Greetings and Salutations!
3. Different. Fingers. Locked up on me randomly whilst I was working on the 1911. I swear to God I need to try and get this ‘service related’ and added to my count, as Oh So Many Years of messing with smol pieces/parts and the fiddly bits have definitely taken a toll.
I went out and took the 1911 out of the chem-bath I had it in:
As you can see, two days in there and that Hydrodip film and the base coat was well on it’s way to the ‘last round up’. I wore some chem-resistant gloves while I used a pair of brass bristle brushes to get ALL the crap off. The chem in question is xylene.
Some potent stuff.
The gloves started to break down after about 10 minutes
I got everything done, but it was a near thing.
The last thing I wanted to do was have my hands in that crap.
The can had enough health and cancer warnings that after having my lung issues, I tend to pay attention. I follow all that ‘use in well ventilated areas’ and the warning that “…this product is essentially Tumor-In-A-Can” and whatnot.
Even with the precautions, I look like I smoked a doobie
Gretchen called my attention to it when I got done
“What’s wrong with your eyes?”
I look and see Cheech and Chong Eyes staring back.
Them fumes were harsh man.
But I did get it done:
Yep.
Took all that crap off and down to the bare metal.
HOWEVER
The “Sons of Arthritis” came to visit while I was taping it up for the next step(s).
I use a scalpel to get the tape formed the way I want it to, and there’s a lot of precise handwork that needs to be done. About 3/4 of the way through, the fingers went on strike so to speak.
They weren’t happy.
Locking up, either fully curled up or going fully extended without my say-so. Fun fact: Renoir had some serious arthritis. So badly that it severely limited his mobility, including his ability to grip a brush. To the point when he continued to paint, he’d have the brushes tied to his hands/wrists. Unfortunately for me, this ain’t painting, so I think I’m going to have to push for the Carpal Tunnel Surgery at the VA. They’ve already diagnosed me, but now?
Yeah… this night sort of surprised me in the intensity of the onset of the pain and suddenness of it, if that makes grammatical sense? Either way I FIDO’d and got this done:
And for now, I’m done.
I’ve been two-fingering this poast, as Ye Olde Paws are still sore AF. I’ve been hitting them with the Voltaren (prescription stronk) but for now?
I’ll hit you all up tomorrow.
More Later
Big Country
Besides all of the years of gunsmithing, you’ve also done a lot of IT work with typing galore and using screw drivers, etc and dealing with tiny bits. Do you have wrist pads for your keyboard and mouse ?
I’m in IT and was getting tingling in my hands really bad and the doctor told me to always have a good wrist and mouse pad and get a new one every year.
It sounds like between gunsmithing and IT, you’re gonna need the carpal tunnel surgery.
The good news is they have to do one wrist at a time and it sucks for a few weeks and then once that is healed, do the other.
That’s true too
But for the sake of the VA… it was ALLLLL the Armorer’s Work that caused it
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
Just in case ya don’t already know…
Your meme was almost your treatment.
Extension stretching of the fingers, only takes 20 seconds per hand occasionally while working (flexing) helps. Yers is more advanced (tendons getting stuck in the sheaths, but it’ll help. And if any stretch hurts, ease back on it.
BTW, I’m not a doctor, “just a nurse” but I did stay at all Holiday Inn express last night.
Phlump.
Ginger and Tumeric to ease the inflammation. And stay out of the fumes! Use goggles and make a fume hood. Better gloves.
Thank you for the update on Mike.
I use a big old kitchen fan hood for melting lead and other ‘stuff” I did upgrade the fan in it though.
it in my shed over a little bench I have in there just for things like this.
I also have a hobby air setup I bought years ago when I was still able to work on cars and trucks.
it a self contained EPA filter unit that pumps fresh air into a hose and then a mask.
one say I was shooting primer on a project car in the garage and when a friend stopped by, he dragged me out of there as I was almost a high as a kite !
try to find a old kitchen fan unit and stick it in your garage for this kind of stuff. vent it where there no chance of it coming back in the house if you can. 4 vent pipe is cheap enough.
Have you had your lead levels checked? I haven’t but noticed I was doing great until a week after smelting down scrap.
I remember the first time my fingers locked up, scared the crap out of me as I had no idea what was going on. I thought maybe I was having a stroke. Turns out, after screw drill pipe together every day for years, it takes a toll on your hands…
Last lockup annoyed the hell out of me – in the middle of building an AK kit.
1,1,1, Trichlorethane got me once upon a time. It was about the only thing that would cut the dust a selenium rectifier threw up all over the Continental transmitter’s guts. I had the fans running, but the door swung shut and I didn’t hear it over the din. “Tumor In A Can” is apt. I was ditzy for a few hours after that. Solo work isn’t always the best, I reckon.
I had the carpal. I used a splint at night for a couple years while I was saving for the procedure. Doc diagnosed it, said, “First, we’ll try a splint.” “BTDT for 24 months. I’m tired of the ice pick of pain that wakes me up.” He scheduled the surgery, and it was done within a month.
I figure all those old timers that glared at us kids weren’t all that bad. They were just sleep deprived from enlarged prostates and had carpal tunnel. They were pissed at everyone, just seemed like they hated me personally.
Try 2 x 99mg potassium tabs, and a 500 mg magnesium tab. Slam them with a gatorade or two. Works for me.
3M full face mask with filter cartridges for volatile organic vapors. Even if working in a well ventilated area. With all your other health issues you don’t need to lose more brain cells too. I’ve had the finger lock up too. A little extra magnesium helps with that.