# Need advice from the left handed people



## Dreams (May 26, 2021)

How do you cut your soap? I can do alot of things right handed but this,this got me....I have  the basic soap cutters in picture and trying to make straight cut...wow.. none of my bars weight the same  I was told to get.. 




.                                        But,some reviews I've read ,say still don't cut straight. Have you used? I would like a multi cutter ,not reasonable right now.. Thank you for advice.                Now how many right handed people read this? Have advice also..thank you


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## TheGecko (May 26, 2021)

I only know a few people who can cut perfectly straight bars of soap...I’m not one of them.  It’s why I got a cheese slicer and modified it and then lucked out and got a gently used Bud’s Single.


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## AliOop (May 26, 2021)

Buy an inexpensive cheese slicer and and turn it around so that you are cutting away from yourself. I’ve seen left-handed YouTubers do this, and it seems to work well. I have this one for single cuts, and I like it.


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## JoyfulSudz (May 26, 2021)

I'm a lefty and have been very happy with this cutter.  I can easily swing the arm down with my right hand, while my left hand does the guiding of the loaf. 

I started with one like in your pic, and while my bars were uneven, I don't think it had anything to do with handedness.


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## Aromasuzie (May 26, 2021)

Yay, I can now use my left handness as an excuse as to why my cutting is so crappy!!!  I thought I was the only one


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## earlene (May 26, 2021)

I am right handed, but I don't think that is the reason why a particular style of soap cutting tool doesn't produce a straight cut.  I have not used that particular one, but something quite similar - a router box and a straight cutter (not the crinkle cutter) and the problem was the amount of space in the slots themselves.  There was too much room in those slots for the straight edge cutter to move around.  That's what made the soaps wonky in shape, slanted or whatever.

If the reviews say the users are not getting straight cuts, it's probably because the slots aren't tight enough for the blade, allowing too much wobble.

I tried a cheese cutter and it was poorly made, so I returned it and bought one like JoyfulSudz pictured.  I got my first uniformly cut soaps using that one.


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## DeeAnna (May 26, 2021)

Lefty here. I agree with Earlene. The only type of cutter that is harder for a lefty to use is a blade with a bevel on only one side, such as a serrated knife.

If your cutter does not have any bevel (such as a bench scraper or wire cutter) or if it has a bevel on both sides of the blade (such as a regular knife), a lefty has exactly the same chance as a righty of making a clean cut. If you're using these types of cutters and getting poor results, I'm afraid your handedness isn't the reason.

A big reason why you cannot make parallel, even cuts is the cutter you're using isn't designed to be accurate enough for the job.

Most "miter box" type cutters (first photo) have slots that are too wide so the cutter doesn't slice down consistently. If there are multiple slots (as shown in the first photo), the slots may not be perfectly spaced. Even 0.5 mm variation will make a distinct difference in the weights of the bars. Also the blades used for these cutters can deflect and bend slightly, especially if your soap is firm, giving a wavy or slanted cut.

Most cheese cutters I've seen simply aren't designed to cut accurate slices. The wire isn't tight enough, the hinge is sloppy and rather weak, and there is no fence nor "stop" to guide the soap properly. A soap wire cutter (Joyful's photo) is far better.

Bear in mind the thickness of the soap will also affect the final weight, even if you try to get the top of the loaf perfectly flat. So even if you are able to cut perfectly parallel, even slices of soap, there will always be some variation in weight.


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## JuLeeRenee (May 26, 2021)

My hubby is left handed so when I see something for a left handed person I try to pay attention. With that said, I believe I saw a left handed single bar soap cutter somewhere on Etsy last year. Really wished I remembered from who though.


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## TheGecko (May 26, 2021)

earlene said:


> the problem was the amount of space in the slots themselves



You have to pick a side of the slot and run the blade of the cutter down that edge.  And you want to start cutting at the open end of box.


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## Dreams (May 26, 2021)

AliOop said:


> Buy an inexpensive cheese slicer and and turn it around so that you are cutting away from yourself. I’ve seen left-handed YouTubers do this, and it seems to work well. I have this one for single cuts, and I like it.


