Tip For Old Folks (Like Me!)

[Chief31794]

Never seen anything on this and I've done it for quite some time. I have trouble holding repetitive position stamps like Basket Weave and Veiners along Borders and keeping them accurate due to old hands being caloused, slick and not having the grip I once had, to prevent slippage and bounce I wrap the handles of my Stamps with 2-3 layers of masking tape or painters paper tape, it provides a better gripping surface and allows me more control of the tools. Don't know if this is good for everyone but I thought it might help some older carvers or folks with a weak grip.

Ken

[Sylvia]

Hi Chief...

This is a great tip! Sometimes those thin handled stamps are really a pain. I'm going to give this a try!

Thank you!

[Bob Blea]

I have seen some people wrap their stamp handles with electrical tape. I always thought it was their means of identifying their tools, like I put little bands of nail polish on mine. But now it occurs to me that their tape might help with their grip too. Just running with that thought, I've heard of people here suggesting those rubber pencil grips you can get in office supply stores to make a cushioned and non-slip grip for swivel knife barrels. I think they make them small enough you could get some for most stamp tools too. Just a thought.

I might have to look into this more. Thanks for the tip Ken. I've always had really dry hands, so things slipping can be a problem for me too.

Bob

[Sylvia]

I have a few of those laying around somewhere.

Another thought is that surgical tubing... the rubber stuff. I know it comes in a few sizes.

[Bob Blea]

OK, I had another brian storm thanks to Sylvia mentioning the tubing. There is a special type of tubing used in electronics called heat shrink tubing. It does just what the name implies. When it gets hot it shrinks to form tightly around cable bundles to seal up or insulate the ends. It usually is shrunk using a heat gun, though I've done it with the tip of a soldering iron or even a candle flame. It comes in all sorts of sizes and you can get it at Radio Shack. You would slide it over the tool handle then shrink it down with heat, and the material has a no slip feel to it. It would actually work great in this application, and it's not expensive.

Bob

[Sylvia]

Oh yeah.... how about heat shrink over surgical tubing to make a sealed padded plump surface?

[Chief31794]

I thought about the tubing but not heat shrink, I'm going to look into it, however, the masking tape lasts for months and months and comes off easy if there is a need to do so. I thought about surgical rubber tubes in just the right diameter.

Ken

[Kevin]

I have rubber fuel line on a couple stamps and the handle on my glue pot.

Kevin

[DoubleC]

You guys are awesome. I have shaky hands and I'm always messing things up. I have a ton of painters tape around here, some self-amalgamating tape that sticks to itself and is rubbery when it 'sets' and who knows what else I have I would never have thought of. Thanks Ken. Cheryl

[mrdabeetle]

I'm not an "old folk", but I use medical tape on mine (the kind that looks like a clear duct tape). It has a bit of give and loose weave of the cloth backing really lets me get a secure grip without squeezing the tool so hard that my hand hurts after a few minutes of tooling. I've been thinking about getting some

and make some form fitting grips for my tools, but that would mean altering the way they are organized and stored. It would really help save some hand pain though.

[Northmount]

No troubles hanging onto the stamp. Just need a sling or something for my neck and shoulders. They're killing me! Even with my shaky hands, since I rest my hand against the leather, I can still line up the stamps just fine. For you younger folk, enjoy your youth and good health while you have it. Age and the problems that come with it are all down hill, sooner than what you want.

[TigerPal]

No troubles hanging onto the stamp. Just need a sling or something for my neck and shoulders. They're killing me! Even with my shaky hands, since I rest my hand against the leather, I can still line up the stamps just fine. For you younger folk, enjoy your youth and good health while you have it. Age and the problems that come with it are all down hill, sooner than what you want.

[Sylvia]

No troubles hanging onto the stamp. Just need a sling or something for my neck and shoulders. They're killing me! Even with my shaky hands, since I rest my hand against the leather, I can still line up the stamps just fine. For you younger folk, enjoy your youth and good health while you have it. Age and the problems that come with it are all down hill, sooner than what you want.

Forgive me Northmount... but that sounds to me like an ergonomics problem. Sitting hunched over your work with the elbows too high. Try repositioning your chair to see if it improves.

[Northmount]

Forgive me Northmount... but that sounds to me like an ergonomics problem. Sitting hunched over your work with the elbows too high. Try repositioning your chair to see if it improves.

It's osteo-arthritis in c4/c5/c6 and probably also in the shoulders, elbows, knees. No cures, just pain management. Also keep moving or it will get to the point I can't move. So I'm what you might call a real pain in the neck! I thought someone might suggest a noose around the neck to support it.

Thanks anyhow. Proper ergonomics does help, and getting up to do something else every so often helps too. Just as well my work area is spread out in 2 rooms in the house plus in the garage ... and stairs in between.

CTG

[Sylvia]

So I'm what you might call a real pain in the neck! I thought someone might suggest a noose around the neck to support it.

CTG

LOL! No nooses for you young man! I sure feel for you. I know neck and shoulder pain myself.

[chancey77]

I use Hokey Stick Tape...nice grip and it doesn't leave a sticky residue.

[Double U Leather]

I'm an electrical tape guy myself. I have a couple of other tape issues I have to deal with too. On my ring finger, left hand, I've got a stinkin' little wart that the over the counter stuff won't touch. I've tried DMSO (not to be used for human consumption...equine only) and it isn't even working. So...when I've got a lot of beveling to do, I crack out the duct tape and away I go. And, duct tape actually kills warts in time....or so I've heard. Sometimes it gets kinda rolled up and I get the sticky on my tools, but it's not too much of pain to get rid of.

The other "age related" I'm finding out is I've got a touch of arthritis in the first joint of my pointer finger on my right hand...you know, the finger that fits into the saddle on your swivel knife. Doesn't hurt too bad when I'm working, but at the end of the day, dadgum gets tender. Maybe it's the result of riding bulls way back in past life. I don't know, but I'm not any too thrilled about it.

As was said earlier, savor your youth....one day you just kinda wake up and go..."Dang...I'm old". The thought of my birthday a year from now is making me a bit sick. Fixin' to not be in my 40's anymore. "Dang...I'm old". LOL.