Monday, January 14, 2008

Studio Safety

Playing Safely with Fire
A few rules reign supreme in the hot studio, Studio B (Basement).

  • Safety glasses required
  • Pull back hair and bangs
  • No sleeves below the elbow
  • No long dangly necklaces or other jewelry to get caught on something
  • Fire extinguisher nearby and ready to go
  • No food or drink in the hot studio ever (no one ever died of hunger or thirst while working)
  • If the kiln or hot pot are turned on, the small lamp is also on, as a reminder to turn them off
  • Keep the heavy gloves near the kiln, as a reminder to put them on before venting the kiln
  • Never leave the room with the soldering iron turned on
  • Always use both hands when venting the kiln and opening the kiln door
  • Turn on the exhaust fans when creating fumes with solder or burnout in the kiln
  • Keep bowls of cold clean ice water nearby. In case of small burns, stick affected part in cold water immediately. Reduces the pain and likelihood of blisters
  • Pay attention to locations of anatomy when holding a hot soldering iron
  • Don't bend over to pick up dropped items without checking that head clears the table with hot items on it
  • Use brush to remove glass shards from cutting table frequently
  • Wear latex gloves when working with patina chemicals and pickle solution
  • Wear leather or vinyl apron and protective layers to minimize skin exposure to heat and chemicals
  • Practice active awareness when handling or working with hot tools
  • #1 Rule - ENJOY the time and the process. Don't rush.

Rules aren't written down or posted anywhere. Run through them internally each time, to reinforce the habits.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like some of these rules were learned by experience.

LLYYNN - Lynn Davis said...

Some were common sense like the fire extinguisher. When you have hot soldering irons, kilns and torches around, buckets of water and fire extinguishers just seem handy!

But some were from experience. Having clean ice water nearby for minor burns. That has happened to be helpful.

And some are because of self-awareness - like leaving a light turned on until everything else is off. Memory aids are learned that way!

Anonymous said...

I was mainly referring to "Pay attention to locations of anatomy when holding a hot soldering iron" and "Don't bend over to pick up dropped irons without checking that head clears the table with hot items on it". Sounds like something I would do....

Charmingdesigns said...

Would you mind telling me what soldering iron you think is the best to get. Thanks, laurie

LLYYNN - Lynn Davis said...

Hi, Laurie, Cute blog you have!
I order my soldering irons from Delphi Glass Supply. I started out doing regular stained glass windows a while back, so I have a heavy-duty iron for long use. It's a Weller. If you are using silver solder (definitely want lead-free if you are making things for next to skin or handling a lot) the melting temperature is lower. You can get a rheostat to control the temperatures, that helps. Get the best quality you can afford, it will pay off in the long run by lasting a long time. Let me know what you come up with! LLYYNN - Lynn Davis