Official Luthiers Forum!

Apologies for the lengthy post, but this needs to get out to as many folks as possible.

       ANNOUNCEMENT

As some of you know, I had a rather serious bout of anemia in 2004. My GP says I was THAT close to going in for a transfusion as the hemoglobin level was extremely below normal. After a series of medical tests throughout the past year (some of which we do NOT want to discuss here), the various Doctors have found no definitive cause. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they all suspect that the luthiery activity has, and continues to, expose me to substances that are deleterious to one’s health. The allergist thinks some of the woods and sawdust may have sensitized my system. The internist is more concerned with the chemicals such as MEK, acetone, cyanoacrylic glue, etc. found in the lacquer finish and associated products used in the luthiery processes. The overall physical effect of this has been a reduced energy level, three bronchial infections during this time (I never had bronchitis in my first 59 years!) and a couple of ear infections (not since I had my tonsils and adenoids removed at age 8). My GP says “You might want to consider removing yourself from those exposures”… a polite way of saying get out of the shop environment.
So, the bottom line is that I will be severely curtailing the luthiery business as of
January 1, 2006. I will build out my current orders and eventually build only 2-3 instruments a year on a hobby basis. Meanwhile, I will be investigating alternate construction and finishing techniques to remove as many potential toxic products from my shop environment.
I will leave my website up with an announcement on the Home page, but trim out many of the pages. I will leave the Audio sample page up as this receives a large number of hits and is entertaining to all who access it.
I will not be disappearing from the luthiery community, just lowering my profile. I will be around for any warranty issues that might arise on the nearly 150 instruments I have had the pleasure to build.
Thanks to all my customers, my fellow luthiers, artists, suppliers and all the guitar aficionados I have had the pleasure to meet over the past decade. It was a wonderful experience.


OK..so that sums it up. However I wanted to add a couple admonitions for all to read.

The physical aspects:
We know that this activity has many potential harmful substances associated with it. Despite my best efforts to protect myself (gloves, goggles, repirator, dust collection, etc) this stuff still can get to you. I already have 60 years on earth to have absorbed whatever other nasty things are in my body, so the last ten years of full time luthiery just added insult to injury.
To all involved in this activity...DO TAKE ALL THE PRECAUTIONS YOU CAN. To the young folks in this endeavor, don't think you're immortal. The years will build and so will these potential maladies. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES.

The psychological aspects:
I have found that during the last 18 months...and I suspect it has much to do with the illness/uncertainty of the ongoing medical test...that the shop walls have been "closing in on me". It got to the point where I didn't want to go there at all. So, if these feelings start to develop in you...back away and take a serious look at what's going on in your life and with your health. It is an insidious thing that creeps up on you...don't let it win!

OK...that's my $.02. I dearly love the craft and will remain, but in a much reduced capacity. For the time being, I will continue to supply the redwood tops as in the past. If anybody needs some, just PM me. And I'll contribute here when I can add something positive to the discussion(s).

God Bless you all,

Hank

Wow... take care of yourself Hank and don't you dare run off or we will have to track you down. Good advise for youngsters by the way

Best
Michael

Hank, thanks for the sobering post.
Perhaps one good thing to come out of this will be more time to contribute your wisdom on the OLF?

What will you be doing with all your spare time?

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Hank

I am sorry to hear about your health problem. I wish you all the best, and hope you stick around the world of luthiery as much as possible, because there is still much for us to learn from you.

Russell

Hank, You are one of the top builders without a doubt,I've always loved your guitars. This had to be a very tough decision but one that had to be made. Take care of yourself and please hang out at the OLF as much as you can.

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Bummer Hank.... Hopefully this will turn out to be less severe than initially thought and you can modify your building procedures somewhat .....

_________________
Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Half the pain is having to make the decision to give up an activity that you truly love. I am sure this was not an easy decision to make. We wish you the best!

I am sorry to hear of your health problems. I do hope and pray that a time of rest and recuperation will solve some of the issues that seems to be persistent in draining your power. Have you considered training others or teaching a class on what you know? This could be done in a none shop environment. Maybe write a how to book? It would be a shame to have your love for the craft and not be able to continue in one way or another. How ever you proceed, all my best and may the good Lord improve your health to normal.

Hank...Knowing from meeting you personally how passionate you are about the craft I feel your anguish at the thought of giving up somthing that you love. Nonetheless, I have a feeling that you will end up finding a passion for the non health threatening aspects of luthiery. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be right for you and also be something that exudes the passion that has made you successful up to now.

