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Post by arkhamresident on Aug 12, 2010 10:41:29 GMT -9
I was wondering if anyone had use an X-Acto swivel knife ( www.xacto.com/Product/X3241 ) for cutting minis. It seems it would be easier to make rounded cuts since the blade rotates 360 degrees but I'm worried the blade won't hold up since it's "light duty" and quite small compared to the regular blades.
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Post by sammo on Aug 12, 2010 11:12:19 GMT -9
I've got one and I must admit it works pretty well if you use it on acetate, regular paper, even photo paper. I can't see it cutting through two layers of card plus glue though. Even if it did the blade would probably get trashed in no time.
To be totally fair though I haven't tried it for cutting minis because I am just assuming it won't work.
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Post by hackbarth on Aug 18, 2010 11:09:14 GMT -9
A friend of mine uses it to cut 220g/m2 sandwiched with glue. I didn't get to try it yet but he says it is better that the straight x-acto exactly because of the round cuts it can make.
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Post by arkhamresident on Aug 25, 2010 19:57:07 GMT -9
I took a look at the replacement blades for the swivel knife at Hobby Lobby this weekend and decided not to try it out. Almost $7 for five blades seems a bit outrageous to me. Maybe once my daughter is through college it'll be an option. Just gotta wait 24 years or so...
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Post by Parduz on Aug 26, 2010 0:11:50 GMT -9
I strongly suggest surgical scalpels, the "mono-use" kind. They are usually very cheap, they cut better than any kind of knife, they also have a lot of shapes, so you can find the one that works best for you (i have "heavy" hands, so i've found the one that can "hold" the pressure). Depending on what you so, the blades may loose the "great cutting power" in little time, but then you'll use them a lot before the blade becomes so dull to be unusable.
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Post by arkhamresident on Sept 1, 2010 16:49:32 GMT -9
I tried the #16 x-acto blades and was very satisfied with the results. I still use the #11 blade for really tight areas.
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Post by nishidake on Oct 24, 2011 15:16:00 GMT -9
One of my players just got me one of these and a pack of blades as an appreciation gift. She's a sweetheart. Anyway, it's flipping awesome, and you shouldn't let the cost deter you because it's going to save you so much time. It takes me around 10 to 20 minutes to make a miniature start to finish with cutting them out, gluing, trimming and edging. This little swivel knife has cut that time in half because the trimming was the most time consuming part. The swivel is awesome because it cuts around curves and corners very well, and the smallness of the blade is excellent for small or interior cuts. A quick note about how I make my minis: I score the fold and then use a pair of scissors to cut all the way around the mini, front and back. I picked up a teeny tiny pair of embroidery/scrapbooking scissors that have a slight curve to the blade, and they are excellent for difficult areas. Next I fold the mini, glue it, burnish it and set it to dry. I found this gives me better results and is easier on my tools than trying to glue first and then cut. Once it's dry, I have a cut out miniature that has a little bit of "flash" all the way around the edges, from the difference between the front and back of the mini. I use the X-acto knife to trim the flash off, I edge it and it's done. They come out very clean this way. That little swivel knife works a treat for this and makes trimming the minis a snap. I love it. Get yourself one and don't look back.
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