Safety First

Julie Holmes

Happy 4th of July everyone!  Have a safe and sane day.  It seems like an appropriate day to have a talk about safety in the studio.

Fire:  It's fun, useful and creatively beneficial...until it's not.  If you've ever had a fire in your home (I have) you know how devastating it is.  Be safe with your gases and your torches.  There is a good video on torch safety here.

General Safety: There is a good article on general studio safety at The Ganoksin Project  here.

Protect your eyes:  Wear safety glasses any time you are hammering, sawing, buffing, playing with your cat or even just gesticulating wildly.  Trust me...you don't want to lose the use of those eyes!  Use special glasses if you use a kiln. There is a good article about this here.   Lamp-working glasses (which have didymium lenses) don't block infrared rays and shouldn't be used for kiln work.

Hair:  Dye it pink to be easier to spot in a crowd...and tie it back around flames, buffers and zombies.

Clothing: Wear natural fibers around flame.  That way, if you do set yourself on fire, your clothing won't melt and adhere to your skin.  Cheery thought, I know.  You might also want to wear an apron because they're cute (duh) and retro....kind of grandma-ish  in a good way, or (cough) manly and protect your clothes from splashes, spills, acids, stains, patinas and the fashion police.

I hope you have a really good holiday and stay safe always!