JD's warning about dust is not limited to animal products. My father was a jeweler and watchmaker, did some engraving and worked on fine wood inlays. He worked all his life with buffing compounds, small grinders and lathes. He died at age 63 of lung cancer. When his cancer was first diagnosed, the surgeons removed one lung. The pathologist's report said the lung tissues contained 2 kinds of buffing compound and 3 kinds of tiny metal fragments. Dad gave up smoking 20 years before the cancer was diagnosed. Those of you who are artisans, please take care.
