Hi James,
Issue 2014-04 of the Journal for Occultation Astronomy (pp. 13-22) contains an article by Friedhelm Dorst on ‘Observations of Planets and Stars near the Sun’.
We deliberated for some time before deciding to publish it in JOA. We do not condone any attempts to carry out such observations. Observing near the Sun carries high risk to one’s eyesight. It only needs to go wrong once! Even if an observer uses electronic recording techniques, they can be tempted to cast a naked eye glimpse towards the Sun and incur dazzle.
Be careful out there.
Clear skies,
Alex.