Hey clairemack223, thanks for your comments! I'm glad it helped, I understand my viewers for my architectural modelmaking videos are different from this Xacto knife video, may I ask what other sort of videos might be helpful to you?
Thanks Jovin. Finally understand my little unit. Especially love that you do the same thing I do with old sharps. I always remove the metal edge from my tin foil box and fold it and tape it up. With broken glass, I put it in an old recyclable container and tape it up and label it, Broken glass. My old sewing machine needles also go in a small clear hard plastic container with a screw on lid. Was a nurse. Never want to think anyone might get hurt.
This is so helpful! Thank you so much! I just got a knife set on Amazon, and I had no clue how to do it. I have been trying to wiggle the blade out of the knife, but this is so much simpler. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing a proper introduction to my blade set. I've used these tools for years without fully understanding what the specific blades were intended for.
Excellent. Thank you for taking the time to teach us all something that I should have understood for about 50 years now - but I did not, and I might add, not remotely. Always wondered, but never knew the differences and uses of the blades.
1:00 neither of those are drop point blades; the SAK blade is a spey point, the xacto is a standard straight back blade. Thanks for the information, very useful to know what each blade's intended purpose is.
It does look tasty on video but believe me you don't want to eat this... it expands to like 10 times its size in minutes and sticks to everything, if you accidentally drink the solution, it's not going to be pretty :S
Just a quick heads up to everyone, be careful with these, they’re 10x sharper than they look, i made a centimeter deep slit under my skin using one of these. Never disregard safety, you will seriously regret it if all goes wrong.
Now i know what the different types do. Thank you. I just got this wooden box set with 10 blades in the little compartment magnet area with about 20 additional blades for 1 dollar. I think it was a decent deal lol
Hey Jeremy, that's great. First and foremost, whatever gets the job done, gets the job done. However, I just want to caution if you're looking at a cheaper product that the blade is able to attach securely to the handle, just worried for ya if the blade snaps off and becomes a projectile. =)
Saint Jovin this product seems safe and secure as the blades are name brand and all but two looked new and in perfect condition. I purposely broke one just to see, and that wasnt easy to do. I thank you for worrying about my safety though. It was just a lucky find.
#24 deburring blade is the first time ive heard of. thank you so so so much! now to find them bulk! (for gundam models this seems to be the correct blade. #11 is too big and you've confirmed my feeling that is incorrect for the task)
I heard a man threatening another that he will "cut him with his X-acto knife" and wondered what an earth an X-acto knife is. Thank you for the explanation.
+Matt William Thank you Matt! I'm glad you found it helpful, just uploaded a new one on adhesives for model making. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nXgTNqI68kk.html
The answer to your questions are variable, depending on where you are and what you are cutting. At the very least, I use a fresh blade at the start of a new day, and I switch blades whenever I need to make an extremely precise cut or when I'm starting a new batch of cuts... like for example on an architectural model if I did some cuts here and there but now I have to cut 50 windows out from all the walls I made, I put a fresh blade on. If you're asking these questions because you are considering not buying a box, well if you are only working on ONE project, maybe you can get away with the 5 pack of blades they sell, switching out a blade for every stage of the project, but otherwise get a box of blades! Especially if you have deadlines! If you drop a blade by accident, the tip might snap and you want the confidence to be able to replace it straightaway. If you still wanna save money, search for some youtube videos where people have tried to resharpen Xacto Knife blades with sandpaper. I've never tried it because of time and convenience, as well as confidence in the cut.
Saint Jovin I did not expect such a detailed response , thanks alot. I m a Architecture Student in Germany and it can very expensiv with those blades. I wanted to know because I will probably end up only using the standard knife and blade and the other ones in the Kit will be unused. For me 10 blades cost 8 euro , is that a good price?
No worries =D It's about the same here in Australia when you buy from a retail shop. As I said in my previous comment, it depends how much you think you will use, but a box of 100 blades is about 3 times cheaper than if I bought them 5 pack at a time. Roughly AUD$40 for a box vs AUD$120. (I buy the Excel Brand, not the Xacto Brand, as stated in my video) I can't get boxes of blades in a store here where I live, I order them online, you might try that route too. HOWEVER, I don't use Xacto craft knives anymore. I prefer to use Swann-Morton scalpels and scalpel blades. They are a little more expensive but I love them, at the very least, you dont have to worry about them rolling off the table. If you think you might start using scalpels in the future like me, save your money for the future to buy a box of scalpel blades instead =) Finally, if you are just starting your degree, then try to find out if your course wants you to build a lot of models, or mostly computer renderings. I have found that alot of students, even in Masters, do not know how to cut with a knife properly! All ragged edges. Most of the time, they just send their cuts to the laser cutter and assemble them. So find out if you think you will be making a lot of hand cuts throughout your course, either by your choice or forced on by the curriculum, and if so, maybe its wise to invest in a box since you will be building models for the next 5 years. I personally work as a model maker and the firm I'm working for places heavy emphasis on models so it makes sense for us and for my personal design style to amass lots of model making tools, but my friends who do crazy parametric modelling on Rhino and create photo-realistic renders, they have a $5000 laptop instead.
