Friday, January 21, 2011

Don’t Eat the Paint and Other Safety Tips

It occurred to me that I skipped over a very important topic: safety. Hopefully, all your digits have survived to this point, and this post will save you from future suffering.

First, don’t eat the paint. It’s not good for you.

Don’t use the back of your hand as a palate. I’ve been told it will give me hand-cancer.

Don’t push on a stubborn breyer body with a heat gun. Especially don’t use it force a limb towards yourself…when it’s still hot…and hit yourself in the face. (Notice in “Brands I Prefer: Part 2” that my heat gun has a plastic cover over the tip. This tip is removable. Don't.)

Don’t paint in poorly ventilated areas like bathrooms, windowless rooms, or the back of your garage.


Don’t dremel anything without safety glasses and a mask. Don’t buy the “cool looking” glasses when the high school chemistry class model will better protect your eyes. Don’t let your goggles collect dust in the garage while you merrily dremel on the floor of your bedroom.

Don’t run rubbing alcohol through your airbrush without a mask. Really, don’t paint without a mask. Or take your mask off…ever.

Don’t glue your fingers together.

After gluing your fingers together, don’t go back and put more glue on your fingers, dip them in baking soda, scream from the burning pain of this combination only so you can easily peel the glue off your finger tips.

Wear gloves. Always. Except when using Apoxie. Buy those latex ones in bulk.



I’ve been asked a few times why this blog is called “Don’t Eat the Paint.” In a nutshell, it’s all due to a certain model horse artist. I won’t post her name as to avoid any embarrassment for the parties involved.

The long version is I attended one of [NAME REDACTED]’s painting clinics when I was a young aspiring artist. That was where I learned you can stick a brush in your mouth when you’re desperate enough for liquid to thin out your paint. It’s shockingly common behavior among painters. So the title really means “do as I say, not as I do,” which I find applies frequently.

7 comments:

Ailanreanter said...

I proudly(?) admit that almost every of your dangers already happened to me. (Except that I was always good and wearing a protection for my eyeglasses and a mask). :D

But honestly isn't it funny when your colleagues at work ask you on a Monday, looking pitifully at your hands, if you had to take care of the neighbour's cat again? And then you answer like "Hm? No, I was just doing hobby stuff and remade a new model horse".
Nowadays it does not happen all that often anymore, though... survival instinct do kick in after a while.

-Maren

Ramie said...

Oh, you can get around that rubbing alcohol through the airbrush without a mask thing; find a nice-sized empty plastic bottle (mine is a 1-liter soda bottle, which works well) and cut a small hole into the top of it. Et voila, a redneck mist accumulator. :D

... unless, of course, you're spraying the rubbing alcohol *onto* what you're painting. Creates some rather cool effects. ^o^

I should probably also mention that if you, like I, prefer the 91% isopropyl alcohol, don't grab for the heat gun to hurry the drying along. I don't know what would happen, actually.. but I've stopped myself from doing it several times now. o.o;

Laura Skillern said...

Ramie, your idea is genius!

Unknown said...

Under "directions" on the Apoxie Sculpt page:

http://www.avesstudio.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=28&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

It says:

"# *Wear appropriate disposable gloves [e.g., vinyl or nitrile] when blending parts A and B...[S 37]
# *Wear dust mask & safety glasses when sanding/grinding...[S 36]"

Laura Skillern said...

It was a joke.

Amanda Brock said...

Wear a mask while spraying primer and matte finish. Oh, and when spraying Dullcote...The stuff stinks to high heaven and according to the jar "contains chemicals that are known to cause cancer and birth defects." Nice.

I too dislike the Amazing sculpt. Only thing i find it really useful for is filling pinholes and gouges while prepping, as it is MUCH easier to sand. I can't sculpt anything with it though...tried...nope.

Thanks for all the tips :D and humor hehe :)

Unknown said...

If you do glue your fingers together, nail polish remover works to unstick them.