When cutting fins from balsa stock, how many knife blades do you use? One blade per fin, one per blade for two fins and so on? Just a I was wondering what other people do question.

Hi Chief. I make my blades last A LOT longer by ensuring that I have a cutting mat under the balsa sheet while I cut it. If your #11 blade is nice and sharp, you shouldn't have to press vary hard. Even with a cutting mat the point can break off quite easily.

I probably get about 30 long cuts from a fresh blade if I'm careful. Fewer cuts if it's cross-grain.

Keep the bubble!

Jeff

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You might also give Testors Model Master blades a try (I've only found them at Hobby Town - HL an Michaels doesn't carry them). They are made from surgical steel, which holds an edge longer and the tip seems to be a bit tougher. However, they are pretty pricey, so it is kind if a trade-off (XActos cheaper but don't last as long).

Greg

I have cutting mats. I think my problem is that I push too hard. Sometimes I will here it trying to split. Especially when cutting with the grain. I will try lightening my touch. I will try and let the blade to all the work. Thanks for the tip.

Preston

I keep a couple of knives handy. I start with a fresh blade on one knife for delicate cuts. After it loses that perfect edge, it gets used for less delicate things and the other knife with a fresh blade takes over the delicate work. That said, I can cut balsa with a fairly dull blade. The secret has already been revealed....many passes with a very light touch, regardless of the sharpness. I seldom use a new blade for balsa. Hard balsa requires more patience regardless of how new the blade is. In fact, I think I'm wasting that perfect edge on hard balsa when a used blade will do just fine. A broken tip doesn't bother me when cutting balsa, but I like that perfect tip on my sharp knife.

With the two knife philosophy, I can keep a blade around for a long time. I've been known to hit a dull blade on some fine grit sandpaper on occasion, but most of the time I just swap in a new blade. I use bulk #11 blades I got from Tower Hobbies years ago when they were on sale.

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I love sanding.

When I'm cutting straight cuts in balsa, I don't use my hobby knife that much anymore. I use single edge razor blades.

I find them sharper and they last longer. When the edge you are using gets dull, you just turn it around for a fresh sharp edge which you can't do with hobby blades.

I bought a pack of 100 from Tower Hobbies a few years back and it will be a few years before I need to buy more. A bonus is the 100 pack is about 2/3's the cost of 100 pack of #11 hobby blades.

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Bob Harrington
NAR #62740 L1
AMA #46042
CMASS & RIMRA Member

Not sure about the endurance of a single blade. Generally I use a #11 surgical blade on a scalpel handle. I also start cross grain cuts closer to the edge of the stock with a single edge blade to stop splitting at the end off the cut. All I do know is that I usually buy 100 count boxes of blades and wrestle with the waste of only using the first 1/8th inch of each.

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I can usually get several builds out of a single blade, using it for everything from cutting balsa to tubes to cardstock parts, trimming plastic flashing/parting lines, etc.

I've never broken the tip off an X-acto blade either (I generally use the slightly cheaper red-package (can't recall the name ATM) blades from Hobby Lobby).

A blade is like sandpaper-- don't press too hard-- let the blade do the work!

I've gone through a blade doing my BT-80 Saturn V-- the greebles made out of bamboo were pretty hard on the blade-- bamboo is VERY hard wood, and I had to 'whittle' the ends of the greebles down to near the point I wanted, and then sand them smooth-- sanding took FOREVER to try to take a cylinder down to a point! I made a lot of the smaller flat detail parts out of basswood since it's harder than balsa and has much tighter grain, making nicer detail parts, but this is a little harder on the blade too.

I try to keep new blades for cardstock parts, as they're the most sensitive to having a sharp blade to do a good job. Balsa, being soft, and sanded to final size/shape anyway, can use a pretty dull blade with no ill effects other than taking longer to cut the parts...

Later! OL JR

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You should be able to get several builds (balsa) with an X-Acto blade. If you are using basswood, spruce, or model aircraft plywood (1/64" to 1/16"), the blades will need to be changed more often. Unless you are using 1/32" balsa, you should not try cut through the sheet with one run down the edge. Just my two cents. YMMV.

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'Til next time,

Mike Toelle

NAR 31692 L1

SAM 0373

I like to learn a new word every day. I had to look up "greebles".

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078