Training in the Print Making Studio

Monday 13th June was the first of the two training days in the Print Making studios with Hannah Fray were we met as a group at 9.30 in the Bluecoat cafe to briefly discuss what we were going to be doing throughout the morning. I instantly was quite nervous as I havn't had much experiece in print making since college unlike the two other volunteers who have studied the subject on their university courses. However I am eager to learn and gain as much experience as I can from this opportunity; hopfully developing my own practice along the way.


Before entering the building as volunteers we had to sign in at the reception desk to keep record on who is entering the building, alongside signing out the keys for both of the print making studios so we are able to access the areas; this has to be done whenever on duty and returned before leaving.


The first day of training was in the 'Silk Screen' printing studio were we went through and discussed all aspects of the job position; starting with the technicians tasks. The primary role of the technician is to support any hirer using the space to expose, clean screens or print; in addition the technician should:
1. Check levels of all chemicals and mix up where necessary.
2. Empty the red tray under the power hose.
3. Clean washout unit.
4. Check exposure unit for dirt on the glass.
5. Check drying cabinet, rack and any dry screens.
6. Check the condition of the screens belonging to the Bluecoat.
7. Check the condition of the squeegees belonging to the Bluecoat.
8. Check aluminium coating tool is present and clean.
9. Chuck out dried up or unlabelled inks and tidy up shelves.
10. Check over the beds, removing any tape.
11. General Stuff: Clean and sweep up, bring the notice board up to date, tidy the drying rack, clean the sink in the printing room.
12. Leave a note on the board for Print Studio Manager if you need to report damage or advising her to re-order anything we are low on.


Once shown and understood the upcoming job position Hannah Fray went through an example of how to use all of the equipment to create a basic print. This was definetly helpful as it refreshed my memory straight away and I now feel confident to repeat the process myself.


Training for the 'Etching' Studio will take place on Monday 20th June.