I hope a good portion of that decision keeps you close to your OLF brethern. Best wishes!

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Hank,

Man, that's rough! The most frustrating part has to be that they haven't found a specific cause. It could be just one of the things on your list, and easily eliminated; or, even none of those things--your symptoms match those I've heard from people with toxic mold poisoning! As others have written, get healthy, and please, stay with us lesser mortals at the OLF!

Good luck Hank,

I hope everything works out for you. Please don't desert us. Your knowledge is way too valuable an asset to lose, and some of us need all the help we can get. Your knowledge and sensible posts have been an inspiration to many of us.

Godspeed

Sorry to hear about your bad health Hank.

I've had some very bad reactions to some of the things we use, Western red cedar is one, but mostly CA glue. I can't even be in the same room as an opened bottle of the stuff anymore. I've been surprised that I can have such an accute reaction to it and most other people don't seem to be affected. So I figured I'd go natural and just use materials that have been around forever like hide glue & shellac, these things are ingredients in food and pharmaceuticals so are unlikely to cause problems.


I guess my point is that you're going to be exposed to some of these things just in normal day to day life whether you know it or not, or whether you build or not. Perhaps you could consider getting all the modern glues, solvents, finishes, and any timbers suspected of causing health problems out of your shop so that you can go back in it.

Just my $0.2, in any case I hope your conditition improves.

Interesting....I've never had ear infections in my whole life, until a couple years ago, I started having some serious issues. I also started feeling very closed in by my shop and have done very little down there since July. Other than buiding my resonator, I haven't had any desire to do anything. I empathise with you Hank, it's a really tough thing to decide to do what you're doing.
If I can make one recommendation, that would be to farm out all the finish work, even for your hobby builds. There are a number of guys who are very good at finish work, and that will redduce your exposure to things like MEK etc to a large degree.
I know of one other high-end luthier who has some very serious lung issues that are probably caused from building guitars, and are exacerbated virtually every time he's in the shop.
Good Luck my friend...we all stand with you.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties, Hank: part of the road that led me
here went through a 3-year stretch of illness, marked by the inability of
doctors to discover cause or cure, and by sensitive, extremely reactive
lungs. I am extremely reactive to particulates in general to this day.
Which is to say I know somewhat of your trials; my thoughts and
sympathy are very much with you.

So, this is sobering, indeed; how do I personally respond to these risks?
By giving up on learning to build good guitars, knowing that I have no
more years to surrender to mystery illnesses? Or do I avoid things like
sandpaper & superglue and try to make guitars the 19th-century way?

I think I will make at least one; but It will be a bad day if I ever learn I
should've shelled out for the bio-hazard suit...kinda makes you think
about the environmental-sensitivities & toxic-building people in a new
light.

Yes, very sobering.

Hank - That sucks!
Man - knowing that you looked so foward to doing this in your retirement years and here you are, and you cant - I suspect you'll find a way.
Farming out finishing is one thing I know you must have thought about, avoiding CA shouldnt be to a hard either.

Im confidant you'll find a work around and at the very least enjoy making guitars at a hobby level.

In the mean time, the OLF could use all of your knowledge you care to share!

Aint no such thing as too much Hank!

Thoughts and Prayers buddy --
Lance

_________________
Support the OLF! Bookmark our STEWMAC link Today!
Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Hank, I haven't known you long, but I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing that your present state is a temporary one and that you find and eliminate the true culprit.

All the best to you.

_________________
Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Hank,
I hope this works out for you and your health is fully restored.

For the rest of us, this is a good time to think about the risks we might be taking that aren't worth it. Ears probably are not going to heal if you abuse them. I don't know what I did to my right ear, probably related to hammering, but that constant ringing noise can drive me nuts sometimes. You might get lucky with your eyes, but why risk it? And protecting your lungs is essential. Many people have had to stop woodworking after a few years because they develop sensitivities. And CA can hospitalize you. We don't want to lose anyone due to lung cancer either.

And getting all dressed up in protective gear offers a great opportunity to scare small children

Hank,

Thanks for sharing your situation with all of us. I can remember my early denial about the value of hearing protection. Now when I get in the truck and turn it on I get SMACKED by the radio volume and wonder who has been playing around with things, only too realize it was just me the last time I was in the truck. And it is just the talk radio of our CBC. I am in occuaptional safety as my day job. I have learned a lot since I started this gig, but your message is simple and sobering, one should protect themself. The investment IS your health.

