Workshop Practice, Tools, and Machine Safety
Scope
Safe use of the plaster room, lamination, vacuum forming, cutting and finishing equipment.
Core rules
- PPE: eye protection, dust mask, gloves, apron; no loose sleeves or jewellery near rotating tools.
- Bandsaw, router and drill: guards in place, correct blade for the material, push sticks, never reach into the cut line, unplug before blade changes.
- Heat: ovens and heat guns cause burns; use tongs and allow cooling.
- Dust: plaster and resin dust need extraction; silica is a respiratory hazard.
- Chemicals: read the safety data sheet, mix in ventilated areas, add catalyst to resin (not resin to catalyst), and respect pot life.
Fabrication controls
Check vacuum integrity before forming, record oven temperature and dwell time, and keep moulds clean so that trim lines and reliefs transfer accurately.
Worked example
A laminating resin is specified at 100:2 resin-to-catalyst by weight. For 250 g of resin: catalyst = 250 × 2 ÷ 100 = 5 g. At 25°C the pot life is about 8 minutes, so divide the mix into smaller batches and wet out the stockinette quickly. Extra catalyst speeds the reaction and can cause cracking and exotherm.
Traps
Eyeballing catalyst; mixing large batches in hot weather; using a damaged blade; leaving the chuck key in the drill; working without dust extraction; storing resins near heat.