Avoid hurting yourself when modeling

by Rato Marczak

SIMPLE MODELING TRICKS TO AVOID HURTING YOURSELF

This should be no secret to nobody. Anyway, I decided to add it to our tips section after two friends of mine got seriously hurt while modeling - both in the same week, and both with a hobby knife. So, this tip consists of two simple advices:

1.) Never, ever, scratch your nose or your eyes or ... whatever when holding a knife in your hand. The right side of your brain is focused on what you have just cut, and won´t warn you about a possible unintentional harakiri.

2.) Avoid the old problem of hobby knifes rolling over the table to your lap or foot. There are many ways to do this. Some modern hobby knifes comes with a triangular shaped handle to avoid rolling. You can also plug some sort of anti-roll device to them. The simplest method is to add an ´ear´ to your hobby knife handle out of a stiff masking tape or electrical tape. Here´s how:

A simple anti-roll device for your favorite knife.

I know it seems stupid, but believe me, simple actions like this make our hobby safer.

Another view, another knife.

Finally, if you have kids, remember: never leave these sharp tools in reach of them. And even if your tools are properly stored (hidden), it´s a good idea to keep their protective cap on.

© Rato Marczak & LSP  2005