Nekotoba

So, SL build UI redesign is still no go… because I spent the whole week-end working on something.
SL建造界面重新设计还是没有进度……因为整个周末都花去做这个了。

These are feetpaws built on a sock base and fit to myself, so they are very comfy! Takes about three or four hours per paw, which comes to a total of eight hours… not counting the time shaping foam or purchasing tools and materials. This is the first time I worked with glue gun and faux fur, so there are lumps and visible seams all over (but only hardly). The fur only goes as high as the ankle; it’s a limit of the short duct-tape dummy I made. In addition, the stuffing (Subway sandwich wrappers and old Shanghai Daily pages) compress over time, so it ended up being a bit crampy. I also need to remember not to use markers on any foam surfaces that will be covered with white fur – green foam shows through, green markers doubly so. There is no pawpads or soles on this thing, since it gets really tiring after working on this for 4 hours… so currently it can only be worn indoors.

这对兽脚是用袜子作基础，按照自己的脚裁剪的，所以非常舒服！每只大概要用3到4小时，总共8小时……不算做脚趾头或购买工具的时间。这是我第一次和热熔胶枪和绒毛打交道，所以到处都是凸起和可见的缝隙 (不过没那么明显)。绒毛只到脚踝，因为胶带脚模做得太小了……另外里面的填充物 (赛百味^商标三明治包纸和旧报纸)也会压缩，所以最后做出来的比较紧。下次还要注意不要在将用白毛盖住的部分上使用记号笔……海绵的绿色会透过白色的毛，而记号笔的绿色则更是如此。完全没有肉球或是鞋跟什么的，四个小时之后累死了。所以目前只能在室内穿。

For the fur, I settled cutting the backing with a segmented utility knife… by X-Acto. Most people recommend the brand for their pen blade, so I didn’t expect them to make these things… and while the tip is a bit blunt, the blade is very sharp!

The glue gun used is a dual-temp from Ad-Tech – like all Ad-Tech hot glue guns, it has a little slip of warning inside the package that says the power cord contains lead (to prevent overheating), and one should wash hands after handling. A pity, considering hot glue itself is non-toxic and is probably the safest glue usable for working on costumes you can get your paws on in North America. Lead is… nasty. It can cause nerve and brain damage, and accumulates in the body with a half-life of 10 years by replacing the calcium in bones. Many of lead’s damaging properties are because of its similar chemical behaviour to calcium. Lead enters human body mainly through ingestion and inhalation, and also through skin contact, although for pure lead, this is minimal. There has not been found an amount of lead that is too small to cause no effect.
热熔胶枪是 Ad-Tech 牌子的双温枪。和Ad-Tech的其它枪一样，在包装的里面有一个很小的注意事项写着电源线包含铅，用后清洗手。好可惜。因为热熔胶本身并无毒，算是北美能搞到的能用在兽装上的最安全的粘合剂了。铅很烦人。它可以造成神经和大脑伤害，并且在体内堆积，半衰期有10年之久，主要代替钙囤积在骨头里。铅的许多伤害特性都和它与钙类似的化学性质有关。铅主要通过呼吸道和消化道进入人体，也可以从皮肤，但是这对于纯铅来说，量不是很大。目前还没有发现足够小到不足以造成影响的铅含量.

• Knowing these makes the news that a provincial government of China detaining a bus of lead-poisoned villagers and their children heading to check-up even more tragic…
  了解了这些，再看嘉禾县关押铅中毒村民事件，更加的痛心……
  • And the local government wasn’t sorry about that at all.
• Orochi (telecom specialist, doujin artist) said 90% of things in his workshop had cables lined with lead, and they are all mostly from China.
  • This one is made in Taiwan, though.
  • Lead-infused PVC cord coating used to be everywhere, although it has been on the fall since RoHS.
    含铅的PVC电缆曾经十分普遍，但是在RoHS之后开始变得少了。
• The other brand of glue gun, Surebonder, sold in Michaels craft store? Also contains lead in cable, but it has the warning on the back of the package… There’s also yet another brand sold in Wal-Mart, but that one is hot temp (200°C) only.
  另外一个牌子的热熔枪？电缆里也有铅，不过警告是写在包装背面的……

In developed countries, lead-contaminated plumbing is a major source of lead. … maybe I should get my tap water tested.