Progress

While taking a break from mask-making, I remembered that one of the things I wanted to write about in this blog was the subject of scissors. What I once thought of as simply tools, I now take very seriously.

Last year, I performed a puppet show that required about 20 small, latex puppets. As anyone who’s worked with latex would know, this required dealing with flashing, or the bits of latex that one does not want, usually found at the meeting points of the two mold parts. Since I have yet to perfect the art of using a dremel to remove these bits, I used scissors.

Initially, I used the scissors that were on my swiss army knife; they were small, sharp, and flat which was exactly what I needed considering the size of the puppets. However, by about puppet #16 I had succeeded in breaking them and thus began my search for a suitable replacement.

This proved to be much harder than I expected because the art stores that I knew of either didn’t have much of a selection beyond kid safe scissors or were out of the more precise ones. So I decided to check out the internet.

(Note: if you want to find some “interesting” websites, just type “latex” and “flashing” into Google.)

After a tip from a friend, I began searching for embroidery and applique scissors, on the assumption that such tools would have the detail that my project required. However, the ones I got did not cut through latex well and couldn’t give the detail I wanted. So I went back to the web and got these scissors.

Big mistake.

They cut well enough and could provide decent detail, but after using them for 20 minutes I realized that I’d lost all sensation in my right index finger. My finger remained numb for two weeks and I had additional pains in the rest of my hand as well. Needless to say this was unacceptable… and more than a bit worrisome.

Not willing to give the internet another chance, I returned to the local craft stores. Amazingly enough, Pearl Arts and Crafts actually had new scissors in stock. I chose a pair of Fiskars Comfort Grip ™ Micro-Tip (r) Scissors. And wow. They are wonderful. Not only do they cut very well and provide fantastic detail but they are remarkably comfortable. I can’t reccomend them enough.

The lesson learned from this experience is do not scrimp on the quality of your tools. RSI is not fun; it first struck both my wrists in college and has plagued me ever since. I don’t think I can ever be rid of it, but I can lessen the damage done from now on.