Prop Making Safety Guide

[ventrue]

Sean Bradley has already written a similar guide that is stickied in multiple places, but he also encouraged other people to fill in the blanks and I think I can fill a gap here with a different structure and a more material-specific approach.

I'm trying to condense all the information you need into one document, but to keep it simple enough for everybody to understand and colourful enough so that noobs don't feel textwalled, run away and get themselves killed.

Click the previews to get to the document. Yes, it's more than four pages. Download the PDF from Google Docs for better quality pictures.

[Charlieiscool12]

one thing about smoothon products is that if you get them on your skin they will get in your pores and never come out. Learned that from experience. always wear gloves

[ventrue]

one thing about smoothon products is that if you get them on your skin they will get in your pores and never come out. Learned that from experience. always wear gloves

That's why this neat little glove symbol is all over the tutorial.

[B1TMAP]

hmm, that's why I'm so retarded... Need to wear gas mask more, and definitely pick up a more modern (aka easier to find filters for) gas mask, or half-mask.

Thanks for the document! Handy to have this information all in one place now.

[Zat German]

Wow, great document! Glad to see things are finally turning as far as safety and working with Smooth-On products.

I just had an idea for the forums in general: Maybe it should be required that people who post tutorials also post the general safety gear required. If we had a general set of standard images(dust mask, organic/inorganic respirators, gloves, etc. just the major things) that you could include in your posts and maybe they link back to this document. This would reinforce the notion of general protection and it would be implicit that the person doing the tutorial also understands the safety requirements and is not passing bad habits on to other people.

[ventrue]

Wow, great document! Glad to see things are finally turning as
far as safety and working with Smooth-On products.

Thanks!

Ironically, Sean's safety guide does say to wear a respirator when using those products - and it's been there for quite a while. I don't know when SmoothCast was "discovered" on the 405th, but I know that the source that mislead me once is several years younger. The problem really isn't that the information isn't there, it's that people don't care.

I just had an idea for the forums in general: Maybe it should be required that people who post tutorials also post the general safety gear required. If we had a general set of standard images(dust mask, organic/inorganic respirators, gloves, etc. just the major things) that you could include in your posts and maybe they link back to this document. This would reinforce the notion of general protection and it would be implicit that the person doing the tutorial also understands the safety requirements and is not passing bad habits on to other people.

The pictograms I used are in the public domain, you can get them from the respective Wikipedia articles.

The blue ones are mandatory signs, the yellow ones are danger signals and the red ones are prohibition symbols. All of these are standardised in my country but should be recognisable all over the world. The orange ones are chemical hazard symbols, these are standardised in all of Europe, but are deprecated and should or will be replaced by the new GHS symbols. You will see those in the US as well.

I wouldn't use product shots, they might mislead people.

[Toacrabman]

It looks like you mentioned everything, I especially liked this part:

6.1.1 Ill just wrap a scarf/bandana/shirt/cat/surgeon's mask/piece of cloth/this guide around my head and that will protect me :P
No it wont. Think about it- everybody would just use a few old rags if that helped!

I liked how you knew dumb people would try to use a cat, or the safety guide as a replacement for a respirator.

Trust me some people are that dumb.



Also you could add a part about how it is not meant for airsoft/paintball use, without actual airsoft/paintball aproved gear.

[thorn696]

Thank you Ventrue

This is very well done. I'd go as far as saying THIS should be the very first thing a person Should READ before starting a build. It will give them some idea what they will need and/or what type build they can safely go within their Space, skill level, and budget.

If you can't afford the safety gear then you can't afford to work with that medium.

The life you save just might be you're own.

Thanks again Ventrue, I'm going to add this one to my links page.

[Toacrabman]

I am definately saving this to my links to give to noobs. They might light themselves on fire if they are misinformed.

[ventrue]

Also you could add a part about how it is not meant for airsoft/paintball use, without actual airsoft/paintball aproved gear.

I'll keep the idea in mind, but I think that would go beyond the scope of the guide. It's about building the stuff, not about what you do with it afterwards.

Thank you Ventrue

Glad you like it :-)