“STUFF HAPPENS,” my pessimistic friend argued. “You just cannot
prevent all accidents. [The concept of] Zero accidents is a myth!”
As much as I like my friend, I disagree with his opinion on safety
and particularly on aeromodeling safety. He is partially correct in that
some accidents are beyond our control. However, we can anticipate
these and lessen the risk of accidents we can’t prevent. The many
accidents for which we alone are the source can be prevented.
I have written a four-article series on safety at the urging of
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt and because I take safety in building
models and flying seriously. I have been a flying-club safety officer, I
have helped with three model-building clinics, and I am a club
instructor for radio-controlled flight.
I have seen some strange happenings. There is inherent risk in
using sharp and high-energy tools and in the conduct of model-flight
operations. I will concentrate my discussion on radio-controlled models
and try to write simply enough to be understood by those who are new
and not so new to the hobby.
I have two goals for these discussions, the first of which is to
make you aware of safety hazards you may encounter while
building, performing flight preparations, and flying your model.
Second, I hope to arm you mentally with tools to avoid the pitfalls
that can lead to mistakes and getting someone hurt. I will try to
keep these discussions straightforward.
I visualize aeromodeling safety as a defensive effort. This defense
recognizes the safety risk: a combination of the probability of an
accident happening and the possible consequence of that accident.
Generally the consequence of an accident may be on one of three
levels.
1) A first-aid injury—a minor inconvenience.
2) A significant injury that requires medical help, such as stitches to
repair a wound.
3) A debilitating and possibly life-threatening injury.
The higher the safety risk, the stronger the defense we have to
muster. If the safety risk is low, we apply only one or two of the
multiple levels of defense. If the risk factor is high, we employ all
possible levels. The five levels of safety defense applied to
aeromodeling are:
1) Attitude
2) Prechecks
3) Backup
4) Isolation
5) Barriers
The first three are used to prevent something from going wrong. The
last two minimize the risk of a consequence for an occurrence that is
beyond our control. We usually apply these defense levels cumulatively;
34 MODEL AVIATION
Proper tools for soldering can make the job much safer and easier. Notice the holder for
the hot soldering iron and the clothespins that make it simple to hold small parts in
proper alignment.
Shown are common workshop tools. Having and using the proper device for a specific job
is a safe practice. Learn to use all your tools in a safe manner.
The application of backup normally
implies that we have already ensured the
right attitude and have done the prechecks.
However, there are occasions when it is
appropriate to proceed directly from
attitude to prechecks to barriers. I will
point out some such instances.
By barriers I mean personal protective
equipment such as a dust mask, goggles,
earplugs, or a hard hat. When we cannot
provide adequate safety protection by
reducing the likelihood of a safety
problem, we must rely on preventing the
event or condition from reaching the
person or property by using a barrier.
Isolation means physically separating
people from a safety hazard, such as an
out-of-control aircraft that is about to
crash.
Workshop Safety: Whether you are
building a FF Peanut Scale rubber-powered
model, rigging an electric-powered park
flyer, assembling an ARF wet-fueled
model, constructing a sport trainer from a
kit, or scratch-building a World War II
fighter, you will likely glue, solder, cover,
saw, grind, cut, bend, sand, assemble,
and/or paint during the process.
I will address the personal attitude you
need to safely perform these activities, the
use of prechecks for tools we use, and the
application of barriers, as appropriate, to
keep our fingers, toes, and other vital body
parts out of harm’s way while working in
the shop.
Even experienced modelers who should
know better and have been told lessonslearned
stories from past safety events still
make serious errors and get themselves or
others injured. Why? The answer often lies
in the modeler’s frame of mind prior to the
accident.
Modelers are more likely to make
mistakes if they are in the wrong frame of
mind—if they have the wrong attitude. If
we are feeling hurried, stressed out, tired,
distracted, or infected with the
Commodore Syndrome (overconfidence),
we increase the safety risk in what we are
doing. Dave Gee identified and discussed
the effect of the Commodore Syndrome in
his October 2004 safety column in MA.
We need to recognize when we are in
one of these high-risk states and adjust
what we are doing to minimize the
probability of an accident. We may need to
slow down, take a break, refocus our
concentration, or take a less-tiring position
for the shop task.
We model-airplane addicts do many
simple things with sharp tools. We also use
tools and materials involving significant
amounts of energy. When there is a lot of
energy available, in whatever form—
mechanical, heat, chemical, electrical, or
potential energy from gravity—the safety risk
is elevated.
Following are some high-risk attitudes
you may experience.
• Hurried: We use modern quick-setting
adhesives that make the building process
much faster than in the past and the final
product lighter. The risk is caused by the
release of chemical and heat energy as the
glue sets. In addition, you could glue
something that should not be glued.
Cyanoacrylate glue comes in various
thicknesses: thin, medium, and thick. The
thinner it is, the faster it sets. The thin stuff
sets in five to 10 seconds.
To attach balsa pieces using thin
cyanoacrylate, we would normally pin waxed
paper over plans on a building board (which
could be the back of a 2 x 4-foot ceiling tile),
and then cut, position, and pin the balsa pieces
in place. Then we would place a small drop of
cyanoacrylate on the joints of the balsa.
Sometimes you may be tempted to hurry
and hold the balsa pieces together with your
fingers rather than pin them, such as when
laminating balsa pieces or gluing fuselage
sides at the tail post. You may think pinning
takes too long.
Such hurrying places you at greater safety
risk. The thin cyanoacrylate wicks through
balsa easily and can reach your fingers. If you
have only a couple minutes before an
appointment and think you can quickly finish
that gluing job by using your fingers to clamp
the work, reschedule the modeling work for
another time. You would look kind of funny
going to that appointment with a fuselage
glued to your fingers.
Sometimes a drop of glue will harden
in the delivery spout of a cyanoacrylate
glue bottle. Before using the
cyanoacrylate, check to make sure that the
delivery spout is unclogged. Otherwise,
nothing happens when you squeeze the
bottle to deliver a drop of glue.
February 2006 35
This multihead screwdriver is handy and
safe when used correctly. Slips need to be
prevented to protect your hand and arm.
Self-healing cutting mats are available in a variety of sizes. They make cutting balsa parts
trouble free. The mat’s composition will not guide the blade, allowing you to make
accurate and safe cuts.
I know of someone in a model-building class who tried to
push a pin down into a clogged tip of a cyanoacrylate bottle while
tightly gripping the bottle. When the clog cleared, the pressure he
was applying to the bottle caused adhesive to squirt across the
room.
Fortunately no one was in the glue-wetted path. After that
occurrence cyanoacyrlate was applied by an instructor if it needed
to be used.
To clear a clog in the spout of a cyanoacrylate glue bottle, it’s
better to carefully unscrew the cap to work on removing the clog.
Be careful not to spill the glue from the open bottle if you use this
technique.
When using cyanoacrylate glue, you need a backup—or a third
level—of safety defense. Have a bottle of debonder readily
available to unstick your fingers if the need arises. The debonder
won’t help your clothes if you spill glue on them; they will be
ruined. The debonder should be available at any hobby shop that
sells cyanoacrylate.
A final level of safety defense—a barrier—is necessary when
using cyanoacrylate. Wear glasses or goggles for eye protection.
Some of the glues get hot and fume as they set. If you drop the
bottle, glue will splatter everywhere. If you get a drop of
cyanoacrylate in your eye, your condition will require medical
help.
I wear prescription glasses. As careful as I am when I use
cyanoacrylate, I have still had to clean my eyeglass lenses with
debonder. It may attack some of the new coatings on plastic
lenses, so if you wear glasses you may want to use goggles to
protect you and those expensive lenses.
• Stressed: Have you ever had a problem with soldering? You
may be stressed out because you can’t get that wire lined up
correctly with enough solder on the connector. And after three
tries of holding the wire with pliers, the solder joint still isn’t
right.
You decide to hold the wire with your fingers for better
control. However, 30 seconds later you are frantically looking for
the burn ointment because you overheated your thumb and
forefinger with a hot wire or a hot blob of solder.
There is a better solution. If you are getting frustrated,
recognize it and don’t push your luck. Don’t reach for that
soldering gun again; take a break. Find a path to relieve your
frustration. Beat on a punching bag. Ride your bicycle around the
block.
Come back to the shop work when you are not feeling
frustrated. You will be much less likely to hurt yourself and much
more likely to succeed.
By the way, there are better ways to hold pieces to be soldered,
as shown in the soldering-station photograph.
• Fatigued: Today we modelers have an easy solution for covering
our models; there are many adhesive-backed, iron-on coverings.
You can purchase a covering iron that is designed specifically for
this job or you may use an empty steam iron with a temperature
control to apply the covering.
Are there safety risks in covering a model? Yes, there are.
After all, we have a good energy source: a hot iron. If you are
tired, you are more likely to make errors during this task.
Your goal may be to finish the covering job before turning in
for the night, but it could take longer than you thought. If you are
getting tired, the longer you work, the more likely you are to slip
and burn yourself. You are also more likely to lose your grip on
that wing and punch a hole in the covering or in your hand while
trimming the edges with a sharp hobby knife.
If you are tired or getting tired, get some rest and do the shop
work later.
• Distracted: Hobby saws are sharp, and they make cutting thick
balsa or thin plywood much easier than using a hobby knife. I
have several handsaws and a Dremel jigsaw I use regularly.
For the handsaw work you need a backing surface, such as a
substantial wood block, that is sacrificial. You shouldn’t care if
you cut into it while cutting the work piece. For the jigsaw you
may need a piece of sacrificial wood to aid in pushing something
through the saw.
As when using any sharp tools, your attention needs to be
focused on the tool and the working piece. You cannot afford to be
distracted. You should not be thinking about how to fly a Split S
maneuver, how to solve problems at work, or how to get your son or
daughter to take a stronger interest in his or her schoolwork.
Not paying full attention to the task at hand can be hazardous to
your hand—particularly your fingers and thumb. If you get
distracted, stop the cutting for a moment and refocus. Keep your
mind and eyes on the work. Worry about those other concerns later.
• Commodore Syndrome: This is a dangerous attitude. Unwarranted
overconfidence in your ability to control the working situation
without safety-barrier protection is inherently dangerous.
was a handheld Dremel power tool. It can
drill, grind, sand, or cut. It will, with the
right disk attached, grind through landinggear
wire quickly and easily. Those little
ceramic grinding disks work great, but they
occasionally shatter if they are overheated
or if you get them in a slight bind.
