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I'm new to game and I've grown to enjoy the hobby quite a bit. Although I haven't played a great deal, I've grown to LOVE converting, posing, magnetizing and (especially) painting my models.

Lately I've noticed that my left thumb really hurts. At first I thought that I'd jammed it at work somehow. Nope. It turns out that the death grip I use to keep hold of all my tiny bits and pieces has put quite a strain on my thumb. I suppose I could try a lighter grip but when the difference between a light grip and a sure one is a wicked x-acto knife wound (or an ugly brush stroke) I'll always choose the sure one.

Does anybody else feel my pain? If so, how do you cope? I know I could just take a break and play some games instead, but...I don't wanna! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I too have a ache in the thumb sometimes , but I'm old now ( 45 ) and I need to do gripping at work using the phone , tools and driving, and it always seems worse after holding a mouse for a while . I was thinking of glueing the bases of models to a stick so I can have an easier grip , but for the last six months I've been doing 10 to 20 man squads so thats impractical.

I draw and paint alot,what I usally do(my thumb doesnt ache but my middle finger does,because of the weird way I hold stuff)I put a plaster around it.It sort of pads the area and makes it feel a little better as I am holding the brush or whatever it may be.



Oh and welcome.

You can glue a figure to something like a paint pot, that makes it easier to grip. Or you can buy a a clamp like this. I'm 30 now and I worry when my hands cramp up, I would be rather put out if this hobby were taken away from me.

Hmmm... well, I'm new to the hobby myself, but I've done art and craft work since I was a kid, and since I have massive hands this got to be a problem when I grew up because I liked working on really small, detailed things. I don't know exactly what you're deathgripping your models and pieces to do, but here's a couple things I've done in other hobbies that work well.

Naturally, a long pair of tweezers or long, fine needle-nosed pliers would work moderately well, but you say your hands are hurting already and both of those methods require some pretty heavy squeezing to keep things secure.

1. Don't *glue* sticks to the bottom of a base, use a couple strong magnets on the top and bottom of the base, held together through the plastic of the base itself, and stick it on any long piece of metal you've got lying around. If the magnets are good, it will NOT move unless you deliberately try to make it come apart.

2. Take two rods. Stick one on top of the base, one underneath the base. Using a rubber band, secure one end of the two sticks together and hold the other two firmly to securely grip the model. The less the sticks go past the base on the rubber band end, and the further they go past the base on the end you hold, the more secure the grip will be and the less you'll have to squeeze to keep the model from shifting around.

3. Very veeeeery small pieces, you're gonna have to figure out what works best for you. My advice is to wrap a bit of tape around the end of a stick or something (sticky side out) and stick the pieces to the tape. Problem with this is the tape will lose effectiveness with time and getting paint on it, and won't hold if you're doing any cutting. To kind of fix this, try adhering some putty to the stick instead and press the bit in. It'll hold a bit better, but you'll have to reapply new putty each time it dries. The nice thing about this is, if you're using something cheap and fast-setting like Amazing Putty, you can easily put some on the end of your stick or tool or whatever, press whatever tiny piece you want to paint a bunch of securely into the putty, then give it the five or ten minutes it needs to set, and you have a perfectly shaped piece of flexible putty that'll hold any identical piece in place. So, if you're painting a lot of one thing (tiny skulls, grenades, heads, and so forth) you can do this and be able to quickly and easily move from piece to piece. The problem with this would be that you'd have to wait for the paint to dry before pulling it out of the putty mold, but there are always other things to do while waiting for paint to dry



There ya go. Of course, so long as the one end is small enough, it doesn't matter how long the part you hold onto is. For the magnets you could easily attach the piece to a screwdriver or such for a larger, more comfortable grip.

Those are the things that came to mind right away, fiddle around and see what works for you. And the dowels I used in these pictures are actually extra disposable chopsticks I got from our local bad-but-there's-lots-of-it Chinese restaurant. They've got a million and one uses, and if you're feeling brave you can use them as they were intended, shaving the ends off flat, to make it easier to dip pieces in glue or what-have-you, apply seals and decals, and general do anything that requires a bit more precision than fingers allow. I use chopsticks more than tweezers for detail work like that

And I'm sorry the picture focused on the danged wall rather than the models, my batteries dies after this last shot so I couldn't take another one >_< But you can see what I did in each one. Right: Marine held with two chopsticks and a rubber band. Middle: tiny skull bit stuck to tape on a chopstick (to test this I took a few dry brushstrokes on the skull. It didn't move a bit, it was held pretty darn fast). Left: two magnets on a base attached to a metal chunk laying on my desk. I'd use a screwdriver or something similar for that one, were I you. Or, if you're working with metal bits, happy days! Just attach a magnet to a screw driver and stick the metal bit to the magnet. Magnets make working with metal models SO much easier. Try each and see which works best for you.

Edit: and also, about your fear of cutting yourself, I've been kind of thinking of doing a quick tutorial on proper knife-use. Probably nobody else in the world cares, but with ten years of carving experience I go insane with fear whenever I watch a model-making video online and see the ways some people use knives XD There are sooo many easy ways to ensure safety when using a knife no matter *how* much force you have to apply, and there are a lot of very comfortable ways to hold a knife for detail work. But, I'm sleepy right now, so maybe later

Totally agree about making cuts. Even with years of experience I still catch myself making stupid cuts. Earlier this year I did a thumb knife pull which cut a gash in my thumb that is still healing.

I use Icy hot. It comes in a roll-on like deodorant, so it only goes where you want it. That stuff is all that keeps me able to work on fiddly multi-part kits. It's kind of smelly, but worth it.

