Save Money.

[jarndice]

If you are fed up buying new X-acto blades and other cutting tools save your hard earned and buy an "Oil Stone" Available from Hardware stores and of course E-Bay for very little cash and it will make you popular with SWMBO,
I do miss the old boy who used to come round on his bicycle with his carborundum stone driven by a belt attached to the back wheel who would sharpen every blade in the house for 10 bob ,
And every Christmas we had deep Snow and every summer it was weeks of endless sunshine
Mars bars were twice the size they are today and only cost thrupence,
One channel on the Television and everyone listened to the wireless and we had none of this sinful rock and roll music,
And if you passed someone talking to themselves you knew they were crackers and not talking on their mobile phone.

[BarryC]

I go thru dozens of #11 blades per month some times. I have a whetstone but keeping the blade at the proper angle is a challenge.

I have been very tempted to try this tool.

https://www.micromark.com/Knife-Blade-Sharpener

Barry

[HERMAN BIX]

I think if I get to the point of sharpening already cheap craft blades I will give up the hobby !
I've moved on from milk in glass bottles at NZ$0.4c each..............for an extra 2c you could get a chocolate or strawberry syrup in it from a Dairy.
Ive even moved on from seeing a brand new 40th anniversary edition Mustang from the movie 'Bullet' on my very first trip to America in 2008 for $38000USD but as it was only available in left hand drive-I couldnt buy it anyway as its $30K to convert & make road legal.........(not really, that one still burns me)
But craft blades...............on a stone ??...............nope, im all about disposable society on that one !!

[Pak36]

I have a much used sharpening stone I also have a bench grinder with a wetstone grinding wheel as well...and a jig for holding drill bits

You just need an accurate angle block for the right tools. Chisels need one angle, scissors another. Garden shears another. I 3D printed myself some

[jarndice]

What I find amusing is I noticed that there were no comments in Tip & Tricks about refreshing blunt blades and now people are queuing up to tell everyone their better, their best, and the Sod it Life's too short tips.
Where have you been?

[HERMAN BIX]

I can grind drill bits.............
I cannot, ever, replace a 40th Anniversary Bullet Mustang for $38,000.
I cannot, ever, drive or repose in resplendent glory, in a slot car, regardless of its resemblance to the original Steve McQueen Bullet Mustang of the film in 1968 !!...........no, not ever, those days and that moment are gone, forever.

In remorse and forlorn acceptance of this lost an irreplaceable moment in life, I vow, to never sharpen a craft blade even if it is THE last such item created on Gods Green Earth & I need it ................

[jarndice]

So there I was relocating the Panzer 4 turret side door retainers which meant cutting a couple of slots to take the Tamiya retainers (The Heng Long and Taigen Turrets are plain sided) BU*GER no new blades available, thank goodness I am able to put an edge on an X-acto 11 which allowed me to finish the job,
I did not buy the stone to sharpen Modelling blades but having the stone makes life easier when I do need a sharp edge at short notice and as to buying blades in bulk I have just received a box of 100 Swann-Morton 10A blades in the post this morning.
I would like to get my hands round the neck of the idiot who dubbed the gearchange's of Mr McQueen's Mustang in the pursuit down the hill toward the petrol station,
How many gears were there in that box?
In the service I was on the Bowser pool for 6 months and I was allocated a Faun 28 tonne aircraft refueller with a 13 speed straight cut gearbox that took less use of the clutch than I heard in that film and who plays count the green VW on the hills in the city?
Brilliant film though.
RIP Steve McQueen.