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Shaky hands

Don Case

Don Case

Joined
Jul 10, 2021
Messages
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Location
Vancouver Island
Has anyone found anything to calm shaky hands a little? I'm just starting to strop some blocks and I'm having some difficulty feeding the serving thread though small openings. It's not a big deal but it does slow me down some. I know to limit the coffee.
 
Don Case said:
Has anyone found anything to calm shaky hands a little? I'm just starting to strop some blocks and I'm having some difficulty feeding the serving thread though small openings. It's not a big deal but it does slow me down some. I know to limit the coffee.
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Hi Don,

In dentistry we rarely work without using hand-rests and finger-rests (indeed, it is taught as a clinical necessity).

In my model building I rarely attempt precision work without having my arms/hands/fingers braced on something so that I have the best control of the 'working end' I possibly can. The closer you can get your bracing to what you are doing the better. It seems intuitive, but when my dad was working through his Parkinson's it really helped him to be actively conscious of this.

I hope I have helped a bit...
 
Don Case said:
Has anyone found anything to calm shaky hands a little? I'm just starting to strop some blocks and I'm having some difficulty feeding the serving thread though small openings. It's not a big deal but it does slow me down some. I know to limit the coffee.
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Hi sometimes if working on the bench I try and jig things to a hight that allows my to use my little fingers as a brace by pushing on the bench that helps me to stop a lot of the shaking.
When working at hight like working on masts/yards I hold some wood dowel that is long enough to reach the bench and to the hight that I am working on.
I hold the wood dowel using my small fingers and the heel of my palm.
Similar to how a sign writer uses the stick with a ball of cloth on the end.

I hope this makes sense
 
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You might look for some excess computer mouse pads with the small wrist rest built in, I turn them around and have the padded section under my wrist when needed.
 
I second what Paul said. Shaking hands for aging modelers is a truly frustrating affair, and can turn our hobby into torture. I assume you are already working a with visual magnification device like an illuminated magnifying visor? That can help quite a bit. If shaky hands is a constant issue, aside from tools which hold parts and allow you to steady your hands by resting the palms on them while you work, you may want to speak to a doctor and see if something else can be done. It is said that beta-blockers such as propranolol or some forms of anxiety medications help with the shakes, or perhaps a change in medication you are already taking could work. Perhaps you could craft a padded wrist-bench of sorts at the proper height to use while you work on tiny items, such as when you do block stropping. Inventing such a thing might prove useful if you have the bench space for it.
 
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DARIVS ARCHITECTVS said:
I second what Paul said. Shaking hands for aging modelers is a truly frustrating affair, and can turn our hobby into torture. I assume you are already working a with visual magnification device like an illuminated magnifying visor? That can help quite a bit. If shaky hands is a constant issue, aside from tools which hold parts and allow you to steady your hands by resting the palms on them while you work, you may want to speak to a doctor and see if something else can be done. Perhaps you could craft a padded wrist-bench of sorts at the proper height to use while you work on tiny items, such as when you do block stropping. Inventing such a thing might prove useful if you have the bench space for it.
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I have one of those magnifying lamps and I find that my depth perception goes away when I look through it. I'm using reading glasses at the moment and that helps but I'm thinking of one those magnifying visors but I'm afraid the depth perception thing may cause problems.
 
Don Case said:
I have one of those magnifying lamps and I find that my depth perception goes away when I look through it. I'm using reading glasses at the moment and that helps but I'm thinking of one those magnifying visors but I'm afraid the depth perception thing may cause problems.
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I wear glasses for close up work and I find I still have to wear them even when using my head magnifiers.
 
