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Glass Painting Manual
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Essential Health and Safety issues when
glass painting
There are two types of paints used in glass painting: methylated based
and water based. Water based paints are non-toxic, washable but
more muted. Methylated based paints are vibrant but give off
fumes.
Whilst your choice of which to use will depend on your group, its
always good to be aware of possible difficulties and to follow
guidelines on use.
These are my suggestions after many years of using the paints with
children and adults
Protecting the table
Always protect the tabletop with layers of newspaper and have extra
ones handy for spillages. Keep a roll of kitchen paper nearby for
wiping brushes.
Methylated paints
There are two types of glass paints: water based and methylated based.
In the classroom (in the UK), use of methylated -based paints are
subject to C.O.S.H.H. standards.
These paints give off fumes and it's important to contain the fumes as
much as possible. A few recommendations are given:
- If you can, run your sessions in
the afternoon or evening. This will allow any fumes that are
given off to disperse overnight. It's not too good for incoming
learners to have to sit in a room filled with these fumes.
- Always explain the fact that the
methylated paints you will use will give off fumes. Let those in
the room know that you will have windows open and that they are to let
you know if their breathing becomes affected.
- Pay particular care to any vulnerable
individuals that are prone to breathing problems and if this is
likely to be a big problem, opt for the non-toxic water based paints.
Advise everyone to do the following:
- Leave the lids on as much as possible
and as long as possible
- Paints will be shared between users to
keep down the number of pots being used
- It's useful to have a tub of cheap baby
wipes handy to use after cleaning hands with neat methylated
spirits. They smell nice and feel good.
Drying your work
- Heat of any source can be a
hazard. Follow these recommendations:
- All electrical appliances must be
professionally electrically tested for use in community and education
settings.
- This should be done early and the
appliance should carry the appropriate testing sticker.
- Any work that needs to be dried with a
hair dryer should be placed on a tabletop and not held in the
hand. The work will get hot. Make sure that the socket
where you plug in the hairdryer is close to the designated table and
that the flex is not trailed where it could cause a danger.
- Be vigilant when applying heat. If
held too close to acetate, cheap acetate can 'pucker' and glass will
get hot.
Cleaning
- Water based paints are cleaned with
water. Methylated based paints are not surprisingly cleaned with
methylated spirits.
- The easiest way to do this is to decant
a small amount of meths. into individual jam jars. The colour
will quickly change as brushes are cleaned but this will not affect its
cleaning power.
- Ask users to swill their paint filled
brushed in the meths, and to wipe the brush onto kitchen paper before
putting into a different colour paint pot.
- Keep the lids on the individual jam jars
for as long as possible between use, asking users to share a pot, to
keep down the fumes.
Small pots
The glass paints come in small pots to keep down the cost and to reduce
the amount of fumes given off. Large pots would be more toxic. Observe
these simple suggestions:
- Because the pots are small there are
more easily knocked over. Keep an eye on them during use.
- If they do spill, have lots of
newspaper ready to clean up and dispose of the dirty paper carefully.
- If you follow these recommendations your
sessions should go smoothly. Always make sure that you appreciate
any problems that could arise, advise your learners of these and be
solution-orientated: prepared for anything.
If you are holding your session in an outside venue, advice the staff
of your needs (lighting, power, opening windows) and let them know
about the fumes issue as they may be planning to hold an important
function the afternoon/evening after your session.
Remember, to be forewarned is to be forearmed!
=====================================================
Geraldine Jozefiak is passionate about
crafts and their place in
education. Be part of raising standards in teaching and learning
by offering the best possible creative opportunities.
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