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In that it can give you bad posture and make you fat through bending over the painting table and sitting all day? Sure. Physical injuries...only if you're a klutz...which has happened to the best of us i'm sure
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Worst I've done is manage to stab myself in the groinal region once upon a time.
I must pry what happend....
Yes, please regale us with that tale!
Azreal13 wrote:My only issue with stabbing myself is when I bleed so badly that I have to stop building whatever model I'm working on to avoid the blood getting on it.
If I can seal it off with super glue and carry on, it's not a problem.
Yay! Someone else who does this! it is such a pain to have to go faff about finding a plaster when the super glue is on hand... I only do it when my partner won't catch me though...
Absolutely agreed on the safety considerations- small risk of infection, but minimal. If in doubt, rubbing a bit of savlon or similar around the wound will probably do the trick.
The worst injury I got when modelling was dropping my Stanley knife on my big toe, blade down. For some reason, whilst it stabbed into my toe, it basically bounced straight out and only made a small stab wound. Fairly sure it missed any important structures too, and didn't seem deep enough to reach bone. I hadn't come up with using super glue at that time, and had to hobble across the house to stop it bleeding on the floor. Would've left it otherwise. Still got the scar. The only other hobby scar is a cut to my thumb pulp- most other cuts were too shallow to leave permanent marks.
My most serious injury was completely hobby unrelated, just stupidly playing with a knife for fun and severed a tendon in my hand!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/03/05 19:11:06
ChargerIIC wrote: If algae farm paste with a little bit of your grandfather in it isn't Grimdark I don't know what is.
With metal miniatures it seemed injuries where more common.
I had a buddy that was using an electric dremel to speed up making holes for wing supports, only to drill all the way through the model and into his hand.
He was sitting there screaming and couldn't tell how bad the wound was because the model was stuck between blocking to see how bad it was.
Plus it got caught in the skin of his hand so he had to back it out.. It was nasty with metal shavings and all.. but he never went to the doctor.
I LARP/Dag and have a bruise on my calf that’s been there for a full week!! Clearly terrible for health!! Joking aside, no, it isn’t; at least in a vacuum. Like any hobby (I don’t consider smoking/drinking/drugs hobbies), if you are smart about it, it’s good for your health; mix of mentally, physically, and emotionally. Mistakes you make become bad for your health. But this hobby improves physical talent (painting/modeling), tactics (mental strength), and helps with social skills (unless you’re an unrepentant TFGGUO). It’s good for you. It really is. Just make safer choices when building your models.
Reality is a nice place to visit, but I'd hate to live there.
Manchu wrote:I'm a Catholic. We eat our God.
Due to work, I can usually only ship any sales or trades out on Saturday morning. Please trade/purchase with this in mind.
I don't think it's any less bad for your health than hobbies that involve using any sort of tools. Working on your car exposes to even worse chemicals and you can actually lose limbs/life if you are careless! You would have to feth up pretty bad in wargaming to lose a finger.
Thought for the day: Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
30k Ultramarines: 2000 pts
Bolt Action Germans: ~1200 pts
AOS Stormcast: Just starting.
The Empire : ~60-70 models.
1500 pts
: My Salamanders painting blog 16 Infantry and 2 Vehicles done so far!
TheCustomLime wrote: I don't think it's any less bad for your health than hobbies that involve using any sort of tools. Working on your car exposes to even worse chemicals and you can actually lose limbs/life if you are careless! You would have to feth up pretty bad in wargaming to lose a finger.
Plus if you stick the finger in ice, you can most likely get it reattached successfully
I've had a tendon repaired with a good outcome, modern medicine is wonderful for patching up injuries the body can't quite deal with by itself
ChargerIIC wrote: If algae farm paste with a little bit of your grandfather in it isn't Grimdark I don't know what is.
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote: And then I look back at a long history of using spray cans without adequate protection for my respiratory system, years of breathing in poly cement,
Honestly, and in all seriousness, this is the one legit hazard of this hobby, but it is easily mitigated if people would get off their ass and spend the $35 or so on a real cartridge respirator (3M 7500 series is excellent) and either spray outdoors OR setup a basic spray booth.
