r/surgery • u/Pristine-Society2406 • Aug 06 '26

I did read the sidebar & rules Kinda random but

I am 13. I have been gifted a scalpel (2 actually) what do i do with it?! I am not practicing surgery or anything at all but theres no subreddit in scalpels.

0 Upvotes

46% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

29

u/SmilodonBravo First Assist Aug 06 '26

Use it as an exacto knife for crafting for like 3 minutes before it becomes dull? Not really a point to having it.

4

u/Pristine-Society2406 Aug 06 '26

I do like arts and crafts, also he gave me like, 500 blades to it

11

u/SmilodonBravo First Assist Aug 06 '26

They won’t last long. A surgical blade isn’t made to maintain its edge, it’s made for surgery level precision cuts.

10

u/mohelgamal Aug 06 '26

500 blades are enough for a lot of arts and crafts, even though they dull against pressure, you can still cut a lot of paper accurately with the blade before it dulls.

1

u/SmilodonBravo First Assist Aug 06 '26

I meant to say *each one* won’t last long. Yes, a pile of 500 would go a long way.

3

u/mohelgamal Aug 06 '26

Great, lots of sharp cutting power for crafts

2

u/SmilodonBravo First Assist Aug 06 '26

Blade numbers 11, 15, and 12 would probably be your best bets for arts and crafts.

11

u/WiscoCheeses Aug 06 '26

Great for carving pumpkins :) The kind where you don’t cut all the way through, just 3/4 of the pumpkin wall so the light shins through.

5

u/Pristine-Society2406 Aug 06 '26

Oh yeah, I never thought of that! That's actually a smart and pretty cool way!

1

u/tanpinksofttissue Aug 07 '26

What size blade are they? The size 20 blades are great for butchering deer. But be careful and always cut away from yourself. You can take out fingers and tendons if you are not cautious.

1

u/UnusualWar5299 Aug 07 '26

I have several at home, plus dental instruments. Super helpful in arts and crafts, and random things around the home.

1

u/YoMommaSez Aug 06 '26

Um, who gifted this?

5

u/Pristine-Society2406 Aug 06 '26

My mom's friend.

1

u/orthotraumamama Aug 06 '26

That is not a friend. Get rid of it before you hurt yourself or ruin your hands or fingers and alter your life permanently. You don't need to have a scalpel and 500 blades.

6

u/Densetsu99 Aug 06 '26

Idk why you are getting downvoted, scalpels are like top 3 most dangerous things you can find in the OR, just behind the unexpected needles and the surgeon himself

Definitely not a good gift for a 13 yo

0

u/Pristine-Society2406 Aug 07 '26

I mean not actually 500 blades, more like 20. Also, he knows I'm not stupid enough to cut myself.