Let’s say you are ready to work and
can’t find your safety glasses. What do you
do? You may be tempted to say to yourself,
“If I’m careful and don’t stress the wheel
by bending it, it won’t shatter. I can do
this.”
I implore you to learn to identify this
unjustified confidence for the danger it is.
Recognize this safety risk. Use the barrier
safety defense with a pair of goggles, and
you will go a long way toward making your
model-building experience more enjoyable
and free of injury.
Ensuring the right attitude in preparing
for shop work is the first level of safety you
need to achieve. Then, don’t sit on your
laurels. You need a second level of
safety—a precheck of your tools—before
beginning your work.
If the device is electrical, such as the
soldering gun or Dremel hand grinder,
make sure the tool heads are in good
mechanical condition and tightly clamped,
and that the power cord is not frayed, worn
bare, or nicked. If you are using a hand
tool, look at the condition of the handle to
ensure that it is tight and not going to come
loose or crumble in your hand while you
work.
If the tool is flawed, repair or discard it.
Get rid of damaged tools that cannot be
repaired.
In regards to attitude I have discussed
gluing, soldering, covering, sawing, and
grinding. Now I’ll cover the risks and
levels of safety defense for cutting, wire
bending, sanding, assembling, and painting.
With the right attitude and after having
performed prechecks of your tools, it’s time
to work. There are some valuable lessons
learned I can share to help you minimize
the blood and gore.
• Cutting: Before I bought my self-healing
cutting mats I used cardboard, wood
blocks, or newspaper as a backing for balsa
I was slicing. None of these was ideal.
The wood blocks and cardboard were
dangerous because if I applied much
pressure, the knife blade would follow the
grain of the material. The knife could cut
somewhere I did not intend. A new #11
blade in a hobby-knife handle can make a
wicked slash in your arm if you slip.
Cutting against a backing of newspaper
was a bit better, but I had to apply a great
deal of pressure to compress the layers of
newspaper before the cutting was effective.
The extra pressure is not good.
Using these materials as a backing for
your cuts raises your safety risk. You need a
firm, nongrained, self-healing surface for
cutting. Several sizes of these mats are
shown in one of the photographs.
• Bending: This is a setup where gravity
can hurt you. I needed to bend a 5/16-inch
wire for a landing gear. This was too big a
job for pliers. I needed to bring out the big
artillery: a 5-pound vise.
Did I bolt the vise to the worktable?
Nah! I was in a hurry. I clamped the wire
securely in the vise, held pressure on the
end of the wire, and formed the bend by
hammering on the wire where it exited the
vise.
Having completed the 90° bend in the
wire, I pulled the vise to the edge of the
table to free the wire. I was so eager to
inspect the bend that when I loosened the
jaws I didn’t bother to push the vise back
from the edge of the table. With no human
control applied, it sought a more stable
position by rolling off the edge of the
worktable and onto my shoeless foot.
The arch of my right foot cushioned
the vise’s fall. It rolled off of my foot to
the concrete floor, undamaged.
However, the almost immediate
appearance of red on top of my white sock
told me that my foot had suffered in this
event. I really didn’t want to take the sock
off to look at the damage. Fortunately I
didn’t break any bones and just had to
hobble aroundDon’t repeat my foolishness. If you are
going to use a vise for any purpose, don’t
rush. Clamp or bolt it to a bench. In
addition, when working in the shop, please
provide the appropriate safety barrier for
your feet; wear shoes.
• Sanding: There are two aspects of this
simple chore that can be of concern for
your safety, the first of which is that using
folded sandpaper can be rough on your
fingers.
I was in the midst of building a model
once when I had to get fingerprinted for a
security clearance. I had been doing a lot
of sanding to lighten the model and get a
smooth finish. I got the smooth finish on
the wood all right, but my fingertips were
smoothed as well.
The officer asked me if I had been
trying to get rid of my fingerprints for
some reason. I had to come back several
weeks later to get the job done.
A good sanding board can save your
fingers and provide a better tool. Most
hobby shops have aluminum channelbacked
sanding boards or you can make a
serviceable one by gluing a piece of
sandpaper to one side of a straight section
of 2 x 4-inch wood.
Second, if you use a power sander such
as a sanding disk or drum on the Dremel
tool, you should have barrier protection:
goggles for your eyes and a dust
(painter’s) mask for your nose. When you
need to do power sanding, you can
minimize the dust you breathe and the
particles that get into your home’s
ventilation system by running a vacuum
cleaner with the inlet in the vicinity of the
work surface.
• Assembling: The screwdriver shown in
one of the photographs looks innocuous
enough. How could it be dangerous? Look
at the end of the inserted working head,
with the Phillips-type end. It comes to a
sharp point.
Let’s say you are holding a board to
mount servos for your model. Using the
Phillips screw head you may apply 4
pounds of force to drive the screw into the
wood. This force is concentrated at the
small tip, which makes it effective in
turning the screw.
Four pounds of force applied to an area
measuring approximately 1/16 inch square
translates to a pressure of roughly 1,000
pounds per square inch at the tip. If the tip
of the driver slipped off the screw, you
could easily nick or punch your thumb,
finger, palm, or arm.
• Painting: If you are using spray paint to
put the final touches on your model, please
remember to use the appropriate barrier;
wear a painter’s mask. The hazard is
breathing materials into your lungs that are
not intended to be there.
I know it can be tempting to do small
spray jobs in the shop, but that is not a
good idea. Do it in the garage or some
other well-ventilated place, or fix yourself
up with a spray booth such as the one
presented in the November MA.
I learned the value of the simple spray
mask when I painted a green chalkboard
for my children in the wintertime. I opened
the kitchen door adjoining the garage to
allow the garage to warm up a bit. Then I
sprayed four coats of flat green paint on a
piece of plywood to make the marking
surface for the chalkboard.
I didn’t even think about using a mask
at the time. After all, it was a large garage.
As a result of my painting exercise, I was
blowing green goo out of my nose and
lungs for nearly three days. It was not
pretty.
I hope this discussion has made you aware
of some common workshop hazards,
prepared you to adjust your attitude for safe
work, and armed you to put up a strong
safety defense. Consider these thoughts,
take them to heart, and make them part of
your shop work ethic. Apply the
appropriate levels of safety defense in your
shop work.
Good luck and good flying. In the next
article I’ll discuss safety while preparing
your model for flight and flying-field
etiquette. MA
Donald W. Brooks
[email protected]
38 MODEL
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,38
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,38
“STUFF HAPPENS,” my pessimistic friend argued. “You just cannot
prevent all accidents. [The concept of] Zero accidents is a myth!”
As much as I like my friend, I disagree with his opinion on safety
and particularly on aeromodeling safety. He is partially correct in that
some accidents are beyond our control. However, we can anticipate
these and lessen the risk of accidents we can’t prevent. The many
accidents for which we alone are the source can be prevented.
I have written a four-article series on safety at the urging of
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt and because I take safety in building
models and flying seriously. I have been a flying-club safety officer, I
have helped with three model-building clinics, and I am a club
instructor for radio-controlled flight.
I have seen some strange happenings. There is inherent risk in
using sharp and high-energy tools and in the conduct of model-flight
operations. I will concentrate my discussion on radio-controlled models
and try to write simply enough to be understood by those who are new
and not so new to the hobby.
I have two goals for these discussions, the first of which is to
make you aware of safety hazards you may encounter while
building, performing flight preparations, and flying your model.
Second, I hope to arm you mentally with tools to avoid the pitfalls
that can lead to mistakes and getting someone hurt. I will try to
keep these discussions straightforward.
I visualize aeromodeling safety as a defensive effort. This defense
recognizes the safety risk: a combination of the probability of an
accident happening and the possible consequence of that accident.
Generally the consequence of an accident may be on one of three
levels.
1) A first-aid injury—a minor inconvenience.
2) A significant injury that requires medical help, such as stitches to
repair a wound.
3) A debilitating and possibly life-threatening injury.
The higher the safety risk, the stronger the defense we have to
muster. If the safety risk is low, we apply only one or two of the
multiple levels of defense. If the risk factor is high, we employ all
possible levels. The five levels of safety defense applied to
aeromodeling are:
1) Attitude
2) Prechecks
3) Backup
4) Isolation
5) Barriers
The first three are used to prevent something from going wrong. The
last two minimize the risk of a consequence for an occurrence that is
beyond our control. We usually apply these defense levels cumulatively;
34 MODEL AVIATION
Proper tools for soldering can make the job much safer and easier. Notice the holder for
the hot soldering iron and the clothespins that make it simple to hold small parts in
proper alignment.
Shown are common workshop tools. Having and using the proper device for a specific job
is a safe practice. Learn to use all your tools in a safe manner.
The application of backup normally
implies that we have already ensured the
right attitude and have done the prechecks.
However, there are occasions when it is
appropriate to proceed directly from
attitude to prechecks to barriers. I will
point out some such instances.
By barriers I mean personal protective
equipment such as a dust mask, goggles,
earplugs, or a hard hat. When we cannot
provide adequate safety protection by
reducing the likelihood of a safety
problem, we must rely on preventing the
event or condition from reaching the
person or property by using a barrier.
Isolation means physically separating
people from a safety hazard, such as an
out-of-control aircraft that is about to
crash.
Workshop Safety: Whether you are
building a FF Peanut Scale rubber-powered
model, rigging an electric-powered park
flyer, assembling an ARF wet-fueled
model, constructing a sport trainer from a
kit, or scratch-building a World War II
fighter, you will likely glue, solder, cover,
saw, grind, cut, bend, sand, assemble,
and/or paint during the process.
I will address the personal attitude you
need to safely perform these activities, the
use of prechecks for tools we use, and the
application of barriers, as appropriate, to
keep our fingers, toes, and other vital body
parts out of harm’s way while working in
the shop.
Even experienced modelers who should
know better and have been told lessonslearned
stories from past safety events still
make serious errors and get themselves or
others injured. Why? The answer often lies
in the modeler’s frame of mind prior to the
accident.
Modelers are more likely to make
mistakes if they are in the wrong frame of
mind—if they have the wrong attitude. If
we are feeling hurried, stressed out, tired,
distracted, or infected with the
Commodore Syndrome (overconfidence),
we increase the safety risk in what we are
doing. Dave Gee identified and discussed
the effect of the Commodore Syndrome in
his October 2004 safety column in MA.
We need to recognize when we are in
one of these high-risk states and adjust
what we are doing to minimize the
probability of an accident. We may need to
slow down, take a break, refocus our
concentration, or take a less-tiring position
for the shop task.
