Steady Hands

[Lawson]

Hey DJT2,

I have looked into the reasons why we shake, and solutions to it ... yes I do investigate some weird things.

The original reason for this investigation is that one of my pastimes is long distance shooting, where a steady aim is vital.

Here's a pic of "Olde Painless" ... my Carbon Extreme II by Christensen Arms.

 

 

There are so many things I have learned from lobbing lead 800+ metres that can be transferred to the art of watchmaking, and it's a hobby I highly recommend.  This is going to be an in-depth look at the causes of this problem, and a few solutions.  It's going to be a long post where we "go down deep and stay down long", and probably be boring for many members who don't have this problem ... but if you do have issues with a steady hand, then it will be well worth the read, because if you understand the problem you are better suited to tackle it.  I am also going to send DrRock, our resident leechkeeper :P, a PM to peer review my post, and add in his words of wisdom to this thread.

 

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Ok, the reasons we shake are two fold, firstly are medical reasons ... if you sadly have a disease that affects the firing of the neurons in your brain, or loss of the myelin sheath insulating the nerves, this will cause tremors and shaking.  If you have this problem you'll probably be aware of it, as your shaking and trembling will be almost constant throughout the day; even whilst doing no tasks at all.  There are calmatives you can take to lesson this,  but you'll need to see a quack for medical advise.

 

The second is far more common, and by your description DJT2, is your problem.  This is caused by overconcentration and hyper-alertness, making your brain send neuron impulses to multiple muscle groups, that often oppose one another, at the same time.  As muscles are held in place by tendons, which are elastic in design: this "springiness" creates a to-and-fro action as each muscle group fights one another.  Thus a shake occurs, which often becomes amplified the longer you are in that state of hyper-concentration; and disappears almost immediately you cease the task and relax ... sound familiar?

 

This is something the Lord designed in us for our own protection ... we call it "fight or flight".  When working on small difficult tasks you enter a state of hyper-awareness and focus, which is an identical state to that of being in danger, so your brain reacts to this emotion by placing you on a hair trigger to activate ANY/ALL muscle groups at a nanoseconds notice, to either defend from attack, or run away fast.  All this is done unconsciously; because if it was a conscious process a few valuable seconds would be needed to evaluate and react to the situation, which is not in the best interest of saving your life.  If any of you are avid hunters, you would have seen this same twitching in the leg muscles of animals if they are aware of your presence, and know they are in serious danger; but haven't located where you are.  Unconscious processes do not look at the why and where; that is a conscious process, they only sense the state of emotion: so it doesn't matter that YOU know your just working on a watch, your emotional state is the same as if you are in danger.

 

But the Lord in his wisdom has put another designed feature into our brain to control this "fight or flight" called the Amygdala.  In short, the Amygdala is an emotional filter.  It encodes, interprets, and most importantly STORES your emotional state.  It learns from experience when to filter emotions and when not to ... just like you filter out a scent after a while so that you don't smell it, and you filter out noises so that you don't even hear them.  Ever noticed how something unexpected at first will startle you, but after a short while that same occurrence doesn't ... that's your Amygdala doing it's job.   This is why with practice, and most importantly confidence in the task you are doing, your shaking will subside and almost disappear ... and why it's so important on this forum to give people a sense of confidence, through praise, in their watchmaking accomplishments.

 

Phew!  That was a long explanation, but hopefully an insightful one that helps you understand why we shake when we are trying our hardest to be steady handed.

 

Tips to help with shaking.

Many of the tasks DJT2 is having difficulty with, I do freehand and without much effort; but that wasn't always the case.  I too shook when oiling Incabloc Jewels etc...  And until my Amygdala kicked in and controlled my emotional state I used what I learned from shooting: Anchor Points.  Have as many Anchor Points as close to the "Action Point" as possible.  In shooting the action point is the Stock, Buttpad and Trigger ... in watchmaking, its the tip of your oiler or tweezers. 

This is what Geo was talking about when he told you to use two hands to control your shaking.  Use your off-hand as an Anchor Point for the working hand.  Anchored your off-hand on as many points around the work as practical and comfortable: resting on the movement holder, working mat, anywhere that would provide a secure anchor.  Then lean into this anchor with your working hand, as close to the Action Point as possible to create a stable base.  What you are doing here is removing the elastic affect of your tendons,  you still shake but it's not amplified into a to-and-fro action, it's absorbed by your off-hand.

 

Next my friend, you need to relax.  You are concentrating too much on the task.