Thanks Hank and please be well and I truly hope you find the balance you deserve.

Shane

_________________
Canada

Hank I am sorry to hear about your medical problems!!! Anemia can lead
to severe fatigue because the red cell are low and they carry oxygen to
your working muscles. Once you get your red cell count back up you will
feel much better! Anyone who has gone to high altitude knows the feeling
of anemia.

I have appointed myself as a "luthier health advocate" some time ago
since my 24 years of working in health care has given me the ability to
sort through these issues. I am a Respiratory Therapist by profession and
have specalized in diagnostic testing and critical care. I hesitate to say
anything other than sorry and good luck... , but I think I do a better
service to our community by bringing up some important points.

I am not going to speak to your health issues specifically but I am
definately concerned about the approach you described for solving a
health problem similar to yours.

This is a very complex and mundane subject but equally as important.
The underlying health of a person including genetics, previous exposures
and health risks such as smoking and sedentary lifestyles all play an
important part. Physicans take all this into consideration when diagnosing
and treating medical problems. In fact physicians and the medical
profession in general are very good at diagnosing and treating but poor
at prevention! Not because physicians don't care, but because people
don't go to a physician and ask "what can I do to prevent problems, I am a
luthier and I have a shop with dust, fumes, etc...." Generally a symptom
causes them to seek help and the tests begin, with treatments that carry
side effects worse than the initial problem and suggestions to quit your
profession! And all this healthcare is HIGHLY REIMBURSIBLE, whereas
preventitive measures are OUT OF POCKET! So there we are.

So what can we do? Educate ourselves? yes, There are good suggestions
by luthier health advocates here and on other forums all the time.

I would think someone in a position similar to what you described, could
go on with his profession if modifications were made and specific
exposures were limited or eliminated. I would certainly find out what
things might cause anemia and eliminate them, and I would use proper
protective equipment and source point minimization. I would clean out
my sinuses EVERY NIGHT after working in the shop. I am a big advocate
of this proven preventative measure called "sinus lavage" that can
significantly lower your risk of sinus and lung problems and the spiral of
health problems it can prevent.    

Thanks to all for the gracious comments and good wishes. Let me state that I'm not dying!
The anemia has been reversed and the red blood count is back to within a couple 10th's of what is considered normal. It's just the residual effects...maybe just
"old age"...and the fact that all the stuff in the shop that can exacerbate the situation is best avoided.
I have thought about farming out the finish process. But it bothers me that someone else is going to be exposed to all that stuff. I know they are in business to do finishing, it's just that I am not completely comfortable knowing I would be contributing to their potential health woes down stream.
Also, I won't be sitting around, wasting away. I have a couple irons in the fire and I will continue to build, albeit at a reduced level.
But, hey...I got to do this and that's a lot better than a lot of folks who never got the opportunity. Sort of like "it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved".
And I'll hang around here. I'll contribute when I can add to the discussion and I answer emails all the time. Plus, I still have some redwood tops to deal.

Thanks again for all your positive support. And like they used to say at the end of the morning briefings on the old "Hill Street Blues" tv show..."Be careful out there"!

God Bless,
Hank

[QUOTE=KenMcKay] I would clean out
my sinuses EVERY NIGHT after working in the shop. I am a big advocate
of this proven preventative measure called "sinus lavage" that can
significantly lower your risk of sinus and lung problems and the spiral of
health problems it can prevent.    

[/QUOTE]

I feel dumb asking this but do you mean simply blowing your nose really well or is there something else that can be done to clean out the sinuses?

TIA,

Roy

Good luck to you Hank and thanks for sharing this with us.

Hank -

Thank you for bringing this up. You do us all a service by letting us know about your experiences. It definitely makes me think about the materials and techniques I will use in building. I have asthma and exposure to things that will trigger it is something I do NOT need.

I wish you all the best and am glad to hear you're doing better.

_________________
John Cavanaugh
Saint Paul, MN
"What could possibly go wrong?"

Here is a great description and little video of nasal lavage/irrigation from the
Mayo Clinic. It about sums it up. It is remarkable how much dirt is packed
into a woodworkers sinuses. I hightly recommend doing this.
www.mayoclinic.com/health/nasal-lavage/MM00552KenMcKay38692.6575694444

Thanks for the link Ken. The video explains it all.