Discussion piece. Modeling with disabilities

[jknaus]

So sitting here trying to decide what I am going to do modeling wise and reflecting on my string of incomplete modeling projects. The root cause being my increasing lack of fine motor skills. I keep dropping stuff, and losing it or breaking it while getting up to look. Added to that was not being motivated due to pain and stress. So it got me thinking, how do other people deal with wear and tear caused by age, accidents, or just through our chosen profession. I am still trying to learn what I can and cant do. Small parts just seem to be getting harder to deal with. Anyone else in the same boat and developed strategies to continue modeling? Maybe we can learn from each other and make this hobby more fun.
So thoughts comments suggestions?
JAmes

 

[moon puppy]

James I sure am sorry to read this. Hope you can find some answers buddy.

 

[Paulw]

I really cant tell you anything but I have been having the same problems. Mine mostly stems from poor eyesight and complications of both heart disease and diabetes. I try hard to keep the glucose under control and even though I should I really don't exercise. Taking things much slower, more deliberate actions although not always accompanied by proactive thought. This is daily life and nothing that is only modeling related. I enjoy modeling but sleeping has become more of a pass time now and it is difficult not to fall asleep.

:idonno

 

[Iron Mike]

Necessity is the mother of invention or so I've heard. My eyesight is not what it used to be, so better lighting and good magnification are critical to my bench. I have added a spill proof drop cloth under my bench, it deadens the falling parts and the blue color helps in locating the dropped pieces. My hands are not as nimble any more, so the dropsy thing just has to be lived with. I know this isn't the recipe for all folks, but it has kept me active at the bench.
Hope you find your answers, James. :zen

 

[Tony lee]

Oh my goodness James, where do I start?
Eyes are going= two pair of optivisors, One 5x and one 10x and lots of light over bench.
Steady hands going= Use the edge of the bench to brace them while painting and working with small parts.
Even then it's hard to stay inside the lines.

Can't hold onto parts because fingers get numb= stop and rub them till the feeling comes back.
I put a piece of nylon socking over the end of the vacuum cleaner hose and go over the floor and turn it off with the hose end over a sheet of white paper, search through the debris.
Apron from waist to over the knees will catch most dropped parts.

Determination and I make gallons of lifes lemonade

If and when the hobby gets beyond my abilities I plan to sell off the stash and buy books to do research for those needing help with their projects.

The main thing is that we accept our limitations and just do the best we can.
Tony lee

 

[Tankbuilder]

A largish but shallow say 1" or 2.5cm box that is fastened to the underside of the work are so that the box covers your lap might help with the dropped parts. A good bright flashlight shone ALONG the floor will cause parts to cast a much larger shadow thereby making it easier o locate where the part is. Simpler kits with fewer tiny parts are what I prefer to build. I've often considered building a large enclosed plexiglass boxwith two round holes in one side (the side towards me) and mounting the ends of the wrists of thin rubber gloves to those holes like the Waldos in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern novels. Stick my hands into the gloves and work on the model which is inside the clear case ans then if something falls or is tweezer launched it stays within the confines of the clear case.

Cheers

 

[agentg]

Pretty much what Tony said. I also try to limit my time at the bench, yes limit the time spent building. I've found it helps with the frustration factor, and I am actually building, and completing, more projects. That recent AFV Club Shot Kal was a labor of love, so I took my time and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent building that wonderful kit. In this manner I find that upon completion I am a bit sad the build is done.

G

 

[Old Dog]

I feel your pain James, about a year ago I decided to replace as many of the 1/48 scale kits in my stash with 1/32 scale kits as I could but much to my surprise I found this wasn't all that much help as the larger scale kits seem to have smaller plastic parts than many 1/48 scale kits. Parts that would need to be PE in smaller kits are molded in larger scales and the three dimensional parts seems to be harder to get a grip on than flat PE parts, They can also be a pain to remove from sprues.

For small parts I've found that a layer of Tamiya or masking tape on the inside jaws of tweezers helps keep plastic parts from flying away. I have always had unsteady hands so that issue has been with me my whole modeling life so I guess I've just learned to cope but I find myself unable to dry brush small details with any degree of satisfaction because of this and surrender to painted PE IP's where ever possible. Like others, modeling with out my optivisor is a non event. My work room is carpeted but I have one of those hard plastic floor protectors so I can use my roll around stool and I find most pieces I drop end up there instead of the carpet. I also use the flashlight trick a lot to find dropped parts. I also find it best when things start going out of control to just walk away from the bench.

It's frustrating now that I have reached a point in my life when I have the time to do the kind of detail modeling I've always wanted to do, that I don't have the physical resources to do it.

 

[Phil]

Very sorry to read of your predicaments James, yes we do get old ( as I am now! ) and there's no cure unfortunately, so we just have to battle along and do what we can.

I have been noticing a drop in my abilities and certain skills for some time but no where near your level and I feel for you.

Dropping parts - yes I do that - blu tac on the end of a toothpick helps when gluing parts to the kit - also painting, toothpick held with two wooden cloths pegs

Losing parts when one gets up - I put all cut off parts in a model box - small parts in a large matchbox inside that model box! this helps me so much!

Pe - never cut it and leave it - all Pe parts have legs that appear when you leave!
box/matchbox method works very well for this!

