Christmas: A Knifenut's Time to Shine!

[Bastid]

Knives shine when wrapping also. A nice thin sharpened blade is much quicker when sizing up the wrapping paper than scissors.

 

[555]

Also for peeling chestnuts, for stuffing.

 

[Vivi]

My dad works in the plastics industry, and brings home large rolls of stretch film sometimes. We've had a tradition of wrapping each others presents in it and laughing as the others attempt to open them. I gave everyone a laugh last Christmas when I calmly sliced the stretch film open with my Queen stockman and effortlessly got to my present.

 

[mnblade]

I was actually going to start a thread calling out the Dads/Uncles/Grandpas to show off their plastic clampack conquering cutlery. I actually find a knife to be the ideal tool for slicing these open as scissors tend to bind. However, you must choose your equipment wisely:

1) The knife should either be fixed bladed or have a very reliable lock

2) It should have a very durable edge to handle the plastic and stay sharp.

I use the pen blade on my SS Case peanut to get after clam packs. Seriously. That tiny blade pierces well, then you just slowly draw the knife down the side of the package, turn, and repeat as many times as necessary.

 

[eleven]

Be very careful. Those darn plastic clamshells cause a lot of emergency room visits. Scissors are a safer method.

Here is my method for dealing with these:

I place the clamshell on a flat surface and pierce it through the side with a sharp folder, so that the edge of the blade is facing away from me.

Then, while keeping the knife stationary, I use my free hand to rotate the clamshell all the way around, until it is sliced in half.

With the knife stationary, you don't have to worry if it gets bound up in an awkward part of the plastic- the only thing moving is the clamshell. This is particularly helpful in the unpredictable environs where Christmas presents are opened.

I'll be using my Benchmade 556 this year. :thumbup: