Small hands and Thumb Guards.

[Rook]

I came upon this myself and figured it might come in handy for others. While I am male, I noticed apparently my hands are much smaller than the average carver. My old thumb guard, grrr. I'd carve for a minute and then have to pull it back up where it belonged. Before long I'd lay it off to the side and ignore it altogether. Thus, defeating the purpose of a thumb guard.

But, there IS hope! Give this a try.

Get a FINGER guard. Nix the thumb guard if it's poorly fitting!

Here's the finger guard I got from Treeline;

guard 002.jpg

Now, turn it inside out, and fold the excess down, while moving the elastic band around it (you may have to cuss at it a little to get it to fall into place the first time). This is what it should look like when done correctly;

guard 003.jpg
guard 005.jpg

And this is what it looks like in use. At first it will likely be a little too snug at the elastic band, but it will gradually loosen. And, it'll not be so prone to falling off like an ordinary thumb guard.

guard 004.jpg

Common Problems;

It is an improvisation, so it'll not be perfect, that's part of the deal. The most common problem I've had is actually putting it on. Keep a wooden Popsicle stick nearby and when you're having trouble putting it on, insert the stick into the 'flap' that was made by folding down the excess. You can use that to help shift it onto your thumb a little better.

I've also noted a little unraveling around the edges. This I have done nothing for, yet, but a simple candle to melt the fibers and some lung powers to blow out the fire once it's melted them well should work.

And yes, the excess material around the edges can obscure the view a bit. I'm considering trimming mine down and then melting the edges, but truly it's not that intrusive to my vision. Also, I have an extra flap of leather for psychological security.

As always, it is my hope that this helped someone.
TJ.

[Claude]

Great idea, TJ!

My problem with the ones I buy at Woodcraft is the rubber in the upper part soon looses it's stretch and becomes loose on my thumb. This happens about the same time as the first cuts in the leather appear and get close to my nice soft blood-filled thumb. I just cut a strip of duct tape about 8 inches long, put on the thumb guard, and the wrap the tape around the guard. Makes it fit snugly to my thumb and adds a couple of extra layers to protect where the leather has gotten cut. About once a month, I replace the duct tape. After six months or so, I replace the thumb guard and start over....

Claude

[Old Scout]

Two strips of duck tape make a perfect thumb guard!! The first wrap around your thumb sticky side out, second wrap sticky side in around your thumb! Now you have a custom fit & I haven't cut my thumb since!![ Leather guards will cut.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

I do the same thing Claude does, matter of fact I think I got the idea from Claude a while back.

Dave

[Whittled Thumb]

I threw my krapy thumbguard away, it didn't hold up and it wore out. Just buy yourself some leather work cloves and cut the smallest finger out (that will fit your thumb) and use that

[Terry Vance]

The best protection is carvers tape. Once you get it wrapped around your thumb, there it stays. It is practically indestructable. Just fold a few layers together put it on your thumb first, hold it there then wrap. I have been cutting up the old thumb guard and using it for additional cushening while wrapping. DON'T USE VET TAPE!!!!!

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Terry has the best suggestion. Personally, I wouldn't use one of those leather guards as they flop around and stretch out of shape over time. The Rubberized finger tape is best. Six overlapped strips about 4 inches long layed over your finger or thumb and then wrapped with about 10-12 layers of tape gives you a good, snug guard that the blade will literally bounce off of. Don't buy the new Vet Tape that seems to be the rage now as thats meant for horses not carvers. Your blade will go right through it. You can now buy it from Amazon. Here's the link: Amazon.com: 3/4" FINGER TAPE: Home Improvement

[Sharon of the Dell]

I have lots of scraps of leather. I just took a rectangular shaped piece, long enough to go over both sides of my thumb, then got the old duct tape out and wrapped it around the leather while on my thumb.It works great! Just slides off and on.

[Terry Vance]

I've tried that and found that as the guard (tape) deteriorates you can get some glue residue on your carving if you hold it with the hand that has the duct tape on it.

[Hexhead]

Or you could cut part of your finger off like I did on a jointer a few nights ago and not worry about guards. Ha Ha

Great idea, while I have a few digits on my hands.