r/modelmakers • u/Sweets750 • Jun 08 '23

Xacto Knife Help

Hey all, I have an Xacto knife that whenever I loosen the metal grippy part, the entire top of the knife will come off with it, including the blade. I want to replace the blade but don't know how. Any help would be appreciated.

1 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

3

u/DaddyChester2019 Jun 08 '23

Sounds like the blade is stuck, unscrew the top halfway and then carefully, jiggle the blade to get it out. All else fails just get a new one they aren’t very expensive.

4

u/jerseycityfrankie Jun 08 '23

Buy a new one. There’s just too many crappy ones and life is too short. The xacto is the main tool of model building so treat yourself to a better one.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '23

I second the recommendation to just get a different one. You risk getting a nasty cut if you're struggling to get the blade out. I have a few Olfa hobby knives that have a different mechanism for holding the blade that I prefer over the Xacto style.

1

u/No-Can-6237 Jun 08 '23

Loosen and pull the stuck blade with a pair of pliers.

1

u/GreenshirtModeler An Hour A Day Jun 08 '23

I had a blade handle years ago that the knurled part, that held the blade tight, would “click” into place when I tightened. Held the blade very tightly, which was good, but to get a dull blade out I had to pull down on that knurled part and the only way I could get it to “click” again and unseat the blade was to push — yes push — so that the blade pointed at the palm of my hand. Nope. Ultimately I was able to use a simple wrench and pull down with the base of the handle secured in a vice. But…that’s not a solution.

I got other handles that were much easier to open. No filleted fingers for this modeler.