Failcast is a hazard as its been responsible for at least 3 exacto thumb cuts...
on a serious note - I think everyone should invest in a good mask. You can get them relatively cheap from amazon, im glad I did as i can file/spray away.
Also I think painting can be genuinely bad for my back..
Not sure if its just me but when I get to around 2 hours at the paining desk I'm getting upper back/shoulder/neck pains. Im 30 and in pretty good shape and regularly exercise which helps to alleviate this with stretches and movement. But if anyone has similiar issue s and has come up with some solutions im all ears
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/03/07 02:29:54
AngryAngel80 wrote: I don't know, when I see awesome rules, I'm like " Baby, your rules looking so fine. Maybe I gotta add you to my first strike battalion eh ? "
When I was making my Hellraiser themed Talos conversions, I drilled a hole through my finger. It was agonizing.
And for my job-lot Dark Eldar, there's probably as much blood underneath the paint as there is primer.
I try not to think about the spraying indoors (the humidity levels around here make it mandatory sometimes).
Like everyone, I use superglue to patch up accidental lacerations, and while I know it's not acutely toxic in the short term, I also know the 'cyan' in cyanoacrylate doesn't stand for 'ice cream,' and probably isn't doing me any favors long-term.
But my gearhead friends have burns and missing fingernails. My equestrian friends have squishy toes, broken knees, and missing fingertips.
Most hobbies seem like they take their toll, eventually. I guess it's just a matter of picking what you want to spend your health on. And then trying to get the best deal on it, lol.
PossumCraft wrote:The angle you've asked the question from is the problem, and ridiculous.
There's always one.
PossumCraft wrote:Compare to that, my house was built in 1930's NZ, which means it's pretty much certain to be built with asbestos, and I've been doing DIY since I bought it 15 months ago. That's a shedload of drilling, cutting and sanding asbestos walls, even before you add in the chemicals from MDF, pallet wood and chipboard.
Why? I mean, are you trying to commit suicide by cancer or something?
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:so answer me this: why hasn't my pot of goblin green from the 1990s not run out yet? I've used it loads over the years, but it never seems too empty.
What the heck is with that stuff? I have a pot too, and it's as good as the day I bought it, and I've seen others post about it on reddit as well; always Goblin Green. I'd love to know exactly how they made that stuff.
Also I think painting can be genuinely bad for my back..
Not sure if its just me but when I get to around 2 hours at the paining desk I'm getting upper back/shoulder/neck pains. Im 30 and in pretty good shape and regularly exercise which helps to alleviate this with stretches and movement. But if anyone has similiar issue s and has come up with some solutions im all ears
I actually found a solution!
I'm 31, 6'6" and have had back problems for the last 31 years.
The solution is to have a really high desk.
An explanation, for those interested:
Spoiler:
So the problem is that desks, even ones set at the 'correct ergonomic height' are set up for a completely different task. I did the math a while back when setting up a gaming PC, and for my height a desk is optimally 82~ cm. That means it supports my arms and shoulder while I do normal desk stuff, IE using a keyboard and mouse, or drawing. Even the building and converting side of the hobby is best done at this height.
Compare that to painting - you want to steady your arms on the desk, but you want the miniature close to your eyes. That means even with my elbows on the desk I'm hunching terribly.
Cue depression, alcohol and my mother-in-law staying for 3 weeks, and I decided to build a new room in the garage, just for me to escape to and hobby. Built a normal height desk in there out of an old door, great for conversions etc. Still knackered my back painting. Put some shelves up, and decided to have a swing down platform on the front for setting my photo lightbox on. By random chance this ended up 120cm off the floor.
And it turns out to be absolutely fantastic for painting at!
It is the perfect height that I can rest my wrists on the front edge (padded for comfort, now!) and have the mini right in my eye line. Best of all, my back is kept straight and without strain. head is level, without significant strain on my neck.
The solution, in my case, is a desk 120cm off the floor which I can lean on the edge of. Straight back, supported arms and miniatures.
Why? I mean, are you trying to commit suicide by cancer or something?
