• Deliveries of your materials will happen during the day. If you have ordered a huge amount of anything (lumber, rocks, styrofoam) please give Michael Griggs and/or the ART Prop shop advanced notice. Lumber will be delivered to the loading dock at the back of the shop, Clifford will leave it there with a receipt, It is your responsibility to check and see if it was delivered and to bring it inside and put it in the lumber racks. You will typically bring in lumber after 6pm when the shop is free. If it is pouring rain or snowing, you may want to get it in the building as soon as you can.
• HRDC lumber goes in the wall racks above and to the left of the radial arm saw (when facing it). The right side racks are for ART lumber. Sheet goods like plywood and luan should store in the standing floor rack in the HRDC slots.

• Wood in the racks that is not identified somehow for a specific show may be left over and can be acquired by your show. If in doubt as to the owner of some materials, check with Michael Griggs or an HRDC board member. Michael tries to keep a stock of commonly used lumber on hand for purchase by HRDC shows. This lumber should be labeled and you must discuss purchase with Michael before using the lumber. If there is a pile of new unlabeled lumber on the rack, chances are it is not just leftover. Check with Michael.
• Wood in the scrap racks is usually up for grabs. Only put usable leftovers in the scrap racks, throw out anything too small or bizarre to use again. Check for ART Prop shop labels or current HRDC show labels before using the scrap, if you find something too good to be true scrap, check with Michael before using it.
• You may occasionally order more materials than there is room to store them on the racks, in such cases please contact Michael or the HRDC Tech Liaison for instructions on where to store it.

Work Surfaces

• The four rolling table in the shop can be used by any show although they are primarily used by the ART Prop Dept. This is because the Prop shop usually works on smaller projects and the HRDC is building larger scenery pieces. If the ART Prop shop has tables full of projects or materials please try not to disturb their work or splash paint on it, cover it with plastic if in doubt. You are welcome to use the tables for projects, just try not to drill or cut into the tops or splash paint or goop all over them. If the tables are in your way, you can push them around to clear a space to work on the floor. If you are doing something messy, cover the table with paper, plastic or scrap wood.
• Most of the scenery work will be done using the floor as a work surface. If you spill paint or glue or stuff on the floor, wipe it up. If you are doing extensive painting in the shop, put down plastic or paper to protect the floor. As you can see from the condition of the floor, small drops and spills of paint do not bother us as long as it doesn't dry into a lump. Try not to step into wet paint and track it into other areas of the building.
• Try to avoid using the radial arm saw bench as a work surface. Other people may need to use it to cut material and drops of glue make it difficult to move materials around on it. Never use the table saw table as a work surface, protect the metal table saw surface from tools, soda cans and everything that is not wood.
• Finished scenery or works in progress are usually stored against the paint frame while in the shop unless someone is using the paint frame (rarely ever happens). Ask Michael Griggs or the prop shop staff where might be a good place to keep things while working on them.
• When scenery is completed it will usually live in the shop until load-in day. Sometimes there may be room backstage on the mainstage or ex for scenery or props to be stored until load-in, check with the HRDC board ex coordinator for ex shows and with Michael Griggs for mainstage shows. Never put materials, props or scenery anywhere without telling someone in charge of that space and without leaving a note identifying the items for your show.

Paint

• Paint that you order will probably be delivered to the donut, so check around the donut to see if it arrived, be sure to keep the delivery receipt to give to your producer. All HRDC show paint should be stored on the shelf unit attached to one of the big ex airlock doors. You should label your paint cans (on the can, not on the lid since lids get switched sometimes) with your show name so no other show will claim it. Paint that is labeled with a show already over can be claimed by your show, just put a new label on it.
• Leftover paint that was purchased for regular season ex and mainstage shows can be used by other Loeb shows, do not raid the paint rack for your shows at other spaces.
• I do not supply free paint brushes, roller covers, or buckets. You can purchase these from me and I can charge the show. (list of items and prices of supplies that I stock) To keep an ongoing supply of brushes, rollers and brushes make sure your crew cleans them all out well with soap and water. Use the dish soap or Murphy's Oil Soap that are usually sitting by the paint sink. Items should be washed until no paint residue is visible and clear water runs through the item.
• Never, never use any type of oil based paint, stain, or varnish without first discussing it with me. There are water based alternatives to all these oil and solvent based products. If in doubt, check the label on the can, if it says cleanup with soap and water then it is okay. If it says cleanup with mineral spirits or other solvents then stay away from it. Reason why: safety for painters and environment. Solvents kill body tissue through inhaling and absorption through the skin, there is no easy way to clean up, and leftovers must be disposed of through difficult and expensive procedures.
• You may occasionally have to use spray paint or spray adhesive, You must use the spray booth in the shop. Try to get the object to be sprayed as close as possible to the inside of the booth.
• Never pour any paint or solvents down the sink. Of course some paint goes down the sink when cleaning tools, but do not pour out buckets of paint into the sink or you may see your show colors floating down the Charles River. You may pour all the scrap paint into the 30 gallon drum next to the sink. You can pour any kind of liquid waste into that drum, water based, oil based, solvents, etc.

