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Gravermax vs. gravermeister

Hello David; I don’t mean to butt in here, but it sounds like your
jeweler is developing a form of carpel tunnel syndrome. This can
become very serious with time, eventually requiring surgery. I’ve
suffered from it myself, as do a lot of jewelers, and here’s what I’d

  1. don’t use the skinny quick-change hand. Get one of the fat
    "ergonomic" ones like the Techno or stick with the old No. 30

  2. get nice fat handles for the needle files, or use Jett Set to
    build them up; if you are pinching a tool, it’s not good.

  3. same goes for any skinny handled tool.

  4. take an aspirin at night before bed, it will reduce inflammation
    of the carpel tunnel.

  5. get some inexpensive elastic hand braces from the pharmacy to
    wear to bed at night. Often, we sleep with our hands in a fixed
    position, which aggravates the problem. If you are waking up in the
    early morning hours with your hands “asleep”, that’s a symptom of
    carpel tunnel, and you’ve probably been sleeping with a hand or two
    bent under you.

  6. go to the best physical rehabilitation center near you and
    inquire about the hand exercises that are designed to alleviate this
    problem. These are a special set of relaxation/stretching exercises
    that only take moments, but you can do them every so often when you
    are working. They really help.

  7. watch your consumption of coffee and alcohol, these substances
    aggravate the condition.

  8. anything that you hold on to that vibrates can be a problem.
    Bicycling, mowing the lawn, power tools, all these can make you
    miserable. The trick is to never do too much of such things for too
    long a time. If you have repetitive work, break it up with
    alternative types of activities. I’ve changed the rhythm of my work
    to allow me to move among different types of activities. And watch
    that computer! Get an “ergonomic” split keyboard with a wrist-pad,
    and a mouse pad with a padded edge. . .yes, the mouse can rile up the
    condition too. Squeak!

  9. most importantly, I’M NOT A DOCTOR, so go see one and disregard
    any of my suggestions if they don’t agree with what he/she tells you.
    I’m just telling you what worked for me.

David L. Huffman (I’m a David Lee too!)