Ha, no. moved to NZ, and bought a house. Discovered there basically aren't building standards, zero protection for buyers, and it's so expensive to live here you need three income streams.
Don't even start on the cost of getting tradespeople. So, end up needing to turn half the house into an airBnB, and doing all the work myself. I use a high quality filter mask for most of it.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/03/07 05:32:57
Azreal13 wrote: My only issue with stabbing myself is when I bleed so badly that I have to stop building whatever model I'm working on to avoid the blood getting on it.
If I can seal it off with super glue and carry on, it's not a problem.
weird. Whenever I've cut myself building a model, I've tend to smear some extra blood on it, just to see if a little blood sacrifice works and makes the model luckier. You know, for scientific testing.
Excommunicatus wrote: I'm a ball-hair under 6'4 and also echo the recommendation for a higher desk.
The world is built for 5'10 people.
I was under the impression it was built for a range between 5'8" and 5'4", or something along those lines (based on global averages). 5'10" would actually be approaching comfy for me, and most chairs are bloody awful still even at 5'11"!
ChargerIIC wrote: If algae farm paste with a little bit of your grandfather in it isn't Grimdark I don't know what is.
I'm fairly lucky that I have a fairly large garden shed with lights so I can spray undercoat even in cold/wet weather.
I do however take precautions, such as a high quality dust mask with filters and disposable latex gloves. I'm a lab technician, so I know the risks of breathing in particles and absorption through the skin!
40k: Thousand Sons World Eaters
30k: Imperial Fists 405th Company
I've been working with construction silicone a lot lately, and while I confess I'd been inclined to view it as a relatively innocuous substance, the way my breath catches when I'm using it did give me pause for thought, I think I'll bite the bullet and invest in a decent mask.
Also I think painting can be genuinely bad for my back..
Not sure if its just me but when I get to around 2 hours at the paining desk I'm getting upper back/shoulder/neck pains. Im 30 and in pretty good shape and regularly exercise which helps to alleviate this with stretches and movement. But if anyone has similiar issue s and has come up with some solutions im all ears
I actually found a solution!
I'm 31, 6'6" and have had back problems for the last 31 years.
The solution is to have a really high desk.
An explanation, for those interested:
Spoiler:
So the problem is that desks, even ones set at the 'correct ergonomic height' are set up for a completely different task. I did the math a while back when setting up a gaming PC, and for my height a desk is optimally 82~ cm. That means it supports my arms and shoulder while I do normal desk stuff, IE using a keyboard and mouse, or drawing. Even the building and converting side of the hobby is best done at this height.
Compare that to painting - you want to steady your arms on the desk, but you want the miniature close to your eyes. That means even with my elbows on the desk I'm hunching terribly.
Cue depression, alcohol and my mother-in-law staying for 3 weeks, and I decided to build a new room in the garage, just for me to escape to and hobby. Built a normal height desk in there out of an old door, great for conversions etc. Still knackered my back painting. Put some shelves up, and decided to have a swing down platform on the front for setting my photo lightbox on. By random chance this ended up 120cm off the floor.
And it turns out to be absolutely fantastic for painting at!
It is the perfect height that I can rest my wrists on the front edge (padded for comfort, now!) and have the mini right in my eye line. Best of all, my back is kept straight and without strain. head is level, without significant strain on my neck.
The solution, in my case, is a desk 120cm off the floor which I can lean on the edge of. Straight back, supported arms and miniatures.
Why? I mean, are you trying to commit suicide by cancer or something?
Ha, no. moved to NZ, and bought a house. Discovered there basically aren't building standards, zero protection for buyers, and it's so expensive to live here you need three income streams.
Don't even start on the cost of getting tradespeople. So, end up needing to turn half the house into an airBnB, and doing all the work myself. I use a high quality filter mask for most of it.
Ahh... interesting stuff. thank you fro your insight. Unfortunately the desk change is not an option now but when I get my new place will get a dedicated hobby room so will be making that from scratch and will drop some ££ on a adjustable height desk I think.
