11 replies to this topic

[biggles123]

Hi i have been restoring a classic Celestron powerstar circa 1989/1992 and was working 

away sanding down the scope parts just thinking to myself does anyone know if these old paints are toxic lead based etc 

i have not been wearing a mask common sense says i should be whats your thoughts

[Stevegeo]

Interesting question, there is a test kit you can get at the big box stores cheap for testing for lead.. 

 Water or paint lead contamination.

 

When i doubt  , do it outside anyhow away from kids and pets (driveway), and wear a mask.. 

 

My opinion, for what its worth, most scopes were made in CA the strictest state for environmental  laws....  

 Think about that..  

 

Be safe anyhow.

 

Stevegeo

[CeeKay]

Here's a link on a previous post  about the subject:

 

https://www.cloudyni...c8-orange-tube/

 

If it's a concern, maybe the first step is getting a test kit and going from there

 

Chris

[biggles123]

Thanks guys makes sense to wear a mask and i will not be chewing on my scope this is the 2nd scope that i really had to do a lot of sanding lots of flaking paint most of my other scopes just needed a good clean down ,saying this i worked in the printing industry for 45 yrs in a dark room with heaps of chemicals no mask or gloves back then and iam 70 and still standing

[ram812]

All paint from no matter what era is toxic. Mask up and sand in a well ventilated space. EPA fazed out lead base paint long ago and that's exactly what it was...lead based. Late 80's that stuff was mostly done away with but I still wouldn't take any chances-no matter what your age is.

CS, Ralph

[Kasmos]

This topic seems to come up every so often.

 

It's all about little kids chewing on old painted stuff so I wouldn't worry too much.

 

I've been stripping and sanding all kind of things for years with no problems. I worked on several old houses (built in 1955-1969), and took all the paint down to the wood. Sometimes wore a mask but often not. Maybe not the smartest thing but in the real world masks leak a lot and get very uncomfortable working on a house all day. About two years ago I had a heavy metal test and thought my levels might be high but no trace of lead or any other problem was found.

 

It's not that big of deal to occasionally be exposed to most stuff but if you are worried wear a mask and work outside if you can.

Edited by Kasmos, 22 June 2022 - 02:16 PM.

[deSitter]

This topic seems to come up every so often.

 

It's all about little kids chewing on old painted stuff so I wouldn't worry too much.

 

I've been stripping and sanding all kind of things for years with no problems. I worked on several old houses (built in 1955-1969), and took all the paint down to the wood. Sometimes wore a mask but often not. Maybe not the smartest thing but in the real world masks leak a lot and get very uncomfortable working on a house all day. About two years ago I had a heavy metal test and thought my levels might be high but no trace of lead or any other problem was found.

 

It's not that big of deal to occasionally be exposed to most stuff but if you are worried wear a mask and work outside if you can.

God knows what I have inhaled from old houses Maybe even something good for you. That's what mucous membranes are for!

 

-drl

[Terra Nova]

This topic seems to come up every so often.

 

It's all about little kids chewing on old painted stuff so I wouldn't worry too much.

I always worry after I’ve been chewing on my telescope!

[tim53]

Most likely the paint was a two part epoxy. 
 

when I strip telescope parts I use chemical strippers and brass bristle wire brushes. Almost never sandpaper. And I repaint outside. 

[icomet]

I hope your paint isn't as toxic as the mercury that's in the filings I have from old dental work. 

 

Clear Skies. 

[LukaszLu]

First of all, you need a professional mask that also protects the eyes and allows the installation of various types of filters, and secondly - you need to choose the type of filter depending on the type of pollution and chemicals. Not every filter that is effective for gases will be effective for dust!

Some masks allow you to connect to the oxygen tank, which creates a closed circuit and completely cuts off external contamination.

[telesonic]

For info, I believe that your scope is a late 90's Celestar... judging by the tube itself, and the handle on the fork tine. If you can get a photo of the drive base, that would help, but the Celestar C8's were 9V batt powered. Either way, just so you know - the important parts are the re-finish.

 

 

Anything made in the 90's - such as this scope, shouldn't have lead based paint. (one would assume) Most likely it was / either a lacquer or enamel based finish, so you should be good to go with normal stripping and refinishing. Though, if it were me... I'd still wear a mask or respirator when stripping and re-finishing, and do both in a well ventilated area. As Lukas notes, the cartridges on mask style respirators are rated for VOC's (volatile organic compounds) so choose the proper one.

 

These tubes are aluminum, and you must take that into consideration when priming / painting. If you do strip it with a chemical based solution, you will also likely strip off the underlying base primer - which is usually specific - known as Self Etching primer in our world. If you just try to slap some regular paint on it without the proper basecoat, and sanding the primer with proper grit papers.. your results may or may not work.

 

Just saying this as someone who learned from one of the best auto body guys in our state... some 30 years ago, when I was a teenager. I've painted many things, from bikes to classic cars. Now I'm older and paint giant warehouse buildings with a manner of nasty things..... the same technique applies: Proper PPE, and Proper Prep is the motto.

 

90% is going to be prep work, so do your best.

The other 10% is actual paint and curing.

 

If you have any questions, you can always PM me.

 

Cheers,

Temp