Thought about that also, but was going to be looking over my arm to cut..will have to look into seen this


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## Dreams (May 26, 2021)

JoyfulSudz said:


> I'm a lefty and have been very happy with this cutter.  I can easily swing the arm down with my right hand, while my left hand does the guiding of the loaf.
> 
> I started with one like in your pic, and while my bars were uneven, I don't think it had anything to do with handedness.
> View attachment 57756


That's nice,I'll have to look up and price..thank you


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## Dreams (May 26, 2021)

Aromasuzie said:


> Yay, I can now use my left handness as an excuse as to why my cutting is so crappy!!!  I thought I was the only one


 Yep..I can do everything else right handed, including writing, almost as good.. but can't seem to look over cutter and cut straight down


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## Dreams (May 26, 2021)

TheGecko said:


> I only know a few people who can cut perfectly straight bars of soap...I’m not one of them.  It’s why I got a cheese slicer and modified it and then lucked out and got a gently used Bud’s Single.


That's a good idea..that's awesome find


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## Dreams (May 26, 2021)

earlene said:


> I am right handed, but I don't think that is the reason why a particular style of soap cutting tool doesn't produce a straight cut.  I have not used that particular one, but something quite similar - a router box and a straight cutter (not the crinkle cutter) and the problem was the amount of space in the slots themselves.  There was too much room in those slots for the straight edge cutter to move around.  That's what made the soaps wonky in shape, slanted or whatever.
> 
> If the reviews say the users are not getting straight cuts, it's probably because the slots aren't tight enough for the blade, allowing too much wobble.
> 
> I tried a cheese cutter and it was poorly made, so I returned it and bought one like JoyfulSudz pictured.  I got my first uniformly cut soaps using that one.


Thank you..seen the extra space and thought would cause uneveness..this looks alittle better maybe? Going to price joyfulsudz cutter also


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## Dreams (May 26, 2021)

DeeAnna said:


> Lefty here. I agree with Earlene. The only type of cutter that is harder for a lefty to use is a blade with a bevel on only one side, such as a serrated knife.
> 
> If your cutter does not have any bevel (such as a bench scraper or wire cutter) or if it has a bevel on both sides of the blade (such as a regular knife), a lefty has exactly the same chance as a righty of making a clean cut. If you're using these types of cutters and getting poor results, I'm afraid your handedness isn't the reason.
> 
> ...


Cool so I can blame it on my tool and not me,I like that, just kidding I know I'm the problem also.I have a hard time looking over cutter to make sure straight line to cut then pushing down straight..it's irritating but glad to know when I do get a wire cutter that they still won't weigh the same but,will be a straighter cut,I hope


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## Dreams (May 26, 2021)

JuLeeRenee said:


> My hubby is left handed so when I see something for a left handed person I try to pay attention. With that said, I believe I saw a left handed single bar soap cutter somewhere on Etsy last year. Really wished I remembered from who though.


Going to go look on Etsy ..thank you..When I lived in Vegas in the early 90's they had a store that took up the whole length of a  block and it was called the left handed store.It had some great stuff in it but don't think it's there anymore... Great job looking out for the lefty hubby


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## AliOop (May 26, 2021)

Dreams said:


> Thought about that also, but was going to be looking over my arm to cut..will have to look into seen this


Yes, I use that exact model for the rare times that I have to do single cuts. Otherwise, I use my slab splitter to cut slabs into loaves. I use my multi-bar cutter to cut all my loaves (whether straight out of a loaf mold or split from slabs).

I previously had a larger single-bar cutter like the one pictured by @JoyfulSudz. I did like it very much, but I wanted a multi-bar cutter, and there wasn't room for both in my soap cabinets. They are both fairly bulky items that take up a lot of storage space.

Once I bought the multi-bar cutter and slab splitter, I rarely needed to make single cuts any more. So, I sold the single-bar cutter and bought the cheese slicer. It takes up so much less room, and it cuts just fine for those few times I need to make a single cut for a certain design style (or to shave off a crooked top).  However, if I didn't have my multi-bar butter, I'd want a nicer single-bar version like I had before.

