Cosplay Safety Project - Any Requests? Suggestions?

[Gale]

For the past few months I've been working on and off on a Cosplay Safety project. I anticipate the end result to take on several forms, most notably several blog articles and a series of panels. I was inspired to this undertaking specifically from all the mis- or lack of information on cosmetic/contact lenses in the cosplay community, and it sort of grew into a more general overarching project. I'm curious what questions others might have, topics you might want covered, or suggestions you might have for me to add. Mostly for the purposes of my panels, I've broken the project up into two sections: "Costume Construction" and "Convention Attendance." My current overview of general topic headings are as follows:

Costume Construction

• Your Workspace
• General Tools
• Hot Tools
• Hair & Wigs
• Make-Up
• Cosmetic Lenses ---> For some of the info I've collected on this topic, see This Post

Attending Conventions

• Your Valuables
• Prop Handling
• Size Matters
• Food & Hydration
• Hygine
• Personal Safety

Assuming my application is accepted, I plan on debuting my two-panel series at Anime Boston 2011 in April. Topics won't necessarily be covered in this exact breakdown, but it gives you the general gist. I also plan on running the panels at PortCon Maine in June.

[TheFontBandit]

This is a great idea! A suggestion for one of the things that might be added to the construction section - respiratory safety and materials. It doesn't seem to come up quite as much in cosplay as another hobby I'm involved in (ball-jointed-doll customization), but people really need to read the labels on any sprays/sealants/paints/glues/epoxies that they're using and wear masks as recommended. Also when sanding down certain materials.

Most things aren't going to require a full-on respirator, but those little disposable white face masks are cheap and can really help save your lungs, depending on what you're working with.

[Gale]

Thanks FontBandit! I'll include that when I talk about protective gear. Hmm. Maybe I'll add an entire slide on protective gear now that I think of it. Otherwise it will go under the "tools" section, since work with many tools requires some sort of protective gear. Thanks again!

[*AVA*]

Great idea! I wrote up a similar safety guide for part of a prop-making tutorial last year, and I think it's something that there is a definite need for in the cosplay community. If your project ends up online, please post a link, and I'd be happy to publicize it in my panels and workshops.

A suggestion for one of the things that might be added to the construction section - respiratory safety and materials. It doesn't seem to come up quite as much in cosplay as another hobby I'm involved in (ball-jointed-doll customization), but people really need to read the labels on any sprays/sealants/paints/glues/epoxies that they're using and wear masks as recommended. Also when sanding down certain materials.

Most things aren't going to require a full-on respirator, but those little disposable white face masks are cheap and can really help save your lungs, depending on what you're working with.

^ Seconded -- with the strong suggestion of respirators and ventilation systems. This is something I always try to stress in my prop-construction workshops, especially for the following materials:

- Extruded polystyrene foam (a.k.a. blue or pink insulation foam, a popular prop-making material) breaks down into a fine particulate when cut or sanded, and it is EXTREMELY dangerous to breathe. As in, it causes pulmonary fibrosis, tissue damage and various types of cancer. A particulate-grade respirator is mandatory when working with this material.

- Resins (particularly polyester resin) emit toxic fumes for up to 99 years after hardening, even after the initial odor has faded. Not only does this make your house smell bad, but it will poison your pet canary and kill your brain cells. Resin casting is a good outdoor project.

- The process of sanding resin produces a fine plastic powder which will tear up the tissues of your nasal passages and lungs if you inhale it. See above re: mandatory respirator use!


Also, are you covering eye and ear protection? Safety goggles and foam earplugs are a must-have for working with power tools or certain chemicals. I think many cosplayers, coming at construction from the side (as it were), have never had the opportunity to learn proper safety protocol around tools. That might be another area to cover in greater detail, if you have the time/space to do so.

[Gale]

Ava, this info is GREAT! Thank you! This is the sort of stuff I *want* to cover, but do not have any personal experience to work from. Is your prop safety guide online? I'd love to look it over.


FYI, anyone giving me notable amounts of information WILL be credited in a works sited page/slide for both my blog and panel. If you have any strong feelings on specifically how to be cited please let me know, otherwise I will use commonly known cosplay aliases or forum usernames (whichever seems most appropriate).

[*AVA*]

I don't think it's online currently -- we're in the middle of a massive overhaul/rebuild of our site, so a lot of the content is offline until the dust settles (which should be within a couple of weeks, hopefully). I think I may still have an early draft on a local computer, though... I'll poke around and see if I can find it for you.

[TheFontBandit]

- Resins (particularly polyester resin) emit toxic fumes for up to 99 years after hardening, even after the initial odor has faded. Not only does this make your house smell bad, but it will poison your pet canary and kill your brain cells. Resin casting is a good outdoor project.

- The process of sanding resin produces a fine plastic powder which will tear up the tissues of your nasal passages and lungs if you inhale it. See above re: mandatory respirator use!

These are the materials I've had the most personal experience with as well, through my other primary hobby - collecting and customizing ball-jointed dolls that are made if polyurethane resin. Sanding it can cause some seriously nasty particulates that can cause permanent lung damage. Wet-sanding with wet-or-dry sandpaper can cut down on the resin dust in the air, but a mask should still be worn as it doesn't eliminate the dust completely.

Also, Apoxie Sculpt, Amazing Sculpt, and other two-part epoxy clays should be handled while wearing latex (or equivalent) gloves - epoxy clays can cause sensitization, which is basically a dermatological allergic reaction. (It can also happen with epoxy-based glue, but I figure most people aren't going to try touching glue with their bare hands).

[*AVA*]

Also, Apoxie Sculpt, Amazing Sculpt, and other two-part epoxy clays should be handled while wearing latex (or equivalent) gloves - epoxy clays can cause sensitization, which is basically a dermatological allergic reaction. (It can also happen with epoxy-based glue, but I figur most people aren't going to try touching glue with their bare hands).

Yes! Good info to include. (And I do love Apoxie Sculpt!) ^_^

On that same topic (though not really a safety issue), if you're using latex gloves, make sure the materials you're working with do not react to latex. For example, even casual contact with latex can break down silicone and/or keep it from curing, so if you're working with Dragon Skin or similar compounds, use vinyl gloves instead of latex.

[*AVA*]

I don't think it's online currently -- we're in the middle of a massive overhaul/rebuild of our site, so a lot of the content is offline until the dust settles (which should be within a couple of weeks, hopefully). I think I may still have an early draft on a local computer, though... I'll poke around and see if I can find it for you.

Okay, I found it! The part on safety equipment is about a page and a half, single-spaced, so it's a bit long to post here... but I've uploaded a PDF of that section: http://lts.cr/BSc7

[Gale]

Thank you so much! You have no idea how helpful this is going to be for me. This is a topic that really had me anxious over my lack of knowledge/information, but one that I agree is very important to cover. Incidentally, it's also helpful on a personal level as I'm working on a costume project (top secret I'm afraid, though once Anime Boston is through you'll get to see pictures) for which I anticipate using insulation foam. Should be an interesting experience I anticipate, and your tips will be very handy!