As time goes by ........

My main issue is my eye sight as I'm finding out the larger scales are easier to work with. I depend on my optivisor in this hobby for any detailing.

Working on my model and then walking away for a few minutes and then coming back wondering what I had been doing, how I was doing it and why I was doing what I was doing. And THEN asking myself, "Why is there a Junkers Ju 88 on my bench when I'm sure I was working on an F6F Hellcat?" Some days I just don't make a whole lot of progress.

i am already there     my vision has gotten bad enough as to not be able to drive     reading the screen is tougher     my hands don't shake but i am down to one hand and a couple of fingers on tthe other  the dead fingers somes get in the way        i have an occational twich  in the hands as well     and you have no idea what it is like  to have people trying to help you get up or walk       they mean well  please dont get me wrong but as one's independence goes  it hurts  to feel sometimes so useless

It's still the same old story, a fight for love and glory, of this you can rely.  The world will welcome lovers....

As for me, the Arthritis in my left hand limitis my former skills as a musician but so far, aside from slowing me down a bit, I can do modeling without too much pain, but after a few hours hunched over the bench my back stiffens up a lot and I find myself taking many more breaks, hence longer build times.  no biggie though since it's merely a hobby and not a job.

Wirraway, I tend to wonder the same thing. I broke my right wrist two years ago in a motorcycle accident. And lately, I've noticed that my right hand has significantly less strength than before the accident. I'm worried that in 20 years I may not have much use of this hand. Even with the exercises I do to increase the strength.

I wish this hadn't been the first post I opened this morning.  What say we try to keep things a little more upbeat?

up beat  OK  at least we are all here to talk about it  today anyway   there   upbeat   lol

Hi;

     I think you may be asking for more than you wish . I have tremors in the hands, I solve that by resting the base of the palms on the bench, or a rest I made that leaves the fingers free. The sight is enhanced by an optivisor and the rest is just ignored till I fall out of my chair ,which I do from time to time .

     It's usually When I lean back to stretch and I lean the wrong way . Never have had a tool or model in my hands at the time though  ".Now where did I put that model of the Kronprinze I was working on ? Gees ,at 1/200 scale , it shouldn't be that hard to find  .Oh, what were we talking about ? " LOL. LOL.LOL.

Do you know what the absolute worse thing is about getting older? Your body can't do the things it used to do but your brain (or your ego) won't recognize it. My son will do anything in the world for me but I will drive myself crazy trying to do something before eventually asking him to do it for me. For instance, today I had to remove 5 ceiling tiles to have some plumbing work done. Well because of two torn rotator cuffs that can't be repaired, I have hardly any strength in my arms. I basically can't do anything overhead. But I tried and tried until my shoulders just screamed at me in pain. So I stopped and called my son who of course said 'sure I'll be up on Saturday to take care of it."

So far none of my health problems have affected my modeling abilities. I use Dollar Store reading glasses to help with the failing eyesight and I've learned to use the tabletop to help brace my hands when doing some delicate procedure. But if there ever comes a day when I physically can't model, then hopefully Ill still be able to enjoy the builds through everyone's that I see on the web.

Well, I too use an optivisor to see what I'm doing. My hands shake in addition to arthritis (hands braced on the benchtop helps a lot).  I have to get up frequently to give my back a break. I've changed chairs 3 times this year to see if I can find a better one. The one I have now is a lot better. Finishing up all my smaller scale pieces and moving to 1/48 before it's too late.

Jim 

Haven't had the age thing happen as of yet, but I did have carpal tunnel issues in both hands, which caused cramping and tingling of the hands as I worked. Put up with it for 8 years before I had the surgeries.

"Could be worse---Could be raining….."  [BOOM!]

"Young Frankenstein"

Jay Jay

As for me, the Arthritis in my left hand limitis my former skills as a musician but so far, aside from slowing me down a bit, I can do modeling without too much pain, but after a few hours hunched over the bench my back stiffens up a lot and I find myself taking many more breaks, hence longer build times.  no biggie though since it's merely a hobby and not a job.

With this in mind, I purposely built my workbench higher than normal tables or desks, and use a height-adjustable chair at the bench.

:) Gotcha on this one Don,  I raised my bench 3 1/2 inches due to a handy 2 x 4 and model on.

For me, so far the biggest impact is modeling under Optiviser for nearly everything.  I'm surprised I haven't tried to drive to work with them on yet.

The other thing that I've noticed in common with many is my back - I agree with trying to find a comfortable chair/workbench height combo.  If anything makes me wish I hadn't spent so much time at the bench, it's trying to stand upright after being hunched over.

I'm 61.  My hands are still pretty steady, but can get stiff after long sessions at the bench.  My back also gets stiff unless I get up and move around or change positions every so often.  I'll even do some modeling standing up at times.  

The eyes are definitely getting worse, particularly with close work.  I use my bench-mounted lighted magnifier pretty much all the time now for any small work or detail painting.  I've also got some inexpensive hi-magnification reading glasses that I use when the bench-mounted magnifier won't work.

Though not strictly age-related, I'm also developing quite a collection of tweezers, clamps, fixtures, etc to help with the handling and assembly of small parts.

Mark

After having carpal tunnel surgery back in February of this year, I have yet found the time to resume my kit. You know - family obligations, summertime stuff, vacations, etc... With school opening right around the corner, there's hope for me to resume my kit. Now as far as aging goes, I'm not too much worried about my eyesights but I always wondered whether my hearing will get worse. I'm 49 yrs old and have been hard of hearing since birth.

Like my mother says, "Don't ever get old!"

After two heart attacks this year one in Feb. and one in Jan. and a ticker trainer implant I'm doing alright Dr. said modeling would be good therapyfor me. Eyes are gone a slight bit ,but at my age(67)what in'nt a little out of whack.  ACESES5