Maybe that's TMI in response to your question, but it's good to consider all those things - your soaping style, amount of storage, and of course, budget - before spending the $$$. And like the others said, you may not need a lefty version at all, since cutting soap is a two-handed job no matter which way the slicer slices.


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## cerelife (May 27, 2021)

Fellow lefty


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## F_Drip (May 27, 2021)

Workshop Heritage has a single wire left handed soap cutter in 3 sizes. I got mine from there and it is absolutely perfect. Also, I try to get all my tools in the left handed orientation because I am a lefty through and through so when I buy tools on Etsy, I inquire with the seller if I can get mine left handed. They usually almost always can do it easy at no extra charge. I am a very happy left handed soaper


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## Zany_in_CO (May 28, 2021)

DeeAnna said:


> Lefty here. I agree with Earlene. The only type of cutter that is harder for a lefty to use is a blade with a bevel on only one side, such as a serrated knife. ...ff


Lefty here too! This is such an excellent post it deserves 2 thumbs up!


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## Rsapienza (May 30, 2021)

Another lefty!! I have one of the left handed single wire cutters from Workshop Heritage, but I began with the one in the OP. I could never get a straight cut, but I don't think it had anything to do with me being left handed. I ended up putting multiple layers of tape on the slots to close up the cutting space (hope that makes sense). It worked, as long as I remembered to hold the other end of the soap loaf to prevent it from moving. I've never been able to cut straight with just a knife. FWIW, I can't draw a straight line to save my life.


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## Susie (May 30, 2021)

I am ambidextrous, but left eye dominant, so anything I need to have visual accuracy on, I do left handed. I use a miter box and the "hacksaw with guitar string" type cutter. The secret is to hold the soap against one side of the box and run the cutter down only one side of the slot. Be firm with both holds.


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## amd (Jun 3, 2021)

Former lefty converted to righty by one mean Kindergarten teacher. There were two of us in the class, the boy went back to left handed in first grade, I never did. There's a lot of things I do left handed, cutting soap is not one of them. Now I'm curious if that was part of my problem when I was cutting soap, using the wrong hand... probably not, but I might give it a try next time I have to hand cut soap.


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## Dreams (Jun 3, 2021)

amd said:


> Former lefty converted to righty by one mean Kindergarten teacher. There were two of us in the class, the boy went back to left handed in first grade, I never did. There's a lot of things I do left handed, cutting soap is not one of them. Now I'm curious if that was part of my problem when I was cutting soap, using the wrong hand... probably not, but I might give it a try next time I have to hand cut soap.


I'm getting alittle better at, doesn't look so angled anymore, have a hard time eyeing it up. Waiting for my cheese cutter to come Saturday but had to cut batch today and only 2 are lil obvious, getting better  Sorry bout your awful teacher,mine came 3rd grade Mrs Leo she would leave her finger nail imprint on your arm from grabbing so hard


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## Susie (Jun 12, 2021)

Dreams said:


> I'm getting alittle better at, doesn't look so angled anymore, have a hard time eyeing it up. Waiting for my cheese cutter to come Saturday but had to cut batch today and only 2 are lil obvious, getting better  Sorry bout your awful teacher,mine came 3rd grade Mrs Leo she would leave her finger nail imprint on your arm from grabbing so hard



My first grade teacher made me stop using my left hand to write. But I practiced a lot of years at home to write left handed. I stopped after I mastered cursive writing because writing left handed is just so messy.


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## Dreams (Jun 12, 2021)

Susie said:


> My first grade teacher made me stop using my left hand to write. But I practiced a lot of years at home to write left handed. I stopped after I mastered cursive writing because writing left handed is just so messy.


I have heard that alot..thank God by the time I made it to school they didn't push it as hard I would of been a even earlier rebel


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## Quanta (Jun 12, 2021)

amd said:


> Former lefty converted to righty by one mean Kindergarten teacher. There were two of us in the class, the boy went back to left handed in first grade, I never did.





