Machined from Brass and solid Walnut the tool utilises specific blades from the Swann Morton arts, crafts and modellers (ACM) range.

The Investigation of daily tasks for an individual within the creative community led to the repeated discovery of one tool in particular. The most ubiquitous of tools found on a designer’s desk is the Scalpel and more often than not it is a Swann-Morton scalpel.

There was a good reason for this particular brand to keep emerging from the pencil cases of designers and pen pot’s of architects – the reliable and consistent quality of Swann-Morton products.

Founded in Sheffield in 1932 the company started by producing razor blades, working out of a small workshop and building there own machinery. Since then Swann-Morton has developed a reputation for quality scalpels and blades worldwide that is second to none. That reputation has been built on exceptionally and consistently high standards of durability and sharpness.

As tribute to the relentless commitment to quality of the British Manufacturer Swann Morton, Industrial designer David Irwin has created a range of highly crafted model making tools to perform tasks that require the upmost accuracy and skill. Housing the company’s precision ground carbon steel blades the tools have been designed to function as task driven objects as well as showcase the exacting manufacture of each individual blade – from the angle of the grind to the pressed product number.

The Tools

Machined from Brass and solid Walnut (chosen to reference a key production stage during blade manufacture, the walnut shell is used along with ball bearings and wax to debur, clean and polish the punched steel blanks after work hardening) the tools utilise specific blades from the arts, crafts and modellers (ACM) range and consist of the following;

Mitre joint cutter – ACM Blade number 2.

Used to cut consistent lengths of card with a 45 degree angled edge for the formation of mitre joints.

Plane – ACM Blade number 18.

For fine surface finishing, material removal and edging details on timber.

Strip cutter/Fold Scorer – ACM Blade number 24.

This can be used either to cut equal width strips or to lightly score card for folding nets.

The primary function of the slot in each ACM blade is to facilitate the transport of the batches during manufacture, much like carrying bundles of keys. This aperture makes for a perfect fixing method via a knurled brass thumbscrew allowing an easy replacement of the blade whilst also providing adequate travel for varying depths of cut.