We model-airplane addicts do many
simple things with sharp tools. We also use
tools and materials involving significant
amounts of energy. When there is a lot of
energy available, in whatever form—
mechanical, heat, chemical, electrical, or
potential energy from gravity—the safety risk
is elevated.
Following are some high-risk attitudes
you may experience.
• Hurried: We use modern quick-setting
adhesives that make the building process
much faster than in the past and the final
product lighter. The risk is caused by the
release of chemical and heat energy as the
glue sets. In addition, you could glue
something that should not be glued.
Cyanoacrylate glue comes in various
thicknesses: thin, medium, and thick. The
thinner it is, the faster it sets. The thin stuff
sets in five to 10 seconds.
To attach balsa pieces using thin
cyanoacrylate, we would normally pin waxed
paper over plans on a building board (which
could be the back of a 2 x 4-foot ceiling tile),
and then cut, position, and pin the balsa pieces
in place. Then we would place a small drop of
cyanoacrylate on the joints of the balsa.
Sometimes you may be tempted to hurry
and hold the balsa pieces together with your
fingers rather than pin them, such as when
laminating balsa pieces or gluing fuselage
sides at the tail post. You may think pinning
takes too long.
Such hurrying places you at greater safety
risk. The thin cyanoacrylate wicks through
balsa easily and can reach your fingers. If you
have only a couple minutes before an
appointment and think you can quickly finish
that gluing job by using your fingers to clamp
the work, reschedule the modeling work for
another time. You would look kind of funny
going to that appointment with a fuselage
glued to your fingers.
Sometimes a drop of glue will harden
in the delivery spout of a cyanoacrylate
glue bottle. Before using the
cyanoacrylate, check to make sure that the
delivery spout is unclogged. Otherwise,
nothing happens when you squeeze the
bottle to deliver a drop of glue.
February 2006 35
This multihead screwdriver is handy and
safe when used correctly. Slips need to be
prevented to protect your hand and arm.
Self-healing cutting mats are available in a variety of sizes. They make cutting balsa parts
trouble free. The mat’s composition will not guide the blade, allowing you to make
accurate and safe cuts.
I know of someone in a model-building class who tried to
push a pin down into a clogged tip of a cyanoacrylate bottle while
tightly gripping the bottle. When the clog cleared, the pressure he
was applying to the bottle caused adhesive to squirt across the
room.
Fortunately no one was in the glue-wetted path. After that
occurrence cyanoacyrlate was applied by an instructor if it needed
to be used.
To clear a clog in the spout of a cyanoacrylate glue bottle, it’s
better to carefully unscrew the cap to work on removing the clog.
Be careful not to spill the glue from the open bottle if you use this
technique.
When using cyanoacrylate glue, you need a backup—or a third
level—of safety defense. Have a bottle of debonder readily
available to unstick your fingers if the need arises. The debonder
won’t help your clothes if you spill glue on them; they will be
ruined. The debonder should be available at any hobby shop that
sells cyanoacrylate.
A final level of safety defense—a barrier—is necessary when
using cyanoacrylate. Wear glasses or goggles for eye protection.
Some of the glues get hot and fume as they set. If you drop the
bottle, glue will splatter everywhere. If you get a drop of
cyanoacrylate in your eye, your condition will require medical
help.
I wear prescription glasses. As careful as I am when I use
cyanoacrylate, I have still had to clean my eyeglass lenses with
debonder. It may attack some of the new coatings on plastic
lenses, so if you wear glasses you may want to use goggles to
protect you and those expensive lenses.
• Stressed: Have you ever had a problem with soldering? You
may be stressed out because you can’t get that wire lined up
correctly with enough solder on the connector. And after three
tries of holding the wire with pliers, the solder joint still isn’t
right.
You decide to hold the wire with your fingers for better
control. However, 30 seconds later you are frantically looking for
the burn ointment because you overheated your thumb and
forefinger with a hot wire or a hot blob of solder.
There is a better solution. If you are getting frustrated,
recognize it and don’t push your luck. Don’t reach for that
soldering gun again; take a break. Find a path to relieve your
frustration. Beat on a punching bag. Ride your bicycle around the
block.
Come back to the shop work when you are not feeling
frustrated. You will be much less likely to hurt yourself and much
more likely to succeed.
By the way, there are better ways to hold pieces to be soldered,
as shown in the soldering-station photograph.
• Fatigued: Today we modelers have an easy solution for covering
our models; there are many adhesive-backed, iron-on coverings.
You can purchase a covering iron that is designed specifically for
this job or you may use an empty steam iron with a temperature
control to apply the covering.
Are there safety risks in covering a model? Yes, there are.
After all, we have a good energy source: a hot iron. If you are
tired, you are more likely to make errors during this task.
Your goal may be to finish the covering job before turning in
for the night, but it could take longer than you thought. If you are
getting tired, the longer you work, the more likely you are to slip
and burn yourself. You are also more likely to lose your grip on
that wing and punch a hole in the covering or in your hand while
trimming the edges with a sharp hobby knife.
If you are tired or getting tired, get some rest and do the shop
work later.
• Distracted: Hobby saws are sharp, and they make cutting thick
balsa or thin plywood much easier than using a hobby knife. I
have several handsaws and a Dremel jigsaw I use regularly.
For the handsaw work you need a backing surface, such as a
substantial wood block, that is sacrificial. You shouldn’t care if
you cut into it while cutting the work piece. For the jigsaw you
may need a piece of sacrificial wood to aid in pushing something
through the saw.
As when using any sharp tools, your attention needs to be
focused on the tool and the working piece. You cannot afford to be
distracted. You should not be thinking about how to fly a Split S
maneuver, how to solve problems at work, or how to get your son or
daughter to take a stronger interest in his or her schoolwork.
Not paying full attention to the task at hand can be hazardous to
your hand—particularly your fingers and thumb. If you get
distracted, stop the cutting for a moment and refocus. Keep your
mind and eyes on the work. Worry about those other concerns later.
• Commodore Syndrome: This is a dangerous attitude. Unwarranted
overconfidence in your ability to control the working situation
without safety-barrier protection is inherently dangerous.
was a handheld Dremel power tool. It can
drill, grind, sand, or cut. It will, with the
right disk attached, grind through landinggear
wire quickly and easily. Those little
ceramic grinding disks work great, but they
occasionally shatter if they are overheated
or if you get them in a slight bind.
Let’s say you are ready to work and
can’t find your safety glasses. What do you
do? You may be tempted to say to yourself,
“If I’m careful and don’t stress the wheel
by bending it, it won’t shatter. I can do
this.”
I implore you to learn to identify this
unjustified confidence for the danger it is.
Recognize this safety risk. Use the barrier
safety defense with a pair of goggles, and
you will go a long way toward making your
model-building experience more enjoyable
and free of injury.
Ensuring the right attitude in preparing
for shop work is the first level of safety you
need to achieve. Then, don’t sit on your
laurels. You need a second level of
safety—a precheck of your tools—before
beginning your work.
If the device is electrical, such as the
soldering gun or Dremel hand grinder,
make sure the tool heads are in good
mechanical condition and tightly clamped,
and that the power cord is not frayed, worn
bare, or nicked. If you are using a hand
tool, look at the condition of the handle to
ensure that it is tight and not going to come
loose or crumble in your hand while you
work.
If the tool is flawed, repair or discard it.
Get rid of damaged tools that cannot be
repaired.
In regards to attitude I have discussed
gluing, soldering, covering, sawing, and
grinding. Now I’ll cover the risks and
levels of safety defense for cutting, wire
bending, sanding, assembling, and painting.
With the right attitude and after having
performed prechecks of your tools, it’s time
to work. There are some valuable lessons
learned I can share to help you minimize
the blood and gore.
• Cutting: Before I bought my self-healing
cutting mats I used cardboard, wood
blocks, or newspaper as a backing for balsa
I was slicing. None of these was ideal.
The wood blocks and cardboard were
dangerous because if I applied much
pressure, the knife blade would follow the
grain of the material. The knife could cut
somewhere I did not intend. A new #11
blade in a hobby-knife handle can make a
wicked slash in your arm if you slip.
Cutting against a backing of newspaper
was a bit better, but I had to apply a great
deal of pressure to compress the layers of
newspaper before the cutting was effective.
The extra pressure is not good.
Using these materials as a backing for
your cuts raises your safety risk. You need a
firm, nongrained, self-healing surface for
cutting. Several sizes of these mats are
shown in one of the photographs.
• Bending: This is a setup where gravity
can hurt you. I needed to bend a 5/16-inch
wire for a landing gear. This was too big a
job for pliers. I needed to bring out the big
artillery: a 5-pound vise.
Did I bolt the vise to the worktable?
Nah! I was in a hurry. I clamped the wire
securely in the vise, held pressure on the
end of the wire, and formed the bend by
hammering on the wire where it exited the
vise.
Having completed the 90° bend in the
wire, I pulled the vise to the edge of the
table to free the wire. I was so eager to
inspect the bend that when I loosened the
jaws I didn’t bother to push the vise back
from the edge of the table. With no human
control applied, it sought a more stable
position by rolling off the edge of the
worktable and onto my shoeless foot.
The arch of my right foot cushioned
the vise’s fall. It rolled off of my foot to
the concrete floor, undamaged.
However, the almost immediate
appearance of red on top of my white sock
told me that my foot had suffered in this
event. I really didn’t want to take the sock
off to look at the damage. Fortunately I
didn’t break any bones and just had to
hobble aroundDon’t repeat my foolishness. If you are
going to use a vise for any purpose, don’t
rush. Clamp or bolt it to a bench. In
addition, when working in the shop, please
provide the appropriate safety barrier for
your feet; wear shoes.
• Sanding: There are two aspects of this
simple chore that can be of concern for
your safety, the first of which is that using
folded sandpaper can be rough on your
fingers.
I was in the midst of building a model
once when I had to get fingerprinted for a
security clearance. I had been doing a lot
of sanding to lighten the model and get a
smooth finish. I got the smooth finish on
the wood all right, but my fingertips were
smoothed as well.
The officer asked me if I had been
trying to get rid of my fingerprints for
some reason. I had to come back several
weeks later to get the job done.
A good sanding board can save your
fingers and provide a better tool. Most
hobby shops have aluminum channelbacked
sanding boards or you can make a
serviceable one by gluing a piece of
sandpaper to one side of a straight section
of 2 x 4-inch wood.
Second, if you use a power sander such
as a sanding disk or drum on the Dremel
tool, you should have barrier protection:
goggles for your eyes and a dust
(painter’s) mask for your nose. When you
need to do power sanding, you can
minimize the dust you breathe and the
particles that get into your home’s
ventilation system by running a vacuum
cleaner with the inlet in the vicinity of the
work surface.