Susie said:


> My first grade teacher made me stop using my left hand to write. But I practiced a lot of years at home to write left handed. I stopped after I mastered cursive writing because writing left handed is just so messy.





Dreams said:


> I have heard that alot..thank God by the time I made it to school they didn't push it as hard I would of been a even earlier rebel


The reason teachers used to force right-handedness for writing, is because of the ink used with dip pens that people used to use. The ink took so long to dry that dragging your hand across it as you write would smear and make a mess. I use the same kind of ink and pens for my calligraphy and would find them difficult to use left-handed, although nowadays left-handed pen nibs are available. Only a slow-drying ink works with dip pens.

But ball point pens use a much faster drying ink, so it no longer made a mess to write left handed. However, after those became common, some teachers hung on to the idea of only writing right handed, not understanding why it used to be necessary. I've even heard of teachers lying to the children by telling them that the Bible says it's a sin to be left handed, in an effort to get them to stop writing that way. The Bible obviously never says any such thing, but those are the lengths they went to.


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## earlene (Jun 12, 2021)

Well, didn't children learn to write with chalk on slate?

And when I learned to write it was with a pencil, not a pen.


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## Quanta (Jun 12, 2021)

earlene said:


> Well, didn't children learn to write with chalk on slate?
> 
> And when I learned to write it was with a pencil, not a pen.


I learned with a pencil as well, but the teachers knew the kids would be using pens one day. No sense in learning to write with a pencil, in such a way to make it impossible to ever use a pen. Most people use pens after school.


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## Dreams (Jun 12, 2021)

Quanta said:


> The reason teachers used to force right-handedness for writing, is because of the ink used with dip pens that people used to use. The ink took so long to dry that dragging your hand across it as you write would smear and make a mess. I use the same kind of ink and pens for my calligraphy and would find them difficult to use left-handed, although nowadays left-handed pen nibs are available. Only a slow-drying ink works with dip pens.
> 
> But ball point pens use a much faster drying ink, so it no longer made a mess to write left handed. However, after those became common, some teachers hung on to the idea of only writing right handed, not understanding why it used to be necessary. I've even heard of teachers lying to the children by telling them that the Bible says it's a sin to be left handed, in an effort to get them to stop writing that way. The Bible obviously never says any such thing, but those are the lengths they went to.


oh yes my hand get meat sometimes when I write and that's why I never thought to try calligraphy have heard many horror stories about how tried to convert Lefty's... we're not Evil,we have rights also


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## Dreams (Jun 12, 2021)

earlene said:


> Well, didn't children learn to write with chalk on slate?
> 
> And when I learned to write it was with a pencil, not a pen.


Yep you learned to hold the chalk alittle higher so you didn't erace it as you wrote..


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## Quanta (Jun 12, 2021)

Dreams said:


> Yep you learned to hold the chalk alittle higher so you didn't erace it as you wrote..


Yup, chalk smears on slate the same way that ink smears on paper. It's good training. Only chalk isn't as messy since it washes off a lot easier.


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## Dreams (Jun 12, 2021)

Dreams said:


> oh yes my hand get meat sometimes when I write and that's why I never thought to try calligraphy have heard many horror stories about how tried to convert Lefty's... we're not Evil,we have rights also


Hand gets messy not meat


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## Quanta (Jun 12, 2021)

Dreams said:


> Hand gets messy not meat


It's OK, I knew what you meant. I am becoming fluent in both "Autocorrect" and "Speech-to-text". I can't tell you how many times I've seen people use the phrase "should of" instead of "should have", due to speech-to-text. It happens so much, people are getting used to seeing it and are typing it that way on purpose now! Same with using "then" instead of "than".


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## Dreams (Jun 12, 2021)

Quanta said:


> It's OK, I knew what you meant. I am becoming fluent in both "Autocorrect" and "Speech-to-text". I can't tell you how many times I've seen people use the phrase "should of" instead of "should have", due to speech-to-text. It happens so much, people are getting used to seeing it and are typing it that way on purpose now! Same with using "then" instead of "than".


