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If you own only one...you will never lose it.
If you own two...you'll never find either of them.
If you own 3 or more...you're a glutton for punishment.
Someone (I can't remember who) posted here once and said they wrap a small band of reflective vinyl around the top end of the handle...then go in at night and look for them with a flash light.
I laughed at that but tried it haha...it really works!
Anyone know who originally posted that? give them credit here...they deserve it.
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
posted
Hey Monty here is another tidbit that most people don't realize. The true Exacto and the blades for them are made right here in the United States. Now aint that strange. fastfred the dumb professor hahahaha
-------------------- Fred Floyd Carolina Vinyl Wilmington, NC USA Posts: 62 | From: Wilmington, NC USA | Registered: Sep 2001
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Butch Anton told the flashlight story. I especially enjoyed Mike Jackson's story of throwing the exacto at an employee.Do you remember that thread?
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6731 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I recently put some purple holo, and a strip of flourecsent orange on my exacto handle. It does make it easier to locate! I had the tip of a blade snap off and shoot me in the eye yesterday. I wasn't even pressing down hard. It just popped off. Luckily I blinked at the best of times, and it didn't go into it. I think I'll start wearing some safety glasses. The simplest of actions, can be the most dangerous.
-------------------- Luke S. Luke Scanlan Artistry Ocala, Fl. lukescanlan@cox.net Posts: 249 | From: Ocala, Florida | Registered: Nov 2001
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I found my long lost favorite pounce wheel the other day, while looking for the X-acto!!! I have a total of 6, I think!!.... most have a special holder or work pouch. I fired a guy once for not using an X-acto case (metal cigar tube) he kept putting the bare blade in his cloth tool pouch and ended up going to the doctor for 3 stitches. I still have my scar from 13 years ago.
-------------------- "No excuses!.... No regrets!..."
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I think that my knives must be haunted. I am always losing mine AS I am using it. It's as if some bad ghost has obsconded with it. I just turn away from the task at hand for a SECOND, and whoosh, it's dissappeared!
And whenever I forget that I'm holding one, I'll start messing with something and stab myself! And then, (since everything always happens in two's i guess) I go ahead and accidently stab my other hand too!!!
I've even tried to have about twenty of them around (just to be sure there will always be a spare near by), and before long, they will ALL Vanish! Arrrgh!!!
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the most dangerous tool in the shop... member the guy who told about swatting at a fly? he stuck a zakto in his forehead..... yeow!~ I cut the tip of a finger off one time... it flipped a few times like a tiddle-dee wink.. and then began "remote" bleeding for a second or two... my brother watched it happpen... he's a lil skweemish.. his face turned a bizzare color.. then he hadda leave... I picked up the slivver of skin... and tried to see if it had a future as a mini..frisbeee....nope..
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OK, we have a table for weeding. This is where Exacto's are used. There is also application tapes used at this location. Much waste is generated at this site in our shop. With the weeded vinyl and app tape all being sticky and getting gathered and crumbled, I think our employees throw away the knives without knowing it as they get absorbed into the blobs of tape.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6731 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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my worst xacto injury was the loss of a mini-frisbee or tiddly-wink of a finger-tip, but the next most memorable was a weeding table full of loose wads of transfer tape removed from a sign. When the sign was done I proceeded to wad up all the tape off the table & the xacto stuck in the pile was driven to the bone in my palm. Since then (12 years ago) I wad up each piece & throw it away rather then let it gather up on the table.
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X-actos are evil beings! They like to hide and injure you when you least expect it!
They like to jump off the table into your instep They like to jump out of your tool pouch, right into your big toe They love to stab you in the back of your hand when you are cleaning off the bench They love to hide in a chair and get ya in the butt They love to flick pieces of the blade into assorted parts of your body
The list is endless!
-------------------- Si Allen #562 La Mirada, CA. USA
(714) 521-4810
si.allen on Skype
siallen@dslextreme.com
"SignPainters do It with Longer Strokes!"
Never mess with your profile while in a drunken stupor!!!
Brushasaurus on Chat Posts: 8831 | From: La Mirada, CA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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For a while now I have used another valuable tip from someone on this board (don't remember who): Stick the cap of a pen on the back of the x-acto and it won't roll of the table anymore. Never had any holes in my shoes since...
Tell you a short story about Blades. Working for a union company years ago we had shirt with pockets but also Pen Pockets sewin into them.
This one co worker aways carried the knife upside down in the pen pocket with the blade out. #11's. Someone tap him on the shoulder one day and as he turned his head to see...The knife cut his jugular(Sp?) Blood was flying every were...
The moral of this story is that... (It may look like a small sharp object) But it is.. Sharper than Any Sword!!!!!!!!
Flip the tip after your finished with it!
-------------------- Stephen Deveau RavenGraphics Insinx Digital Displays
Letting Your Imagination Run Wild! Posts: 4327 | From: Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada | Registered: Jan 2000
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to store our knives we use a scrap piece of hdu and stand our knives up in it blade down. it doesn't seem to bother the blades either. we also store wedding points and tweezers in it.
