SuperChamp82 743 Posted February 9, 2020 Time of life question - so youngsters feel free to ignore 😂 The detail needed for a first rate job - esp with threadlock, paint or decals - is finally eluding my late 40s eyes What have other similarly ‘vintage eyes’ bought re the swathe of magnifiers on the market ? Tamiya do a lovely visor and separate workstation but both seem a bit expensive even if imported under the radar - which isn’t to say they’re not worth it if experience here confirms ? Or are the various LED lights with built in magnifiers easier / more comfortable ? All advice v much appreciated 👍 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
speedy_w_beans 4272 Posted February 9, 2020 50-yr old guy here. I've worn prescription glasses for myopia (nearsightedness) for almost my entire life, but I could always see close objects without another prescription. But, a few years ago focusing on close objects became a problem, so now my main glasses also included lined bifocals (not progressives) for closer work and reading. I need the dual prescriptions for different distances and also to compensate for some astigmatism. Also in the last few years I bought a separate pair of prescription "computer glasses" with a single weaker prescription so I can look at computer monitors for an extended period of time. So, there's three prescriptions I'm juggling between depending on scenario. I actually found it more comfortable to wear my computer glasses while working on my 1:1 car recently as the work is all within arms' length, just like a computer screen. Trimming bodies, masking, painting, and applying stickers are all still good to go with the bifocals in place. I trim bodies at the dining room table because the overhead light reflects off the body and reveals the trim lines very nicely. Makes it easy to use body scissors or score with a knife. I reverted from scoring to using body scissors recently and worked slowly; the job turned out so well I almost didn't need to sand the edges. However, when it comes to painting driver figures I found it handy to have a large magnifying lens with a ring of LEDs around it to illuminate the head or torso. Also some very fine paint brushes from the local hobby/craft store, and resting my wrist against a bean bag or other object helps keep my hand steady. Sometimes moving the work piece is easier than moving the brush, too. I sometimes use a wheel balancer as a jig so I can hold a paint marker against the wheel while rotating it on the balancer. I feel like the magnifying lense affects depth perception to a certain degree, so depending on what you're doing move slowly until you're comfortable anticipating where a paint brush tip will land... 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KEV THE REV 2319 Posted February 9, 2020 I had lazer eye correction some years back for Myopia , I needed glasses for distance but not reading . Now I'm at that age when I need reading glasses for real close work but not distance - not that I read much . I use the reading glasses for close work on driver heads / detailing etc and I use a magnifier along with a 'daylight' lamp for lettering tyres . Old age is a bit tiresome with all of the human add-ons that we need to do every day things 25 minutes ago, speedy_w_beans said: I feel like the magnifying lense affects depth perception to a certain degree, so depending on what you're doing move slowly until you're comfortable anticipating where a paint brush tip will land... Very true , I find this when lettering tyres while using the magnifier 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saito2 6686 Posted February 9, 2020 Reading with interest. Also badly nearsighted for most of my life. For about the last 5 years I can't see anything up close without removing my glasses. They're either on my head if I'm working close for extended periods or on the end of my nose if I'm flipping back and forth. I hate literally looking down my nose to see at a distance. Being anachronistic, I'll never get laser eye surgery so I should probably stop complaining . To their credit, having glasses on has saved my eyes more times than I remember. Light seems to be a big factor too. I don't really do my 1:1 car hobby much anymore as looking under the hood is like looking into blackhole nowadays. I avoid driving at night now too. Hope to pick up some tips I hadn't considered in this thread. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tamiya_1971 615 Posted February 9, 2020 I’ve been wearing multifocal contacts for the past couple years (also have progressive glasses). They work great but I still throw on non prescription reading glasses with the contacts for really small print or detailed work. I’m nearsighted. Thank God for plastic lens or I would be wearing coke bottles. I’ve looked at magnifiers but have never gone all the way and ordered one. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markbt73 5316 Posted February 9, 2020 My eyes aren't too bad yet at 47. In the past 2 years, I have started using reading glasses (+1.25) for close-up work on models, and for reading blueprints at work, but for normal book reading or computer screens, I find I'm better off without them. I wear glasses for distance/driving, but it's not a super-strong prescription (-2 in one eye, -2.5 in the other). For watching TV or most other stuff in the house, I don't wear glasses at all. But the reading glasses have made a HUGE difference for working on models. The thing I've found that helps the most is good light. You want bright, but diffuse; I'm not a fan of those small lighted magnifiers, I want everything lit up. I have a couple of big bright LED lights over my workbenches (way up at the ceiling) in the garage, and one more plus a pair of small floodlights (actually IKEA reading lamps) over my hobby workbench. A bright work surface helps too; if you have a really dark table top, it's much harder to see the tiny details. