Ditto. After acute and chronic exposure to amine curing agents while working for an epoxy formulator, just breathing them now causes bleeding sores on my legs that last for months. So there must be some blood-transfer mechanism at work, as one would expect with lung tissue. Not a life-changing condition, but still a nuisance, maybe worse, and easily avoided with proper precautions. Like my daddy used to say, "Too soon old, too late smart."

Don't give up without a fight, though. Get the MSDS for the epoxy you react to, and compare it (particularly the hardener side) with MSDSs for other epoxies. They can be quite different from each other, and these sensitizations tend to be quite narrow-spectrum. You may find another epoxy that does not cause contact dermatitis, and if you take proper safety precautions from here on out you could keep building. Chalk it up to experience.

Here is another idea that might help. Wooden Boat from Oct. '98 had an article by John Guzzwell, an elderly curmudgeon of a boatbuilder who long ago developed epoxy sensitivity. He still builds boats, using Borden Wonderbond XB90K5, a modified PVA glue for joints that are not continuously immersed, and Cascophen resorcinol glue for below the waterline. Using these products he built a 30' racing sailboat with a cold-molded hull, displacing 4500 lbs. In his garage!!