• Assembling: The screwdriver shown in
one of the photographs looks innocuous
enough. How could it be dangerous? Look
at the end of the inserted working head,
with the Phillips-type end. It comes to a
sharp point.
Let’s say you are holding a board to
mount servos for your model. Using the
Phillips screw head you may apply 4
pounds of force to drive the screw into the
wood. This force is concentrated at the
small tip, which makes it effective in
turning the screw.
Four pounds of force applied to an area
measuring approximately 1/16 inch square
translates to a pressure of roughly 1,000
pounds per square inch at the tip. If the tip
of the driver slipped off the screw, you
could easily nick or punch your thumb,
finger, palm, or arm.
• Painting: If you are using spray paint to
put the final touches on your model, please
remember to use the appropriate barrier;
wear a painter’s mask. The hazard is
breathing materials into your lungs that are
not intended to be there.
I know it can be tempting to do small
spray jobs in the shop, but that is not a
good idea. Do it in the garage or some
other well-ventilated place, or fix yourself
up with a spray booth such as the one
presented in the November MA.
I learned the value of the simple spray
mask when I painted a green chalkboard
for my children in the wintertime. I opened
the kitchen door adjoining the garage to
allow the garage to warm up a bit. Then I
sprayed four coats of flat green paint on a
piece of plywood to make the marking
surface for the chalkboard.
I didn’t even think about using a mask
at the time. After all, it was a large garage.
As a result of my painting exercise, I was
blowing green goo out of my nose and
lungs for nearly three days. It was not
pretty.
I hope this discussion has made you aware
of some common workshop hazards,
prepared you to adjust your attitude for safe
work, and armed you to put up a strong
safety defense. Consider these thoughts,
take them to heart, and make them part of
your shop work ethic. Apply the
appropriate levels of safety defense in your
shop work.
Good luck and good flying. In the next
article I’ll discuss safety while preparing
your model for flight and flying-field
etiquette. MA
Donald W. Brooks
[email protected]
38 MODEL
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,38
“STUFF HAPPENS,” my pessimistic friend argued. “You just cannot
prevent all accidents. [The concept of] Zero accidents is a myth!”
As much as I like my friend, I disagree with his opinion on safety
and particularly on aeromodeling safety. He is partially correct in that
some accidents are beyond our control. However, we can anticipate
these and lessen the risk of accidents we can’t prevent. The many
accidents for which we alone are the source can be prevented.
I have written a four-article series on safety at the urging of
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt and because I take safety in building
models and flying seriously. I have been a flying-club safety officer, I
have helped with three model-building clinics, and I am a club
instructor for radio-controlled flight.
I have seen some strange happenings. There is inherent risk in
using sharp and high-energy tools and in the conduct of model-flight
operations. I will concentrate my discussion on radio-controlled models
and try to write simply enough to be understood by those who are new
and not so new to the hobby.
I have two goals for these discussions, the first of which is to
make you aware of safety hazards you may encounter while
building, performing flight preparations, and flying your model.
Second, I hope to arm you mentally with tools to avoid the pitfalls
that can lead to mistakes and getting someone hurt. I will try to
keep these discussions straightforward.
I visualize aeromodeling safety as a defensive effort. This defense
recognizes the safety risk: a combination of the probability of an
accident happening and the possible consequence of that accident.
Generally the consequence of an accident may be on one of three
levels.
1) A first-aid injury—a minor inconvenience.
2) A significant injury that requires medical help, such as stitches to
repair a wound.
3) A debilitating and possibly life-threatening injury.
The higher the safety risk, the stronger the defense we have to
muster. If the safety risk is low, we apply only one or two of the
multiple levels of defense. If the risk factor is high, we employ all
possible levels. The five levels of safety defense applied to
aeromodeling are:
1) Attitude
2) Prechecks
3) Backup
4) Isolation
5) Barriers
The first three are used to prevent something from going wrong. The
last two minimize the risk of a consequence for an occurrence that is
beyond our control. We usually apply these defense levels cumulatively;
34 MODEL AVIATION
Proper tools for soldering can make the job much safer and easier. Notice the holder for
the hot soldering iron and the clothespins that make it simple to hold small parts in
proper alignment.
Shown are common workshop tools. Having and using the proper device for a specific job
is a safe practice. Learn to use all your tools in a safe manner.
The application of backup normally
implies that we have already ensured the
right attitude and have done the prechecks.
However, there are occasions when it is
appropriate to proceed directly from
attitude to prechecks to barriers. I will
point out some such instances.
By barriers I mean personal protective
equipment such as a dust mask, goggles,
earplugs, or a hard hat. When we cannot
provide adequate safety protection by
reducing the likelihood of a safety
problem, we must rely on preventing the
event or condition from reaching the
person or property by using a barrier.
Isolation means physically separating
people from a safety hazard, such as an
out-of-control aircraft that is about to
crash.
Workshop Safety: Whether you are
building a FF Peanut Scale rubber-powered
model, rigging an electric-powered park
flyer, assembling an ARF wet-fueled
model, constructing a sport trainer from a
kit, or scratch-building a World War II
fighter, you will likely glue, solder, cover,
saw, grind, cut, bend, sand, assemble,
and/or paint during the process.
I will address the personal attitude you
need to safely perform these activities, the
use of prechecks for tools we use, and the
application of barriers, as appropriate, to
keep our fingers, toes, and other vital body
parts out of harm’s way while working in
the shop.
Even experienced modelers who should
know better and have been told lessonslearned
stories from past safety events still
make serious errors and get themselves or
others injured. Why? The answer often lies
in the modeler’s frame of mind prior to the
accident.
Modelers are more likely to make
mistakes if they are in the wrong frame of
mind—if they have the wrong attitude. If
we are feeling hurried, stressed out, tired,
distracted, or infected with the
Commodore Syndrome (overconfidence),
we increase the safety risk in what we are
doing. Dave Gee identified and discussed
the effect of the Commodore Syndrome in
his October 2004 safety column in MA.
We need to recognize when we are in
one of these high-risk states and adjust
what we are doing to minimize the
probability of an accident. We may need to
slow down, take a break, refocus our
concentration, or take a less-tiring position
for the shop task.
We model-airplane addicts do many
simple things with sharp tools. We also use
tools and materials involving significant
amounts of energy. When there is a lot of
energy available, in whatever form—
mechanical, heat, chemical, electrical, or
potential energy from gravity—the safety risk
is elevated.
Following are some high-risk attitudes
you may experience.
• Hurried: We use modern quick-setting
adhesives that make the building process
much faster than in the past and the final
product lighter. The risk is caused by the
release of chemical and heat energy as the
glue sets. In addition, you could glue
something that should not be glued.
Cyanoacrylate glue comes in various
thicknesses: thin, medium, and thick. The
thinner it is, the faster it sets. The thin stuff
sets in five to 10 seconds.
To attach balsa pieces using thin
cyanoacrylate, we would normally pin waxed
paper over plans on a building board (which
could be the back of a 2 x 4-foot ceiling tile),
and then cut, position, and pin the balsa pieces
in place. Then we would place a small drop of
cyanoacrylate on the joints of the balsa.
Sometimes you may be tempted to hurry
and hold the balsa pieces together with your
fingers rather than pin them, such as when
laminating balsa pieces or gluing fuselage
sides at the tail post. You may think pinning
takes too long.
Such hurrying places you at greater safety
risk. The thin cyanoacrylate wicks through
balsa easily and can reach your fingers. If you
have only a couple minutes before an
appointment and think you can quickly finish
that gluing job by using your fingers to clamp
the work, reschedule the modeling work for
another time. You would look kind of funny
going to that appointment with a fuselage
glued to your fingers.
Sometimes a drop of glue will harden
in the delivery spout of a cyanoacrylate
glue bottle. Before using the
cyanoacrylate, check to make sure that the
delivery spout is unclogged. Otherwise,
nothing happens when you squeeze the
bottle to deliver a drop of glue.
February 2006 35
This multihead screwdriver is handy and
safe when used correctly. Slips need to be
prevented to protect your hand and arm.
Self-healing cutting mats are available in a variety of sizes. They make cutting balsa parts
trouble free. The mat’s composition will not guide the blade, allowing you to make
accurate and safe cuts.
I know of someone in a model-building class who tried to
push a pin down into a clogged tip of a cyanoacrylate bottle while
tightly gripping the bottle. When the clog cleared, the pressure he
was applying to the bottle caused adhesive to squirt across the
room.
Fortunately no one was in the glue-wetted path. After that
occurrence cyanoacyrlate was applied by an instructor if it needed
to be used.
To clear a clog in the spout of a cyanoacrylate glue bottle, it’s
better to carefully unscrew the cap to work on removing the clog.
Be careful not to spill the glue from the open bottle if you use this
technique.
When using cyanoacrylate glue, you need a backup—or a third
level—of safety defense. Have a bottle of debonder readily
available to unstick your fingers if the need arises. The debonder
won’t help your clothes if you spill glue on them; they will be
ruined. The debonder should be available at any hobby shop that
sells cyanoacrylate.
A final level of safety defense—a barrier—is necessary when
using cyanoacrylate. Wear glasses or goggles for eye protection.
Some of the glues get hot and fume as they set. If you drop the
bottle, glue will splatter everywhere. If you get a drop of
cyanoacrylate in your eye, your condition will require medical
help.
I wear prescription glasses. As careful as I am when I use
cyanoacrylate, I have still had to clean my eyeglass lenses with
debonder. It may attack some of the new coatings on plastic
lenses, so if you wear glasses you may want to use goggles to
protect you and those expensive lenses.
• Stressed: Have you ever had a problem with soldering? You
may be stressed out because you can’t get that wire lined up
correctly with enough solder on the connector. And after three
tries of holding the wire with pliers, the solder joint still isn’t
right.
You decide to hold the wire with your fingers for better
control. However, 30 seconds later you are frantically looking for
the burn ointment because you overheated your thumb and
forefinger with a hot wire or a hot blob of solder.
There is a better solution. If you are getting frustrated,
recognize it and don’t push your luck. Don’t reach for that
soldering gun again; take a break. Find a path to relieve your
frustration. Beat on a punching bag. Ride your bicycle around the
block.
Come back to the shop work when you are not feeling
frustrated. You will be much less likely to hurt yourself and much
more likely to succeed.
By the way, there are better ways to hold pieces to be soldered,
as shown in the soldering-station photograph.
