Fabulous finger protectors, I have found

Needle Felting, Safety First, reducing the need for Band-Aids (so far in 4 groups)

While Needle felting is fabulous fun, it can get a bit, hummm, bloody, if not done carefully. Initial eye-hand coordination can be less than accurate, accidently glancing at the T.V. while continuing to stab or just excessive speed and depth enthusiasm may require another box of Band-Aids. I have suggested to my students that audio books or mellow music rather than watching TV or YouTube while working with needles will greatly slow the requirement for first aid. Sometimes initial enthusiasm for stabbing, with felting needles, may require further methods of separation (fingers from pointy bits).

I had originally started this investigation for options to use with the electric needle felting machines that Ann and I had purchased last year (wow time is moving quickly).  I expanded my looking to include protection while using handheld needles too.

Finger protection can be helpful when working in both 2-D and 3-D felting. Most of the Fabulous finger protectors I found are definitely not originally designed as felting tools. I would like to show you what I have found. With the increased appointments I am chauffeuring my hubby to each week my time to felt and write blogs has suddenly decreased.

Let’s see what I have found for keeping the pointy end of the needle away from your innocent fingers

Group 1 Brush cleaning tools

Let’s start with tools originally used to clean brushes, (usually used on hair brushes). I have examples of two shapes of these brushes, the rake shape and the well-spread bristle clumps.  I have them in both a plastic and wire bristle version.

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1.1-1.2 Brush cleaning tools. (Not originally meant for felting)

I started with the mettle-toothed rake, it’s similar to the clover tool brush cleaner but has a lot more teeth. It held the wisp of wool as I used the needle to attach it to the picture. I had ordered a similar item but with fewer wires as well but unfortunately, they all arrived exactly the same. (The fewer wires may have given a better view of the image I was working on).

1.3 “Hair Brush Comb Cleaner Tool”

The plastic version of this tool did not grab the fibre and gave a bit better visibility of the understructure you are working on. It is also less expensive than the mettle with a wooden handle version. I was quite pleased with this tool, and think it would be helpful for those who are a bit distracted when using needles.

1.4 “Plastic Comb Cleaner”

The second type of brush cleaner is the flat clumped bristle wooden handled brush. It is similar to the ones I have seen used to clean suede shoes.

1.5 Small wire bristle brush used to hold down wisp of fibre as it is impaled by the felting needle (T-38-333, if you were curious)

I found that the twisted nature of the wire had a slight tendency to grab loose bits of fibre that I was working with.

1.6 the wires were catching loose bits of fibre but did hold down what I was working on.

The plastic version did not seem so attached to the fibre I was trying to work with.

1.7 Plastic bristle brush cleaner with flat wooden handle.

Both were easy to hold and I could see the work surface with both of them.  They do get your fingers a bit closer to the sharp end of the needle but not unreasonably dangerously close. Of this group, I think the two plastic options were more effective but not so much so I would go buy either of them if I already had the mettle version. If you see either at a dollar or discount store take a look at them and see what you think.

The Clover brush tool is also in this group but has wandered off into one of the boxes or bags that came back from teaching last weekend, it is not to be found at the moment.   I have used it effectively to hold fiber while I worked as well as some of my students. The wire teeth are more flexible and have wider spacing than the brush-cleaning wooden handled ones I have recently acquired. Unfortunately, it was quite a bit more expensive. If you see one, second-hand, you may want to grab it!

 1.8 Clover brush cleaning tool

I will stop here tonight and show you the next group next post. I am still very busy driving my husband to rehabilitation appointments, and doctor visits, as well as doing errands, shopping and trying to work in time to get my felt square finished and have fun writing blog posts. I have four groups of things, to keep your fingers and needles separated, in hopes of greatly dropping the profits made by the bandaid company (though IKEA used to have cute ones with cats on them!!)