This topic has 14 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 10 months ago by Tina Yager.

  • Author
    Posts
  • #14850
     Angelique Powers
    • Experience: 20+ years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Regular

    Member
    Member Member

    We all know how horrible the entire entertainment industry is when it comes to creating waste, using harmful chemicals, and etc when it comes to not being good for the environment.

    I’m interested in starting a conversation about the small or big things you do in your paint shop that help make it “Greener”

    #15584
     Nicole Deibert
    • Experience: 20+ years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Regular

    Member
    Member Member

    We stay to strictly latex paints. No shellac, no alcohols, just straight up paint. Any leftovers get mixed into a dark or light “combo prime” that I can use later to either mix in with joint compound for texturing or for priming. Any paint that are too nasty get dumped into a barrel and we pay a service to dispose of it properly.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    #15585
     Angelique Powers
    • Experience: 20+ years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Regular

    Member
    Member Member

    I am on a “Ban the plastic dropcloth” bandwagon.

    A- It can be unsafe- slippery, trippy when torn etc.

    B- When used over and over again, the paint flakes off and gets allover my scenery, ick!

    C- It will NEVER biodegrade with in my great great great great gandchilds lifetime.

    I don’t have the luxury of working in a “scene paint only” room anymore, so just using a heavy paper isn’t always an option. My TD’s fight me on this because its so cheap and fast — But once I told them we only have to pay once for a real drop cloth they tend to back down.

    #15586
     EvanWRapp
    • Experience: 5-10 years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Regular

    We recently hired a scenic artist that is much more conscious of reusing things. Sadly, I’ve never focused too heavily on it until she came aboard and I am really starting to feel better about cutting down on waste. Washing out anything and just letting Paint dry to peel out of trays has made a huge difference in our paint shop costs and reducing waste.

    #15587

    As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. There’s community groups such as Habitat for Humanity and local graffiti eraser groups that accept specific paints, usually light colored & water based. In some areas, Habitat for Humanity has re-sale stores, sort of like a Salvation Army for building materials. By donating your “leftovers” or by shopping at these outlets provides help for those in need. Theatres on a budget may also find some bargains.

    #15588
     Carole Payette
    • Experience: 20+ years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Regular

    we save water and time by bagging our rollers when we know we will need the same color again. It does use a plastic bag but we save a lot of water this way.

    #15589
     Tina Yager
    Admin
    • Experience: 15-20 years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Freelance

    Does anyone else put there rollers through a low water rinse and spin cycle when they do house projects? Some really rudimentary math calculations, I bet rinsing by hand under the faucet is 5-10 gallons of water per roller. I can toss half a dozen rollers in a low water rinse cycle and waste less water and get cleaner, fluffier rollers using only a few gallons of water per roller.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    #15590
     SallyM
    • Experience: 20+ years
    • Scenic Status: Part Time Freelance

    Member
    Member Member

    You can also put rollers or brushes in the freezer if you are going to use the same colour again … Just wrap in a cloth and then ‘thaw’ out for about 10mins before needed.

    #15591
     Lili Lennox
    Admin
    • Experience: 15-20 years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Freelance

    Partner
    Partner Member

    tinayager wrote:

    Does anyone else put there rollers through a low water rinse and spin cycle when they do house projects? Some really rudimentary math calculations, I bet rinsing by hand under the faucet is 5-10 gallons of water per roller. I can toss half a dozen rollers in a low water rinse cycle and waste less water and get cleaner, fluffier rollers using only a few gallons of water per roller.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Wait… Are you saying to put them in the laundry?

    Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

    #15592
     Tina Yager
    Admin
    • Experience: 15-20 years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Freelance

    Yes! In the laundry. [IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180512/4967a19db4c54aee890833e319b63776.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    #15593

    Don’t try this with textured sponge rollers…. they disintegrate in the wash!

    #15594

    My costume shop/run compatriots would probably have my head if I tried this!

    tinayager wrote:


    Does anyone else put there rollers through a low water rinse and spin cycle when they do house projects? Some really rudimentary math calculations, I bet rinsing by hand under the faucet is 5-10 gallons of water per roller. I can toss half a dozen rollers in a low water rinse cycle and waste less water and get cleaner, fluffier rollers using only a few gallons of water per roller.

    #15595
     Nicole Deibert
    • Experience: 20+ years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Regular

    Member
    Member Member

    By washing your rollers in the washing machine, you’re also getting paint particles and sediment into your waterline. Depending on how much you do this, you’ll build up that sediment and clog your pipes. That’s why you should have a paint trap on your Paint sink to collect large particles and they don’t go into your building’s pipe system.

    When I wash rollers at work, I scrape off excess paint then leave them on the cage and use a garden nozzle on “jet” to spin the paint off the roller. When that’s done, spray off the inside of the sleeve and cage, then back on for one final spin. It takes maybe a whole minute to do this.

    #15596
     EvanWRapp
    • Experience: 5-10 years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Regular

    Our sink at work is equipped with one of those shower nozzles that are often used for washing pots and pans in food establishments. It works really well for spinning the paint out of rollers and washing out just about anything else.

    It’s my favorite tool at work.

    #15597
     Tina Yager
    Admin
    • Experience: 15-20 years
    • Scenic Status: Full Time Freelance

    Nixpaints wrote:

    By washing your rollers in the washing machine, you’re also getting paint particles and sediment into your waterline. Depending on how much you do this, you’ll build up that sediment and clog your pipes. That’s why you should have a paint trap on your Paint sink to collect large particles and they don’t go into your building’s pipe system.

    When I wash rollers at work, I scrape off excess paint then leave them on the cage and use a garden nozzle on “jet” to spin the paint off the roller. When that’s done, spray off the inside of the sleeve and cage, then back on for one final spin. It takes maybe a whole minute to do this.

    This is how I clean my rollers when I do DIY projects at home. I scrape the excess paint back into the can and then put them through a rinse and spin cycle. I’m not sure how this is any different than washing them in the laundry tub as far as the type of waste water/sediment? That’s where the dirty water goes either way (down the laundry tub drain). I also get more uses out the roller before it hits the landfill.

    Tina

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

CONTACT US

©2023 Guild of Scenic Artists

Log in with your credentials

or    

Forgot your details?

Create Account