Hang this poster at the soldering bench, so the checklist is in front of whoever lights the torch.
What is on the poster
Torch and gas
- Connections tight and tested with bubble solution before every session. Bubbles: stop, get it fixed.
- Propane sinks and runs along the floor. No leak is small.
- Local exhaust at the soldering bench, on before the torch is lit.
Solder, flux and enamels
- Cadmium-free and lead-free solders, alloys and enamels only. Borax flux instead of fluoride flux.
- The smoke is ultra-fine dust with the metals in it: keep it out of your lungs. A respirator only under the school's respiratory program.
- Impact-rated eye protection for grinding and chipping; splash goggles for liquids.
Pickle and finishing
- Pickle is corrosive: goggles, gloves, tongs, and a lid on the pot. Never breathe over it.
- Detergent solutions for cleaning metal before solvent or acid ones.
- Used pickle with silver, lead, chromium or cadmium in it is hazardous waste. Copper-only pickle may be neutralized with baking soda to pH 7 and diluted 1 to 5 where the plan allows.
Pregnant? No lead, cadmium or antimony in solder, metal or enamel, and no solvent products.
Built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard
This poster carries the SSTS mark. Like every Science Safety course, it is built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard (SSTS): every rule on it is taken from the body that governs it, at its current edition, and the source is printed on the poster, so you can check it yourself.
Stay current
When you get this poster, it is saved to your Science Safety account. If we revise the poster, or the Jewelry Making and Small Metals module it comes from changes, we will email you, and the latest version will be waiting under Downloads in your account. Every revision carries its revision number and date at the bottom of the poster, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your wall is current.
Printing and hanging
- One-page PDF, US letter (8.5 by 11 inches).
- White background, so it prints clearly on any office or classroom printer without using much ink.
- Hang it at the soldering bench, at eye level.
- The QR code in the blue title band opens this page, so anyone can get their own copy.
- The QR code at the bottom opens the Jewelry Making and Small Metals module.
Learn more
The Jewelry Making and Small Metals module teaches the full topic this poster comes from.
Sources:
- Environmental Health and Safety in the Arts: jewelry making – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- Art Hazards Video Series: soldering and brazing – Washington State Department of Health (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- 29 CFR 1910.134, Respiratory protection – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (reviewed September 30, 2026)
Poster SSP-0040, Rev. 1, September 2026.
