A cautionary tale ** check page 2 for the stove all finished

[jeporter25]

I learned this the hard way as I am new to this as well. I bought a 425 no letter stove at the antique fair for $10 (score!!!) ( There will be a pic , i know the rule...no pic= didn't happen) I pressure tested the tank and it was fine. Without any effort the stove lit fine. I decided to clean her up and maybe give her a new paint job so i began the tear down process. i removed all the hardware and gave everything a good scrubbing but I didn't have time to do any paint prepping so I set her aside to finish another day. The next morning I had an itch on my forehead and i thought i got hit by a mosquito. By the end of the day it was a full rash and it was also on my arm. my lovely wife thought i had some kind of virus. It took me three days to figure out that I had POISON OAK and the only place i could have gotten it from is the stove. It is clear that one of the previous owners was not as cautious about where they put their gear when camping. From now on all of my restores will begin with a wash-down with Tecnu. oh here is the pic

[DragonFire]

WOW!! Poison oak from camping equipment!!

I'm not sure what to say! I didn't think that could happen. But I guess it can! Maybe that's why the sold it..I wonder how many other people touched the stove before you bought it. Maybe the family that owned it before was immune.

But the real question is....why did someone put their stove in poison oak in the first place??!!

[campmaster-k]

Camping equipment and shoes, clothes, golf clubs, bicycles, on and on can spread poison oak for months after contact. Not everybody is alergic to poison oak so they dont even notice its around. I can rub it on my skin all day with poison oak leaves and not feel a thing or have any reaction so I am not careful when camping. When I get home I am sure it is all over my stuff . Very interesting that you got it from a stove . You must be sensitive to it.

[jeporter25]

I never had a problem with it until i was in my twenties. the stuff really gets me now.

[campmaster-k]

When I was going to college I had and still have a close friend who was very sensitive to the poison oak. We were mountain biking one day and decided we should be in the creek bed. So down the bank we went and handed our bikes down holding ourselves in place on these naked branches. After a short time we needed to pee and did so in the dry creek bed. I , not being sensitive to the dreaded oak had no problem but my friend had to go the the doctor a show his stuff for various reasons, swollen to the point of panic and eyes swollen shut. I thought it was funny. But now ---------- Its still funny.

[jeporter25]

You are a good friend.

[DragonFire]

I'll remember that when camping with you Kirk...

I woke up with an itchy spot between my fingers on one hand...one of the last things I did last night before bed was touch my 220f we had at the Dam...hmmm..

You didn't throw it in the poison oak while I was gone, did you??!!

[working on it]

I have a worst-case scenario, a cautionary tale as well >>>Poison Oak, and mosquitoes... makes me wonder if I even want to camp outdoors??? Over the years all my allergies have become worse (did I forget to mention about 10 types of pollen?). I'm even sensitive now to paper dust in the air (I work at a newspaper). I can overdose on Claritin/Zyrtec to manage the symptoms, and mosquito bites bother me far more than brown recluse spiders (I seem to have developed some immunity), but exposure to poison oak/ivy is my kryptonite. Four years ago, I inadvertently disturbed a yellowjacket nest while trimming a branch my wife couldn't reach. I was immediately stung about 15-20 times on my head, which caused me to jump against the fence with poison oak coming thru from the neighbors yard. Good thing about the yellowjackets, though...I was ok after that, even the swelling was gone in a coupla days, but if they had stung my wife she might've died (her epipen was misplaced, we had no Benedryl handy, and a single sting will put her in shock). But back to the poison oak... I immediately washed off with water, then with soap/water in the house. But, no luck. The rash soon developed anyway, fortunately only on my left arm, four inches above and below the elbow. Tried the usual remedies, including calamine and benedryl creams, and it got progressively worse. After three days of the maddening itch, I went to a doctor, and obtained a prescription cream "Clobetesol Proprionate". After a week more, and a coupla tubes of the cream , it was gone. Then, it reappeared months later, same spot. Same remedy worked again. It reappeared each summer since then, as well. It seems that I stll have it , deep in my skin, only to pop up in the heat of summer, every year. The doctor said he didn't know if it was permanent, or even possible (not a dermatologist). So I keep a tube of cream handy, anyway, waiting for the next occurence.

[DragonFire]

Most likely your body is just having an allergic response...not an actual allergy. This happens sometimes when people have an allergy to an antibiotic. After the antibiotic is out of their system and the crisis is over, something will trigger the symptoms again..and that 'something' is usually something totally unrelated to the drug that started the problem in the first place. The body just reacts like the allergen is present and has an allergic response..

It's not common, but it happens. It could be the heat..your body 'remembers' the poison oak attack, and goes through the same flood of histamine to the area when it's triggered by something other than poison oak.

So..you may not have poison oak retained in your body. Your arm is just freaking out. It's like it's a habit..it just doesn't know when to quit. The trick is to figure out something that will break the cycle.

Good luck! Sorry it's happening to you

[campmaster-k]

I had this teacher once in grade school who came across a formula to lessen the alergic responce to poison oak. He made a tea from the oak leaves and drank it. He only did it once. It almost killed him. He was in the hospital for a week. Not a good move.

[morrisw.conklin]

Speaking of memorable experiences.... After a friend shared an egregious experience a friend of his once had with poison ivy, I never fail to pack an end-roll of tp along on day hikes. Just a word to the wise...

[Wolffarmer]

Jeporter. You really got the Coleman itch.

I don't think I would know poison oak if I saw it. I am sure there is none around here. Only rattle snakes. Those I can handle. Well not handle but i know what to do and they are not a big deal.

Working on it.

When I was ten years old a rather big building fell in on me and almost killed me. Broke those four bones in the skull. Then every year for about the next 10-15 years on the day of the anniversary of the accident My head would swell up and start hurting again and last for a few days.

Randy

[campmaster-k]

We have snakes here too. Many. I dont like snakes and they dont like me. Reminds me of the song -- I dont like spiders and snakes, but that aint what it takesto love me.

[teardrop_focus]

.

Wolf

Jeporter. You really got the Coleman itch.

LOL Randy. Good one.


jeo, thank you for posting this thread. I never realized that poison oak oils when stuck to things could continue to "live" and cause trouble.

[jeporter25]

yep it's crazy stuff it's not water soluble so it doesn't come off very easily.