I quit drinking years ago and my daughter's have called me a few times after reading one of my text thinking I've started again I reread what I sent and think I would of called also ..got to go and start a new thread on rebatching


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## Quanta (Jun 13, 2021)

Dreams said:


> I would of called


  Did you say that because I just mentioned it?

Ok, enough derailing, maybe.


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## melinda48 (Jun 13, 2021)

Quanta said:


> The reason teachers used to force right-handedness for writing, is because of the ink used with dip pens that people used to use. The ink took so long to dry that dragging your hand across it as you write would smear and make a mess. I use the same kind of ink and pens for my calligraphy and would find them difficult to use left-handed, although nowadays left-handed pen nibs are available. Only a slow-drying ink works with dip pens.
> 
> But ball point pens use a much faster drying ink, so it no longer made a mess to write left handed. However, after those became common, some teachers hung on to the idea of only writing right handed, not understanding why it used to be necessary. I've even heard of teachers lying to the children by telling them that the Bible says it's a sin to be left handed, in an effort to get them to stop writing that way. The Bible obviously never says any such thing, but those are the lengths they went to.


Another reason is that because, for year's, “left” was considered unclean as it is the hand used in parts of the world where there is no toilet paper. If you look at the etymology of the word, you will find sinistre (sinister), gauche, and several, other terms that mean “bad or evil”. That propensity carried over into our society and left-handedness came to be considered bad. I think it is fascinating. Also, the comment about the ink drying is especially relevant. People who learned to write using the Palmer Method especially learned much the same way as we learn calligraphy-a series of lines, curves, etc to develop proper flow. You are challenged by those exercise if you use  the left hand. 
As a lefty/ambi, I use whichever hand I need to get the job done. Comes in handy when using hand tools especially. The down side that I find a sort of dyslexia seems to exist but-because I know it exists, I can work around it. 
Cutting soap takes practice. My multi bar cutter has been a savior for me. Prior to that I chose to rely on my husband and the cheese knife which actually worked great!
Left or right, we get it done!


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## Dreams (Jun 13, 2021)

Help please, I made a new thread on rebatch last night and no response. I know one of my problems was not mixed enough, since I added the FO and salt/sugar mix right before poured...so my questions are 1) how much water would I use during melt down if any and how do you know? 2) Do I need to readd the FO or will it made it? Thank you if you answer. I already have it cut up and ready to go, just don't want to mess it up again.


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## Rsapienza (Jun 13, 2021)

I have heard that years ago a left-handed person was thought to be maybe slow or mentally challenged. I guess my grandfather used to take my crayons out of my left hand and put them in my right. I of course don't remember. I actually write extremely well and do not slant my paper or my writing like most left-handers. The only thing in this world I do right handed is catch and throw a softball. I bat left-handed but I catch and throw with my right. The only thing I can think is that my mom just threw me a glove and I taught myself how to do it. I remember playing ball at a very young age but I don't remember ever struggling with a right-handed glove. I played ball all through High School and I pitched so I always threw them off when I got up to bat.


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## earlene (Jun 13, 2021)

Rsapienza said:


> I have heard that years ago a left-handed person was thought to be maybe slow or mentally challenged. I guess my grandfather used to take my crayons out of my left hand and put them in my right. I of course don't remember. I actually write extremely well and do not slant my paper or my writing like most left-handers. The only thing in this world I do right handed is catch and throw a softball. I bat left-handed but I catch and throw with my right. The only thing I can think is that my mom just threw me a glove and I taught myself how to do it. I remember playing ball at a very young age but I don't remember ever struggling with a right-handed glove. I played ball all through High School and I pitched so I always threw them off when I got up to bat.


Funny you mention that.  I kick left-footed, but catch right-handed.  I have no idea why I kick with my left foot.  As a child we played street football (I have 4 brothers) with the neighborhood kids and that's always been my kicking leg.


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## JoyfulSudz (Jun 14, 2021)

One of the most awkward tasks for me as a left-handed soaper is pouring batter.  I have more control holding the bowl or measuring cup with my left hand, but then I need to switch it to my right hand to use a spatula to scrape out the last of the batter.  As if that wasn't hard enough, I've got painful arthritis in my left hand that prevents me from bending my middle and ring fingers.  My mom always told me life was not fair!


