Lubing and loading one handed for a while .............. (sigh)

[Ohio Rusty]

I had the pleasure of getting my shoulder worked on last thursday to get my rotor cuff tendon fixed. Now I feel like a potted plant. There are boolit things I can do !!! Can't keep a boolit guy down. I had been sizing and lubing a bunch of .44 special wadcutters and 125 gr. 38 boolits when I had two working arms.
Showing my inexpensive but good working lubing set up below.

The last pic is of my reloader. I got tired of all the spent primers on the table and floor and now I can't bend down easily to pick them up. So ........ To keep things more clean, I made a primer catch tray from a folgers coffee can lid. That lee press has a slot that dumps the primer right onto my catch tray, and it has a slot cut in the other end where the spent primers are easily dumped into a comtainer below the slot.

Glad I have something worthwhile to do so I don't go stir crazy ...........
Ohio Rusty ><>

[Kraschenbirn]

Hey, Rusty...you're not alone when you're working one-handed. I had my rotator cuff surgery just over three weeks ago and still doing a lot of things left-handed that I'd normally do with the right. Once the stitches are out, though, you'll find out that you will be able to get back to doing a lot of things pretty quickly. (Hey, after my stitches were out, it only took me about three days to get back to shaving with my right hand. In the last couple weeks before my surgery, I first prepped every empty case I could lay my hands on, then cast up enough boolits to reload them plus enough to bring my 'working inventory' back up to where I can reload every round I've got, at least once, without casting again. For the first week after surgery, I did nothin' but lube and size. Then, after the stitches were out and I'd started physical therapy, I began reloading all those prepped cases. Kept me occupied two or three hours a day and helped stave off the onset of cabin fever.

Good luck with your recovery. I know what you're going through and the only advice I have to give is to listen to your rehab therapist and don't skimp on doing your exercises. (Yeah, they're gonna hurt some at first...but you'll start seeing positive results before too long.)

Bill

[1bluehorse]

Well now ain't this a small world. I had rotator cuff surgery on the 9th of January, snapped the big tendon on top of the shoulder putting chains on my dump truck. (actually it was from trying to make a to short bungee fit to tighten the chains) plus reattach the bicep and a couple labrum tears...That sling is sure a pain in the behind now isn't it..I have three more weeks with that THEN I get to go see the physical terrorist..the doc told me I was looking at 4 months of that....man, if you're able to shave after such a short time you are extremely lucky or one tuff SOB..I still can't reach far enough over to put deodorant under my other arm...phew...my dogs don't seem to mind though..good luck to you both..

[geargnasher]

I cast 40 pounds of boolits last weekend with an ice pack strapped to the side of my head where my wisdom teeth used to be, but working one-armed is a chore. One reason I built all the benches in my gun room at chair-height this go-around is so I can work sitting down, even in a wheelchair if need be. I gotta do something, about 24 hours being a "potted plant" is all I can stand before I go nuts.

Gear

[ftut]

Hey Rusty I'm just north of you in Fairfield County. Although I've loaded for years I'm just trying to learn to cast. Maybe we could get together and help each other out? I really need all the instruction I can get.

[Cherokee]

I went thru that 2 years ago, I understand.

[gwpercle]

Rusty,
Does your wife know what you do with her electric skillet ? Only joshing ya ...that's a great idea, we got one in the garage that will make the perfect variable controlled heating unit. Saved me the cost of the hot plate I was going to buy. Thanks for the great tip...I would have never thought to use it.
Gary

[Kraschenbirn]

Well now ain't this a small world. I had rotator cuff surgery on the 9th of January....man, if you're able to shave after such a short time you are extremely lucky or one tuff SOB..I still can't reach far enough over to put deodorant under my other arm...phew...

I kinda got off lucky; mine was all arthroscopic work. Took a dumb fall (my own carelessness) a while back and damaged my right rotator cuff...just a small tear and not enough to justify surgery at the time. Doctor put me into physical therapy for two months to see if that would take care of the problem. It didn't, so, he went in a put a couple of sutures in my rotator cuff and, while he there, cleaned off some bone spurs from my collarbone and shoulder blade. Then, the sucker put me back in therapy THREE DAYS after incision stitches were out and, yeah, at first it hurt...a lot!

So far as being able to shave, I wear a full beard so I only have to reach far enough to clean the stubble off my neck and right below my jawbone.


Bill

[chg]

Rusty, You're not the only one going one handed for a while. Had my left hand operated on last Thursday too so it's a 3 month deal with just the right hand to use. Planned this out though, cast 70 - 80 pounds of 358156 and 452460s before the operation so that I can size and lube until I'm off the pain pills then can load them.

[alfloyd]

I had my left hand worked on the last of December.
Still in the plastic brace. I found out that I can cast boolits with my Master Caster
with just my right arm and hand.
When i get the brace off the left hand, the doc is going to work on my right hand.
I have been sizing boolits and it is a lot slower with just one hand to work with.

Hope you get better soon.
Lafaun

[Walter Laich]

I've had 3 rotator culf surgeries (2 on right side)

As I came out of surgery doc told my wife there is nothing left so if he (me) tears it again--nothing he can do.

I've been careful....

and I feel you pain

[1bluehorse]

doc told me if this "fix" didn't take, and if I were willing to do another operation, they'd take a "piece" from a cadaver, ugh, and "patch" it...but he said he was "pretty sure" it'd heal okay...pretty bad when the high point this last month was finally being able to button up my Wranglers by myself ...still fightin those socks though...wifes seems to be mumbling under her breath a lot the last few days, can't quite make out what she's sayin.....