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Swann Morton


Vinnie

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10 hours ago, Vinnie said:

Thanks, MD. My blades have arrived, just waiting on the handle. I keep re-reading the answers and wonder if this is a good idea. I tend to be a bit ham-fisted and I think blood letting may be involved, so any advice on safety is much appreciated.  

Don't worry about all this talk of blood letting - its all exaggeration.

Just use the knife as carefully as you'd use any other and all will be fine.

 

You'll find that you can cut and trim parts and tape to a much finer degree with SM blades

You'll wonder why you didn't get them sooner

 

PS; don't be tempted to buy the cheaper chinese knock-offs of SM blades and handles

the handles are not made to same high tolerances

the blades can be both blunter and softer steel and the slot may not fit the SM bayonet fitting

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I was always told you are less likely to cut yourself whilst using a sharp blade instead of a blunt one.

Somat to do with:

 

1). You are more careful

2). Less cuts are needed to achieve the results you require, therefore you have less exposure to the knife.

3). Can't remember the third reason....

 

Not sure if that's true, but does have some logic to it.

 

Rick.

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15 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

point 3 is allied to point 2

because the sharp blade cuts easier you don't need to force the blade which may delfect and into you

Aye, it was summat like that Chap!

 

Rick.

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4 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

And yes, change blades using small pliers.

ALWAYS!

 

I use my CK double fulcrum parallel pliers. Full contact along the blade and final "click" I just push down with a small flat chisel. Don't know why they make those things so dangerous to change. Never cut myself .................yet. I know its just 'round the corner though ! I dropped it a few times and did the splits rapido . Always straight in the  floor and stuck in vertical !

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4 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Don't worry about all this talk of blood letting - its all exaggeration.

Just use the knife as carefully as you'd use any other and all will be fine.

 

You'll find that you can cut and trim parts and tape to a much finer degree with SM blades

You'll wonder why you didn't get them sooner

 

PS; don't be tempted to buy the cheaper chinese knock-offs of SM blades and handles

the handles are not made to same high tolerances

the blades can be both blunter and softer steel and the slot may not fit the SM bayonet fitting

 

Good advice ! Can't beat the best!

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These are the rules I use after years of accidentally cutting myself.

 

One of the most important things in handling a scalpel is to think about each cut and how you are going to make it carefully before you actually make it taking into account where your fingers will be and how you will move the knife. If the blade 'digs in' don't force it and don't try to make a cut that is too tough for the size of blade. When it comes to removing items from sprues etc. I use a razor saw wherever possible rather than a scalpel as that is not what scalpels are designed to do.  Always put the scalpel down with the handle end towards you and not anywhere where it will be easily knocked off the work space. You could always stick a blob of bluetack somewhere safe on your work surface and stick the scalpel to it when not in use.

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All this good advice given to you Vinnie, I'm surprised and, if I'm honest somewhat  disappointed  that none of us has asked you the most important question of all.....

 

you are over 21 aren't you? :rolleyes:

 

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Ok, I'm convinced. They are sharp. Used it for the first time on a 109 canopy and promptly sliced it into two.:angry:  Mind you, everything seems to have gone wrong with this one. I've broken the guns, aerial and tail wing support struts while cutting them off the sprue. Is it just me? 

 

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

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10 minutes ago, Vinnie said:

Ok, I'm convinced. They are sharp. Used it for the first time on a 109 canopy and promptly sliced it into two.:angry:  Mind you, everything seems to have gone wrong with this one. I've broken the guns, aerial and tail wing support struts while cutting them off the sprue. Is it just me? 

 

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

 

Oh dear ! I cover a cutting mat with an old drying up cloth to cut my stuff of the sprue, soft so theres no distance between the object and the base, the object is supported.

 

To get rid of my blades... I put a fold of thinnish card along the blade then  I wrap them in tape,use quite a bit. You can't tell its a blade. The blade can't move on the card and "escape" out the side.

 

As far as I know I haven't taken part in any blood letting amongst the bin man  army yet !

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Wrap 'em up in the wrapper from the new blade and chuck 'em in the bin.  :coolio:

 

So if anyone goes poking through my garbage looking for credit card details, they are probably gonna regret it.....I get through a LOT of blades.  :wicked:

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All blades, not just modelling ones should be disposed of in a safe manner.  As mentioned earlier, if you are going put them in the dustbin, it is best to sandwich the blade between two pieces of sturdy plastic and then tape it all up.  This is not for the benefit of the dustmen but to prevent birds and animals that scour the waste disposal sites from getting injured.

 

I do use a lot of blades, I have four scalpels in use during a build, and I've found the best way to dispose of the blades is to place them in a suitably safe container and, when it is full, take it to the council tip where they will have the proper disposal facilities.  The setup I use can be seen in the photo below; the container for safe disposal is a yellow 'sharps' tub and the blades I use are, from left to right:

No.11  - light work, for cutting thin card, paper and small stuff

No.10A - heavy work, for carving and cutting thick plastic

No.9  -  chisel, for scraping flat surfaces and chiselling

No.10 - curved, for scraping rounded edges.

Having four scalpels is useful to me as I don't have to keep changing blades for the different tasks I wish to undertake.

 

scalpels2_1024.jpg

 

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1 hour ago, Panzer Vor!!! said:

Gave one these knives a go but wasn't impressed  use a Stanley knife for everthing --cutting trimming etc 

Just couldn't get used to it

I was going to say "Finesse comes to mind" but you are bigger than me Dave! :lol:

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I,m just a big old Teddy bear :bear:

 

But to be serious I really could not use these knives I used a stanley after leaving school in my first job in a supermarket for opening boxes and other jobs got so used to it wont use anything  else now ---never cut or injured myself with one either 

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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.

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