Thursday, August 12, 2010

Air Quality Issues for Artists: Metal Clay, Jewelry

I found a great blog post by Mary Ellin D’Agostino on air quality issues for artists who work with metal clay* (thanks for the mention of our industrial division, Electrocorp!).

Many artists, especially hobbyists, underestimate the importance of air quality in the studio. The problem lies in the repeated exposure to dust, chemicals, fumes and odors. Simply opening a door or window is not enough to mitigate this type of air pollution on an ongoing basis. In the case of professional jewelers, metal artists, encaustic painters etc. I would agree with this blogger that an industrial air cleaner or fume hood may be a sound investment. For artists or hobbyists on a tight budget, I would also recommend looking at an AllerAir unit. Most of the models that are designed for chemical, odor and particle control actually have as much chemical-adsorbing activated carbon as some industrial units, as well as excellent particle filters. AllerAir’s air quality experts can also recommend a carbon blend that better removes the specific chemicals, fumes and odors present in your studio.

Links:

AllerAir
Electrocorp
The Electrocorp blog
MED'A Creations Fine Silver & Gold Art Jewelry, Metal Clay Instruction & Certification Classes


*Metal Clay is an amazing, relatively new (1990's) material that originated in Japan. It has a soft consistency and contains microscopic particles of precious metals suspended in a mix of clay binder and water. When fired, the binder burns away and the metal particles fuse together, creating a piece that is fine silver or gold.
 

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