Don Case said:
I have one of those magnifying lamps and I find that my depth perception goes away when I look through it. I'm using reading glasses at the moment and that helps but I'm thinking of one those magnifying visors but I'm afraid the depth perception thing may cause problems.
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I use this things: LINK
Because they have separate lenses for each eye, I don't loose much in the way of depth perception, but any strong magnification does impact depth perception to a degree. There are times when the parts are so small, I want to buy an electron microscope. . . . ;)
 
Hello Don,
You may have Essential Tremor (same condition Katharine Hepburn had which also affected her head and voice- she was seen by one of the movement disorder Neurologists who trained me at the Columbia Neurological Institute and he asked her if it bothered her and her response was- "No, it bothers everybody else"!!) In any event when the tremor affects your hands it can interfere with your ability to perform fine motor movements- the more anxious you get or if you are under stress it tends to get worse. It also tends to be inherited. There are two medications that can help- the first is Inderal (Propranolol) which is also a blood pressure medication and the second is an old seizure medication called Mysoline (Primidone). Alcohol can also provide temporary relief but I would try to avoid that. There is also a new electrical stim. device called Cala Trio which you wear on your wrist for 1/2-1 hours. It stimulates your median and radial nerves in sync with the tremor and can provide relief for several hours- doesn't cure the tremor but there are no meds involved.
My advice would be to see a Neurologist/Movement Disorder Specialist to get a correct diagnosis.
Regards,
Robert Pedersen, MD,PhD
Retired Neurologist/Ship Model Builder
P.S.- Where do I send the bill??
 
Don Case said:
More good ideas, thanks guys. I just watched a couple of Olha's videos and I'm feeling pretty clumsy :)
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Don, I watch some SOS builds on the site forums and feel extremely clumsy. And with Olha you are not alone believe me. - I'm right handed so when doing finicky stuff I either use my right hand little finger or my left hand/arm as a brace. Cheers and good health to you.
 
I agree about what Dr. Robert Pedersen said. Does your hands shake even while not doing any modeling? There is also a condition Parkinsons. All of which you might want to have checked out. There are medicines that can slow this down some.
 
You folks hit the nail on the head. I am 75 and have shaky hands, also. I had been taking Amiodarone to help with my heartbeat. A major side effect is shaking hands. Last year, I asked my electrophysiologist (read Cardiologist who is an electrician) to take me off. Then, I was four years post-op from open heart surgery. I felt fine for the past year, but my hands still shook. Inherited from my mother and her carpal tunnel, and other neuropathic issues. Then my atrial fibrillation returned last week, with a vengeance. I am back on Amiodarone again, so my hands will shake for the foreseeable future. I have problems with detail painting and taping. I prop my wrist on a piece of 2x4 wrapped in a small piece of towel. I am attempting to train my hand and fingers to work independently from my wrist. Not always easy.
 
This may not be your main issue, but having just finished Endeavour after sixteen months, I found a product to help with threading through cats eye holes and a hundred other tasks , called "Big Eye" purchased from Micro.Mark in packs of three (www.micromark.com). Its an extra fine needle which is divided in two and attached at top and bottom, makes threading and rigging (with shaky hands) a dream! The only challenge is separating the two needle sides to thread the line through the extra large apperture. Good luck with your task.
 
I had to pretty much call it quits due to the shakes I was having. I am working on the Beagle at about 30% finished. I’ve had seizures for over 45 years, I am 63. My neurologist put me on zonisamide last week to see if it would help. Will give it a try. Would like to get back into it again.
 
Comments reviewed. First thing that needs to be done is to establish a correct diagnosis which is why it would be important to get a referral to a Neurologist/Movement Disorder Specialist. Is it Essential Tremor (basically an action tremor which gets worse with volitional activity as members have described here), Parkinson's which manifests as a tremor at rest or possibly a side effect of medication. All of the medications used to treat Essential Tremor and Parkinson's can have side effects. With regard to Essential Tremor however the one treatment which has been demonstrated to have beneficial effect and is not a medication is the electrical stim. device Cala Trio which you can check out on YouTube.
 
rpedersen,

I will look into this, sounds like something that could work for me.
Thanks, Kevin
 
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