Printmaking @ The Sidney Nolan Trust
 

The Sidney Nolan Trust is acting on advice contained in the health & safety chapters of two published books on solar plate printmaking:

• "Printmaking wth Photopolymer Plates - a new, safe, versatile technique for artists and students" by Diane Longley - Illumination Press, Adelaide, Australia, 1998 ISBN 0 646 27392 2 
• "Printmaking in the Sun - an artist's guide to making professional-quality prints using the solarplate method" by Dan Welden and Pauline Muir - Watson-Guptil, New York, 2001 ISBN0 8230 4292 8 

This advice is, in brief, that solar plate poses no known serious health hazards but that there can be no guarantee that it is entirely safe.  The Trust strongly advises sensible precautions, including:

• wear nitrile rubber gloves and ensure good ventilation when handling and washing out solar plate
• wash hands after any contact with solar plate, especially before eating
• avoid rubbing eyes or licking fingers while handling solar plate
• file smooth any sharp edges or corners on the metal backing of solar plate
• use safety or toughened glass for contact frames and cover potentially sharp glass edges with masking tape
• handle knives safely, cutting away from fingers and retracting blades after use.  Take great care if using a craft knife to cut solar plate

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