I know that everyone will injure themselves by cutting and burning themsleves at one point or another, but I was wondering if anyone here is suffering from longterm damage from doing models for years. We all know that the paint bottle says it has some nasty stuff in it, but has anyone seriously damaged themselves from doing this for years? [B)]Just wanted to see how dangerous this hobby really is.
So far so good, knock on wood!
I work in a body shop painting cars, I don’t think what I do on a model can be any worse.
In my 48 years, I’ve worked in body shops and graphics studios with every imaginable solvent (and modeled many years as well) and eye haventt not seed no bad efex on ma brein or boday.
Permanent damage you say?
Why yes (and it’s all mental and none physical) [:p]
Other than the scars on my left arm where I glued myself to the cat, nope, nothing else is noticable after 28 years of modeling.
Maybe ask my wife?
I think modelers, like artists and other professionals, pay some respect to the tools and chemicals we use. Too bad there are dimwits that are using our supplies and tools to get high or to hurt people. Really is making it hard for our kids to try to enjoy the hobby like we have. To me, that is a long term damaging effect.
Yeah, it’s pretty unforntionate. I think every member of this whole forum could agree with me when I say that this hobby couldn’t be done well without chemicals and smelly stuff. All we can do is just try to keep ourselves safe from this stuff.
I think thats well said. By the way, did you really glue yourself to your cat?![:p]
Been at it for a few years. No ill effects yet, knock on wood 
my injuries are all non-modeling injuries. some of which (bad knees) will never be 100% again.
joe
Did I miss the thread with the full story on that one? [:)]
So it seems that (so far, anyways. . . ) modeling is only hazardous if you’re a cat[;)]
My body has started cashing the checks I wrote on it when I was much younger and far more immortal than I am now. Got a shoulder that was separated playing college football, lets me know when the smallest rain cloud is any where within a 100 mile radius. Right ear rings constantly and can’t really hear someone speaking on that side, thanks to being too close to too many radials running at full power and too many years shooting big bore rifles. Got a disc in my lower back that is about 65 to 70 percent collapsed - and really don’t know how I did it. God - getting old is so much fun!
Only mementos of modeling I can think of are a 2 inch long scar just below the thumb of my left thumb, courtesy of an exacto knife that got away from me when I was 11. And a 3/4 inch scar just behind my toes, in the middle of my right foot from the time I was 15 and an exacto knife rolled off the desk and attempted to pin my tennis shoe and foot to the floor.
[B)][B)][B)][B)][B)]
Yeah, would you be able to tell us about that one scottrc? That must have been fun! [:D]
Something a lot of modelers don’t think about. Those nice, round, solid-feeling X-acto knife handles roll really easily. As a kid/teenager I somehow avoided shishkebabing my foot, but nowadays I keep a flap of tape wrapped around the knife handle so it can’t roll. No sense tempting fate, especially after you’ve reached the age where you’re no longer invincible. [;)]
RE: The Cat Story…reminds me of an episode in one of G. Gordon Liddy’s novels where the hero takes out a (very bad) bad guy by locking him in a closet with a enraged cat. A rather original way to administer justice. Fortunately, scottrc lived to tell his story. [:0]
I’ve had many injuries mostly associated with sports. I’ve been working with this modeling glue since 62/63and there are no ill effects. At least none that the doctors and shrinks can detect. I’m a good actor.LOL No, health is fine and I’ll be building for years to come.
The cat story??? Our cat used to like to annoy me by sleeping on my hobby table while I worked. I was using CA this one night and the dummy kept stretching into my workspace. So, I went to give her a push in the rear with my hand, and when I go to remove my hand, found it was adhered to the butt of my sleeping cat. All was fine until she woke up and felt fur and skin beginning to tear. I had my debonder close by but she went into buzzsaw mode before I had a chance to grab and use it.
You should have seen the look on my wife’s face when she saw the cat running out from the basement with a bald spot on her butt, and me following her, running into the bathroom bleeding from my arm, and a lump a fur glued to my palm.
This might not work so well for those of you with small workbenches, but when I put the knife down, I try to remember to put it perpendicular with the long edge of my workbench. That way, if it should roll, it would have to go about three feet before it fell. In the unlikely event it does roll that far before I stop it, it would fall harmlessly to the floor. Also (and I don’t always remember to do this), when I won’t be using the knife for a little while, I’ll slip the plastic blade guard over it and that keeps it from rolling at all.
That’s why I don’t let my cat sit in my lap or be anywhere near the hobby bench while I’m working.[:)]
My cats run when I even break out the paint. They seem to hate the smell and they run away when they think I am about to open something up.
Had three stiches in my hand when a then younger me tried to pry open a a large jar of paint and broke it. Bled pretty nicely.