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## earlene (Jun 14, 2021)

JoyfulSudz said:


> One of the most awkward tasks for me as a left-handed soaper is pouring batter.  I have more control holding the bowl or measuring cup with my left hand, but then I need to switch it to my right hand to use a spatula to scrape out the last of the batter.  As if that wasn't hard enough, I've got painful arthritis in my left hand that prevents me from bending my middle and ring fingers.  My mom always told me life was not fair!


It is the same for the right-handed soaper, in that while pouring right-handed is easier than left, scraping out the vessel with the right hand is also easier, so switching hands becomes necessary for better control while scraping.  (That is unless one has surgery on the dominant hand and both become uncoordinated for a time.)  

Maybe everyone should be born ambidextrous or be retrained from birth and save us all this inconvenience.


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## JoyfulSudz (Jun 14, 2021)

earlene said:


> Maybe everyone should be born ambidextrous or be retrained from birth and save us all this inconvenience.


You're right -- We're all biologically pre-destined to be left- or right-handed, but it would sure be helpful if were were encouraged and trained to make better use of our non-dominant hand as well.  Seems silly to have one hand always do all the work.


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## DeeAnna (Jun 14, 2021)

earlene said:


> ...Maybe everyone should be born ambidextrous or be retrained from birth and save us all this inconvenience.



I guess I can chime in on being a lefty who is fairly ambidextrous. A few years ago, I recorded a video of me doing a drop pour into a loaf mold. I didn't realize it at the time, but when I watched the video, I saw I had shifted from pouring with a pitcher in my right hand and running the spatula during one pass to doing the next pass by pouring with the pitcher in my left and running the spatula with my right. It was kind of weird to watch.

The problem with being ambidextrous is that sometimes I can get confused about which hand I want to use. That gets me in trouble sometimes because that initial confusion can slow me down or makes me more clumsy at first until I make a plan and get in the groove.

I agree that handedness likely has a genetic component -- for example my mother's mother, my mother, and I are all lefties with no other lefties in the family that I know of. But genetics is not the only factor -- issues during fetal development as well as birth trauma can also affect handedness. And obviously all the social and environmental factors that affect us as we're growing up.


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## Tara_H (Jun 14, 2021)

JoyfulSudz said:


> it would sure be helpful if were were encouraged and trained to make better use of our non-dominant hand as well


I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned already, but from what I understand, forcing children to use their non-dominant hand can cause all sorts of issues with speech and language acquisition.


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## DeeAnna (Jun 14, 2021)

I think "forcing" is quite different than "encouraged and trained". Speaking again as a lefty, even as a child I could tell the difference.


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## KimW (Jun 14, 2021)

Ah-ha!  I was wondering if my mad-scientist friend would chime in and wouldn't ya know, in my thinking, she's on point.  When folks notice I'm doing something with my left hand, or they notice when I arbitrarily switch hands (like @DeeAnna), I explain that I am "an oppressed lefty".  Literally had my knuckles rapped in pre-school for using my left hand.  I wouldn't say it traumatized me, but I do still vividly remember it 50+ years later.  hmmmm - I don't recall anyone ever telling me I had a hard time with speaking... but maybe I can blame my pre-school teacher for my inability to learn another language!
Which hand I use depends on how I learn a task.  If I learn siting across from a righty, I mirror them - so I end up doing the task left-handed.  I throw (pottery) and cut stained glass left-handed, etc.  Self-learned, I usually do tasks left-handed.   I golf (badly) and load a dishwasher left handed, etc.  Learning next to a righty, I do tasks right-handed.  I sew and shoot right handed, but there's more to that story.   My left hand (and arm) is strongest but my right hand has much finer dexterity  ETA:  Thankfully, which hand to use is a matter of convenience and not something I have to think about.  Thinking about it would really heighten my "analysis paralysis"!
Story time!
Our son came home with a "dominance" science project, but he couldn't tell the subject what the test was about.  He had to observe someone in his household writing, eating, etc.  Then step up on something (ladder/stair), step on something he placed on the ground, reach for something in the middle of a table, throw and catch, and then there was some sort of eye test.  I remember all of this because with each "test" he would mutter, "this doesn't make sense", and it got really hilarious when he went drama king and threw his notebook and pencil on the floor after the eye test and accused me of somehow cheating (and truly stomped off and so then lost his video game privileges for that night of course).      He didn't really drop it until hubs came home, did the same test, and explained to said son that I was "an oppressed lefty".
Scored perfect marksmanship in USAF training...on the wrong target.  I had nothing (NOTHING) on my target, but perfect marks on the target next to mine.  How they could tell that's what happened I don't know, but I was so crushed because I really wanted that marksmanship medal.  Since our TI hadn't shown up to march us back, the NCO in charge of the range told my dude (whatever the people are called who watch over recruits while on the range), to have me shoot again, but to site with my left eye.  Bingo.  Correct target, perfect marks.  He gave me a pass for shooting, but wouldn't reward me marksmanship, because I had to do the test twice.  Rules are rules (boooooo).   I had the satisfaction of knowing I really could shoot, and that my TI would be told same, so I was happy...sort of.


