General Safety
Arts Safety – Collagraph Safety
Collagraphs are prints produced by using a collage of different materials glued onto a rigid support. A wide variety of materials and adhesives can be used in making collagraphs.
Things to Consider
Hazards
- Rubber cement, a common adhesive used with collagraphs, is extremely flammable and most rubber cements and their thinners contain the solvent n-hexane, which can cause damage to the peripheral nervous system (hands, arms, legs, feet) from chronic inhalation.
- Epoxy glues can cause skin and eye irritation and allergies.
- Spraying fixatives on the back of collagraph plates to seal them can be a potential inhalation hazard of the solvent-containing spray mist.
Precautions
- Know the hazards of materials used. Obtain the SDSs from the manufacturer.
- Use the least toxic materials available. In particular use water-based glues and mediums (e.g. acrylic medium) whenever possible. Some rubber cements are made with the solvent heptane, which is less toxic than n-hexane.
- Wear gloves when using epoxy glues.
- When sanding collagraph plates use a localized ventilation hood.
Plastic Prints
Plastic prints can involve making prints from a wide variety of plastic materials and resins. Plastic prints can involve potential inhalation hazards of the plastic resin vapors (e.g. epoxy resins) as well as, inhalation of decomposition fumes from drilling, machining, sawing, etc. of finished plastics.
Precautions
- Obtain the SDS for all materials used.
- See Solvent section for the precautions with solvents.
- Use the least toxic material available.
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