alFrumpus
Member
Hello everyone. I'm Allan from Saskatoon, Canada. I found your site while googling for information on microscopes and GRS Acrobat stands. I believe I have only begun to pry the lid away on this vast engraving resource which is your forum. Thanks to whomever started the site! (Sam?)
I hate to be long-winded, but I thought I'd give some background before asking advice. My questions are mostly directed to goldsmiths/jewellers, but in general to anyone who can give advice on bench ergonomics:
I have been apprenticing as a goldsmith for four years. In 2005 I spent a couple days in Geneva with Kees Englebarts ( www.kees.ch - stunning work!). I fell in love with his microscope-approach for hand-engraving and have wanted one ever since. Now after four years of trying to adjust my chair/bench/tool set-up to alleviate irritating upper beck/neck pain (and problems below), I spent the last two weeks researching workplace ergonomics. I found that:
A. I tilt my head down too much to view with a loupe (neck pain, almost every day)
B. I lean my torso forward over my tray too much to reach my benchpeg (back pain)
C. I raise my "tool hand" elbow too high when engraving/burnishing, etc. (arm-numbness)
D. I press my "clamp hand" elbow too hard into my bench/tray (forearm numbness)
E. I pinch my "tool" hand too hard - especially when burnishing (finger pain/numbness)
F. I pinch my "clamp" hand fingers too tightly when filing/engraving tiny objects (finger pain/numbness)
G. Since I lean my torso forward, my legs feel most comfortable UNDER my chair to counterbalance (causes knee-joint problems)
(Geez, what a list! I never compared myself to Quasimodo before this moment.)
I've learned that ergonomics starts with a well-adjusted chair, and the bench/tools are built around it. So my guess is that a microscope and a GRS Benchmate "may" solve most of these problems. My boss is quite supportive, but in his 30 years of hand-engraving has never used a microscope or "power"-engravers, so I've agreed to "suffer" as the guinea pig.
I just bought a Meiji EMZ microscope yesterday on eBay ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320225468210&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=011 ), both to relieve pain but also for all the benefits of binocular magnification over a single loupe.
I have not yet bought a Benchmate; I'm still not certain it'll solve the fingertip numbness/pain caused by tremendous pinching/clamping pressures when engraving, burnishing, etc..
We currently have a seperate table with a Victor block - just for hand-engraving, and another bench for casting ingots. Other than that, ALL my goldsmithing duties are done at my workbench: anealling/quenching, ring-bending, mandrel-hammering, saw-piercing, filing (gold+wax), wax-carving, sanding, burnishing, stone-setting/unsetting, etc....
My Questions:
1. Is the GRS Benchmate all it's cracked up to be? Also, how well can it hold small objects (i.e. a peg-setting)?
2. Is the GRS Acrobat stand essential for a microscope? Or will a stationary stand suffice (like the one I just bought)?
Thanks in advance for your input!
-Al
(P.S. I loved Kees' Gravermax, but for now our shop is engraving without power tools.)
I hate to be long-winded, but I thought I'd give some background before asking advice. My questions are mostly directed to goldsmiths/jewellers, but in general to anyone who can give advice on bench ergonomics:
I have been apprenticing as a goldsmith for four years. In 2005 I spent a couple days in Geneva with Kees Englebarts ( www.kees.ch - stunning work!). I fell in love with his microscope-approach for hand-engraving and have wanted one ever since. Now after four years of trying to adjust my chair/bench/tool set-up to alleviate irritating upper beck/neck pain (and problems below), I spent the last two weeks researching workplace ergonomics. I found that:
A. I tilt my head down too much to view with a loupe (neck pain, almost every day)
B. I lean my torso forward over my tray too much to reach my benchpeg (back pain)
C. I raise my "tool hand" elbow too high when engraving/burnishing, etc. (arm-numbness)
D. I press my "clamp hand" elbow too hard into my bench/tray (forearm numbness)
E. I pinch my "tool" hand too hard - especially when burnishing (finger pain/numbness)
F. I pinch my "clamp" hand fingers too tightly when filing/engraving tiny objects (finger pain/numbness)
G. Since I lean my torso forward, my legs feel most comfortable UNDER my chair to counterbalance (causes knee-joint problems)
(Geez, what a list! I never compared myself to Quasimodo before this moment.)
I've learned that ergonomics starts with a well-adjusted chair, and the bench/tools are built around it. So my guess is that a microscope and a GRS Benchmate "may" solve most of these problems. My boss is quite supportive, but in his 30 years of hand-engraving has never used a microscope or "power"-engravers, so I've agreed to "suffer" as the guinea pig.
I just bought a Meiji EMZ microscope yesterday on eBay ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320225468210&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=011 ), both to relieve pain but also for all the benefits of binocular magnification over a single loupe. I have not yet bought a Benchmate; I'm still not certain it'll solve the fingertip numbness/pain caused by tremendous pinching/clamping pressures when engraving, burnishing, etc..
We currently have a seperate table with a Victor block - just for hand-engraving, and another bench for casting ingots. Other than that, ALL my goldsmithing duties are done at my workbench: anealling/quenching, ring-bending, mandrel-hammering, saw-piercing, filing (gold+wax), wax-carving, sanding, burnishing, stone-setting/unsetting, etc....
My Questions:
1. Is the GRS Benchmate all it's cracked up to be? Also, how well can it hold small objects (i.e. a peg-setting)?
2. Is the GRS Acrobat stand essential for a microscope? Or will a stationary stand suffice (like the one I just bought)?
Thanks in advance for your input!
-Al
(P.S. I loved Kees' Gravermax, but for now our shop is engraving without power tools.)