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bromley 681 Posted February 9, 2020 I agree with markbt73, good light is of much more benefit than any form of magnification. Bright light gets the pupils closed down, much improving the eyes depth of field. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
junkmunki 846 Posted February 9, 2020 All of the male members of my family have worn glasses, but i managed to stave of the inevitable till the age of 48, but after finding that i was squinting at the computor monitor, and close items were getting fuzzy, i finally accepted that it was time to get some glasses, and i have to say, i wish i done it sooner, i can see how rubbish my fine paint lines are now... J 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KEV THE REV 2319 Posted February 9, 2020 10 minutes ago, junkmunki said: i can see how rubbish my fine paint lines are now... Ditch the glasses and everything's fine again 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moffman 5752 Posted February 9, 2020 I was always really good bordering on brilliant when it came to tyre painting and minute detailing then it all seemed to get a bit more difficult about 3(ish) years ago at the same time as I was at work and I was filling in a daily form at the end of my working day and I couldn't focus probably I just thought it was me being tired it went on for weeks until I was talking to a work colleague and he said try these glasses on and OMG it was my eye could see in detail again but my tyre detailing and detail painting has suffered some what, I can still and do enjoy painting but it take much longer I have to really concentrate and I can always pick out flawes with my art work but I suppose you got to expect things to fail in your senior years the avante was done back in 2012 no problem the egress was in the days of "why I'm I finding this so difficult" 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KEV THE REV 2319 Posted February 9, 2020 3 hours ago, tamiya_1971 said: Thank God for plastic lens or I would be wearing coke bottles We used to call those 'Unigate lenses' as that is what was printed on the bottom of mike bottles from the Unigate dairy . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KEV THE REV 2319 Posted February 9, 2020 1 hour ago, moffman said: I just thought it was me being tired it went on for weeks This started at school for me , I used to copy the what the kid next to me was writing as I couldn't read the blackboard . It was only picked up at the school eye test BTW that Avante is EDIBLE !! very nice 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Jon 684 Posted February 9, 2020 44 here. Had laser surgery in '02 to correct bad astigmatisms in each eye and myopia. Got bifocals this year. I wear a 10x visor with glass lens for fine modeling, but I'm fine with RC with or without my specs. I have found that I need really good lighting. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juggular 4964 Posted February 10, 2020 1) N-Acetylcarnosine eye drops might help. 2) Progressive lenses. I resisted them for as long as I could, but I got progressive lenses a year ago. I just take off my glasses to see 1mm letters on the back of iphone. Myopia was a burden all my life. But now I'm glad that I'm nearsighted because I don't need glasses for anything within 8 inches. RC parts tend to be farther than 8 inches, so I use the lower part of the glasses. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACCEL 2014 Posted February 10, 2020 What kinda topic is this? i can't read a dang thing you are typing About 4 years ago i had to start wearing glasses for readn', now i have to where them when working up close. I apologize to any one i ever made fun of in school that wore glasses, i say this every time i need to purchase a pair. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
c64orinoco 667 Posted February 10, 2020 I've had myopia all my life, last few years my close-up vision has started to go. I tried progression tri and bi-focals but I found them very disorienting. I'm current using my distance glasses, just moving them down my nose until I can focus. My hand steadiness is totally shot though; I used to be able to paint fine details easily; but as I found it this weekend working on the Alfa bodyshell I've lost that ability! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pablo68 1049 Posted February 10, 2020 Yeah my eyes started to go three-ish years ago. I'm turning 50 later this year. I usually wear a headlamp and reading glasses. I am going to have to get around to updating my lenses though as they aren't as effective as they used to be. I also have one of those combined headlamp lense holder thingys, but I don't use it much. I will probably give it another try sometime. