SAFETY

June is National Safety month.

Hopefully it is not a surprise that we are an industry that should be tuned into our personal safety. Not only do we deal with lead, but we also deal with lots of dangerous chemicals.

FLUX

Flux is one of the worst we deal with. It contains acids, sometimes solvents and other chemicals. We heat it up and create fumes. If you are not careful, you will be breathing these fumes. Set yourself up with a fume trap or at the very least something that is blowing the fumes away from you.

Weller Fume Trap Smoke Absorber

It is a little tough to do as you don’t want to cool your solder prematurely. Every chemical has an SDS (Safety Data Sheet) that is readily available. If you are concerned about the flux you use, ask for the SDS or look it up online. You will have all (or more) the information you could possibly want.

SOLDER

Solder is made with lead (unless you are using lead-free). I don’t know anyone who wears gloves when soldering. People generally have the soldering iron in one hand and a strip of solder wire in the other. Lead is absorbed through your skin so that is the real health issue there. If you are not going to wear gloves, then wash your hands after use with heavy metal soap. Years ago, we had Safety Works in doing some safety testing for us. He told me to get the soap and have it at the sinks and then sell it and not be bashful about pushing it on people. They are touching lead and they need it! So, yes, we have it in our bathrooms and at our classroom sink and we sell it. So here it is. You need this so buy it and use it! Don’t eat where you solder. Just don’t. If you are making something that people are going to handle (jewelry, nightlight, boxes), use lead-free solder. We have gotten great feedback on this Amerway Tourmaline Lead Free Solder. It is the shiniest!

GLASS HANDLING

Stained glass people love to pick up a big sheet of glass and hold it over their head and look through it. DON’T DO THAT! If it breaks it is breaking into your open eyes! Don’t let glass slide down in your hands. That cut will need more than a band aid. In our retail store, we take care to push the glass into the display cubbies every day. We don’t put short sheets down into the record racks where people can skin their hands trying to get the pieces out. We put the taller glass to the back so people are not reaching over it. We are checking the scrap glass all the time as it is sharp and pointed. Wear glasses when cutting and grinding. Wear gloves for glass handling. Wear a dust mask when using glues and powders. This is supposed to be fun. Stay safe!