Wow! After months of therapy and frustration at the confusion of referrals and lost time waiting on Lost Paperwork, and confusion and misinformation, Physical Therapy and breaks in the PT because of skeletal notes by busy docs and trips to the VA Hospital so an official VA Doc could write a referral that someone would pay attention to...
Wait, what was I talking about? Oh, Yeah...
I went into the shop the other day to grab my multi-meter to check the lights on Tina's stock trailer... Phew... dead mouse.
Cleaned the shop all up, pulling the tool boxes and work benches away from the wall and finally found the poor sucker... Foul.
I realized that I really missed the work and it was time to get back at it. Christmas is coming.
The Cleaned shop... Mostly it was cleaning up the hundreds of dead bugs all over the floor and the dust. The bugs are from the Exterminator. He's a good guy and sprays my shop for me at no extra charge when he does the outside OR the inside spray treatments every three to six months. I don't know what he uses, but it takes a license to buy and apply and it works.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif)
Good thing is after it dries it still takes out the bugs but is safe for the dog.
shop c.jpg
I still can't close my fist, and don't have a lot of strength in that hand. NO grip strength, but I can pinch. So, I set up the sanding table, reviewed the notes I had left when I realized I couldn't work on the knife trio after I broke that wrist. Upon that review, I found I had stopped at the 100 grit sanding belt. I slowly but surely changed to the 120 belt and began carefully sanding each of the three knives. All the left hand had to do was provide off side support, while the right did the work. The right guided and rotated the knives thru the sanding process. Carefully sanding and shaping a bit more through each grit.
Here is a look at the sanding setup. A $100 Rikon belt sander, perfect for my needs, hooked to my shop vac to control the dust. I have a drawer full of belts up to about 1,000 grit.
sanding setup c.jpg
The left hand was a bit tender, since yesterday was the first day back to PT in Two Months..
![Evil or Very Mad :evil:](./images/smilies/icon_evil.gif)
It took that long to wade thru the BS to get another 15 visits approved, but I have them locked in and intend to make the most of them. I will start lightly using the left hand, as I am did today. I worked the 120 grit belt, and then changed to the 150. After working that one as well, the hand was calling quits, so I stopped for the day. I will lightly use the hand in conjunction with the Professional PT and the home PT but I will be careful not to overuse it.
The knives were showing improvement. From Left to Right: Cocobolo, Walnut, and Curly Cherry.
knives c.jpg
I will likely work up to 600 or 800 grit and call it golden. I will have to work the finger grooves on the two smaller knives by hand, using cut strips of the various grits of sandpaper to do the final shaping. That might have to wait a month, as I need better control in the left hand in order to do hand work... unless I find a way to adapt.
Great to be out in the shop again. Watch this space. I may also start work on the sheaths or at least practicing with the leather working tools.
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