Copyright 2020 Nicholas Kalis
Helpful Hint
As a general rule, success comes from facing our shortcomings head on and accepting responsibility for them. That's a good general rule, but to every general rule exists an exception.
If you can't seem to cut a straight line with your X-Acto knife, it probably is not your fault. Yes, I said it, it's not your fault. Going out and buying a nice ergonomic knife handle won't solve your problem though. It's probably because you have a dull sharp blade in your X-Acto knife (and perhaps you are trying to make the cut with one pass instead of using only your blade's tip with the first pass? Use a second pass to cut all the way through). And when I say "dull" blade I mean a blade that in some cases has been used to make only a handful or less of cuts.
And why is your blade dull? Because you probably bought an expensive 5-pack of X-Acto No. 11 blades. Fess up - you want to stretch that five pack so you don't need to make another run to the arts and craft store (I suspect your local hobby shop closed years ago).
And since this is my blog, I can say that I don't get it when I see YouTube posters using a straight edge to make a cut with a hobby knife. You don't need a straight edge to guide your cut if your blade is sharp. Just draw a straight line and work in a well lit room and a sharp blade will cut straight. And don't draw your knife too slow - that just makes things harder.
So what to do? Buy X-Acto's 100-blade pack X-811. Micro-Mark sells a made-in-the USA No.11 blade Item # 14178 (Package of 100) but they don't appear to be by X-Acto and I cannot vouch for them. I also noticed an X-Acto Z series 100 pack of No. 11 blades for a premium price (marked as Zirconium Nitride Coated). And don't feel guilty about it, there is even a 500-blade pack available for sale for those who really want to go whole hog. Unless you go to a well-equipped art supply store, you might not find the 100-blade pack. So just get it online. And the good news is that No. 11 blades are much cheaper when bought in bulk.
Storage
Now how about storing your No. 11 blades? For decades I have been using a clear plastic case sold for the storage of baseball cards. Its transparency makes it easier to warn me that I am running low on blades.
I used a Dynamo labeler to identify the contents (probably not necessary given the clear case). Inside I lined the box with self-adhesive felt. Why? Just to keep the box from getting scratched and to avoid annoying noise - blades against plastic to my ears are akin to scratching a blackboard.
So. is the felt overkill? Well, recall, you can probably use the balance of the pack of self-adhesive felt to put a protective layer on items around the house that might damage fine furniture if laid there.
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