Great video Jovin, very informative to a new comer like myself to the x-acto. My apologies if you have already answered this, but what kind of projects do you work on?
Hey Kyle, Thanks. This video is kind of old now haha, I am a modelmaker predominantly for architectural. So I make models for architects to present to clients or seek council approval, or for real estate companies to market their properties etc.
I used a discarded baby formula tin as my blade trash can 😂 it's a decently big size where I probably won't have to throw it out for maybe 2 or 3 years! I also tapped the lid down a bunch so it won't come off. I also wrote on it after removing the label so people know what's inside is dangerous. Only the slit at the top is the only opening! I plan to use an empty baby cereal container next.
Excuse me, would you say #24 is the one for taking apart a barbie doll, since it's made for cutting through plastic? I want to get the limbs off to use those parts for an arts and crafts in Tupperware.
Sorry for the late reply Michael. I know you probably want a straight response but I'll be careful to use the word "Is the one" haha as any blade can probably do what you want. However, with what I imagine in my head, the #24 is probably the best fit for what you would like to do, yes :)
I understand what you are trying to say. It's tough, I know. It's a matter of being the right blade, however, it would be best to use a hobby knife to be rough with, as in, heat it with fire (mini blowtorch) to give it it's edge to get a good starting point of cutting tough plastic. It's like this the hobby knife is the axe and the #24 is the hatchet to finish it off better easier. I got the idea from Home Depot from a guy but added the info you gave me, so I haven't done the plan yet, but what do you think, like it?
Are you thinking of the #28 Concave Carving Blade? It's for carving, whittling etc. So imagine if you're trying to carve a little wooden figurine, if you need to remove material from tight spots like maybe between the eyes and the nose, you can use the tip of the blade, and if you need to quickly gouge a bigger hole you can use the whole curve easily. It's a pretty specialised blade and I'm not a whittler myself, depending on what you do, might still be a nice tool to have for that one awkward problem you need to solve in your project. =D
I've never seen a 3 or 4 handle. There might be a 4 for stenciling I think but I've never seen it. There are bigger numbers like a 6 or 8. I'm not sure what you need done but from my point of view, I think a handle #1 for 85% of your work and a #5 or #6 for 15% is all you need.
My girlfriend made it out of a can of coconut milk =) Basically you can use any canned liquid product where you can cut a slit and empty the contents, then give it a few rinses with water and leave it out to dry. Choose a can that requires a can opener and not ones with the pull tab.
Unfortunately different people use different definitions which is why it can be confusing, when I first started University, a Masters student who was a tutor in the class referred to an X-acto knife as a scalpel... However, in my research online and experience, it's better to refer to an X-acto knife as a Craft Knife. Where as scalpels are handles where you can actually attach a Scalpel blade to. Scalpel blades can be both sterile and non-sterile, I imagine surgeons would use sterile ones for operations. Here is an example of what I would consider a Scalpel. www.amazon.com/Swann-Morton-Swann-Morton-Scalpel-Handle/dp/B004OIAVJY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1485252462&sr=8-2&keywords=Swann+Morton+Scalpel That being said, X-acto knifes ARE SHARP, and the mechanism on changing blades is much easier as you need a pair of pliers to swap blades with a Scalpel, the handles and blades are also much easier to find, hence the popularity in architecture schools. HOWEVER, I recommend getting scapels like the link I posted if you feel confident as the flat handle means they do not roll off the table, the blades are more secure, and they seem to cut better when you need finer control =)
Thanks. I bet you can sharpen the blades with a stone just like any other blade. THey don't have to be throw aways like the old steel needles on 78 phonographs. (use once on one record, then change..!)
Unfortunately no sorry, I cannot possibly know how you might be able to get it in India, I have never been there nor do I know of the available shops there. If you are able to shop online, the kit I show above is about USD$21 from Amazon. Good luck =)
Not that I've seen and it wouldn't seem safe I imagine... Some craft knifes like the Excel brand ones come with a plastic cap that is loose and easily damaged so I still dont recommend putting it in a pocket either way. I carry a swiss army knife for emergencies. But I never need to suddenly make a model or have fun with arts and craft on the train haha.
