Past me sure would have liked this video on how to sharpen a dull Xacto knife, instead of springing for new blades all the time. Of course, you’ll eventually have to replace your Xacto blades, but extending their lives makes your paper crafting that much less wasteful.

Sharpen Your Xacto Knife

Here’s what you need to sharpen your Xacto knife, according to the video tute above from Dick Gibson:

  • dull Xacto blade
  • fine grit sand paper That’s it! Just run the blade along the sandpaper, like he demonstrates in the video, until it’s nice and sharp. What I love about this technique – besides that it is super simple – is that it sharpens and hones your Xacto knife at the same time. You end up with a blade that’s not just sharp, but it’s nice and straight. A straight blade makes precise cutting so, so much easier. Image Credit: Xacto knife photo via Shutterstock