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Sterile Scalpel Blades Size 10 FAQ
What is included in each pack?
Each pack contains five Size 10 sterile scalpel blades.
Every blade is individually sterilised and wrapped, allowing you to open one blade at a time while keeping the remaining blades protected.
The scalpel handle is sold separately.
What are Size 10 scalpel blades used for?
These blades are suitable for precise mycology and laboratory work, including:
Cutting agar wedges
Agar-to-agar transfers
Mushroom tissue cloning
Dividing colonised agar
Preparing samples
Removing small tissue sections
General laboratory cutting tasks
The curved cutting edge provides good control when making smooth cuts through agar and mushroom tissue.
Which scalpel handle fits these blades?
Size 10 blades are compatible with our Size 3 Stainless-Steel Scalpel Handle.
The handle is reusable and sold separately.
Do not attempt to attach the blade to an incompatible handle.
Are the blades supplied sterile?
Yes. Each blade is individually sterilised and sealed inside its own protective wrapper.
The blade remains sterile until the packaging is opened or damaged.
Open the wrapper only when you are ready to attach and use the blade.
Can I use the blades straight from the packet?
Yes. An unopened blade can be attached to a clean scalpel handle and used immediately for culture work.
Work inside a still-air box or in front of a properly operated laminar-flow hood when performing agar transfers or mushroom cloning.
Avoid touching the cutting edge or the section of the blade that will contact the culture.
How should I attach the blade safely?
Scalpel blades are extremely sharp.
Use locking forceps, needle holders or a suitable blade-fitting tool to hold the blunt fitting section of the blade.
Carefully slide the blade onto the Size 3 handle until it is securely fitted.
Never:
Hold the cutting edge with your fingers
Force the blade onto the handle
Point the blade towards yourself
Leave an uncovered scalpel on the working surface
Attempt to fit a damaged or bent blade
How should I remove the blade?
Use locking forceps or a suitable blade-removal tool.
Grip the blunt fitting section of the blade, lift it carefully from the handle fitting and slide it forwards.
Keep the blade pointed away from your hands and body throughout removal.
Do not attempt to pull the blade off using your fingers.
Can the blades be reused?
The blades are designed as disposable, single-use items.
A fresh blade provides the best sharpness and reduces the risk of transferring contamination between separate culture sessions.
When making several transfers during one sterile work session, the blade must be properly sterilised between cultures using an appropriate laboratory method.
Replace the blade if it becomes:
Blunt
Bent
Damaged
Rusted
Heavily discoloured
Difficult to clean
Contaminated with material that cannot be removed safely
Do I need to sterilise a new blade?
An unopened blade is already sterile.
However, once the blade has touched agar, mushroom tissue, a working surface or another culture, it must be treated as used.
Do not assume that a blade remains sterile after it has been exposed to ordinary room air or handled outside a clean working environment.
Can these blades be used for agar transfers?
Yes. Size 10 blades can be used to cut clean wedges from colonised LME Agar Plates.
A small agar wedge can be transferred to:
A fresh agar plate
Sterilised grain
A sterile liquid-culture solution
Another suitable culture medium
Use a clean leading edge of healthy mycelium and avoid cutting through visible contamination.
Can the blades be used for mushroom cloning?
Yes. The curved blade can be used to remove a small piece of clean internal tissue from a fresh mushroom.
For cloning:
Tear the mushroom open to expose untouched internal tissue.
Use a sterile blade to remove a very small tissue sample.
Transfer the sample to a sterile agar plate.
Close and seal the plate immediately.
Avoid taking tissue from dirty outer surfaces, exposed gills or the base of the stem.
Are the blades suitable for beginners?
Yes, but they must be handled carefully.
Beginners should practise attaching and removing a blade using locking forceps rather than their fingers.
Prepare the workspace, agar plates and culture materials before opening the blade packet. This reduces unnecessary handling while the blade is exposed.
Are these medical scalpel blades?
The blades are manufactured from surgical-grade stainless steel, but this product is sold for mycology, laboratory and culture work.
It is not supplied for performing medical procedures on people or animals.
How should unused blades be stored?
Keep unused blades:
Inside their unopened wrappers
In a cool, dry location
Away from moisture
Away from direct sunlight
Protected from damaged packaging
Out of reach of children and pets
Do not use a blade if its wrapper is torn, open, wet or otherwise damaged.
How should used blades be disposed of?
Place used blades directly into an approved sharps container.
Do not place loose blades in ordinary household waste or recycling.
Never:
Leave used blades on a work surface
Wrap them loosely in tissue
Attempt to bend or snap them
Place them into a thin plastic bag
Allow children or pets near them
Follow the local regulations for disposing of sharps and laboratory blades.
What should I do if a blade is damaged?
Do not attach or use a blade that is bent, chipped, corroded or otherwise damaged.
Use locking forceps to place it directly into an approved sharps container.
If sealed blades arrive damaged, photograph the product and packaging and contact us before using them.
Where are the blades shipped from?
All orders are carefully packed and shipped directly from Ireland.
Each order contains five individually sterilised and wrapped Size 10 scalpel blades.
Fast shipping is available to customers across Ireland, the UK, Europe, the United States and Canada.
