Stained Glass Workshop Safety Suggestions
Owen Jones | July 9, 2011Safety in the workshop is a big issue, but if one is working with glass, it becomes a very big subject. The crafts person or artisan who works with stained glass has particular dangers to be aware of. As we all know, glass can be sharp, and if you cut glass the powder is very dangerous and old stained glass can contain dangerous chemicals for pigmentation and lead to hold the pieces together.
The first bit of advice is never to take young children to a stained glass workplace. This is because of the risk of them cutting themselves on broken glass and inhaling the powder of dangerous chemicals. So, if the children are involved with choosing a design, take the catalogue to them in the car, do not take them to the workshop.
If you have to carry a sheet of stained glass to the car for self-installation, wear gloves that have rubberized surfaces so that you can obtain a good grip without having to grip the sheet of glass tight. Hold the sheet of glass by the side edges if you possibly can. If you hold it top and bottom ant it breaks, the arm at the bottom may be struck by falling, jagged glass.
If you are working with stained glass at home as a hobby, make certain that your environment is spotless. It is usually easier to score and break glass on a soft surface like a bed sheet. A blanket is too thick and gives too much, which may cause the glass to break in a way that is unwanted.
Whilst cutting glass, always wear a mask and safety glasses. or even safety goggles for improved protection. This is particularly the case if you would like to cut the glass with an angle grinder. The glass powder created by a grinder is very perilous.
While you are soldering the lead strips to hold the fragments of stained glass in position, make sure that you follow safety procedures with the soldering iron. Put it into a holder, so that when you reach for the soldering iron, you can only grab it by the cool handle with no chance of you being able to grip it by the hot end.
Solder fumes are not healthy for you, so make certain that your workplace is well ventilated with extractor fans. Wear gloves too so that your skin does not suffer from repeated contact with toxic lead. If you have a cut or a wound, put a plaster on it so that the lead does not get into you too easily.
If you do not have a workplace or even a garden shed, do not be tempted to do the work in your home, because the fumes and the glass powder will build up and you will never really get rid of them. The dust and fumes are serious pollutants and will build up in textiles, so if you have curtains in your workshop, wash them regularly and vacuum everywhere at least once a week.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on several topics, yet is now involved with RX Safety Glasses. If you want to know more, go to our site at Safety Glasses Bifocal
