Parafilm Cutter

cults3d

This is designed to cut 4" wide parafilm into either 4 or 5 strips as you pull it off the roll and through this cutter. There are two files, one is for #11 x-acto blades, the other is for #22 scalpel blades. Setup: Load four or five blades facing the wall but carefully dropping the base into the lower slots and sliding the tip through the upper gaps. Sacrifice a couple inches of parafilm and just carefully press the film over the tips such that you have plenty to grip once you snap the lid on the cutter. Line the cutter lid up with the ends and your blades and snap in on. (Sorry, but the cutter/lid are asymmetrical - pay attention to which side lines up right and make a mark or something. I'll try to fix this in subsequent builds) Now you're ready to use it. Hold the cutter with one hand and pull the parafilm through with the other. Cut your strips off with a few inches remaining from the cutter so you have something to grab next time you use it. If you're like me and end up with more plates than you know what to do with, you should find working with long thin strips of parafilm to be a huge time saver. I generally pull around 2-3 feet through at a time. This gives me enough to wrap ~50 plates. Choose either to split your parafilm into 4 or 5 strips. A standard 100mm petri dish will have parafilm on both top and bottom sections if you chose to spit the parafilm into 4, but 5 may be a little too thin if you're not careful. In none of this makes sense, let me know and I'll make a quick video/gif showing the setup and use. I also plan on making a box to hold the parafilm box and this holder so it looks more professional and sturdy.