Try putting on an Audiobook to listen to, or something of interest besides what you are working on.  This will take some of the focus off your work, and subconsciously lower your emotional state.  Yes, you still need to be mindful of the task at hand, but if your shaking it's a sure sign that you are overly focused to the point where your brain is thinking, "Whoa!  are we in mortal danger here?"  Your focus needs to be just up to this point; but not into it ... flying just under the soundbarrier to avoid a sonic boom, so to speak :)

 

I hope this has been edifying and not too boring a read for the members ... and I'll be very interested to hear DrRock's input.

[DrRock]

See what happens? You rub the magic lantern and Dr Rock appears...! :)

 

Tremor, as we call it (a.k.a. The Shakes), has multiple causes, as you allude to in your post, Lawson. And you're quite correct that some are due to pathological processes while others aren't.

 

The main worries are tremors caused by a disease process (eg Parkinsons, and many other neurological disorders, hyperthyroidism, and several others). They need to be seen to and fixed where possible or at least controlled.  And of course, in the worst cases, when the tremor CAN'T be controlled, then the decision has to be made about giving up the delicate work.

 

But for all the other tremors, there are several considerations. First - some people have a hereditary condition known as Benign Familial Tremor - I have a surgeon colleague who has this quite markedly - yet, I'd let him operate on me. He deals with it by timing his deliberate movements to coincide with the tremor - it took years of practice, but he does some amazing fine surgical work and is also a very fast operator due to the speed of his movements.

 

Assuming you don't have that condition, though, the main problem for most people is twofold - either a systemic problem (eg too much caffeine - tea, coffee, cola drinks, energy drinks, etc) or a problem known in the medico trade as an intention tremor.

 

Intention tremor is similar to what was described by the original poster - the closer you get to the target point of your movement, the worse the tremor gets. Various things can be done to control this, including relaxation techniques (the whole breathe out thing that snipers use), take drugs such as certain types of beta blockers (one of the oldest is still one of the best - propranolol, trade name "Inderal"). This has been the mainstay of various professional musicians and performers for decades, and you'll need a prescription to get them, but they do work very well with minimal side effects as long as you tell the quack what you need them for, and that he/she checks any other conditions you may have, other medications etc.  Also, mild calmatives such as diazepam in very small doses can work wonders (diazepam - "Valium" - but they no longer make the original Valium brand, but plenty of generics available).  Again, get a prescription from your friendly quack for these. And I stress - TINY doses. (eg 2.5mg in the morning - that's half a 5mg tablet).

 

One thing that we surgeons learn when doing extremely delicate work, especially when magnified by high-power loupes or a microscope, when every movement is magnified and looks like an earthquake, is to use the same technique that signwriters and artists may use. Place something (either another instrument, or for watch work, perhaps a small toothpick) held in your non-dominant hand with its tip down on the work somewhere very close to where you will be working (eg next to the screw hole). Gently brace that against the work, held between two fingers and thumb of the non-dominant hand.  THEN gently rest your screwdriver, forceps, or whatever you're using as a tool, against the lower end of that sloping stick to steady the tip. If you've seen signwriters using those, a stick in one hand with a rubber ball on the end of it, then resting their hand or paint brush against the stick close to the sign they're writing, you'll get the idea.  I think signwriters (and other artists) call it a mahl stick, or a maul stick. Watchmakers (and surgeons) can use exactly the same principle.

 

The use of a toothpick or whatever, tip placed close to the point of action and instrument gently laid on it, would fit with Lawson's "Anchor point" principle.  And remember - cut out the caffeine. There's more in a cup of tea than you may think.

 

And while not wanting to rain on the parade of having a quickie drink, alcohol can actually make a tremor worse. I do some very delicate surgery, and I don't drink alcohol at all, I have one cup of decaf coffee in the morning (maybe) and no other caffeine at all.  No tea, no real coffee, no Coke, and certainly none of those energy drinks. I also am very relaxed and confident in what I do, which helps the steady hands. But as we get older, the unwanted tremor - which goes by the ironic name of "essential tremor" - gradually can creep in. In that case, the propranolol, the diazepam, etc can help, along with the use of an improvised maul stick.

 

Hope that helps :)

Edited July 23, 2015 by DrRock

[Geo]

Thanks to the both of you, Lawson & Dr Rock, for taking the time to write these very informative in depth posts, it's greatly appreciated! :)

Good to here from you again Doc, I hope your cronic case of horology is responding well to WRT treatment. ;)

[DrRock]

Life has been extremely busy lately - hence my fleeting visits back here to WRT HQ. ;)  But I still have it bookmarked as one of my regular check-in sites. Haven't had time to do a lot of horology lately, apart from changing a few batteries and adjusting a couple of watchbands.  But I plan on making a bit more time in the next few weeks to take apart and - hopefully - put together again those practice movements that I got off eBay. A few others on here got them as well, if you recall.

