What blade type do you use and for what ?

[JR]

I have a stock of those straight blades , No 11 , but just wondered what others use and for what .

[Ian M]

Small straight for tight places, the bigger one for heavier work, Small and large curved for scraping and cutting PE free. P-cutter for cutting sheet.

[JR]

Small straight for tight places, the bigger one for heavier work, Small and large curved for scraping and cutting PE free. P-cutter for cutting sheet.

Thanks Ian . Like the idea of the curved for scraping those annoying bits left after removing from a sprue.

[Ian M]

Use them for seams and mould lines as well.

[Andy T]

I've never really got on with big blades like the 11 but have a few disposables for when they are needed. I have a handle with a straight 10a blade but that doesn't get used much either.

I use the small, straight 15a quite a lot for cutting straight lines in plastic, tape, etc along a straight edge but by far my favourite is the small, curved 15 which is used for cutting, scraping, chiseling and all manner of other things.

I find curved blades help for really delicate cuts too as you can put the blade in place and roll it along the curve, rather than swiping and risking a slip.

[Tworrs]

Mostly 10 and 11's though sometimes a 10a. These seem to do everything I need.

[Tim Marlow]

I've never really got on with big blades like the 11 but have a few disposables for when they are needed. I have a handle with a straight 10a blade but that doesn't get used much either.

I use the small, straight 15a quite a lot for cutting straight lines in plastic, tape, etc along a straight edge but by far my favourite is the small, curved 15 which is used for cutting, scraping, chiseling and all manner of other things.

I find curved blades help for really delicate cuts too as you can put the blade in place and roll it along the curve, rather than swiping and risking a slip.

What Andy says. Small curved 15 for almost all building tasks and a 10a for straight cuts and fiddly stuff. I buy them in boxes of 100 (non sterile) at a time and they last me years. I do have others, like some heavier straight blades and curved blades for etch and scratchbuilding, but by far my most used is the 15. I also have two retractaway handles for them, one for each. This means the blades are cased when not in use, protecting me from the blade, and the blade from damage. I also have several number three handles and a couple of number four handles I can load with other blades as needed. I got these from a safety purge at work. Scalpels were widely used for all manner of cutting tasks, mostly unsuitable, leading to lots of accidents. Safety had a purge and banned them from the workplace. I was tasked with collecting and disposing of them from my unit, so I disposed of them into my lunch box

[Dave Ward]

Swann Morton 10A for 99% of knifework - if I need anything bigger, I have a Stanley knife!
Dave

[Guest]

I use a No. 11 for most work, but also have a knife handle with a No. 10 rounded blade and one with a wide chisel blade, and in addition I have some loose narrow chisel blades and saws that fit an X-Acto-style handle, and which I put into one of these handles when I need them. The rounded blade is mostly for scraping in areas where the straight blade won’t reach well, the chisels are for, well, chiselling away details and again for scraping in difficult areas. The small saws can be really good for making cuts in places too small to get a proper modelling saw into.

[Gary MacKenzie]

Workzone brand, made by https://www.walteronline.com/en, think they were either a Lidl or Aldi purchase.
Also use a set of handles and blades bought from ebay , Chinese origin, which are very good , but not strong enough to cut thru sprue, use my cheap blue handle cutters for thayt.

[Scratchbuilder]

Stanley (not the retractable one) knife for all cutting, #10A scalpel blade for fine cuts or trimming, #9 scalpel for cutting etch from fret, #11 but with the ends broken off to use as a chisel. Spoon for meals, not allowed sharp objects at the dinner table....

[davecov]

I use Swann & Morton non-surgical blades in sizes 9, 10, 10A, 11, and 15. 10 and 11 are used most of all, especially for polystyrene sheet/rod work i.e. scratch-building. Number 15 is used for PE removal and 10 is often used to fold PE. Number 15 also gets used to apply filler occasionally.

Dave

[Waspie]

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Workzone brand, made by https://www.walteronline.com/en, think they were either a Lidl or Aldi purchase.
Also use a set of handles and blades bought from ebay , Chinese origin, which are very good , but not strong enough to cut thru sprue, use my cheap blue handle cutters for thayt.

I'm just off to have an enjoyable :disappointed2: visit to Aldi, I'll keep my peepers open!!!! :flushed:

[Tim Marlow]

Of course, with scalpels you really need one of these….

It’s the safest way to dispose of them, and makes blade removal very easy as well. By no means expensive either. If you want to terrify yourself. Have a good browse through the Swann Morton web site…..there are a bewildering range of very sharp tools on there Which could do serious damage if used badly.

[Flip]

Normally Swann-Morton 10 & 11 on a number 3 handle.
The No.10 for PE removal and removing the bulk of ejector pin marks (especially on internal curves).
The No.11 for everything else. I have found one particular edge of it...
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...to be particularly useful for scraping fine or recessed areas.

In absence of a picture, it it the small flat edge on the back of the tip.