Brief introduction
A utility knife is any type of knife used for general manual work purposes. Such knives were originally fixed-blade knives with durable cutting edges suitable for rough work such as cutting cordage, cutting/scraping hides, butchering animals, cleaning fish scales, reshaping timber, and other tasks. Craft knives are small utility knives used as precision-oriented tools for finer, more delicate tasks such as carving and paper cutting.
Different names of utility knife:
- In British, Australian and New Zealand English a utility knife is known as a
Stanley knife, this name is a generic trademark named after Stanley Works, a manufacturer of such knives. - In Israel and Switzerland, utility knife are known as Japanese knives.
- In India, the Philippines, France, Italy, Egypt, and Germany, they are known as cutter. Other names for the utility knife tool are box cutter or boxcutter, hand cutting tool, box opener, paper cutter, carton cutter.
The History
Since the prehistoric era, the knives have performed the role of tools, eating utensils, and weapons as well. However, in the new age cutters have progressed in a way to be safely explicitly used for industrial purposes. Cutters were first used as a form of cutlery as early as five centuries ago. The earliest of the knives were prepared out of Flint.
The first-ever cutter was with a single edge developed 4000 years ago in the Bronze Age. Later on, it was used for carpentry and cooking as well.
As we approached the 19th century, utility knife with a fixed blade form had managed to evolve into its steel-bladed counterpart, designed for outdoor activities such as cutting wood, preparing campfire meals, as well as butchering animals. With time, evolution introduced the use of back springs that mixed up well with the utility cutters designed to fit into your pockets.
The fixed as well as folding blade cutters became popular for outdoor as well as indoor usage. One amongst the popular variants of a cutter used at workplace is the folding or a retractable cutter/knife. At present the cutter made its own presences with various names like, “carpet knife, razor knife, box cutter, cutter, pen knife, stationery knife.” These variants of utility cutters are designed to be used as a multi-purpose tool for various cutting work involved in trades & crafts.
Basis parts of a utility knife
- Handle According to the different materials, the handle is divided into metal handle and plastic handle, both have their own advantages and disadvantages, the user can choose different handles according to the actual situation.
In addition to the material, the handle is also divided into many styles.
Some utility knives have a guard where the blade comes out of the handle, which only allows the blade to be slightly exposed, these are usually used for box cutting.
Some utility knives have a spring loaded button to extend the blade; once your finger is off the button the blade will retract, these are considered safety utility knives.
Some utility knives have blades that run through the body of the knife and are scored at segments; when the tips go dull the blade segment can be snapped off.
- Blade
There are three types of blades commonly used for hobby knife, safety blades, utility blades and breakaway blades. The three have different shapes and are applicable to different scenarios.
- Accessories:Sharps Container
Because the blade is very sharp, placed or discarded at random will not only pollute the environment, but also easy to hurt people and other creatures, causing unnecessary trouble, so it is necessary to prepare a sharps box specifically to place the discarded blade.
Usage of utility knife
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Removing paint-covered screws
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Cutting foam
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Sharpening pencils
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Slicing old carpet
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Stripping wires
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Carving wood
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Removing grout
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Cutting fabric leather
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Cutting Plastic
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Grafting flowers and trees
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Dismantling appliances
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Cutting paper
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Cutting cardboard
These are just few examples of the usage of the utility knife,users can explore more practical usage in the real life.
Utility Knife Tips
safely use utility knife
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Utility knives are very sharp be careful when cutting, keep fingers away from blade.
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Don’t continue to use the blade when cutting becomes difficult it makes the work harder and can be dangerous.According to safety recommendations, duller blades pose even greater risk of cutting due to the increased force used to cut items; change blades when dulling occurs.
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Choosing a correct angle of objects can give a easier and cleaner cut.
Emergency measures after being cut by utility blade
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Disinfection Disinfection of the wound with a sterile cotton swab, the wound without disinfection directly bandaged may therefore lead to wound damage.
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Democratic and bandage After disinfection,the biggest threat to wounds is the oxygen and water in the air, at this time should be bandaged to isolate the wound and contact with them.
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Seek for help If the wound has any abnormalities or more than the band-aid treatment range, to seek immediate medical attention.