 

I hope the info I posted above may be useful not only to the original poster with the intention tremor, but to amyone else who may be having problems with the twitchy fingers... ;)

[DJT2]

Thanks guys for an interesting read. I've just enrolled on a jedi mind training course so in future I'll be able to use the force. Until then I'll stick to single malt & diazipam lol

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[DouglasSkinner]

Thanks, DrRock and Lawson.

 

Lawson is right in his description as coming very close to my situation.  I agree wholeheartedly with his recommendation to make use of anchor points.  (DrRock: I hadn't thought of the toothpick as a device for such a purpose and I'm going to try it immediately).  You're right as well about my concentrating too much.  I will definitely give audiobooks a try, and relaxing music too.

 

 

DrRock your comments on your use (actually non-use) of caffeine are very interesting.  For some time I've suspected that it may partly account for my problem.  For example, after abstaining for more than a week, I recently resumed my morning cup.  For the last two days I've drunk coffee before beginning work--one cup of espresso in the morning and nothing else for the rest of the day.  It does seem like I'm more shaky.  I didn't think was that much but since you point out that you basically abstain from it altogether, I suspect that even a single cup is too much for me as well.  But I love coffee!  So I think what I'll do is switch my watchmaking to a morning activity (I'm also a statistician) and do my other, academic, work in the afternoon.  Before I begin my second part of the day, I'll try a cup of coffee.  I'll see how that works and let folks know.

 

You also mentioned beta blockers.  I have a prescription for metoprolo (25 mg ER) which I take as needed for AFIB.  I'm reluctant to take it every day.  But I have used it for job interviews and other tense situations.  I've occasionally tried it for watchmaking.  My results have been inconsistent, which may be due to coffee!  But...FYI those who come across this thread; I took a class on hairsprings awhile back and made a point of not drinking any coffee and instead taking a metoprolo before class.  My shakes were, in fact, quite a bit less.

 

Do you think clonazepam would work?  I have a prescription for this as well (0.25 mg).  Maybe I'll try that, but I haven't done so because I only take it when absolutely necessary--which us usually at bedtime.

 

Still, I'm hesitant to couple my watchmaking with prescription drugs.

 

There is definitely a psychological component to all this that is related to "flight or fright" and I've been trying to focus on the enjoyment aspect as opposed to the "threat" of breaking a watch.  I have a sort of metaphysical relationship with watches, as I almost think of them as living organisms which I am determined to vivify and keep healthy.  When I make a false step and screw something up, I feel like I've let someone or something down.  I know it's silly and I'm working on it.  I basically just keep trying only now and again, I get too wrapped up in it and need to regain objectivity.  Hence my starting this thread, seeking the experiences of others.  I also posted this current "confession" in the hope of reassuring other aspirants who are encountering similar problems.

 

I welcome more experiences and techniques (like the Rodico Hershey's kiss and the toothpick).

 

 

 

 

[DrRock]

Morning, Douglas (well, it is morning here in Australia) :)

 

Just a couple of quick points before I head off to work:

 

- the less caffeine you drink, the less your tolerance of caffeine and the longer the effects last. So caffeine would be a definite starter in accounting for your tremor.

 

- metoprolol is a cardio and vasoactive beta blocker. It has been "refined" to be more specifically targeted at those parts of the sympathetic nervous system, and consquently will have less of an anti-tremor effect. That's why I mentioned propranolol ("Inderal") - it's the oldest of the beta blockers and is more broadbased, so works better at settling fine tremor and intention tremor. But don't take those in ADDITION to metoprolol. It may be worth chatting to your doctor about switching - propranolol would still give the cardioprotection and anti-hypertensive effects as metoprolol, as well as slowing the heart rate down etc, but with the addition of the more systemic effects such as the tremor thing.

 

- clonazepam is mostly used to control epileptic activity in the brain (it doesn't have to be full-blown seizures - just spots of over-activity in the EEG tracings that MAY lead to either seizures or what is known as temporal lobe epilepsy.) It is less useful as a general calmative/antianxiety drug.  Diazepam is much better at that, and in low doses may be ideal for you.  Again, make sure you talk to the medico, and don't take BOTH.  Just one or the other.

