A question concerning getting older and working in our hobby

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I'm lucky, too. I have a friend who enjoys the detailed painting required for drivers. Its a huge relief for me, as I move on toward my long line of projects that await attention. At this point, I might have just quit on many of them.

[Retro Racer 44]

I am getting to the point that I cringe every time I acquire another slot car body as I then have another car to build. I must have 20 bodies in the queue with another dozen partly finished cars interspersed as well. Trouble is I keep buying more before i have finished the previous twenty nine. Sigh! Am I ever glad I'm retired.

Cheers,

Keith

[kidvoltage]

Help reduce trips to the floor for parts, look for a magnetic mat. The scrap book folks use them. I also have a flat metal strip about 2" x 10" that I have stuck many, many slot car magnets to. I can wave it over the garage floor and find anything metal I've dropped. Plastic parts, not so much, still use the small hand broom. And finally one of the buddies brought me a magnetic "ash tray", well, it looks like one and anything that falls it's way stays there until retrieved.

One of the other racers one day mentioned that he had a rather old friend that still fixed HO cars for the kids. I asked how that could be. He said that what he does is wear one of those magnifiers (I do too) and follows a simple rule: If a part falls on the floor, he grabs a new one.

I've got to the point now where my eyes find contrast a helper so bright light works wonders.

Happy racing!

[mattb]

I do use a flash light when I drop something on the floor. That extra light really helps.

[Abarth Mike]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I'm glad you showed the photo of the guy with the attached apron. I had suspected that my "old man's belly" would make that method less than effective, several years back when this kind of topic came up before. Its amazing how many people know about jeweler's supplies. I think this has come up at least 5 times, but no one posted a photo so I never would have seen the way to modify the apron. Seeing the photo I had an idea to modify an apron to accommodate both the size and height of my table as well as my own size. I may have to actually sew up an apron of my own design to get it to work. It doesn't look too tough to do.

[Abarth Mike]

:idea: Maybe wear it round your neck ;)

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Actually that's something I hadn't considered. I assumed that like all other work aprons, it had a strap around his neck, but going back to look, I see it doesn't. I'll look into it.

[dreinecke]

All good ideas. I need to get a third arm for soldering. I'm continually doing things the hard way.

I did put a slightly raised lip on the edge of my work desk as mentioned here by another member, that really works well for me. I have had a few oops moments though where I put a trash can under the desk right in the line of the parts...have had to dig through that for small parts a few times.

[mattb]

A third arm for soldering, maybe even a fourth. I got some of those big spring clamps, like clothes pins only they come in metal and range from 1/2 inch wide to about 2 inch wide metal. Along with a couple of "C" clamps, you can make up about any kind of fixture you need to hold work while you solder. The weight of the clamps will hold a motor or some brass while you heat and solder and it won't slide all around. I do have a stainless work bench I solder on, so I can just clamp it all and lay it on the work surface. May get pix later.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I have found these to be very helpful.
http://www.micromark.com/soldering-twee ... 10274.html

[mattb]

P1010001.JPGP1010003.JPG
Here's apic of my soldering spot. You can see the various clamps I use and how the combination will hold about anything and the weight of it all keeps your work where you want it. The aluminum block takes the place of a motor when soldering a rear bracket to a piece of brass. The block holds everything in alignment.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

That's also a helluvah heat sink!

[mattb]

Best to clamp the work and not lay it on the bench!