  Paint Area in the Loeb Shop
  Spray Booth in the Loeb Shop

  Pour it into the big red funnel and pull down the lever to drain it into the drum.
• Clear off the paint counter surface when you are done with your project or when cleaning up at night. If you need to leave something drying, leave a note with it with the show name or your name so no one disturbs it.
• There is a place for all tools to go in the paint area even when they are still wet after washing. Brushes hang up above the sink, buckets go on the shelves higher above the sink, rollers come off of the roller handles and go into a slot above and left of the sink, roller handles hang off a pipe left of the sink, trays go into the paint cabinet (even when wet).
• There should be wooden stir sticks in a bucket in the paint area, if there are none we usually make our own using scrap wood that is about 3/4" x 3/4" and about 18" to 24" long.
• The HRDC drawer in the paint cabinet sometimes holds chalk, charcoal, small brushes, charcoal snap line, cheesecloth for straining paint into a sprayer. Contact Michael if you need any specific painting tools like special scenic brushes, graining combs, or parts to make the sprayers work.
• The paint frame is the big wooden structure covering one wall of the shop. It travels up and down in to a slot in the floor. It is too small to paint a full size drop for the mainstage, but is handy for flats or drops for the ex. If you want to paint a project using the paint frame, let Michael know so I can show you how to use it and I can make sure everyone knows and doesn't pile up stuff in front of it.
• If using the paint frame or if you just want some more light in the shop, turn on the circuit breaker labeled "paint lights" in the gold painted electrical box behind the spray booth. (See spray booth picture)

Metals

• HRDC shows generally do not use much steel or aluminum in their shows. This is mostly due to the fact that the Loeb shop is not very well set up for metal working and that few students know how to work with steel. If you have a project or design that really must use metal then the first step would be to talk with Michael about your plan. Learning to weld takes a couple of lessons and a lot of practice, but a number of people over the years have included metal in their shows for either structural reasons or decorative, or both.
• It is hard to buy a little bit of steel, companies only sell full 20 foot lengths and do not like to deliver small amounts. Under the radial arm saw bench you will find a lot of scrap metals in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Unless identified with a current show name all that scrap is available for your projects. If you need to cut metal, please contact Michael to get the proper tool. If you need a specific size or shape Michael might be able to buy it from the ART Scene Shop, so let him know your plans.

Plastics

• The most product by HRDC productions would be what is typically called Plexiglas or clear acrylic sheet. It comes in a variety of thickness such as 1/8" and 1/4" and, like plywood, the standard size is a 4' x 8' sheet. You can get smaller sizes cut with a service charge. Clear acrylic sheet breaks easily when cutting or drilling. For something that has to be indestructible you would want to get clear polycarbonate sheet. Discuss your needs with me before you decide to order something. To get prices on products you can call either Hart Supply at 781-749-4000, or Cadillac Plastics at 781-937-9700.
• The other commonly used plastic for scenery construction is extruded polystyrene or what we commonly call pink or blue foam. On occasion we use white beaded foam (styrofoam). Both are highly flamable and the white beaded foam releases an odorless toxic gas when cut. If used, the foam must be completely covered with paint or fabric that has flameproofing mixed in with it. Discuss all foam plans with Michael first.
• To cut plastics in the shop you must follow proper safety procedures as you would do with lumber, but also take the added precaution to have adequate ventilation. Turn on the spray booth switch to the shop (not booth) setting. Cutting acrylic sheets melts the plastic and releases harmful fumes. If you are cutting a lot of plastic you should change the table saw blade and must talk to Michael first.