• Fatigued: Today we modelers have an easy solution for covering
our models; there are many adhesive-backed, iron-on coverings.
You can purchase a covering iron that is designed specifically for
this job or you may use an empty steam iron with a temperature
control to apply the covering.
Are there safety risks in covering a model? Yes, there are.
After all, we have a good energy source: a hot iron. If you are
tired, you are more likely to make errors during this task.
Your goal may be to finish the covering job before turning in
for the night, but it could take longer than you thought. If you are
getting tired, the longer you work, the more likely you are to slip
and burn yourself. You are also more likely to lose your grip on
that wing and punch a hole in the covering or in your hand while
trimming the edges with a sharp hobby knife.
If you are tired or getting tired, get some rest and do the shop
work later.
• Distracted: Hobby saws are sharp, and they make cutting thick
balsa or thin plywood much easier than using a hobby knife. I
have several handsaws and a Dremel jigsaw I use regularly.
For the handsaw work you need a backing surface, such as a
substantial wood block, that is sacrificial. You shouldn’t care if
you cut into it while cutting the work piece. For the jigsaw you
may need a piece of sacrificial wood to aid in pushing something
through the saw.
As when using any sharp tools, your attention needs to be
focused on the tool and the working piece. You cannot afford to be
distracted. You should not be thinking about how to fly a Split S
maneuver, how to solve problems at work, or how to get your son or
daughter to take a stronger interest in his or her schoolwork.
Not paying full attention to the task at hand can be hazardous to
your hand—particularly your fingers and thumb. If you get
distracted, stop the cutting for a moment and refocus. Keep your
mind and eyes on the work. Worry about those other concerns later.
• Commodore Syndrome: This is a dangerous attitude. Unwarranted
overconfidence in your ability to control the working situation
without safety-barrier protection is inherently dangerous.
was a handheld Dremel power tool. It can
drill, grind, sand, or cut. It will, with the
right disk attached, grind through landinggear
wire quickly and easily. Those little
ceramic grinding disks work great, but they
occasionally shatter if they are overheated
or if you get them in a slight bind.
Let’s say you are ready to work and
can’t find your safety glasses. What do you
do? You may be tempted to say to yourself,
“If I’m careful and don’t stress the wheel
by bending it, it won’t shatter. I can do
this.”
I implore you to learn to identify this
unjustified confidence for the danger it is.
Recognize this safety risk. Use the barrier
safety defense with a pair of goggles, and
you will go a long way toward making your
model-building experience more enjoyable
and free of injury.
Ensuring the right attitude in preparing
for shop work is the first level of safety you
need to achieve. Then, don’t sit on your
laurels. You need a second level of
safety—a precheck of your tools—before
beginning your work.
If the device is electrical, such as the
soldering gun or Dremel hand grinder,
make sure the tool heads are in good
mechanical condition and tightly clamped,
and that the power cord is not frayed, worn
bare, or nicked. If you are using a hand
tool, look at the condition of the handle to
ensure that it is tight and not going to come
loose or crumble in your hand while you
work.
If the tool is flawed, repair or discard it.
Get rid of damaged tools that cannot be
repaired.
In regards to attitude I have discussed
gluing, soldering, covering, sawing, and
grinding. Now I’ll cover the risks and
levels of safety defense for cutting, wire
bending, sanding, assembling, and painting.
With the right attitude and after having
performed prechecks of your tools, it’s time
to work. There are some valuable lessons
learned I can share to help you minimize
the blood and gore.
• Cutting: Before I bought my self-healing
cutting mats I used cardboard, wood
blocks, or newspaper as a backing for balsa
I was slicing. None of these was ideal.
The wood blocks and cardboard were
dangerous because if I applied much
pressure, the knife blade would follow the
grain of the material. The knife could cut
somewhere I did not intend. A new #11
blade in a hobby-knife handle can make a
wicked slash in your arm if you slip.
Cutting against a backing of newspaper
was a bit better, but I had to apply a great
deal of pressure to compress the layers of
newspaper before the cutting was effective.
The extra pressure is not good.
Using these materials as a backing for
your cuts raises your safety risk. You need a
firm, nongrained, self-healing surface for
cutting. Several sizes of these mats are
shown in one of the photographs.
• Bending: This is a setup where gravity
can hurt you. I needed to bend a 5/16-inch
wire for a landing gear. This was too big a
job for pliers. I needed to bring out the big
artillery: a 5-pound vise.
Did I bolt the vise to the worktable?
Nah! I was in a hurry. I clamped the wire
securely in the vise, held pressure on the
end of the wire, and formed the bend by
hammering on the wire where it exited the
vise.
Having completed the 90° bend in the
wire, I pulled the vise to the edge of the
table to free the wire. I was so eager to
inspect the bend that when I loosened the
jaws I didn’t bother to push the vise back
from the edge of the table. With no human
control applied, it sought a more stable
position by rolling off the edge of the
worktable and onto my shoeless foot.
The arch of my right foot cushioned
the vise’s fall. It rolled off of my foot to
the concrete floor, undamaged.
However, the almost immediate
appearance of red on top of my white sock
told me that my foot had suffered in this
event. I really didn’t want to take the sock
off to look at the damage. Fortunately I
didn’t break any bones and just had to
hobble aroundDon’t repeat my foolishness. If you are
going to use a vise for any purpose, don’t
rush. Clamp or bolt it to a bench. In
addition, when working in the shop, please
provide the appropriate safety barrier for
your feet; wear shoes.
• Sanding: There are two aspects of this
simple chore that can be of concern for
your safety, the first of which is that using
folded sandpaper can be rough on your
fingers.
I was in the midst of building a model
once when I had to get fingerprinted for a
security clearance. I had been doing a lot
of sanding to lighten the model and get a
smooth finish. I got the smooth finish on
the wood all right, but my fingertips were
smoothed as well.
The officer asked me if I had been
trying to get rid of my fingerprints for
some reason. I had to come back several
weeks later to get the job done.
A good sanding board can save your
fingers and provide a better tool. Most
hobby shops have aluminum channelbacked
sanding boards or you can make a
serviceable one by gluing a piece of
sandpaper to one side of a straight section
of 2 x 4-inch wood.
Second, if you use a power sander such
as a sanding disk or drum on the Dremel
tool, you should have barrier protection:
goggles for your eyes and a dust
(painter’s) mask for your nose. When you
need to do power sanding, you can
minimize the dust you breathe and the
particles that get into your home’s
ventilation system by running a vacuum
cleaner with the inlet in the vicinity of the
work surface.
• Assembling: The screwdriver shown in
one of the photographs looks innocuous
enough. How could it be dangerous? Look
at the end of the inserted working head,
with the Phillips-type end. It comes to a
sharp point.
Let’s say you are holding a board to
mount servos for your model. Using the
Phillips screw head you may apply 4
pounds of force to drive the screw into the
wood. This force is concentrated at the
small tip, which makes it effective in
turning the screw.
Four pounds of force applied to an area
measuring approximately 1/16 inch square
translates to a pressure of roughly 1,000
pounds per square inch at the tip. If the tip
of the driver slipped off the screw, you
could easily nick or punch your thumb,
finger, palm, or arm.
• Painting: If you are using spray paint to
put the final touches on your model, please
remember to use the appropriate barrier;
wear a painter’s mask. The hazard is
breathing materials into your lungs that are
not intended to be there.
I know it can be tempting to do small
spray jobs in the shop, but that is not a
good idea. Do it in the garage or some
other well-ventilated place, or fix yourself
up with a spray booth such as the one
presented in the November MA.
I learned the value of the simple spray
mask when I painted a green chalkboard
for my children in the wintertime. I opened
the kitchen door adjoining the garage to
allow the garage to warm up a bit. Then I
sprayed four coats of flat green paint on a
piece of plywood to make the marking
surface for the chalkboard.
I didn’t even think about using a mask
at the time. After all, it was a large garage.
As a result of my painting exercise, I was
blowing green goo out of my nose and
lungs for nearly three days. It was not
pretty.
I hope this discussion has made you aware
of some common workshop hazards,
prepared you to adjust your attitude for safe
work, and armed you to put up a strong
safety defense. Consider these thoughts,
take them to heart, and make them part of
your shop work ethic. Apply the
appropriate levels of safety defense in your
shop work.
Good luck and good flying. In the next
article I’ll discuss safety while preparing
your model for flight and flying-field
etiquette. MA
Donald W. Brooks
[email protected]
38 MODEL
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,38
“STUFF HAPPENS,” my pessimistic friend argued. “You just cannot
prevent all accidents. [The concept of] Zero accidents is a myth!”
As much as I like my friend, I disagree with his opinion on safety
and particularly on aeromodeling safety. He is partially correct in that
some accidents are beyond our control. However, we can anticipate
these and lessen the risk of accidents we can’t prevent. The many
accidents for which we alone are the source can be prevented.
I have written a four-article series on safety at the urging of
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt and because I take safety in building
models and flying seriously. I have been a flying-club safety officer, I
have helped with three model-building clinics, and I am a club
instructor for radio-controlled flight.
I have seen some strange happenings. There is inherent risk in
using sharp and high-energy tools and in the conduct of model-flight
operations. I will concentrate my discussion on radio-controlled models
and try to write simply enough to be understood by those who are new
and not so new to the hobby.
I have two goals for these discussions, the first of which is to
make you aware of safety hazards you may encounter while
building, performing flight preparations, and flying your model.
Second, I hope to arm you mentally with tools to avoid the pitfalls
that can lead to mistakes and getting someone hurt. I will try to
keep these discussions straightforward.
I visualize aeromodeling safety as a defensive effort. This defense
recognizes the safety risk: a combination of the probability of an
accident happening and the possible consequence of that accident.
Generally the consequence of an accident may be on one of three
levels.
1) A first-aid injury—a minor inconvenience.
2) A significant injury that requires medical help, such as stitches to
repair a wound.
3) A debilitating and possibly life-threatening injury.
The higher the safety risk, the stronger the defense we have to
muster. If the safety risk is low, we apply only one or two of the
multiple levels of defense. If the risk factor is high, we employ all
possible levels. The five levels of safety defense applied to
aeromodeling are:
1) Attitude
2) Prechecks
3) Backup
4) Isolation
5) Barriers
The first three are used to prevent something from going wrong. The
last two minimize the risk of a consequence for an occurrence that is
beyond our control. We usually apply these defense levels cumulatively;
34 MODEL AVIATION
Proper tools for soldering can make the job much safer and easier. Notice the holder for
the hot soldering iron and the clothespins that make it simple to hold small parts in
proper alignment.
