Dominant Hand

[linux]

As I start out disassembling my first movement (working ST36) I'm reading all I can to make sure I'm doing it correctly.  One piece of advice I didn't expect to read was to handle the movement the your dominant hand and use the tools with the other.  Can this be right?  Why would you do that if you want to be precise with screwdrivers and tweezers, etc?  I'm thinking I mis-read it...

[RichardHarris123]

New to me, I use my dominant hand for the tools. 

[nickelsilver]

I've never heard that and don't know anyone who practices it.

[mikepilk]

Try peeling an apple with the apple in your dominant hand, and the peeler in the other.  

[linux]

OK, just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy.  I can't even find that advise now but it sure looked like hooey.  Thanks guys.

[eccentric59]

7 minutes ago, linux said:

OK, just wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy.

Concurring with the people who hang out here is not necessarily an ironclad sanity check.  

 

I will wear finger cots on my right hand and use it to hold the movement while tools go in my left hand, but then again, I am left-handed. Do what feels most comfortable.

[RichardHarris123]

10 minutes ago, eccentric59 said:

Concurring with the people who hang out here is not necessarily an ironclad sanity check.  

 

I will wear finger cots on my right hand and use it to hold the movement while tools go in my left hand, but then again, I am left-handed. Do what feels most comfortable.

So you use your dominant hand for the tools.  

[oldhippy]

What a load of old crap.

[rehajm]

5 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

What a load of old crap.

...when loading old crap I like to keep my dominant hand free of old crap. Any crap, really...

[watchweasol]

Well that’s a load of Horse feathers and no mistake, try wiping your bum with the non dominant hand. Tsk,  tsk.

[RichardHarris123]

36 minutes ago, watchweasol said:

Well that’s a load of Horse feathers and no mistake, try wiping your bum with the non dominant hand. Tsk,  tsk.

Didn't the Rolling Stones named an album about that.  Hehe. 

Edited November 17, 2023 by RichardHarris123
Typo again.

[eccentric59]

1 hour ago, RichardHarris123 said:

So you use your dominant hand for the tools. 

For the most part. When oiling a cap stone i'll hold the tweezers in my right hand and the oiler in my left, but when setting hands, I'll position and steady the hand with tweezers in my left hand and press them on with my right. Bum wiping shall remain unanswered.

[LittleWatchShop]

26 minutes ago, eccentric59 said:

For the most part. When oiling a cap stone i'll hold the tweezers in my right hand and the oiler in my left, but when setting hands, I'll position and steady the hand with tweezers in my left hand and press them on with my right. Bum wiping shall remain unanswered.

I do the opposite, but it brings up the point that one needs to develop some skill with the non-dominant hand.  Oiling cap jewels is a perfect case for that.

[RichardHarris123]

Doesn't make much difference to me, not truly ambidextrous but close. 

[rehajm]

2 hours ago, LittleWatchShop said:

I do the opposite, but it brings up the point that one needs to develop some skill with the non-dominant hand.  Oiling cap jewels is a perfect case for that.

I like to hold the jewel with tweezers while oiler in dominant hand- yes?

[LittleWatchShop]

3 minutes ago, rehajm said:

I like to hold the jewel with tweezers while oiler in dominant hand- yes?

Tweezers in non dominant, oiler in dominant.

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Doesn't make much difference to me, not truly ambidextrous but close. 

I think you naturally head that way, i have definitely noticed over the course of two years i am using my left hand much nore than i ever used to. I often hold a pair of tweezer in each hand at the same time. Position the part with my right pair, pop the screw in from the left, then switch the right hand for a driver. The more you practice the easier it becomes.

[tomh207]

I believe it’s like anything else we do, practice enables flexibility in approach. Like @RichardHarris123 I’m not truly ambidextrous but have fine motor skills with my non-dominant hand.

 

Tom

[Nucejoe]

Your brain tells you which hand to use.

[Neverenoughwatches]

1 hour ago, tomh207 said:

I believe it’s like anything else we do, practice enables flexibility in approach. Like @RichardHarris123 I’m not truly ambidextrous but have fine motor skills with my non-dominant hand.

 

Tom

If you are not practicing as well then you are limiting yourself. I keep a small pot of screws and shock settings and spending 5 mins of twisting, twirling and releasing springs before i start to work on anything, kind of a warm up that stems from my weight training days.  If i dont work then maybe 10 mins just so i have at least done something. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Neverenoughwatches

[VWatchie]

My 14-year-old son who's quite an accomplished table tennis player regularly practises playing with his non-dominant hand. He says it has developed his overall skills quite a bit. On occasion, he has even used it as a weapon during competition to confuse the opponent.

Two-handedness, at least to some extent, is necessary when working on watches. It took me many months of practice to get somewhat confident using my non-dominant hand

 

[VWatchie]

4 hours ago, Nucejoe said:

Your brain tells you which hand to use.

Well, that's good to know! If it was some other body part telling us perhaps we'd use our left foot 

[CYCLOPS]

do what feels natural with your tool handling.....Happy New Year