As I write this, we are basking in yet another beautiful spring day, with 'CAVU' flying conditions (Clear Air -Visibility Unlimited), which is kind of ironic as nearly all flights in the UK are grounded and lockdown is still in force, meaning that no one is going anywhere soon. So, now I think I may have achieved a first in modelling induced injuries!
In our hobby we use many items routinely that can cause harm with little or no training in their use. Scalpel blades are a perfect example, I am sure most of us have drawn blood during the course of a modelling session. Simple nicks and cuts to the hand are almost inevitable, and one of my friends had a trip to the hospital to have a wound in his leg stitched after his scalpel blade rolled off the desk falling point first straight into his thigh! But as he pointed out it could have been worse as if it had fallen a few inches to the left it would have had a far more serious effect! Of course, airborne particles are a particular hazard and in industry, and you would be certainly be breaking a number of safety rules if you sanded resin or tried to paint using an airbrush without some form of facemask. Now, I must put my hands up to say for many years I rarely, if ever used a facemask during airbrushing sessions. In fact, after a heavy spraying session it was not unusual to find a fog of paint particles in my modelling space, and it was a running joke at club nights when we had a kit sale, mine were easy to spot by the layer of fine paint dust that most boxes that came down from the loft covered in. That all changed as I got older and became far more aware of the risks from our hobby. Although I still do get the occasional nick from a scalpel blade, I am much more careful with these sharp objects nowadays, and to prevent handles falling off the bench, I wrap a couple of elastic bands around each one.
Also, when I created a new dedicated workspace in the loft, I greatly increased the ventilation (as well as natural light) by buying probably the most expensive thing I have ever purchased for my hobby, a number of large windows, which were installed by a builder into the roof of my workspace. I also added vents in the wall at one end to help extract any overspray. Plus, I am now a lot better bit better at wearing a facemask during heavy airbrushing sessions!
So, what is the latest addition my modelling injury catalogue I hear you ask? As I said, we have had a rare spell of good weather in the UK, so I decide to take a lap tray and sit in the garden do some modelling. As we are all aware when you are modelling, time flies, so what to you is a short modelling session seems to take many hours in the real world. So, I was happily applying Eduard masks to the nose glazing on to two He 111 fuselages, and I hear you ask, 'how can you injure yourself doing that?' Well, my injury was a major amount of sunburn! Not something that could happen that often in the UK! So, until next time, please stay safe and well and in the shade, while you read the latest issue of SAMI.
David Francis