Shown are common workshop tools. Having and using the proper device for a specific job
is a safe practice. Learn to use all your tools in a safe manner.
The application of backup normally
implies that we have already ensured the
right attitude and have done the prechecks.
However, there are occasions when it is
appropriate to proceed directly from
attitude to prechecks to barriers. I will
point out some such instances.
By barriers I mean personal protective
equipment such as a dust mask, goggles,
earplugs, or a hard hat. When we cannot
provide adequate safety protection by
reducing the likelihood of a safety
problem, we must rely on preventing the
event or condition from reaching the
person or property by using a barrier.
Isolation means physically separating
people from a safety hazard, such as an
out-of-control aircraft that is about to
crash.
Workshop Safety: Whether you are
building a FF Peanut Scale rubber-powered
model, rigging an electric-powered park
flyer, assembling an ARF wet-fueled
model, constructing a sport trainer from a
kit, or scratch-building a World War II
fighter, you will likely glue, solder, cover,
saw, grind, cut, bend, sand, assemble,
and/or paint during the process.
I will address the personal attitude you
need to safely perform these activities, the
use of prechecks for tools we use, and the
application of barriers, as appropriate, to
keep our fingers, toes, and other vital body
parts out of harm’s way while working in
the shop.
Even experienced modelers who should
know better and have been told lessonslearned
stories from past safety events still
make serious errors and get themselves or
others injured. Why? The answer often lies
in the modeler’s frame of mind prior to the
accident.
Modelers are more likely to make
mistakes if they are in the wrong frame of
mind—if they have the wrong attitude. If
we are feeling hurried, stressed out, tired,
distracted, or infected with the
Commodore Syndrome (overconfidence),
we increase the safety risk in what we are
doing. Dave Gee identified and discussed
the effect of the Commodore Syndrome in
his October 2004 safety column in MA.
We need to recognize when we are in
one of these high-risk states and adjust
what we are doing to minimize the
probability of an accident. We may need to
slow down, take a break, refocus our
concentration, or take a less-tiring position
for the shop task.
We model-airplane addicts do many
simple things with sharp tools. We also use
tools and materials involving significant
amounts of energy. When there is a lot of
energy available, in whatever form—
mechanical, heat, chemical, electrical, or
potential energy from gravity—the safety risk
is elevated.
Following are some high-risk attitudes
you may experience.
• Hurried: We use modern quick-setting
adhesives that make the building process
much faster than in the past and the final
product lighter. The risk is caused by the
release of chemical and heat energy as the
glue sets. In addition, you could glue
something that should not be glued.
Cyanoacrylate glue comes in various
thicknesses: thin, medium, and thick. The
thinner it is, the faster it sets. The thin stuff
sets in five to 10 seconds.
To attach balsa pieces using thin
cyanoacrylate, we would normally pin waxed
paper over plans on a building board (which
could be the back of a 2 x 4-foot ceiling tile),
and then cut, position, and pin the balsa pieces
in place. Then we would place a small drop of
cyanoacrylate on the joints of the balsa.
Sometimes you may be tempted to hurry
and hold the balsa pieces together with your
fingers rather than pin them, such as when
laminating balsa pieces or gluing fuselage
sides at the tail post. You may think pinning
takes too long.
Such hurrying places you at greater safety
risk. The thin cyanoacrylate wicks through
balsa easily and can reach your fingers. If you
have only a couple minutes before an
appointment and think you can quickly finish
that gluing job by using your fingers to clamp
the work, reschedule the modeling work for
another time. You would look kind of funny
going to that appointment with a fuselage
glued to your fingers.
Sometimes a drop of glue will harden
in the delivery spout of a cyanoacrylate
glue bottle. Before using the
cyanoacrylate, check to make sure that the
delivery spout is unclogged. Otherwise,
nothing happens when you squeeze the
bottle to deliver a drop of glue.
February 2006 35
This multihead screwdriver is handy and
safe when used correctly. Slips need to be
prevented to protect your hand and arm.
Self-healing cutting mats are available in a variety of sizes. They make cutting balsa parts
trouble free. The mat’s composition will not guide the blade, allowing you to make
accurate and safe cuts.
I know of someone in a model-building class who tried to
push a pin down into a clogged tip of a cyanoacrylate bottle while
tightly gripping the bottle. When the clog cleared, the pressure he
was applying to the bottle caused adhesive to squirt across the
room.
Fortunately no one was in the glue-wetted path. After that
occurrence cyanoacyrlate was applied by an instructor if it needed
to be used.
To clear a clog in the spout of a cyanoacrylate glue bottle, it’s
better to carefully unscrew the cap to work on removing the clog.
Be careful not to spill the glue from the open bottle if you use this
technique.
When using cyanoacrylate glue, you need a backup—or a third
level—of safety defense. Have a bottle of debonder readily
available to unstick your fingers if the need arises. The debonder
won’t help your clothes if you spill glue on them; they will be
ruined. The debonder should be available at any hobby shop that
sells cyanoacrylate.
A final level of safety defense—a barrier—is necessary when
using cyanoacrylate. Wear glasses or goggles for eye protection.
Some of the glues get hot and fume as they set. If you drop the
bottle, glue will splatter everywhere. If you get a drop of
cyanoacrylate in your eye, your condition will require medical
help.
I wear prescription glasses. As careful as I am when I use
cyanoacrylate, I have still had to clean my eyeglass lenses with
debonder. It may attack some of the new coatings on plastic
lenses, so if you wear glasses you may want to use goggles to
protect you and those expensive lenses.
• Stressed: Have you ever had a problem with soldering? You
may be stressed out because you can’t get that wire lined up
correctly with enough solder on the connector. And after three
tries of holding the wire with pliers, the solder joint still isn’t
right.
You decide to hold the wire with your fingers for better
control. However, 30 seconds later you are frantically looking for
the burn ointment because you overheated your thumb and
forefinger with a hot wire or a hot blob of solder.
There is a better solution. If you are getting frustrated,
recognize it and don’t push your luck. Don’t reach for that
soldering gun again; take a break. Find a path to relieve your
frustration. Beat on a punching bag. Ride your bicycle around the
block.
Come back to the shop work when you are not feeling
frustrated. You will be much less likely to hurt yourself and much
more likely to succeed.
By the way, there are better ways to hold pieces to be soldered,
as shown in the soldering-station photograph.
• Fatigued: Today we modelers have an easy solution for covering
our models; there are many adhesive-backed, iron-on coverings.
You can purchase a covering iron that is designed specifically for
this job or you may use an empty steam iron with a temperature
control to apply the covering.
Are there safety risks in covering a model? Yes, there are.
After all, we have a good energy source: a hot iron. If you are
tired, you are more likely to make errors during this task.
Your goal may be to finish the covering job before turning in
for the night, but it could take longer than you thought. If you are
getting tired, the longer you work, the more likely you are to slip
and burn yourself. You are also more likely to lose your grip on
that wing and punch a hole in the covering or in your hand while
trimming the edges with a sharp hobby knife.
If you are tired or getting tired, get some rest and do the shop
work later.
• Distracted: Hobby saws are sharp, and they make cutting thick
balsa or thin plywood much easier than using a hobby knife. I
have several handsaws and a Dremel jigsaw I use regularly.
For the handsaw work you need a backing surface, such as a
substantial wood block, that is sacrificial. You shouldn’t care if
you cut into it while cutting the work piece. For the jigsaw you
may need a piece of sacrificial wood to aid in pushing something
through the saw.
As when using any sharp tools, your attention needs to be
focused on the tool and the working piece. You cannot afford to be
distracted. You should not be thinking about how to fly a Split S
maneuver, how to solve problems at work, or how to get your son or
daughter to take a stronger interest in his or her schoolwork.
Not paying full attention to the task at hand can be hazardous to
your hand—particularly your fingers and thumb. If you get
distracted, stop the cutting for a moment and refocus. Keep your
mind and eyes on the work. Worry about those other concerns later.
• Commodore Syndrome: This is a dangerous attitude. Unwarranted
overconfidence in your ability to control the working situation
without safety-barrier protection is inherently dangerous.
was a handheld Dremel power tool. It can
drill, grind, sand, or cut. It will, with the
right disk attached, grind through landinggear
wire quickly and easily. Those little
ceramic grinding disks work great, but they
occasionally shatter if they are overheated
or if you get them in a slight bind.
Let’s say you are ready to work and
can’t find your safety glasses. What do you
do? You may be tempted to say to yourself,
“If I’m careful and don’t stress the wheel
by bending it, it won’t shatter. I can do
this.”
I implore you to learn to identify this
unjustified confidence for the danger it is.
Recognize this safety risk. Use the barrier
safety defense with a pair of goggles, and
you will go a long way toward making your
model-building experience more enjoyable
and free of injury.
Ensuring the right attitude in preparing
for shop work is the first level of safety you
need to achieve. Then, don’t sit on your
laurels. You need a second level of
safety—a precheck of your tools—before
beginning your work.
If the device is electrical, such as the
soldering gun or Dremel hand grinder,
make sure the tool heads are in good
mechanical condition and tightly clamped,
and that the power cord is not frayed, worn
bare, or nicked. If you are using a hand
tool, look at the condition of the handle to
ensure that it is tight and not going to come
loose or crumble in your hand while you
work.
If the tool is flawed, repair or discard it.
Get rid of damaged tools that cannot be
repaired.
In regards to attitude I have discussed
gluing, soldering, covering, sawing, and
grinding. Now I’ll cover the risks and
levels of safety defense for cutting, wire
bending, sanding, assembling, and painting.
With the right attitude and after having
performed prechecks of your tools, it’s time
to work. There are some valuable lessons
learned I can share to help you minimize
the blood and gore.
• Cutting: Before I bought my self-healing
cutting mats I used cardboard, wood
blocks, or newspaper as a backing for balsa
I was slicing. None of these was ideal.
The wood blocks and cardboard were
dangerous because if I applied much
pressure, the knife blade would follow the
grain of the material. The knife could cut
somewhere I did not intend. A new #11
blade in a hobby-knife handle can make a
wicked slash in your arm if you slip.
Cutting against a backing of newspaper
was a bit better, but I had to apply a great
deal of pressure to compress the layers of
newspaper before the cutting was effective.
The extra pressure is not good.
Using these materials as a backing for
your cuts raises your safety risk. You need a
firm, nongrained, self-healing surface for
cutting. Several sizes of these mats are
shown in one of the photographs.
• Bending: This is a setup where gravity
can hurt you. I needed to bend a 5/16-inch
wire for a landing gear. This was too big a
job for pliers. I needed to bring out the big
artillery: a 5-pound vise.
