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Using surgical blades for papercraft Anonymous
I heard surgical blades were good for papercraft, so I obtained one, a Swann-Morton No. 15C carbon steel blade.
I have two questions for people familiar with this type of blade or something similar-
How long can I expect one blade to last on normal printer paper and card stock before getting annoyingly dull?
While waiting for a proper handle, I'd like to improvise something that will give me good handling and won't suddenly shatter and send the blade flying. What do you recommend?
>> Anonymous
>>84026I'd like to improvise something that will give me good handling and won't suddenly shatter and send the blade flying. What do you recommend?
I recommend waiting for a proper handle (why didn't you buy a "starters pack" with blades+handle instead of just replacement blades?? lol)

It depends on the blades of course, but you can easily make several large papercrafts with it; it also depends on if you use a rubber cutting mat or a wooden table as surface to cut on and stuff like that.
And something I see often, is that people glue on the same surface/mat they use to cut. Then often they spill a drop of glue, it dries up, and then when they make a new papercraft, there'll be hard, dried up glue on their cutting mat; your blades will dull 100 times faster if you're not careful: DON'T glue on your cutting mat!!
Other than that: your blades will probably last a long time: you'll notice fairly quickly that the tip will start to "round" (at least on X-Acto blades) but they'll still cut through paper.
Blades that are just a little dull are actually great for scoring fold lines, so also save one or two of those. ;o)
>> Anonymous
lol, I didn't buy it. It's probably been swiped from a hospital. How much do these blades cost?

When I need a cutting surface, I usually use an old textbook. Will a good rubber cutting surface significantly extend the blades' life span? As for glue, I only use wooden skewers or chopsticks as applicators.
>> Anonymous
use electrical tape and wrap it around the handle
>> japanese spy
yes a good cutting mat will keep your blades sharper longer. They are self healing so to speak so next time you cut your still cutting on a flat surface not a like using a textbook where the surface gets torn up. Id save the purdy blade ya got there for wall mounting :)
>> Anonymous
>>84030
Ah, so that's what you meant by "obtain"
Next time also obtain a handle ;o)
I know for scalpels like these, you have either metal handles or just plastic handles, with the first obviously more expensive.
I don't know what they cost where you live, like I said, I use Xacto blades and they cost about 1.50-2.00 bucks per package of five, which will last you long enough. And you need to "obtain" a handle once of course.

You know, what if you just ask at the hospital or first aid if you could just have such a plastic handle? They must get these by the hundreds, maybe they'll just give you one?
The reason I use a cutting mat isn't that it reduces dulling the blades (but I'm sure it helps, especially compared to using a wooden board like the one people use to cut bread on). I used to use carton/cardboard as well, but of course then you'll have cuts in your textbook as well. And after a while, if you keep using it, the blade will start following these old cuts, making it difficult to cut straight... On rubber (self healing) cutting mats, these cuts kinda "close up" after cutting.
>> Anonymous
>>84033
The whole blade is about twice as narrow as my pinky. It'd have to be a very small wall.
>> Anonymous
bvnb
>> Anonymous
Always use a 10a. A SM blade should last you about 7 to 10 normal papercrafts or 1 EVA-01 scale papercraft.
>> Anonymous
>>84030
>swiped from a hospital

I lol'd