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## JoyfulSudz (Jun 14, 2021)

Tara_H said:


> I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned already, but from what I understand, forcing children to use their non-dominant hand can cause all sorts of issues with speech and language acquisition.


I am totally against "forcing."  What I suggested is encouragement to use the non-dominant hand at times.  Forcing does lead to many serious problems, but making use of a helper hand is quite handy (so to speak   ).  I am a total lefty, but I have taught myself to make use of my right hand for some simple tasks because it just makes life easier.


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## Quanta (Jun 14, 2021)

DeeAnna said:


> I guess I can chime in on being a lefty who is fairly ambidextrous. A few years ago, I recorded a video of me doing a drop pour into a loaf mold. I didn't realize it at the time, but when I watched the video, I saw I had shifted from pouring with a pitcher in my right hand and running the spatula during one pass to doing the next pass by pouring with the pitcher in my left and running the spatula with my right. It was kind of weird to watch.


I only consider myself right handed because that's the hand I write with. Some tasks are easier with my left, and others with my right. Usually it's whichever hand is in a less awkward position.
The first time I ever made soap, I was at my parents' house with my mother watching (because making soap was originally her idea). Anyway. I was holding the pitcher in my left hand and stirring with my right, and when I figured it was ready to pour, I just started pouring without transferring the pitcher to the other hand. My mother said, "how are you _doing_ that?!" I asked her what she meant, and she said "you're pouring with your left hand". It never even occurred to me to switch the pitcher to my right hand. It was already in my left hand so that's the hand I poured with. It was odd to her because she can do absolutely nothing with her left hand, nothing at all. She even chews her food only on the right side of her mouth. It's ridiculous. But she is a prime example of someone who should have been trained to use her non-dominant hand as a child, not to force it to become her dominant hand, but so that she could actually use that hand if she needed to.


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## Tara_H (Jun 15, 2021)

JoyfulSudz said:


> I am totally against "forcing."  What I suggested is encouragement to use the non-dominant hand at times.  Forcing does lead to many serious problems, but making use of a helper hand is quite handy (so to speak   ).  I am a total lefty, but I have taught myself to make use of my right hand for some simple tasks because it just makes life easier.


Oh, I didn't mean to imply that I disagreed with you! Just following a train of thought that your comment inspired


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## Peachy Clean Soap (Jun 15, 2021)

I'm not "A South Paw" booo,  However my Mother & Sister are both lefties' Mother had a saying " If your laft handed & blue eyed' It's A Sign Of A Genues. lol .  

I do a-lot w/ my left hand because my Mother was a lefty & I was taught doing things left handed.


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## Susie (Jun 15, 2021)

People who don't know me freak out when watching me perform any task. I use whatever hand the tool lands in, and switch without thinking. When my whole oh-so-very-right handed family can't get to something because of positioning, I just step in and do the task. Eating out with a crowd of righties is a problem, because I switch back and forth, especially if I am cutting meat. I always have to be sure I am sitting on the end of the table.