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yogi-bear 2321 Posted February 10, 2020 ditto for me, at 48 eyes started to go for close up. Got some reading glasses and all is good. Every year now I get an eye test and every year I need new glasses Having good lighting definitely helps! Apparently late 40s to early 50s is when it starts happening in most people and the eyes change/degrade for about the next 10 years. After that they apparently stabilise and that's when the optometrist recommended laser surgery if I wanted. We'll see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted February 10, 2020 There's LASIK resurfacing if you're suitable, or lens implant if you're not. Time to get chatty with your local optician & eye surgeon. But just a headsup that your eye changes/ages gradually, like over months or years. If you get a sudden huge degree of change, like over weeks not months - seek medical advice ASAP. Could be anything from heart & circulation issues to glaucoma or macular degeneration; more so if you've got close relatives with those conditions. Approaching this half century mark, I'm afraid your maker's warranty is over guys. The old chassis is getting creaky & rusty, paintwork is past its prime. Drivetrain is still functional but that transmission is sure getting sloppy. Suspension is getting saggy and that tailpipe will need annual monitoring real soon. Nothing really hits home until you attend funeral of friends & see the trend... last few decades cause of death has been usually accident or other crazy but stupidity. Lately it's getting more and more due to "health" or lack thereof. Scary. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KEV THE REV 2319 Posted February 10, 2020 13 hours ago, yogi-bear said: Apparently late 40s to early 50s is when it starts happening in most people and the eyes change/degrade for about the next 10 years. After that they apparently stabilise and that's when the optometrist recommended laser surgery if I wanted. We'll see. I had my laser surgery at 40 and my optician said I would need reading glasses by the time I reached 50 and he was spot on Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KEV THE REV 2319 Posted February 10, 2020 9 hours ago, WillyChang said: Approaching this half century mark, I'm afraid your maker's warranty is over guys. The old chassis is getting creaky & rusty, paintwork is past its prime. Drivetrain is still functional but that transmission is sure getting sloppy. Suspension is getting saggy and that tailpipe will need annual monitoring real soon. But just because there is snow on the roof , it doesn't mean the fire's gone out . Come on guys there's plenty of life in us old Tamiya dogs yet !!:) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperChamp82 743 Posted February 10, 2020 Very relieved I’m not alone gents 😂 And I’ll take my medicine / grudgingly see an optician ... Until then, what’s the consensus on magnifiers ? LED or gimp headgear ? Ive a vintage Wild Willy Nox bottle to paint ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
speedy_w_beans 4272 Posted February 10, 2020 14 hours ago, WillyChang said: Approaching this half century mark, I'm afraid your maker's warranty is over guys. The old chassis is getting creaky & rusty, paintwork is past its prime. Drivetrain is still functional but that transmission is sure getting sloppy. Suspension is getting saggy and that tailpipe will need annual monitoring real soon. My optician put it in different terms, he said, "Your foundation is settling..." 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yogi-bear 2321 Posted February 11, 2020 3 hours ago, KEV THE REV said: But just because there is snow on the roof , it doesn't mean the fire's gone out . Come on guys there's plenty of life in us old Tamiya dogs yet !! amen to that! 15 hours ago, WillyChang said: .... Approaching this half century mark, I'm afraid your maker's warranty is over guys. The old chassis is getting creaky & rusty, paintwork is past its prime. Drivetrain is still functional but that transmission is sure getting sloppy. Suspension is getting saggy and that tailpipe will need annual monitoring real soon. Nothing really hits home until you attend funeral of friends & see the trend... last few decades cause of death has been usually accident or other crazy but stupidity. Lately it's getting more and more due to "health" or lack thereof. Scary. which is why a couple of years ago I started doing more exercise. Nothing too extreme, but as I age I am definitely taking my health, what I eat and what I do more seriously. I hit 50 this year and will probably have to work until I'm 75 if I want to retire comfortably. On the lighter side, I have more 'toys' now than I ever did as a kid. For my 50th I'll be getting a Lego Death Star 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WillyChang 1814 Posted February 12, 2020 4 hours ago, yogi-bear said: On the lighter side, I have more 'toys' now than I ever did as a kid. For my 50th I'll be getting a Lego Death Star Which one? over the years there's at least 3 Death Stars, 2 giant Millenium Falcons, half a dozen Star Destroyers... Funy you mention "...as a kid", few wks ago was thinking about all the kids from school that DID have huge fleets of fancy toys BiTD. I don't think any of them today are into retro Tamiya. Maybe that's the trigger that got *us* all addicted today... we didn't get given everything we lusted for back then. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