Lol I don't know what kind of painting/drawing that you guys are doing if your getting achey hands.. I always just have a firm but gentle grip and i never have any problems.. =)

Sicarious85 wrote:Lol I don't know what kind of painting/drawing that you guys are doing if your getting achey hands.. I always just have a firm but gentle grip and i never have any problems.. =)

Dare tou mock our sore and hurt thumbs?

How dare you sir?

Young scamp doesn't know what it's like for us crusty old dudes.

At this point, my thumb is so callused from cuts I don't even care if I miss any more. I have what you might call a shield

You may want to just hold the models a little softer, or try getting a sharper knife so you don't have to press so hard. Also, a good industrial pair of snippers (not modelling clippers, as they can't cut through higher grades of steel) is useful both for snipping models and for snipping wire or other situations that may come up. This saves yourself a headache of trying to cut through something tough such as a thick piece of plastic or guitar wire.

I guess me being a Formwork Carpenter has nothing to do with me having calloused and rough hands either ... =)

I've cut myself plenty of times.. got the scars to prove it.. haha. The funniest one was went I was cutting small pieces of metal rod with the citadel clippers, one piece clipped off and dissapeared.. i later found it well and truly entrenced within my little finger, went in quite far.

Good luck with your sore limbs and appendiges..

Again he mocks us,OLD TIMERS ASSEMBLE!!!!

Lets show this young pup what it means to be sore,beaten and bruised!!!!

Exercise your fingers! Nothing too crazy but if you just move them around a lot (make circles with your fingers, or forced wiggles) for several seconds and use Google for a few more, several times a day (when you think about it, nothing regimented). In a week or so your fingers should begin to improve. It's about working the tendons and small muscles in the forearms and not submitting them to repeated similar motions (which could lead to Carpal Tunnel). Variety and exercise, even your fingaz! Until they start to feel better, Aleve works great.

okay I too have suffered with thumb pain in the past and here is waht I have learned.

1. TAKE BREAKS AT LEAST EVERY 20 MINS, stretch go do something

2. Try not to make marathon painting sessions, your thumb pain is your body telling you your stressing it beyond comfort.

3. If its really bad, buy a thumb brace, 17 dollars tops and it works wonders.

4. after a while your body should be able to adjust tbh, if you just started in the hobby, your body is not used to what you are telling it what to do, so of course it gets tired and irritated, give it a chance to catch up!

5. BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

Ibruphen cream (mild painkiller that helps muscle problems)
few cans of redbull
ignore it and continue

Sorry, I wrote my last post when I was very rushed for time. Re-reading it, it's not very clear. Here it is again... (Hopefully better)

Exercise your fingers!

Simple exercises that you can find with a Google search. Some examples: Just wiggling them using isometrics (forced tension) or pressing them together while flexing (again isometrics). Also, slowly, with forced tension, balling your hands up into fists and opening them as wide as they'll go. These are some examples. Google is your friend here.

Just going through a short routine that only lasts 30 seconds or a minute, several times a day can have huge benefits in a week or so. Nothing regimented, just whenever you think about doing it.

The idea is that (as others stated) your hands are not used to what you're telling them to do. Exercising them will stretch and flex the tendons in the hands and even work the small muscle groups in the thumbs and forearms to help prepare them for what you want them to do.

In the short term, Motrin works good and Aleve works great (for me, anyway). I am also in my forties and have had hand issues. These exercises have done wonders for me. Good luck!

Holy cow. Wow. Thanks to everybody who posted. You really helped me out (and amazed my friend who actually exclaimed, "Pictures? They posted pictures?!?"). Y'all are awesome. Thanks again!

Love,
Baron Vas Deferens

Deff Dread red Edition wrote:Again he mocks us,OLD TIMERS ASSEMBLE!!!!

Lets show this young pup what it means to be sore,beaten and bruised!!!!

Old timer you were not even born when I graduated high school. *shakes cane at the young whippersnapper*

I have gooten the thumb pain in the past but havnt gotten it in a while ( knocks on wood ) I think I may have worked my hands to the point of just growing those muscles stronger , I do know people that suffer from it and have to use creams and the such .

The only real pain I had is when I was using the pin vise What I have to work on is when I paint I have to remind myself to look at stuff far away every 10 minutes or so too readjust my eyes ( they sometime get strained when painting ) I was told to use an egg alarm to help remind myself for when I get lost in my painting .

Sicarious85 wrote:Lol I don't know what kind of painting/drawing that you guys are doing if your getting achey hands.. I always just have a firm but gentle grip and i never have any problems.. =)

Im with Sicarious85 on this one, and iv been converting my new leman russ for about 2 hours in one go, cutting plasticard an tank alike without any thumb pain.

And by the way.. you guys are cuttin stuff in a saw like motion and not just forcing the knife down with brute force? Just asking because you never know.. =)

And im 30 by the way so im not a youngling anymore..

Bubbalicious wrote:

Sicarious85 wrote:Lol I don't know what kind of painting/drawing that you guys are doing if your getting achey hands.. I always just have a firm but gentle grip and i never have any problems.. =)

Im with Sicarious85 on this one, and iv been converting my new leman russ for about 2 hours in one go, cutting plasticard an tank alike without any thumb pain.

And by the way.. you guys are cuttin stuff in a saw like motion and not just forcing the knife down with brute force? Just asking because you never know.. =)

And im 30 by the way so im not a youngling anymore..

Oh wow, someone has better genetics than me. Bet you'll live an additional 5 years too! ;-)