When my children were learning to color, I carefully watched what hand they used because no child of mine was going to be switched to make life easier on anyone but them.


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## AliOop (Jun 15, 2021)

My whole family suffers from impingement syndrome, which shows up as either shoulder pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, or some combo thereof. Computer use (among other things) aggravates this.

To mitigate the impact, I forced myself years ago to use the computer mouse with my left hand. My chiropractor was happily astonished to hear this and confirmed that once language acquisition has been established, use of the non-dominant hand is good for the brain.

I’m still faster with my right hand even after years of using only my left hand with the mouse, but I plug away at it. When stretching or doing standing balance exercises, I also force myself to vary which thumb is on top of my clasped hands and intertwined fingers. It’s crazy how that affects your balance until you train the brain to accept it either way.


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## DeeAnna (Jun 15, 2021)

I think my lefty Mom is more definite about her left handedness than I am. But even she isn't as strictly left handed as a lot of right handers are about their right handedness. I think lefties have to be more flexible because they have to adapt to living in a largely right-handed world.

I remember back in pre-computer days when Mom did income tax with pencil and calculator. She had taught herself to run a calculator with her right hand and run a pencil with the left. Most of the right handed tax preparers she worked with had to put the pencil down, run the calc, pick the pencil up, etc.

Some skills aren't based on hand preference alone, which complicates things. For example, I'm right eye dominant, so I have learned to use a bow and gun right handed. Using a hammer remains a problem, with many smashed fingers over the years, because I usually hammer with my left hand even though I know I aim the hammer with my right eye. Thank goodness for today's construction screws and battery powered drills!

Like Susie, I can switch which hand I use to operate many tools -- pliers, screwdrivers, drills, etc. This flexibility comes in handy. One project I often do in my day job requires the use of a needle nose pliers to do several different tasks. I put two pliers on the workbench and depending on the task, I'll grab one with my left hand or the other pliers with my right as needed.


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## KimW (Jun 15, 2021)

Peachy Clean Soap said:


> I'm not "A South Paw" booo,  However my Mother & Sister are both lefties' Mother had a saying " If your laft handed & blue eyed' It's A Sign Of A Genues. lol .
> 
> I do a-lot w/ my left hand because my Mother was a lefty & I was taught doing things left handed.


I'm a genius!!!   I knew it!!!


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## maryloucb (Jun 15, 2021)

earlene said:


> Funny you mention that.  I kick left-footed, but catch right-handed.  I have no idea why I kick with my left foot.  As a child we played street football (I have 4 brothers) with the neighborhood kids and that's always been my kicking leg.


My son is right handed, but uses a left handed stick in hockey, and bats left handed in baseball. It's more common than you might think!

Also, I am right handed, but can't cut evenly with one of those cutters either. I don't think it's a right handed thing.


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## Tara_H (Jun 15, 2021)

DeeAnna said:


> Some skills aren't based on hand preference alone, which complicates things


Music is another one - I'm basically right handed but most musical instruments require at least a reasonable level of dexterity in both hands.
I wished when I was younger that I was ambidextrous, but I've only managed it in certain limited things - music, writing to a reasonable extent, using cutlery


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## ResolvableOwl (Jun 15, 2021)

Tara_H said:


> dexterity in both hands


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## Tara_H (Jun 15, 2021)

ResolvableOwl said:


>


Better than being ambi-sinister


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## lshone (Jun 16, 2021)

Everyone is born right-handed, only the best of us are able to overcome it.


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## Dreams (Jun 16, 2021)

lshone said:


> Everyone is born right-handed, only the best of us are able to overcome it.


Love thatand sooo true


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## Susie (Jun 17, 2021)

Not trying to be a downer here, but I have had to deal with a lot of stroke patients over the years. Some of the are able to train their non-dominant hand to function reasonably well with lots of hard work. Just remember the more you practice now to get that muscle memory going in your non-dominant hand, the easier you function if you lose use of the dominant one.


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