Hi Everybody!

So, I recently switched to these Z-Series blades. Like last week-recent. They have really changed my hobby knife game.The architecture on the point and edge design is different, and they are SHARP. Like REALLY sharp.

So, yesterday I spent a couple of hours in my local urgent care and had time to reflect (on a clinical level) of just HOW sharp.

While trimming sprue, I dropped a part. In a flash, I reached for it, with the knife in my hand (#rookiemove). I heard a little "tic" and maybe felt the slightest sting on my knee when I swiped for the part (I caught it). I saw a small nic in my pant leg, and went back to building without another thought.

10 minutes later, I saw that my pant leg was soaked in red paint--yet I was painting with OD green. Uh-Oh. Further inspection revealed that I had sank the #11Z blade all the way into my thigh, right above my knee, and "flicked" it a little--giving myself a nice hockey-stick shaped laceration.

Like any hobbyist, I attempted to just superglue it shut (Zap-A-Gap, baby!!!) but it didn't work (hurt like hell though). Constant pressure for another 30 minutes didn't staunch it, so I drove myself in and got 6 nice purple sutures.

So, my dear modelers, I hope you have enjoyed my tales of misfortune. I'm feeling pretty stupid about it all, and unhappy that I missed out on 5 hours of bench-time sitting at the doctors, bleeding on the floor. In the end, I'm an instant convert to these blades. They're sharp-enough-to-give-you-6 stitches-without-knowing-it!

Welcome to the scar in the leg club.
I dropped a #11 and watched it stick out of my leg like in the movie Young Frankenstein (You all know what I'm talking about) Fortunately I was able to clean out the cut, and stop the bleeding with a butterfly.

Welcome to the self-modifying plastic carvers club. I too have had some interesting accidents requiring medical attention-- two notable ones involved building bases for models without the proper operators headspace and timing certification- I put a Phillips screwdriver tip through my left thumb about 10 years ago, until it hit the bone while trying to screw some rubber foot pads into a display base. Two years ago, sanding a base on a disc sander mounted in my Shopsmith, I caught the same thumb between the edge of the sanding surface and the workpiece, sanding The side of the thumb and all the nail off in the process. Thumbnail has grown back about 70%- ER doc thought it never would, but I still have no feeling in that thumb-- wonder why. You can never be too careful with tools, including hobby tools, I have put a triangular rubber sleeve on my #11 Xacto handles, which keeps them from rolling off the table-- learned that after one rolled, fell, and embedded itself in the side of my big toe, right through the shoe. Maybe at certain age we should take out "hobbyist insurance or something".

VR, Russ

Last year I pushed my chisel blade right through my left hand thumb below the nail, nearly cutting out chunky part of the finger - it took almost a year before it stopped feeling numb. Smaller scars are nothing significant to mention, they're part of the modeling life.

I think the worst thing I managed to do was while trying to disassemble a model as a teenager. Knife blade got stuck, and while trying to remove it, slammed the blade straight into the side of the base joint of my left index finger. It was reasonably deep and only just missed out on exposing bone.

My mother was a nurse, and she just slapped some sterile adhesive strips on to close the wound, along with some antiseptic. I still have an obvious crescent shaped wound at the joint, but fortunately no other issues.

The only other one of my many hand scars that is modelling related is a small faint scar on the tip of my left ring finger, where I took a small chunk of flesh out. Still not sure how that happened, I just know that it wasn't there at the start of a modelling session, but it was there at the end.

Maybe there should be a dedicated thread for accidents-- that we could all learn from. In 1968, as a sophomore in high school, I belonged to a modeling club in my home town-- one of my friends was a big kitbasher, and his parents gave him a new Xacto product-- it was an electric knife that cut through plastic quickly. He dropped it in use, it slid down his right arm, severing the tendons in his wrist-- it required more than 20 stitches to close, but what was worse he needed repeated surgeries to connect the tendons. His modeling career ended there. Most of the rest of us discovered girls and gave up the hobby soon after-- they seemed much safer-- but then again, looks can be decieving
VR, Russ

Yeah--took me 3 divorces to figure out I needed to build more models

Posted this couple of years back in Facebook, might give you guys a good Idea to do

OUCH !!!!
My story: My Xacto knife rolled off the bench. Instinctively I slapped my legs together to catch it (kinda like you'd do with a part falling)and stuck it in all the way, some blood but not too bad. Did a thorough clean & patch job.
I now tape a piece of sprue to my knife. No rolling !
Tom

The first thing I'm doing when I go down stairs tomorrow is tape a piece of sprue to my knife. Great idea.

There is a reason my user name is what it is, and xacto knives were/are a big part of that reason. It was so bad as a kid that my mom would find me raiding her first aid supplies and the only thing she would say was "again?" Followed with a comment that about doubting I'd make it to adulthood 'cause I was too damn clumsy to handle anything sharp.

Patrick, I have the exact same experience. Everyday when I'm modeling it's a new nick or cut. My parents (in my 20's so I still live at home) have gotten so used it to they also just need to say "again?"

One time years ago, I was doing a bit of whittling at 6am (don't ask me why) and trying to stupidly "drill" out a hole with a folding knife when the knife snapped shut right on the joint near the tip of my index finger. Luckily it was a very sharp blade and I quickly went into shock and so I didn't feel a thing. The knife cut down nearly to bone and I still don't know how I got it off my finger. I eventually got it into a splint and I kept my fingertip pretty much attached with butterflys. It's still bent at an angle though but at least I can straighten it more than I used to.

My best was dropping my razor knife. Instinctively, I snapped my knees together and dropped my hand to catch it. Unfortunately, I was successful on both counts. I caught the knife, blade up between my knees. Luckily, I also slapped my hand down on top of it. No hospital trip, but lots of red paint. When I lived, in Florida I had a more bizarre injury. Anchored to the front of my work bench were two hooks to hold my knife parallel with it. This worked great; until that fateful day. I dropped a small piece and karate chopped my 1/4 steel razor knife. Fractured one of the bones, in my hand. Not all was lost, though. I found the part that I had dropped. Once again, I decided to let nature run its course and did not go to the hospital. Hand works great, minus advanced arthritis.

You should have heard what she said when I sliced my arm open with a chain saw. I walked into the kitchen, blood pumping from an artery and she looked at me, put her hands on her hips and said 'now what did do?' Almost 40 years later and she still complains about the mess I made in her kitchen.

I don't think the leader of the Possum Lodge men's club would approve of this. Now, Duct Tape, that would be.

I remember trying to stop, a freshly, "scary" sharpened 1/2" chisel with my shin. It took 56 stitches down my leg to realize tools aren't that important.

Michael. How funny! I say this to my boys all the time.