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Swann Morton


Vinnie

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45 minutes ago, Vicarage Vee said:

For removing those 'impossibly thin but moulded with two huge sprue gate' pieces that snap instantly if you try to remove them with a knife or scalpel, I find that immobilising the sprue in blu tack and sawing gently through the gate with a fine razor saw saves it all in one piece ready for tidy up.

 

Sometimes it helps to separate a section of the sprue to make a smaller, more manageable one.

 

Like the advice, but once removed from the sprue, how do you sand off the remnants of a 1 72 aerial without destroying it. 

 

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6 hours ago, Vinnie said:

 

Btw, how do chaps safely dispose of their used SM blades?

SM do a little blue box ( can't remember the correct name of it ) but it is cheap.

Basically you stick the blade that you want to remove from the handle into said box, and as if by magic the blade drops into the sealed box never to be seen again. You could then, when the box is full ( IIRC it holds 50 blades? ) lob it in the bin  or I'm sure the local GPs surgery or Boots would dispose of it.

Personally, being a tight bottom, the blades have to pretty well destroyed before I chuck mine, I tend to restore the edge to something like its former glory on an oilstone, tho have never got them back to the virgin sharpness and again watch those fingers !

They can be used for all sorts of 2nd line duties then, seam scrapping, rough cutting, putty/ cyno  applicators, stabbing the odd passing chav baking potato etc

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Tight Bottom ? In the RAF a one of those was called Pozz Bee, came for POSB, Post Office Savings Book ! EG typical conversation would be... Is wotsit coming out tonight? Nah,he's turned in to a right Pozz Bee git !

1 hour ago, Vinnie said:

Like the advice, but once removed from the sprue, how do you sand off the remnants of a 1 72 aerial without destroying it. 

 

 

Carefully. Might sound obvious but light touch is needed. I let the bit bend but not so much it gets a kink you can't get rid of, that will apply the pressure it can put up with and just drag the abrasive along the edge to be reduced. Might take a while , doesn't matter because of the nature of the thing like an aerial That's about the best I can offer. Know the enemy is what its about and use that knowledge to work for you.

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13 hours ago, Vinnie said:

Like the advice, but once removed from the sprue, how do you sand off the remnants of a 1 72 aerial without destroying it. 

 

Double over some masking tape, stick the part to this and your cutting surface, carefully remove excess with a sharp chisel blade. Then if it needs more hold in tweezers (preferably without smooth jaws), and sand or adze it smoother with a suitable blade. 

Often you can retain a bit of tape on the part, which helps with finding it when it fires across the room.

If it is a thin rod with collars at each end or otherwise doesn't sit flat on the cutting surface, it usually works fine across the angle of a corner (cutting tile or square block of wood).

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  • 1 month later...
On ‎6‎/‎02‎/‎2017 at 7:18 AM, sinnerboy said:

SM do a little blue box ( can't remember the correct name of it ) but it is cheap.

Basically you stick the blade that you want to remove from the handle into said box, and as if by magic the blade drops into the sealed box never to be seen again. You could then, when the box is full ( IIRC it holds 50 blades? ) lob it in the bin  or I'm sure the local GPs surgery or Boots would dispose of it.

 

The blue box from Swann-Morton is called the Universal Scalpel Blade Remover. I bought mine through Little Cars.

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On ‎26‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 7:37 AM, little-cars said:

Swann also do a snap over remover for a single blade  that keeps all the sharp bits inside.

 

 

I also use the single blade remover, but have modified it for multiple use. I have removed the four locking tabs on the top swinging section so you can use the remover like normal by putting the scalpel blade in the unit and whilst holding the unit firmly between your fingers, you put the blade into the unit, twist and remove the scalpel from the unit and the blade is still inside the remover. I then put the used blade into a Sharp's container that is also used for putting used Diabetic hypodermic needles into after usage. They are available from most good pharmacies ( chemist shops ) and usually have child proof caps fitted.

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On 05/02/2017 at 21:18, sinnerboy said:

Personally, being a tight bottom, the blades have to pretty well destroyed before I chuck mine, I tend to restore the edge to something like its former glory on an oilstone, tho have never got them back to the virgin sharpness and again watch those fingers !

