Utility knife (Cutter knife), called Utility knife in English regions, is also commonly known as carving knife or wallpaper knife. It is a kind of knife used for arts and handicrafts. It is mainly used to cut soft things. Cutting, carving, and dotting are the main functions. The selection of the knife handle should also be based on the hand shape, and the hand gestures for holding the knife are usually explained on the back of the package.
Utility knives are mostly composed of a plastic handle and a blade, with a pull-out structure. There are also a few with metal handles. When a utility knife is used normally, only the tip part is usually used. The blade of this kind of knife is very brittle, and the blade cannot be extended too long when used. Most of the blades have an oblique edge, and can be broken along the scored line on the blade body if used bluntly, creating a new blade for easy use.
The correct way to hold a utility knife
When you want to make a straight line or a wide range of cuts, you can place your index finger on the back of the utility knife and wrap your palm around the grip to apply force. But if you plan to cut arcs or detailed contours, you can use a pen sharpener instead and hold the pen in a normal way.
The cutting direction of the utility knife should start from the farthest point
Since the blade of the utility knife is thin, if the blade is extended too long, it will not only be difficult to control the force and cause the tangent line to be skewed, but also more likely to cause the risk of the blade breaking. In addition, in order to facilitate the application of force when cutting a straight line, the cutting direction should start from the farthest point and gradually move closer. At the same time, be careful not to place your hands on the movement path of the blade.
Tips for using a ruler to aid cutting
When using a ruler to assist in cutting, if you first place the ruler on the straight line to be cut before starting to cut, it may cause a slight error between the blade and the straight line. Therefore, the correct sequence is to first fix the blade on a straight line, and then put the ruler on for cutting. In addition, if overlapping papers need to be cut at the same time, the vertical cut planes will tend to drift inward during cutting, causing the cutting lines of each paper to be misaligned. At this time, you can consciously tilt the blade slightly outward, which can effectively avoid deviation.
It is recommended to use a thicker ruler
If you will use a ruler to assist cutting, it is first recommended to use a thick ruler with a certain weight, and pay attention to whether it has an anti-slip function, which can avoid the cutting track being skewed and cutting your fingers due to excessive force during the operation. And other issues. In addition, since the edges of plastic rulers may be chipped off by a utility knife, it is recommended to use metal materials or styles with metal processing on the corners.
How to use the circle cutter
Although the method of operating the circle cutter has been described above, it should be noted that the circle cutter must be kept fixed during cutting and the object to be cut must be rotated, so as to avoid displacement during the process. In addition, when cutting, be sure to keep the blade steady and avoid detaching, otherwise it may cause the cutting angle to deviate. If the grip position of the circular cutter itself is adjustable, it is recommended to tilt it as much as possible toward the blade to apply force.
In addition, the circular cutter also has different precautions when dealing with linear blades and circular blades. When using a straight blade for cutting, you can appropriately tilt the blade in the direction of travel; on the contrary, for a circular blade, pay attention to keeping the blade vertical and Focus the application of force on the edge of the knife rather than the midpoint of the circular cutter.
Utility knife blades should be discarded decisively if they become dull
Not only will the cutting surface become messy, but the blade that is not sharp may also cause the user to subconsciously cut hard due to jamming, which will cause considerable dangers. Therefore, when you find that the blade is not sharp, please directly use the auxiliary groove on the back end of the utility knife to break the section. If the product does not come with this structure, you can use pliers to break it. Never press the blade directly against the edge of the table to break it, otherwise the blade may splash and cause injury to the user.