AngryAngel80 wrote: I don't know, when I see awesome rules, I'm like " Baby, your rules looking so fine. Maybe I gotta add you to my first strike battalion eh ? "
I bet there's a positive mental health effect from painting and having a project to work towards. Assembling lists and models (maybe converting) and then devising colour schemes and painting involves a good deal of thinking, is quite meditative in parts and there's a satisfaction to producing finished pieces you can hold in your hands. Along with the face to face social aspect of playing these are things you don't get with computer games
Nothing direct (although I've cut and stabbed myself a few times over the years), but a hobby that involves sitting down indoors for long periods of time probably hasn't been the most beneficial ...
nareik wrote: The back pain is due to posture, the posture is due to trying to position the model to steadily see the details to paint.
Improve your lighting and you'll reduce your contortions, eliminating the aches. As a bonus you're painting will look even better!
It may not be that simple.
Even with a higher desk I still find myself stooping and hunching to see details at times and it isn't because of lack of light; it's because my eyes just don't work super-well.
nareik wrote: The back pain is due to posture, the posture is due to trying to position the model to steadily see the details to paint.
Improve your lighting and you'll reduce your contortions, eliminating the aches. As a bonus you're painting will look even better!
It may not be that simple.
Even with a higher desk I still find myself stooping and hunching to see details at times and it isn't because of lack of light; it's because my eyes just don't work super-well.
I suppose in that case adequate corrective lenses/magnification would be best?
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Snake Tortoise wrote: I bet there's a positive mental health effect from painting and having a project to work towards. Assembling lists and models (maybe converting) and then devising colour schemes and painting involves a good deal of thinking, is quite meditative in parts and there's a satisfaction to producing finished pieces you can hold in your hands. Along with the face to face social aspect of playing these are things you don't get with computer games
I've definitely noticed negative mental effects due to less modelling time whilst at uni. Unfortunately my course makes me move round too much to bring my stuff up.
Thankfully it is nearly bloody finished. The downsides being I'll have to work next
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/03/11 17:19:01
ChargerIIC wrote: If algae farm paste with a little bit of your grandfather in it isn't Grimdark I don't know what is.
With this hobby, though. ROHS regs in civilised parts of the world have done a fair bit to decrease risks to life. Toluene isn't used in as many "hobby" products as it used to for example. It's a carcinogen (nowhere near as bad as MEK or hexavalent chromium, but still bad.)
Polycement (I use Revell's contacta, for example) switched from a toluene solvent base to an n-butyl acetate (which isn't AS active on polystyrene, but it still works). What it's crap for now is "cutting" squadron green putty (which still uses toluene). When they both used it, you could thin the putty with polycement and paint it into cracks and it would dry very had and could be drilled and filed and still didn't shrink as much as GWs "liquid greenstuff".
Testors dullcote uses a different (non toluene) carrier. It took them a while to get the formulation back to "true flat" as a result.
Paying attention to even BASIC personal protection will do a lot.
Don't huff paint or glue fumes.
Don't grind up your minis and do lines.
Wash your hands after handling metal minis.
Back in the 80s the very best miniature paint here in the states was some real bad stuff. I've painted cars.. so yeah MEK is bad.. Isocyanates are worse. But yeah we made sure to not lick that brush but just having the pot open int he room was dangerous. I've done the automotive paint stuff back when they had high Isocyanates (back when automotive paints were actually GOOD.. good paint means toxic paint, "safe paint" is usually utter crap) for several classic cars (real cars). So yeah No licking the brush! Everything else I lick though. Heh. Things are a lot safer.
Also the cutting away from yourself is an "old wives tale" for safety. Humans have much less manual dexterity and fine motor control when cutting away rather than towards ourselves. As a result, assuming a minimum level of muscle control you cut yourself rarely. Cutting away you are more likely to incur an injury as you faff about like a rubber monkey throwing poo.
You want cut proof skin? Work in an abrasive industry. You'll have skin as thick as a rhino in a year. You'll be an ugly mother but you'll have thick folds of skin and callouses. You can take a scalpel to that.
The Empire 
1500 pts
: 
please don't
Eldar- 4436 pts
Thousand Sons 
World Eaters
Imperial Fists 405th Company 
