Studio/Safety: Setting up a Crafts studio, Part 1--Dye Shop/Wet Room
The MFA program where i teach allows the students to focus in a range of non-design areas of professional costuming: draping, tailoring, craftwork, or costume shop management. This semester's management seminar topic is "Sourcing and Supplies"--this is not just how and where to find everything from a spoon busk to an industrial shoe-patching machine, but also strategies for addressing shop supply inventories, storage, etc.
I recently gave a guest-lecture on the appurtenancing of a crafts space. The thrust of the matter was, what if a managerial candidate was hired and coming into a space where s/he had to either set up a crafts shop from scratch, or analyze the existing inventory of a crafts area and do supply ordering for the beginning of a season with no aid from a staff crafts artisan. I won't replicate the entire lecture here, but i thought i'd post a brief overview of what i touched on in a four-part series:
Setting up a Dye Shop/Wet Room
Cobbling, Leatherworking, and Distressing Equipment and Supplies
Millinery Equipment and Supplies
Specialized Crafts from Parasols and Purses to Plaster Molds
Clearly the manager must evaluate the scope of the theatre's productions, the general per-show budget, etc., in order to determine to what extent crafts will be a component of the company's costuming. A huge, well-funded ballet company that builds several new pieces in-house each season will have entirely different crafts needs than a small theatre company that premieres small-cast modern plays. Shakespeare companies and children's theatre will often have larger crafts shops than regional serious-drama companies.
Assuming that one's company does have enough of a crafts demand to warrant the existance of a dedicated crafts space, the absolute bare minimum requirement is a separate "wet room" space for the use of dyes, paints, and adhesives--"hand" craftwork could be done on a cutting table in the main shop if need be.
These are the primary safety concerns of a dedicated wet room:
There must be adequate ventilation (size of room, windows, vent hood, fans?).
Food/drink must be prohibited in the space.
There must be adequate PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) and dedicated PPE storage.
There must be safe flammables storage.
In addition, it's a good idea to have a crafts-specific dedicated washer/dryer, that only dye projects and other crafts laundry goes into. If there's space and money for an industrial steam-jacketed dye vat, awesome, but if not and your shop will have any amount of custom-dyeing needs, it should have at least a tabletop double burner and large (think like 20-gal) pot.
Dye Shop Equipment and Supply "Shopping List":
Dyestuff:
bulk Rit or other brand of union dyes
color remover
synthetic-fiber dyes
fiber-reactive dyes
thiourea dioxide
mordants/fixatives (soda ash, urea, etc)
bulk salt, bleach, white vinegar
Safety equipment/PPEs: check your dyes' MSDSs for requirements
aprons
gloves
goggles
respirators
"Hardware" equipment:
Gram scale
General measuring equipment (cups, spoons)
Binder clips
Clothespins
Note that this list is to be treated as suggestions, a jumping-off point. For example, some dyers don't like to work with union dyes at all, while other shops only stock them and nothing else. Also be aware that if the dimensions and ventilation of your wet room space are limited, you may wish to avoid all products that would require the use of respirators. If you do use dyes and chemicals that require respirators, be aware that OSHA requires you to have a training program in place for all employees that will need to use respirators.
You can get most of the hardware stuff at lab supply and restaurant supply distributors. There's a huge number of dye suppliers online, from small companies that sell only their line of dyestuff to huge clearinghouse type vendors that sell a wide range.
When ordering dyes and chemicals, make sure you always ask for the MSDS. You need to have them on file, and they have a lot of good information that will help make decisions like what types of protective gloves and respirator filters to purchase.
Keep an eye peeled--shoes and such will be the next in this series!
I recently gave a guest-lecture on the appurtenancing of a crafts space. The thrust of the matter was, what if a managerial candidate was hired and coming into a space where s/he had to either set up a crafts shop from scratch, or analyze the existing inventory of a crafts area and do supply ordering for the beginning of a season with no aid from a staff crafts artisan. I won't replicate the entire lecture here, but i thought i'd post a brief overview of what i touched on in a four-part series:
Setting up a Dye Shop/Wet Room
Cobbling, Leatherworking, and Distressing Equipment and Supplies
Millinery Equipment and Supplies
Specialized Crafts from Parasols and Purses to Plaster Molds
Clearly the manager must evaluate the scope of the theatre's productions, the general per-show budget, etc., in order to determine to what extent crafts will be a component of the company's costuming. A huge, well-funded ballet company that builds several new pieces in-house each season will have entirely different crafts needs than a small theatre company that premieres small-cast modern plays. Shakespeare companies and children's theatre will often have larger crafts shops than regional serious-drama companies.
Assuming that one's company does have enough of a crafts demand to warrant the existance of a dedicated crafts space, the absolute bare minimum requirement is a separate "wet room" space for the use of dyes, paints, and adhesives--"hand" craftwork could be done on a cutting table in the main shop if need be.
These are the primary safety concerns of a dedicated wet room:
There must be adequate ventilation (size of room, windows, vent hood, fans?).
Food/drink must be prohibited in the space.
There must be adequate PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) and dedicated PPE storage.
There must be safe flammables storage.
In addition, it's a good idea to have a crafts-specific dedicated washer/dryer, that only dye projects and other crafts laundry goes into. If there's space and money for an industrial steam-jacketed dye vat, awesome, but if not and your shop will have any amount of custom-dyeing needs, it should have at least a tabletop double burner and large (think like 20-gal) pot.
Dye Shop Equipment and Supply "Shopping List":
Dyestuff:
bulk Rit or other brand of union dyes
color remover
synthetic-fiber dyes
fiber-reactive dyes
thiourea dioxide
mordants/fixatives (soda ash, urea, etc)
bulk salt, bleach, white vinegar
Safety equipment/PPEs: check your dyes' MSDSs for requirements
aprons
gloves
goggles
respirators
"Hardware" equipment:
Gram scale
General measuring equipment (cups, spoons)
Binder clips
Clothespins
Note that this list is to be treated as suggestions, a jumping-off point. For example, some dyers don't like to work with union dyes at all, while other shops only stock them and nothing else. Also be aware that if the dimensions and ventilation of your wet room space are limited, you may wish to avoid all products that would require the use of respirators. If you do use dyes and chemicals that require respirators, be aware that OSHA requires you to have a training program in place for all employees that will need to use respirators.
You can get most of the hardware stuff at lab supply and restaurant supply distributors. There's a huge number of dye suppliers online, from small companies that sell only their line of dyestuff to huge clearinghouse type vendors that sell a wide range.
When ordering dyes and chemicals, make sure you always ask for the MSDS. You need to have them on file, and they have a lot of good information that will help make decisions like what types of protective gloves and respirator filters to purchase.
Keep an eye peeled--shoes and such will be the next in this series!