Make your crafting easier with the right tools. If you craft for a living remember to take care with your health with ergonomic (making the tools fit, safer, and comfortable) correct tools of the trade. Damage done to joints, tendons, and muscles may seem unimportant, but years from now you’ll be in less pain if you find the correct tools. The right tool can make a job or task easier and in the long run save you time and effort. There may be a small upfront investment for a quality tool, but if properly taken care of that tool can last a lifetime.
The Basic Tools of the Professional Crafter
The chair. Don’t laugh, many of us spend hours sitting and unfortunately slumped over in our work area. Make sure your seating allows your feet to comfortable rest on the floor. Get up at least every hour and stretch or walk around. Avoid hunching over or bending your bend down for long hours at a time. Invest in a chair you can sit back in and still work.
Scissors. A major culprit in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Fiskars has a great line of Softouch scissors that are spring feed to take all pressure off the hand and wrist. They come in shears, micro-tip, and clippers– a style for every type of cutting you need. Priced from 15.99-7.99 they are a great investment in your health. If you use conventional scissors avoid cutting through too thick of fabric (I know it’s easier to cut two or three layers at a time, but be careful) and stop cutting immediately if you hand becomes numb or feels painful.
Hot Glue. Most of us have at least one or two scars from this important tool. The new low-temp glues can do everything the hot glues can do and more…plastics, mylars, fabric, wood, and metals. Switching does mean investing in a new glue gun. The difference between hot glue, which heats at 350 degrees and low-temp that heats at 250 degrees means that low-temp glue will burn in the hot glue gun. Also keep a container of ice water on your worktable. If you are tempted to touch the hot glue, first soak you fingers in the cold water then touch the glue.
Toothpicks and Paper Clips. Excellent and inexpensive tools. They can get into cracks and crevices to place glue, paint, or glitter. They can make very small holes in clay and paper. They can add detailing to friendly plastic (will in the melted stage) and the polymer clays. Small beads and wood balls can be held in place and painted with out mess to your fingers. I’m sure you an come up with even more uses. My favorite is small snowman noses made from the toothpicks.
Tweezers. Great to hold and place miniatures. Tweezers can get into places my fat old fingers can’t. Tweezers came in a wide variety at the craft stores, but the ones from your local drug store work just fine. Just check quality of the tips if this is important to your crafts.
Fans. If you paint, glue, or craft with an item that takes alot of drying time. Set up a fan and let it cut your drying time by 1/3 to 1/2. Fans are also important if using supplies that need a well ventilated area to work in. Set up the fan so the fumes are blowing away from your nose and lungs!
Protective Wear. You may think you look silly wearing work gloves, rubber gloves, dust or filter face mask, and protective goggles if they are needed. Woodworkers, Metalworkers, and Painters work with many supplies that can cause damage to the lungs. Dust, Fine wood shavings, and paint/glue fumes should not be ignored. When working with saws, sanders, and other power tools don’t ever get too relaxed or forget the eye protection.
Lighting. Your mom was right…turn on the lights. There are lots of great lighting set-ups and bulbs to give you plenty of brightness to work at your best. Accidents happen when you can’t see clearly. Good lighting helps coordinate colors and prevents eye strain. Light seems a simple tool but with the new light bulbs available your lighting can match natures for pennies.
Tool Maintenance
The biggest expense faced by Professional Crafters in the investment in tools of the trade and repairs for tools not maintained or abused. Check out my A B C’s of tool care!
- Always put up your tools
- Brushes bristle tip up after cleaning to store
- Clean your tools after using them
- Dull tools cause accidents, keep them sharp a
- Extension cords should be used one at a time, don’t overload
- Fire-proof work areas and tools when possible
- Grips of tools should be comfortable and sized to your hand
- Have a place for everything and everything in it’s place
- Ice cubes in a bowl of water when using “hot” tools
- Joking and horse play aren’t part of working with tools, apply ice immediately if burned
- Keep safety devices like dust mask, face protectors, rubber gloves close to tools
- List all tools in inventory, when maintenance was given, and if maintenance need to be done
- Measure twice, cut once
- No rubbing eyes when working with chemicals, adhesives, or particles
- Open your eyes, pay attention, and don’t work when tired or in bad lighting
- Phone numbers of all emergency and doctors should be in plain sight by phone
- Quiet tools are best and ear plugs can save your hearing
- Rest while working and take stand up breaks every 30-60 minutes to stretch
- Spring loaded tools for hand comfort
- Test all new tools in the retail environment and learn how to use correctly from professionals
- Unplug all appliances and tools when no in use
- Ventilation….always keep the air moving and circulating
- Fill out all warranty cards and mail asap, wipe up all spills
- Extra care with sharp, pointed, and electrical tools
- Yield to your body, if it hurts, makes numb, or stresses muscles: Stop
- Zap hazards, mishaps, risky procedures, and dangerous situations in the bud: Think!
General Maintenance and Care
- 1. Place tools in a container or special place. Jamming all the tools in a draw is a disaster waiting to happen. That special little clamp or brush is going to get crushed by that big hammer at some point in its now limited life. AS a rule of thumb put like tool in like containers or receptacle, brushes with brushes, scissors with scissors, et. You can even group similar brush type together if you have sufficient space.
- 2. Oil or lubricate your metal tools often. The worst problem with tools is rust. I light coat of oil or wax will protect the metal from moisture.
- 3. Protect the edges on sharp tools. There is nothing worse can a nicked blade or a broken saw tooth. They cause the piece being cut out to have tattered edges in stead of nice clean cuts. Make sure the edges on cutting tools are sharp and free of nicks. When nicked replace the blade or get it sharpened.
- 4. Always clean your tools after using them. A gunky tool after use is much harder to clean the next day instead of right after using. Ever try to get paint out of a brush the day after, remove hot glue from the glue gun and accessories. Always leave a little time at the end of the day for cleaning; work area and tools.
- 5. For large tools, saws, sanders, et. protect them from unwanted dust. After using your machines clean the saw dust of them by brushing or blowing air over them. Dust buildup can ruin bearings, cause motors to over heat, effect the cutting performance, and create potential fire hazards. Regularly covering your tools will prevent dust from other machines. Remember a dust free shop is a happy shop.
- 6. Don’t over tighten your special clamps. A common cause of breakage in small clapping devices is over tightening the locking mechanism. A good rule of thumb is to tighten until snug. That means at the first sign of resistance stop tightening the locking mechanism. It is OK if the clamp moves slightly as long as the pieces being glue are in contact with each other.
- 7. Last and most important is to read the manufactures directions that come with your tools. They are written to insure long tool life and unnecessary wear and tear. Believe it or not the manufacture really wants the tool to last. He has very high labor costs associated with tool returns and customer complaints. It is in everyone’s best interest to read the directions, no matter how simple they may be.
