I thought it would be wise to cover some safety tips in our endeavor to create the ultimate railroad model. Please tell us about your concerns and tips. Maybe this should be a modeling category just as N scale, HO scale, General...etc. Joe
When using foam to model elevation Do Not use a rotary wire brush to create valleys and small depressions. The dust is super fine and will cause breathing problems. I found this out several years ago. Just five minutes of brushing caused problems breathing for about an hour. Joe
All the holes under the layout, for wiring, make them huge, you never know how many wires will go through there.
When you get the machine that throws your switches, Buy Piano wire works, better than what is supplied. You know, not to harp, but this system really sucks
1) Use strain reliefs, and/or cladded Romex for house voltage runs under the layout WITH proper grounding and secure mounting. I've seen a LOT of ungrounded extension cords under a layout held up with staples cutting into the insulation. 2) I've also seen way too many people using a Dremel style cut-off wheel without eye protection. 3) As far as my trains go - You'd better be wearing gloves when the boiler pressure gauge starts to move. Burns and scalds happen really quick.
Tips: * Don't eat sawdust. (Doing so will result in impacted bowels.) * Keep your thumb clear of the striking surface of the hammer when hammering. * Avoid grabbing the two ends of bare electrical wires at the same time. * Refrain from sitting down on an open container of wood glue. (Doing so may result in another method of impacting your bowels.) There are more, but these wills suffice for now.
Take great care when using CA glue. Getting some on your fingers can attach everything together. In a worse case scenario it could require surgery to remove any material from your fingers. Joe
If either of these are even remotely likely to occur, avoid eating Jalapeno peppers, etc., prior to anticipated time of occurrence.
If you're soldering any where other than a work bench (like under the layout), wear eye protection and long pants. Make sure the tip of your soldering iron is attached properly. It can come loose and burn your carpet
Make certain that your modeling knife (Xacto) will not roll. It is not nice to have one roll off the workbench and skewer one's toe or foot.
When using a soldering iron or hot glue gun, keep a cup of ice water nearby, in case of an accidental burn.
Keith you just gave me a great idea. I think I'll put one of those rubber pencil or ink pen grips on my Xacto handle. I think they make triangular ones to prevent rolling. Thanks for that inspiration!
