: Liz -
: Sorry to hear about your allergy. I'm under the impression that not all
: epoxies generate an allergic reaction. It might be possible that your
: allergy is "brand-specific"? Did you have any warning or did you
: become sensitized over-night? I always use gloves but do not use a
: respirator unless I'm making dust with epoxy.

Quite possible. There are over 25,000 different kinds of resins, diluents and additives used in epoxy, and there are vast chemical differences between the boatbuilding epoxies commonly available. Most allergies are to ingredients in the curing agent side, and these differ widely as well.

I worked in the epoxy business for decades, and there are some cycloaliphatic amine curing agents that cause bleeding external sores just from smelling them. But I can still work with MAS, System 3 and several others with no difficulty at all.

So, depending on the severity of your reaction, maybe you could try a different brand.

Gorilla Glue or one of the other polyurethanes could be a solution too. Be aware though that they contain low concentrations of diisocyanate curing agents (1.5% or so). Some people who are allergic to epoxies are also sensitized to diisocyanates, so wear gloves.