Did I bolt the vise to the worktable?
Nah! I was in a hurry. I clamped the wire
securely in the vise, held pressure on the
end of the wire, and formed the bend by
hammering on the wire where it exited the
vise.
Having completed the 90° bend in the
wire, I pulled the vise to the edge of the
table to free the wire. I was so eager to
inspect the bend that when I loosened the
jaws I didn’t bother to push the vise back
from the edge of the table. With no human
control applied, it sought a more stable
position by rolling off the edge of the
worktable and onto my shoeless foot.
The arch of my right foot cushioned
the vise’s fall. It rolled off of my foot to
the concrete floor, undamaged.
However, the almost immediate
appearance of red on top of my white sock
told me that my foot had suffered in this
event. I really didn’t want to take the sock
off to look at the damage. Fortunately I
didn’t break any bones and just had to
hobble aroundDon’t repeat my foolishness. If you are
going to use a vise for any purpose, don’t
rush. Clamp or bolt it to a bench. In
addition, when working in the shop, please
provide the appropriate safety barrier for
your feet; wear shoes.
• Sanding: There are two aspects of this
simple chore that can be of concern for
your safety, the first of which is that using
folded sandpaper can be rough on your
fingers.
I was in the midst of building a model
once when I had to get fingerprinted for a
security clearance. I had been doing a lot
of sanding to lighten the model and get a
smooth finish. I got the smooth finish on
the wood all right, but my fingertips were
smoothed as well.
The officer asked me if I had been
trying to get rid of my fingerprints for
some reason. I had to come back several
weeks later to get the job done.
A good sanding board can save your
fingers and provide a better tool. Most
hobby shops have aluminum channelbacked
sanding boards or you can make a
serviceable one by gluing a piece of
sandpaper to one side of a straight section
of 2 x 4-inch wood.
Second, if you use a power sander such
as a sanding disk or drum on the Dremel
tool, you should have barrier protection:
goggles for your eyes and a dust
(painter’s) mask for your nose. When you
need to do power sanding, you can
minimize the dust you breathe and the
particles that get into your home’s
ventilation system by running a vacuum
cleaner with the inlet in the vicinity of the
work surface.
• Assembling: The screwdriver shown in
one of the photographs looks innocuous
enough. How could it be dangerous? Look
at the end of the inserted working head,
with the Phillips-type end. It comes to a
sharp point.
Let’s say you are holding a board to
mount servos for your model. Using the
Phillips screw head you may apply 4
pounds of force to drive the screw into the
wood. This force is concentrated at the
small tip, which makes it effective in
turning the screw.
Four pounds of force applied to an area
measuring approximately 1/16 inch square
translates to a pressure of roughly 1,000
pounds per square inch at the tip. If the tip
of the driver slipped off the screw, you
could easily nick or punch your thumb,
finger, palm, or arm.
• Painting: If you are using spray paint to
put the final touches on your model, please
remember to use the appropriate barrier;
wear a painter’s mask. The hazard is
breathing materials into your lungs that are
not intended to be there.
I know it can be tempting to do small
spray jobs in the shop, but that is not a
good idea. Do it in the garage or some
other well-ventilated place, or fix yourself
up with a spray booth such as the one
presented in the November MA.
I learned the value of the simple spray
mask when I painted a green chalkboard
for my children in the wintertime. I opened
the kitchen door adjoining the garage to
allow the garage to warm up a bit. Then I
sprayed four coats of flat green paint on a
piece of plywood to make the marking
surface for the chalkboard.
I didn’t even think about using a mask
at the time. After all, it was a large garage.
As a result of my painting exercise, I was
blowing green goo out of my nose and
lungs for nearly three days. It was not
pretty.
I hope this discussion has made you aware
of some common workshop hazards,
prepared you to adjust your attitude for safe
work, and armed you to put up a strong
safety defense. Consider these thoughts,
take them to heart, and make them part of
your shop work ethic. Apply the
appropriate levels of safety defense in your
shop work.
Good luck and good flying. In the next
article I’ll discuss safety while preparing
your model for flight and flying-field
etiquette. MA
Donald W. Brooks
[email protected]
38 MODEL
Edition: Model Aviation - 2006/02
Page Numbers: 33,34,35,36,38
“STUFF HAPPENS,” my pessimistic friend argued. “You just cannot
prevent all accidents. [The concept of] Zero accidents is a myth!”
As much as I like my friend, I disagree with his opinion on safety
and particularly on aeromodeling safety. He is partially correct in that
some accidents are beyond our control. However, we can anticipate
these and lessen the risk of accidents we can’t prevent. The many
accidents for which we alone are the source can be prevented.
I have written a four-article series on safety at the urging of
Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt and because I take safety in building
models and flying seriously. I have been a flying-club safety officer, I
have helped with three model-building clinics, and I am a club
instructor for radio-controlled flight.
I have seen some strange happenings. There is inherent risk in
using sharp and high-energy tools and in the conduct of model-flight
operations. I will concentrate my discussion on radio-controlled models
and try to write simply enough to be understood by those who are new
and not so new to the hobby.
I have two goals for these discussions, the first of which is to
make you aware of safety hazards you may encounter while
building, performing flight preparations, and flying your model.
Second, I hope to arm you mentally with tools to avoid the pitfalls
that can lead to mistakes and getting someone hurt. I will try to
keep these discussions straightforward.
I visualize aeromodeling safety as a defensive effort. This defense
recognizes the safety risk: a combination of the probability of an
accident happening and the possible consequence of that accident.
Generally the consequence of an accident may be on one of three
levels.
1) A first-aid injury—a minor inconvenience.
2) A significant injury that requires medical help, such as stitches to
repair a wound.
3) A debilitating and possibly life-threatening injury.
The higher the safety risk, the stronger the defense we have to
muster. If the safety risk is low, we apply only one or two of the
multiple levels of defense. If the risk factor is high, we employ all
possible levels. The five levels of safety defense applied to
aeromodeling are:
1) Attitude
2) Prechecks
3) Backup
4) Isolation
5) Barriers
The first three are used to prevent something from going wrong. The
last two minimize the risk of a consequence for an occurrence that is
beyond our control. We usually apply these defense levels cumulatively;
34 MODEL AVIATION
Proper tools for soldering can make the job much safer and easier. Notice the holder for
the hot soldering iron and the clothespins that make it simple to hold small parts in
proper alignment.
Shown are common workshop tools. Having and using the proper device for a specific job
is a safe practice. Learn to use all your tools in a safe manner.
The application of backup normally
implies that we have already ensured the
right attitude and have done the prechecks.
However, there are occasions when it is
appropriate to proceed directly from
attitude to prechecks to barriers. I will
point out some such instances.
By barriers I mean personal protective
equipment such as a dust mask, goggles,
earplugs, or a hard hat. When we cannot
provide adequate safety protection by
reducing the likelihood of a safety
problem, we must rely on preventing the
event or condition from reaching the
person or property by using a barrier.
Isolation means physically separating
people from a safety hazard, such as an
out-of-control aircraft that is about to
crash.
Workshop Safety: Whether you are
building a FF Peanut Scale rubber-powered
model, rigging an electric-powered park
flyer, assembling an ARF wet-fueled
model, constructing a sport trainer from a
kit, or scratch-building a World War II
fighter, you will likely glue, solder, cover,
saw, grind, cut, bend, sand, assemble,
and/or paint during the process.
I will address the personal attitude you
need to safely perform these activities, the
use of prechecks for tools we use, and the
application of barriers, as appropriate, to
keep our fingers, toes, and other vital body
parts out of harm’s way while working in
the shop.
Even experienced modelers who should
know better and have been told lessonslearned
stories from past safety events still
make serious errors and get themselves or
others injured. Why? The answer often lies
in the modeler’s frame of mind prior to the
accident.
Modelers are more likely to make
mistakes if they are in the wrong frame of
mind—if they have the wrong attitude. If
we are feeling hurried, stressed out, tired,
distracted, or infected with the
Commodore Syndrome (overconfidence),
we increase the safety risk in what we are
doing. Dave Gee identified and discussed
the effect of the Commodore Syndrome in
his October 2004 safety column in MA.
We need to recognize when we are in
one of these high-risk states and adjust
what we are doing to minimize the
probability of an accident. We may need to
slow down, take a break, refocus our
concentration, or take a less-tiring position
for the shop task.
We model-airplane addicts do many
simple things with sharp tools. We also use
tools and materials involving significant
amounts of energy. When there is a lot of
energy available, in whatever form—
mechanical, heat, chemical, electrical, or
potential energy from gravity—the safety risk
is elevated.
Following are some high-risk attitudes
you may experience.
• Hurried: We use modern quick-setting
adhesives that make the building process
much faster than in the past and the final
product lighter. The risk is caused by the
release of chemical and heat energy as the
glue sets. In addition, you could glue
something that should not be glued.
Cyanoacrylate glue comes in various
thicknesses: thin, medium, and thick. The
thinner it is, the faster it sets. The thin stuff
sets in five to 10 seconds.
To attach balsa pieces using thin
cyanoacrylate, we would normally pin waxed
paper over plans on a building board (which
could be the back of a 2 x 4-foot ceiling tile),
and then cut, position, and pin the balsa pieces
in place. Then we would place a small drop of
cyanoacrylate on the joints of the balsa.
Sometimes you may be tempted to hurry
and hold the balsa pieces together with your
fingers rather than pin them, such as when
laminating balsa pieces or gluing fuselage
sides at the tail post. You may think pinning
takes too long.
Such hurrying places you at greater safety
risk. The thin cyanoacrylate wicks through
balsa easily and can reach your fingers. If you
have only a couple minutes before an
appointment and think you can quickly finish
that gluing job by using your fingers to clamp
the work, reschedule the modeling work for
another time. You would look kind of funny
going to that appointment with a fuselage
glued to your fingers.
Sometimes a drop of glue will harden
in the delivery spout of a cyanoacrylate
glue bottle. Before using the
cyanoacrylate, check to make sure that the
delivery spout is unclogged. Otherwise,
nothing happens when you squeeze the
bottle to deliver a drop of glue.
February 2006 35
This multihead screwdriver is handy and
safe when used correctly. Slips need to be
prevented to protect your hand and arm.
Self-healing cutting mats are available in a variety of sizes. They make cutting balsa parts
trouble free. The mat’s composition will not guide the blade, allowing you to make
accurate and safe cuts.
