The Little World

Said no modeller, ever.

Yet we all do it. We use the blade until the tip breaks off and the edge has tram lines on it and we need to push it 300 times harder to get it to cut. And when it is just right; dull, nicked, and rusty, we push it over the polished surface of our model. Or into the ball of our thumb.

And we do it again when it all heals up…

I reflected on this as I passed down the tool aisle of HobbyHell and looked at the various items on the peg wall. One took my eye as it was in a packet that had red and blue stars on it. Tools from this company may be a little more pricey, but they always work.

In this case it was a packet of 30 disposable design knife blades in a plastic container. The design knife I use is made by Ustar and has worked well for years – but gradually I’ve broken all the little knife blades for it. I preserve the broken ones for sentimental reasons until they are just too dull. Then I preserve them because I cannot think how to dispose of them. Tamiya ( oops, a trade name ) have answered my problem.

The blades they make are similar to Ustar’s and fit in the handles. But there is a bonus – the Tamiya packaging includes a sharps safe in the other end of the plastic tube. An old blade can be consigned to it and never come out again. When full, it can go into the bin safely.

I now have no excuse to retain the dead blades. I shall dispose of them in as soon as the bandages come off.