I'm also a little on the tight side, and also into carpentry and there is a sharpening method I use for both my woodwork tools and my scalpels. It sound silly, but it's called the 'scary sharp method' (I think the Americans named it). It's pretty much the same as using an oil stone, but I've found it gets blades even sharper. The method just uses different grits of sandpaper, starting with courser grit going to a fine grit. It is possible to get the blade to the original sharpness, my memory isn't good enough to remember when I last replaced a blade, but it must be well over six months.

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The BRU is the best way of storing up to 100 blades (or more) before safe disposal, and I pick mine up from eBay for a couple of quid, and one will last you AGES.  In fact, I think this is only the first one I've filled in all my years of modelling, although I did dispose of some once in a clearly marked small box.  For the hard of thinking, I've written SHARPS in indelible marker on mine for the day it finally goes in the bin.

 

Use pliers to remove a blade?  Are you men or mice? :rolleyes: Fingers are the way to go.  I keep my fingers on me at all times for just such purposes :clown: I've cut myself plenty of times with a scalpel, but never when I've been removing or installing blades. :smartass:

 

My mantra is that if I'm thinking "if this slips, I'm gonna get hurt", to stop and figure out another way of doing it.  My other mantra is - Always cut away from yourself unless you're cutting towards yourself. :hmmm: Pass the plasters Matron! :owww:

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43 minutes ago, Mike said:

My mantra is that if I'm thinking "if this slips, I'm gonna get hurt", to stop and figure out another way of doing it.  My other mantra is - Always cut away from yourself unless you're cutting towards yourself. :hmmm: Pass the plasters Matron! :owww:

 

Nice oxymoron there!

 

Fingers all the way; pliers? (cue spaghetti-western Mexican voice-over), "I need no stiinkiing pliers", so I guess the next blade that is replaced will be a stinger...

 

Christian, exiled to africa

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Strangely, I've just switched the PC on after pricing up an order that has recently  from Swann Morton with BRU's and single blade removers..  

 

BRU's are great, you can't go wrong at £1 each, they last ages.

 

The individual removal device also have their place.

I assume they rare aimed at the medical profession, but there are some people who prefer safety, so we sell these 8 for a pound.  

 

The main reason I stock these is that I cut my finger badly (removing a blade) when I was young, it bled for ages !

 

I'm currently on wafrain, so try to be more careful with knives, especially changing scalpel blades!

 

Paul

 

 

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The rounded blades are probably overlooked but they do have more uses than the straight blades on average.

 

The rounded blades can be rolled around the piece you need to cut or splice away. They do not dig in like a

straight blade. A piece off the sprue with a few ragged ends just roll the curved blade over the offender. As

someone above has said the curved blades are good for scrapping as again they do not dig in.

 

a good idea to have 4 or five different blades. Cost no more other than the extra handles as you can only use

one blade at a time.

 

The blue Morton box for changing blades is "useless". Small pair of pliers plus either specs or goggles as the

blades can at times splinter.

 

Laurie

 

 

 

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  • 2 years later...
On 1/25/2017 at 5:07 PM, Rick Brown said:

Those round handle jobs are useful, but when they roll off the work top your natural reaction is to close your legs to try and catch them.

Again, don't ask.

 

Rick.

That can be very precarious for the ol' family jewels. 😂🤣

Ron G 

Edited by Crankycraftsman
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  • 1 month later...
  • Mike changed the title to Swann Morton
On 4/1/2017 at 12:53 AM, LaurieS said:

The rounded blades are probably overlooked but they do have more uses than the straight blades on average.

 

The rounded blades can be rolled around the piece you need to cut or splice away. They do not dig in like a

straight blade. A piece off the sprue with a few ragged ends just roll the curved blade over the offender. As

someone above has said the curved blades are good for scrapping as again they do not dig in.

 

 

My favourite is the no 15 blade in a no 3 handle

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14 minutes ago, Dave Fleming said:

 

My favourite is the no 15 blade in a no 3 handle

Agreed David I have both the smaller & larger rounded blades.

 

The large one is great to get a starter line on a sanded out panel

line on a fuselage join etc. Probably use the rounded types more

than the straight.

 

Laurie

 

 

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