out of her hair.

   If you find that forearms and neck still itch, older mineral wool and the first version of fiberglass have large and stiff fibers that can get driven deep, let the area dry completely and apply a strip of duct tape to the area. Tear this off on one quick, smooth motion. Your going to loose the hair but, with a bit of luck, the imbedded fibers will also get yanked out. Do not use commercial foil duct tape. The adhesive is so aggressive that on clean flesh that it can tear the skin. I once had to get the foil off a bleeding friend with vegetable oil and a plastic scraper. He still bears the scar where he ripped off a small section of skin.

4. 
   CAGIV | Jun 18, 2003 07:46am | #4

   Only reason I would touch that stuff if it were my place was if I planned on someday soon taking down the ceiling AND I could find someone else to remove it.

   I hate tearing out old ceilings with that crap

   Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professionals build the Titanic.