Tools of the Trade
Day Twelve: Silicone Finger Sleeves
A few years ago, I spent each day in January writing about a different tool I use in my maskmaking. As I am currently redesigning my entire website in the new year, I thought it might be nice to revisit this project. Each day in January 2021, I’ll share a different item that I use in my studio. I hope some of these can help other people who are interested in making wrestling masks.
I’m getting a really late start today, so today’s article is short but sweet. Have you ever been nyxing your mask fabric (ie using spray adhesive to glue the outer layer of your mask fabric to the lining) and accidentally wrinkled the fabric or flipped it over on itself, and the adhesive made the whole thing a tangled mess? And have you then tried to pull it apart and smooth it out? It can be nearly impossible, as the glue sticks to the fabric and to your fingers and you end up with a bigger mess than you started with. This happened to me more often than I’d care to admit, so I was looking for a way to handle glue-coated fabric without the fabric sticking to my skin. I eventually found this set of silicone finger protectors (the red items,) and they worked a treat. They fit tightly over your fingers and thumb, and you can handle the sticky fabric and untangle it without it getting stuck to your fingers. Later on I found the pink items in the picture, which are little caps that slide over your fingertips. They’re designed for soaking nail varnish off your fingers, but since they’re made of silicone, they also can help when handling sticky fabric. I found these at my local dollar store; you can’t beat that price!
As a bonus, either of these items are also helpful to wear if you’re ironing something small, as the silicone will help protect your fingers from the heat. I’ve also sometimes used them while gluing small items so that any stray glue won’t get on my fingers.