Simple Fix For Cheap Hobby Knives

[oldcarfan]

This is a simple tip, but some might find it helpful. Recently I lost all three of my good X-Acto knives. Knowing they would show up eventually I grabbed a couple of cheap Hobby Lobby knives. Sure enough the good knives showed up within a week. That was long enough to realize I don't like these cheap knives. Every time I went to use one the blade fell out. The collet backs off and let the blade slip out no matter how much I tightened it. In a moment of clarity I decided to try some plumber's Teflon tape. A couple twists around the threads and it seems to hold. While I had them apart, I decided to make them easier to see on the work bench. Some white primer and some left over Tamiya fluorescent yellow and they're done.

Edited July 31 by oldcarfan

[meechum68]

Good tip!  Especially for visibility!
 

 

[Swamp Dog]

i buy the cheap ones in different colors,  but i dont have that problem of having to tighten them ever time i use them. could be the brand i buy. good tip. 

[NOBLNG]

I put some large shrink tube in different colors on a couple of mine so I can tell at a glance which blade is in them.

[rattle can man]

I'll have to try this on my older (as in 20 year old) name brand knife. It is suffering the same issue you had with your less expensive knives. And always int he middle of a BMF job.

[Bugatti Fan]

Cannot understand why folks persevere with poor quality craft knives or worn out good ones.

Got a cheapo out of one those sets of tools you tend to get as a present from well meaning friends and relatives. Blade kept working loose in the middle of doing something. Very frustrating and found its way back into the box.

Good quality craft knives in the grand scheme of things are not at all expensive.  I have been using Swann Morton craft knives and scalpels for many years and packs of blades are not expensive considering their good quality.

A good craft knife has to be every model makers number 1 tool in their arsenal, so why frustrate yourselves ?

Edited Sunday at 06:42 AM by Bugatti Fan

[Mark]

I don't mess with the off-brand or store brand (Hobby Lobby, etc) knives because, in general, the blades don't interchange exactly with X-Acto or other better known brands.  They're often too tight to fit, or a sloppy fit.  And when the store switches suppliers next year, the blades they carry won't fit either.  Best to stick with one brand.

I've got X-Acto knives that came in boxes of parts or started kits, others I snagged off of tarps at automotive swap meets ("everything on the tarp for a quarter, leave money in the coffee can in the corner".  Often the blade would be busted off or bent, with the separate parts frozen.  Overnight soaking the end in penetrating oil, unscrew everything, toss the junk blade, clean the corrosion off of the threads, reassemble.  I've got enough of them that I don't need to change to a different style blade, there's a handle for each one.

[Bugatti Fan]

Xacto make very good craft knives and blades, and incidentally very good razor saws. Besides my Swann Morton knives I have been using an Exacto razor saw for many years too. A good investment !

A company named Olfa, better known perhaps in the art and craft fields also make very good cutting tools, especially well known for their circle cutters. I have a feeling that some branded modelling cutters are basically Olfa items made under licence.

[stitchdup]

1 hour ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Xacto make very good craft knives and blades, and incidentally very good razor saws. Besides my Swann Morton knives I have been using an Exacto razor saw for many years too. A good investment !

A company named Olfa, better known perhaps in the art and craft fields also make very good cutting tools, especially well known for their circle cutters. I have a feeling that some branded modelling cutters are basically Olfa items made under licence.

the tamiya panel scriber is an olfa product. they seem more popular with rc and gundam

[Nosferatu]

I have Exactos and they are great! I also have a couple of those cheap ones and the blade keeps loosening. I will try your fix.

Thanks for the tip!

Dave

[oldcarfan]

I stopped at Hobby Lobby for some kicker and these were on clearance. I'm happy with the cheap knives since I 'fixed' them, so I'll keep these in reserve.