 

- the psychological thing you describe is simply a touch of job-related anxiety.  All good artists and performers get it if they really care about what they do, as you obviously do. And that's why many of them take Inderal etc. I used to get some of that in my early surgical days, especially with some of the massive trauma cases - the adrenaline runs high..! But now that I'm older (!!!) and much more experienced, I'm much more confident and calm - and that helps with the fine motor control. I have no qualms about operating on someone's main brain blood supply, as I've done it so many times. Yes, things CAN still go wrong, but I know enough to keep it all under control and in perspective. I know that if I do the job right, all will be well. I don't make silly mistakes, and I'm therefore not afraid of making silly mistakes. That's a big help.

 

Hope that all makes sense.  Let us know how you go with the switcheroo of your coffee time to begin with, and if you try the change to propranolol and maybe diazepam.

 

OK - off to work for some delicate stuff... :)

 

---

Pete (Dr Rock)

Edited July 28, 2015 by DrRock

[clockboy]

Thanks for an incredibly interesting post. It explains why I got the shakes when servicing my Rolex. As a matter of interest I have been having issues with my eyes ( will do a post when off my vacation) and three different optometrist have recommended keeping both eyes open when using s loupe is this again to do with the brain

[cdjswiss]

 

I'd also be very interested to see the mechanical micro-manipulator mentioned by 'cdjswiss'

You will find it described here with a photo.

 

http://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/1272-a-hairspring-puzzle/

[anilv]

Personally I have found some dial feet screws to give a lot of grief... considering their rather hi-tech function!

Anil

[Lawson]

 

There is definitely a psychological component to all this that is related to "flight or fright" and I've been trying to focus on the enjoyment aspect as opposed to the "threat" of breaking a watch.

 

Douglas my friend, you just nailed it with this statement mate. You live to that creed and you'll do fine,

 

As for coffee, I drink HEAPS of it ... and when I say heaps I mean heaps :P

Correct me if I'm wrong here DrRock, but doesn't coffee activate your adrenals?  So if you drink heaps of coffee, and you're tapped out of adrenaline, you'd actually lower your shaking, wouldn't you? --- ah behold the wisdom of Lawson ^_^

 

... well that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!! *snicker*

Edited July 29, 2015 by Lawson

[DrRock]

Nice try, Lawson, my friend :)  Unfortunately the theory doesn't hold water. It's a bit shaky... (sorry)

 

The caffeine does stimulate the adrenals - but that is only one of its actions. It also stimulates the same things - the target organs and muscles - that the adrenals can stimulate too.  Including the kidneys (it's a diuretic), the bowel (it's a laxative), and the blood pressure (it puts it up).

 

However, if you're a long-term heavy coffee drinker, then you develop a tolerance for caffeine - like most drugs. The more you take, the more you need, to produce a given effect.

 

So, for someone like me who drinks very little - almost none - my tolerance is extremely low. A cup of strong coffee can give me shakes like an earthquake - not what you want in a surgeon!

 

However, you may well have developed a tolerance for the caffeine, so its effect is very minor - but it WOULD be detectable clinically. You also develop coping mechanisms that allow you to function normally.

 

If you were to STOP drinking coffee, you'd have severe withdrawal symptoms - seriously severe.

 

I'm interested in hearing how Douglas gets on with changing the times of day when he drinks his coffee, and if he tries either or both of the propranolol and the diazepam.

[DouglasSkinner]

Thanks for an incredibly interesting post. It explains why I got the shakes when servicing my Rolex. As a matter of interest I have been having issues with my eyes ( will do a post when off my vacation) and three different optometrist have recommended keeping both eyes open when using s loupe is this again to do with the brain

That's interesting because I read somewhere that also said you should keep both eyes open.  I'm trying to do it myself but don't find it easy.  I now have more incentive to try.

[Geo]

That's interesting because I read somewhere that also said you should keep both eyes open.  I'm trying to do it myself but don't find it easy.  I now have more incentive to try.

Once mastered, you will find it a lot more relaxing.

[clockboy]

Will try when my eyes are sorted but still have some issues that are a concern. I am going to try a magnified visor to see if that helps

[loetch]

Shaky hands like many others.  Breathing techniques, walking away and coming back have always been my plan A.  When dealing with difficult screws that won't set into the hole I will put a smidge of silicone on a screwdriver blade and pick up the screw by the slot.  Once in a toothpick or rodico can clean off the silicone.  

 

Rodico is always awesome but it gets nasty real fast.