I made a little fume hood/dye mising box like they have in chemistry classes and industrial dye studios because I am worried about the carcinogenic affects of the dye powders or at the very least developing allergies to them like other dyers I know. When the dye is in powder form it isn’t good to breathe and of course the more you dye the more exposure you get. Once it’s mixed with the water it’s fine. So, I made this box with a bathroom exhaust fan in it and vented it out the wall. A friend of mine drilled the whole and installed the vent and also helped me with some of the electrical wiring on the box. I am not sure how affective it is, but I think it helps some. I still wear my respirator mask. It would be cool to be able to test it somehow, but I don’t know how to do that. Anyone else know how to test where powder is going in the air, to determine if it goes out the fan or not?
The fume hood in my dye studio. 
A closer view
It has a plexiglas door that goes 3/4 down of the way. I just stick my hands in the opening when mixing.
3 comments:
That is clever. I should be using a box or something. But I don't. I wear a mask. Just a painters mask. *gasp* I'm so lazy. Too lazy to track down fancy stuff for safety. If it was only easier. I wish someone made some sort of dyers safety kit. That would be great.
Thanks for posting pictures and reiterating the dangers of dye powder. I think you have a great set-up. If I want to know if dye has become air-born I take a spray bottle of plain water and mist the floor and other surfaces in the room. If they change color I know the dye floated in the air. I also turn of the furnace or a/c while mixing to lessen the air currents in the room.
Thanks for posting pictures and reiterating the dangers of dye powder. I think you have a great set-up. If I want to know if dye has become air-born I take a spray bottle of plain water and mist the floor and other surfaces in the room. If they change color I know the dye floated in the air. I also turn of the furnace or a/c while mixing to lessen the air currents in the room.
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