Safety First

My hazmat suit may be excessive in some situations. Maybe I’m just wearing it to keep my clothes clean. Maybe I need a good sweat. Even when it’s 100 degrees in the studio, I do wear this suit every single time I spray paint. Most of the paint that I use is automotive Polyurethane and this stuff is no joke. You do not want to breathe it or get it on your skin. So, I found this sexy white one-piece hazmat suit to protect myself. It even covered your shoes & head do you can wear your best clothes underneath, spray some nasty chemicals and then zip it off and go right to dinner with friends. Now that is convenient. (For the record it’s really not sexy at all) 

Anyway, PPE (personal protective equipment) is good but what about ventilation? If you’re working outside, you’re probably ok with airflow but then you have to deal with bugs and contaminants. Bugs are junkies. They love resin. I’m convinced that they get so high that they end up diving right into the resin and drowning in it. (This is all just speculation but it makes sense.)

So, if working outside is not an option, you’ll need to ventilate your studio. The cheap way is to get some large box fans and face them all out of your studio in one direction. On the opposite side of the room you’ll need an AC unit, or open window (with a screen - bugs!). This will allow the air to easily flow through the space. 

What do I use? I have an industrial ventilation system that I had specially built into the roof of my studio. The machine itself looks like an airplane turbine. It’s insane. My in-vent is a swamp cooler (but I wish it was an AC in the summer). So, I have air flowing in and out of my studio while I pour resin, sand, and paint. 

Other words of wisdom:

1.) Date your respirator cartridges and change them often. It is recommended to change them every 6 months. However I replace mine monthly because I use them every single day. At the end of each day, I remove them from the mask and place them in a ziplock bag to reduce contamination.

2.) Double up on gloves. Instead of putting on just one pair of nitrile gloves, use two. That way you can easily remove a dirty pair and reveal a clean pair instantly.