The masking tape method for cutting Pe works well, a blob of blu tac on the part before it's cut stops the little beggars turning into Scud missiles too!

good lighting, glasses and my trusty mag glass helps me see what I'm doing. I'm short sighted.

Some days and nights I can't detail paint for S**t other times I'm steady as a rock - can't explain why so I pick my times to get in the zone.

Humbrol enamels are my choice for detail painting - figures, Ip's interior details - I find I can take my time and "push" the paint around without it drying fast like acrylics.

Good quality pointed brushes also help

I prefer to model at night time when it's more quiet, I find this more relaxing for some reason, and I can concentrate more on what I'm doing.

Sometimes a couple of beers help out as well!

Hope this helps in some way.

 

[Iron Mike]

Let's not forget good tunes as well. B)

 

[Paulw]

Don't forget good colon and urinary tract health

 

[jknaus]

Well started another one last night and tried a few things mentioned here. Went pretty well. Will see how I do tonight after being outside unloading a truck all afternoon. Its -20C with a wind chill of -28C. So that and heavy lifting should prove interesting. Give me a chance to see how it goes on a "bad" day.
Good discussion guys.
James

 

[Bagge]

Hope you find ways of dealing with the problems James, i also have the problem with seeing things, glasses and optivisor is neccesary.
Worst part for me is painting, have carpal thunnel syndrome on both hands, so when i hold on to a small brush (or other small things) for a longer time, my fingers are numb and i must sit and shake them until the numbness goes away, it really sucks!
Operation helps to deal with that problem but 6 weeks home (per hand) from work is not possible now when i just started on a new work
i'm pretty good at dropping things but with a tile floor and good light i manage to find most things before the carpet monster grabs them :gogo
We are now busy with our new house and there are we going to make a nice hobbyroom with good lighting and there is place for the spraybooth there to (yeah finally have it in a warm room!)
//Mats

 

[agentg]

Well started another one last night and tried a few things mentioned here. Went pretty well. Will see how I do tonight after being outside unloading a truck all afternoon. Its -20C with a wind chill of -28C. So that and heavy lifting should prove interesting. Give me a chance to see how it goes on a "bad" day.
Good discussion guys.
James

I was fortunate enough when I retired the first time to be in a position to move. I packed up and left the midwest for the high desert of the south west. It does get cold here, but that wet snow and ice for weeks at a time are not an issue any longer. This climate has kept the arthritis at bay and my mobility is quite a bit better that before. All the injuries sustained in 28 years caught up with me for sure. My overall health has improved, and I have quit smoking and reduced my drinking to nearly nothing.

G

 

[paddy]

Hi James
Unless you lied about your age on your profile you are just a kid I'm thinking there are other issues but surely "pain and stress" can be tackled ?
I drop things all the time and have a camouflaged finish carpet. I tend to just work over the upturned model box top, silly little thing but it works . As someone else said, larger scale doesn't work as the extra detail just get smaller. I have been surprised how much fun building houses out of polystyrene tiles has been,, all large parts 1ft rule, tube of white glue, cutting mat and a Stanley knife. tiles are £3 for a pack of 6 . I would think building a hanger for your aircraft and a control tower etc would be fun and no part smaller than a matchbox !!
One other thing you could try that i find very good are reverse tweezers. Dead cheap, they are sprung shut rather than open so you can hold smaller parts without having to maintain pressure to keep them gripping. bit like a very accurate metal clothes peg. I have several pairs and they often save the day. they will easily hold a part up to the size of a 1/35 figure. You know what its like when you are holding a part in normal tweezers and you slowly relax the pressure without realising what you are doing and then...its gone I also knew of a guy with dodgy motor function in his fingers that used to wear those ultra thin disposable surgical gloves as they gave him a more predictable grip on small parts ?
Good luck and i hope you can adapt a little to your problems, I would imagine keeping warm and circulation would be a major factor .

 

[jknaus]

Thanks to everyone for the comments and help. This wasnt supposed to be about me though, but for everyone who has problems. I just used myself as an example. As for age well I guess I'm middle aged although if you ask my wife I'm probably around 16. And if you see me move you'd think way older. Yes pain is manageable by medication but that adds new issues for a modeler.
Now as much as I would love to make a hanger for my models I dont have the room and 1/32 doesnt lend itself well to being housed. As for reverse tweezers I hate them. Never had much luck with small parts. Doesnt matter anyways because even something like holding a fork causes the hand to go numb. So I live with it.

I'm sure though that there are people benefiting from this thread so lets keep comming up with ways to overcome our disabilities.
James

 

[paddy]

Space is always an issue with me, i don't suppose my current diorama will last more than a week once its finished before i get fed up with it being in the way. Still, its all about making things, once they are done they dont hold any interest for me beyond a few photo's :laugh:

 

[chukw]

Could be carpal tunnel, James- could be higher up the stem. Have you had this medically checked?

 

[jknaus]

Could be carpal tunnel, James- could be higher up the stem. Have you had this medically checked?

Not carpal tunnel. Degenerative disk disease in neck and lower back. The nerves are getting trapped and pinched. Will have to get surgery when it gets worse, although that scares the hell out of me. 27 years of hard use in the Hussars and RCAF has taken a toll.

 

[chukw]

Sorry to hear that, James. Surgery won't be fun, but you can do it. It'll get better.