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Xacto knife blades

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

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Roderick Treece
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Location: San deigo Calif
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Xacto knife blades

Post by Roderick Treece »

Has anyone else noticed how bad xactos are now ? The tip on the last pack I bought seems to to bend right off and go's dull quick. Any alturnitives out there ?

Thanks
Roderick
vance galliher
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Re: Xacto knife blades

Post by vance galliher »

Hi Rod, I've been buying 100 count boxes #11 from Havel's for years with never a problem. 1-800 683 4770
vance
dimensional and glass art signs
http://www.vancegallihersigns.com
Patrick Mackle
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Re: Xacto knife blades

Post by Patrick Mackle »

Here's my spin on X-ACTO 's. Some of my handles date back to my early slot car years.
Back in 1980 I bought a bulk pack of 100 No. X616 "chisel shape" blades. I only use that style of blade, and cut in a style that holds the knife handle straight up and down, not at the angle of an ink pen like most people do. (I cut anything from very thin frisket tissue to the thickest sand blast resist) That way I can turn the blade like a "rudder", continuously cutting
circles and curves without having to readjust my body or turn the artwork. I have cut complex designs side by side with others on projects and literally done my piece in half the time, with smoother curves and with MUCH less wrist fatigue. My index finger and thumb do all the work.
Another thing is I always resharpen my blades until they get too short, using a sheet of #1000 grit wet or dry 3M brand sand paper. Even when retiring a shortened blade, I dress up a new blade on #1000 grit. I cut a lot of rubylith, and have found that even new blades out of the box don't cut the lacquer film as nicely as they will after honing them on #1000 grit paper.
I have to laugh sometimes, because just as there are those who like either Fords or Chevys, there are those who favor the chiseled or long pointed X-ACTO blades. Well, I'm a Ford man, and don't knock my chisel blades! 8)
Pat
joe cieslowski
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Re: Xacto knife blades

Post by joe cieslowski »

Just a short quip here.................

Thank you for not insulting real knives by calling this tool an X-ACTO Knife.

They are X-ACTO'S...............just X-ACTO'S.

:D

Joe
Makin Chip$ and Havin Fun!
Frank Smith
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Location: Albany, NY
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Re: Xacto knife blades

Post by Frank Smith »

:? They're also known as exac-toes in honor of their favorite landing pad.
Patrick Mackle
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Re: Xacto knife blades

Post by Patrick Mackle »

:? "They're also known as exac-toes in honor of their favorite landing pad."
Yeh, Except for the one that rolled off my truck dash board on a green light and stuck itself upright in my inner thigh,
just missed the "ol baldy fellow" by a hair!!! Wrecked a brand new pair of Levi's as well- drat it all!!
Pat
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