I know of someone in a model-building class who tried to
push a pin down into a clogged tip of a cyanoacrylate bottle while
tightly gripping the bottle. When the clog cleared, the pressure he
was applying to the bottle caused adhesive to squirt across the
room.
Fortunately no one was in the glue-wetted path. After that
occurrence cyanoacyrlate was applied by an instructor if it needed
to be used.
To clear a clog in the spout of a cyanoacrylate glue bottle, it’s
better to carefully unscrew the cap to work on removing the clog.
Be careful not to spill the glue from the open bottle if you use this
technique.
When using cyanoacrylate glue, you need a backup—or a third
level—of safety defense. Have a bottle of debonder readily
available to unstick your fingers if the need arises. The debonder
won’t help your clothes if you spill glue on them; they will be
ruined. The debonder should be available at any hobby shop that
sells cyanoacrylate.
A final level of safety defense—a barrier—is necessary when
using cyanoacrylate. Wear glasses or goggles for eye protection.
Some of the glues get hot and fume as they set. If you drop the
bottle, glue will splatter everywhere. If you get a drop of
cyanoacrylate in your eye, your condition will require medical
help.
I wear prescription glasses. As careful as I am when I use
cyanoacrylate, I have still had to clean my eyeglass lenses with
debonder. It may attack some of the new coatings on plastic
lenses, so if you wear glasses you may want to use goggles to
protect you and those expensive lenses.
• Stressed: Have you ever had a problem with soldering? You
may be stressed out because you can’t get that wire lined up
correctly with enough solder on the connector. And after three
tries of holding the wire with pliers, the solder joint still isn’t
right.
You decide to hold the wire with your fingers for better
control. However, 30 seconds later you are frantically looking for
the burn ointment because you overheated your thumb and
forefinger with a hot wire or a hot blob of solder.
There is a better solution. If you are getting frustrated,
recognize it and don’t push your luck. Don’t reach for that
soldering gun again; take a break. Find a path to relieve your
frustration. Beat on a punching bag. Ride your bicycle around the
block.
Come back to the shop work when you are not feeling
frustrated. You will be much less likely to hurt yourself and much
more likely to succeed.
By the way, there are better ways to hold pieces to be soldered,
as shown in the soldering-station photograph.
• Fatigued: Today we modelers have an easy solution for covering
our models; there are many adhesive-backed, iron-on coverings.
You can purchase a covering iron that is designed specifically for
this job or you may use an empty steam iron with a temperature
control to apply the covering.
Are there safety risks in covering a model? Yes, there are.
After all, we have a good energy source: a hot iron. If you are
tired, you are more likely to make errors during this task.
Your goal may be to finish the covering job before turning in
for the night, but it could take longer than you thought. If you are
getting tired, the longer you work, the more likely you are to slip
and burn yourself. You are also more likely to lose your grip on
that wing and punch a hole in the covering or in your hand while
trimming the edges with a sharp hobby knife.
If you are tired or getting tired, get some rest and do the shop
work later.
• Distracted: Hobby saws are sharp, and they make cutting thick
balsa or thin plywood much easier than using a hobby knife. I
have several handsaws and a Dremel jigsaw I use regularly.
For the handsaw work you need a backing surface, such as a
substantial wood block, that is sacrificial. You shouldn’t care if
you cut into it while cutting the work piece. For the jigsaw you
may need a piece of sacrificial wood to aid in pushing something
through the saw.
As when using any sharp tools, your attention needs to be
focused on the tool and the working piece. You cannot afford to be
distracted. You should not be thinking about how to fly a Split S
maneuver, how to solve problems at work, or how to get your son or
daughter to take a stronger interest in his or her schoolwork.
Not paying full attention to the task at hand can be hazardous to
your hand—particularly your fingers and thumb. If you get
distracted, stop the cutting for a moment and refocus. Keep your
mind and eyes on the work. Worry about those other concerns later.
• Commodore Syndrome: This is a dangerous attitude. Unwarranted
overconfidence in your ability to control the working situation
without safety-barrier protection is inherently dangerous.
was a handheld Dremel power tool. It can
drill, grind, sand, or cut. It will, with the
right disk attached, grind through landinggear
wire quickly and easily. Those little
ceramic grinding disks work great, but they
occasionally shatter if they are overheated
or if you get them in a slight bind.
Let’s say you are ready to work and
can’t find your safety glasses. What do you
do? You may be tempted to say to yourself,
“If I’m careful and don’t stress the wheel
by bending it, it won’t shatter. I can do
this.”
I implore you to learn to identify this
unjustified confidence for the danger it is.
Recognize this safety risk. Use the barrier
safety defense with a pair of goggles, and
you will go a long way toward making your
model-building experience more enjoyable
and free of injury.
Ensuring the right attitude in preparing
for shop work is the first level of safety you
need to achieve. Then, don’t sit on your
laurels. You need a second level of
safety—a precheck of your tools—before
beginning your work.
If the device is electrical, such as the
soldering gun or Dremel hand grinder,
make sure the tool heads are in good
mechanical condition and tightly clamped,
and that the power cord is not frayed, worn
bare, or nicked. If you are using a hand
tool, look at the condition of the handle to
ensure that it is tight and not going to come
loose or crumble in your hand while you
work.
If the tool is flawed, repair or discard it.
Get rid of damaged tools that cannot be
repaired.
In regards to attitude I have discussed
gluing, soldering, covering, sawing, and
grinding. Now I’ll cover the risks and
levels of safety defense for cutting, wire
bending, sanding, assembling, and painting.
With the right attitude and after having
performed prechecks of your tools, it’s time
to work. There are some valuable lessons
learned I can share to help you minimize
the blood and gore.
• Cutting: Before I bought my self-healing
cutting mats I used cardboard, wood
blocks, or newspaper as a backing for balsa
I was slicing. None of these was ideal.
The wood blocks and cardboard were
dangerous because if I applied much
pressure, the knife blade would follow the
grain of the material. The knife could cut
somewhere I did not intend. A new #11
blade in a hobby-knife handle can make a
wicked slash in your arm if you slip.
Cutting against a backing of newspaper
was a bit better, but I had to apply a great
deal of pressure to compress the layers of
newspaper before the cutting was effective.
The extra pressure is not good.
Using these materials as a backing for
your cuts raises your safety risk. You need a
firm, nongrained, self-healing surface for
cutting. Several sizes of these mats are
shown in one of the photographs.
• Bending: This is a setup where gravity
can hurt you. I needed to bend a 5/16-inch
wire for a landing gear. This was too big a
job for pliers. I needed to bring out the big
artillery: a 5-pound vise.
Did I bolt the vise to the worktable?
Nah! I was in a hurry. I clamped the wire
securely in the vise, held pressure on the
end of the wire, and formed the bend by
hammering on the wire where it exited the
vise.
Having completed the 90° bend in the
wire, I pulled the vise to the edge of the
table to free the wire. I was so eager to
inspect the bend that when I loosened the
jaws I didn’t bother to push the vise back
from the edge of the table. With no human
control applied, it sought a more stable
position by rolling off the edge of the
worktable and onto my shoeless foot.
The arch of my right foot cushioned
the vise’s fall. It rolled off of my foot to
the concrete floor, undamaged.
However, the almost immediate
appearance of red on top of my white sock
told me that my foot had suffered in this
event. I really didn’t want to take the sock
off to look at the damage. Fortunately I
didn’t break any bones and just had to
hobble aroundDon’t repeat my foolishness. If you are
going to use a vise for any purpose, don’t
rush. Clamp or bolt it to a bench. In
addition, when working in the shop, please
provide the appropriate safety barrier for
your feet; wear shoes.
• Sanding: There are two aspects of this
simple chore that can be of concern for
your safety, the first of which is that using
folded sandpaper can be rough on your
fingers.
I was in the midst of building a model
once when I had to get fingerprinted for a
security clearance. I had been doing a lot
of sanding to lighten the model and get a
smooth finish. I got the smooth finish on
the wood all right, but my fingertips were
smoothed as well.
The officer asked me if I had been
trying to get rid of my fingerprints for
some reason. I had to come back several
weeks later to get the job done.
A good sanding board can save your
fingers and provide a better tool. Most
hobby shops have aluminum channelbacked
sanding boards or you can make a
serviceable one by gluing a piece of
sandpaper to one side of a straight section
of 2 x 4-inch wood.
Second, if you use a power sander such
as a sanding disk or drum on the Dremel
tool, you should have barrier protection:
goggles for your eyes and a dust
(painter’s) mask for your nose. When you
need to do power sanding, you can
minimize the dust you breathe and the
particles that get into your home’s
ventilation system by running a vacuum
cleaner with the inlet in the vicinity of the
work surface.
• Assembling: The screwdriver shown in
one of the photographs looks innocuous
enough. How could it be dangerous? Look
at the end of the inserted working head,
with the Phillips-type end. It comes to a
sharp point.
Let’s say you are holding a board to
mount servos for your model. Using the
Phillips screw head you may apply 4
pounds of force to drive the screw into the
wood. This force is concentrated at the
small tip, which makes it effective in
turning the screw.
Four pounds of force applied to an area
measuring approximately 1/16 inch square
translates to a pressure of roughly 1,000
pounds per square inch at the tip. If the tip
of the driver slipped off the screw, you
could easily nick or punch your thumb,
finger, palm, or arm.
• Painting: If you are using spray paint to
put the final touches on your model, please
remember to use the appropriate barrier;
wear a painter’s mask. The hazard is
breathing materials into your lungs that are
not intended to be there.
I know it can be tempting to do small
spray jobs in the shop, but that is not a
good idea. Do it in the garage or some
other well-ventilated place, or fix yourself
up with a spray booth such as the one
presented in the November MA.
I learned the value of the simple spray
mask when I painted a green chalkboard
for my children in the wintertime. I opened
the kitchen door adjoining the garage to
allow the garage to warm up a bit. Then I
sprayed four coats of flat green paint on a
piece of plywood to make the marking
surface for the chalkboard.
I didn’t even think about using a mask
at the time. After all, it was a large garage.
As a result of my painting exercise, I was
blowing green goo out of my nose and
lungs for nearly three days. It was not
pretty.
I hope this discussion has made you aware
of some common workshop hazards,
prepared you to adjust your attitude for safe
work, and armed you to put up a strong
safety defense. Consider these thoughts,
take them to heart, and make them part of
your shop work ethic. Apply the
appropriate levels of safety defense in your
shop work.
Good luck and good flying. In the next
article I’ll discuss safety while preparing
your model for flight and flying-field
etiquette. MA
Donald W. Brooks
[email protected]
38 MODEL