As for me, I havn't bought a new pak of blades in along time. I keep a little stone in my kit, and sharpen the blades when needed. It leaves a stronger tip that doen't fly off. I know it sounds time consuming, but like everything else, there's a learning curve. So many other things I deal with involve cutting edges that this keeps me more refreshed in the skill of sharpening. Some of the things I sharpen are too archaic(sp) to find someone who knows how to sharpen them. Here's a crazy one: I don't know what it is for, but I was looking through some shelves at a customer's place, when I came across what looks like a circular saw blade. Only it has no teeth. Perfectly smooth, and sharp. So it occured to me that this might be the answer to the meat-slicer delima. They cost hundreds of dollars,which is more than I want to spend on my jerky hobby. So ta-da! Can you see that baby whirring in my table saw, with ol' Jim trying to slice only the meat and not his fingers? Well, it's still an idea. If I keep posting, the BB will have to use disclaimers about some of the ideas being the sole responsibility of the idiot posting them.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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.....that crafty 'zacto blade gets me the most ill of any thing around the shop....it just rolls wherever it wants to, regardless of how level the property is. I have secretly peeked and WATCHED them roll under something or off the table. I think I actually have heard them chuckle when I find them at the same moment they stab me. Worst stabbing to date: When I'd actually found one and was using it, of course I was in too big a hurry, holding it in my teeth, blade out, I reached up to grab it really fast and drove the #11 blade straight thru the first knuckle of my right middle finger, cuttin' the tendon an it still won't straighten completely out. Yes, I forsee many more battle scars with this formidable opponent. Yet, they're jus' so "handy" t' have around!
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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Good post Monte, I believe ther biggest problem is that they are round and roll too easily. Anything that would keep them from rolling would help. The other is they get stuck on the weeded vinyl and can't be seen when throwing the vinyl away. Putting them in your shirt pocket is asking for big trouble.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Last month I finnished a big carving job that seemed like it was going forever. I was working every day on redwood with a sortment of razor sharp chisels. Near the end of it all, I picked up an Xacto to cut off the flaps from a cardboard box for a customer. Well, I was pulling towards me when it slipped through the box and went straight into my belly. I gave her the box and went into the other room to see what I did. In a couple minutes my shirt was soaked. I had to shave my belly to get a bandage to adhere. Megan did a wonderful job patching my pierced shirt.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6731 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I don't have this problem,....I don't use an exacto,..problem solved! I keep the metal center portion of an olfa knife for weeding and normal slicing duties. My exacto stays in my sign kit for those odd circumstances that only an exacto will suffice. I hate exacto knives with a passion!!! The small metal insert/center portion in an olfa knife with the grey plastic outside handle will do 99% of the duty of an exacto and keep in my jeans pocket and or shirt pocket.If I lose one I just go to hardware central(local lowes/home depot super store area in town,..they are close together) and buy another. Then I take a pair of pliers and remove the center metal portion from the outer plastic handle. I know they make a model with only this center portion and I have one,...as soon as I buy a new one to replace it,...voila the one I have had for at least 10 years shows up in the laundry or wherever I put it last,...but now I have several new blades from the one I just bought! Next sign person I see the new one becomes a gift. It's also great for cutting the skins off one shot cans as it is stainless steel and it can be washed out with thinner when the paint buildup that gets missed with my wipe cloth makes it a bit too messy.
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I have two in my kit. Since I work alone there are always two in my kit Around the computer room and out in the shop in space I share with my son it's a different story To keep them from rolling try some of those triangular shaped rubber grips that go on pencils.
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
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ONLY OLFA for twenty odd years now. They are related to exactos because they too play hide & seek. The metal clips DO disappear, but, I have never been maimed by one. I have had the blade snap unexpectedly though. I always carry one working or not. Buy them from a wallpaper store rather than a supplier. Much cheaper! Insist on Olfa, not some knockoff brand.
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3489 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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I bought mine at Staples. Came in a nice plastic case that also holds a pack of 5 spare blades and a cap for the exacto that just doesn't quite fit it right. The exacto has a black plastic beveled handle. It feels better for me to grip than the round metal ones and doesn't roll as bad. I also buy my new blades there. A little black plastic dispenser box of 20 (I think) and a slot to slide old ones in.
I also carry the plastic break-away blade knives. Mine have to be orange, don't ask why. I usually keep one in my back pocket. I'm very good about closing the blade before I set it down, but for some reason, they run away as soon as I put them down. I can start a job with a half dozen and not be able to find any by the end of the job.
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i carry one in my shirt pocket that retracts like a pen.
-------------------- Jimmy Chatham Chatham Signs 468 stark st Commerce, Ga 30529 Posts: 1766 | From: Commerce, GA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Hey Monty here is another tidbit that most people don't realize. The true Exacto and the blades for them are made right here in the United States.![[Confused]](confused.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Around the computer room and out in the shop in space I share with my son it's a different story ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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