The worst way to save money is by using a dull, nicked rotary cutter blade. Not only will you end up wasting gobs of time sawing away at your fabric (and as they say, time is money), it's also easier to cut yourself with a dull blade.
Ok, good! You've changed your blade. Now, what to do with that dangerous piece of metal?
Guess what, most people keep them! But why, oh why? The answer to that question is this one: are ready to get crafty?
- Designate your dull, rotary cutter for paper, plastic, cardboard, or vellum. It may not be good enough for fabric, but for crafts…perfect!
- Grind off the edges (so they're dull) of old blades and paint, add glitter or rhinestones or mini lights and create wind chimes, mobiles, wreaths and chandeliers.
- Paint them with glow-in-dark paint and use them as garden decorations.
- Paint them shiny silver and hang them to scare away birds from vegetation.
These are only a few of the creative ideas you can repurpose your dull old blades. The sky's the limit.
If you still have leftover old blades, here's how to properly recycle or dispose of them in the trash. Keep in mind that just because the blades are no longer sharp enough to cut fabric, they're still plenty sharp enough to cut your fingers, SO BE CAREFUL:
- Use empty pill containers to old store blades until full.
- Other containers you can use include:
- Old disinfecting wipes containers that have snap lids with slit opening.
- The plastic container they were originally bought in.
- Mint and gum tins that fit the size of the blade.
- REMEMBER to plainly mark the container what is inside and glue or tape the lid closed.
- To recycle, find a company that specializes in rotary blades and scissors. Two that come to mind are Wright Sharpening and LP Sharp Company, which offer trade-ins and discounts on new blades.
- Or take them to your city's recycling center. But call first to make sure they accept sharps.