Update Again: 1.3? I guess? I added textures as an update so you don't need to redownload everything, but they will be included in any further updates. For now, they add some scratches to the normals for everything so the polished+ modded scalpels don't look so plain, and I redid the tempered texture because I have no idea what I was thinking before and now it looks like heat treated steel instead of some blotchy I don't even know I was clearly overtired. Just overwrite the main file with the update of whatever resolution textures you have for the main file. Or mix and match, do whatever you want I can't control you. I'm content with the textures themselves but I may update in the future once I figure out how to optimize the dds properly, or I might just separate the textures so you get a 4K diffuse with 2K normals/specular or 2K diffuse with 1K normals/specular, right now those file sizes are a little bit ridiculous.

Update: Version 1.2 has corrected the crashing issues. I've also widened the mesh and with 1.1 the textures were updated. Please report any issues with V1.2, and if anyone with a beefier rig would like to take screenshots, I would appreciate it. I don't know if I'm running out of vram buffer or if my cards are just near death, but I get significant texture degeneration after about an hour of playing and can't have anti-aliasing enabled so my screenshots are a little muddy and pixelated.
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I've wanted to wield a scalpel as a weapon ever since I found one. So I made a new mesh from the ground up that took ques from the original design, but is closer to an actual scalpel. Didn't touch the junk items, although ideally I would like to have a script replace the originals with these if anyone has the voodoo know-how that they might impart unto me. Some leveled list integration, so put this before things you want more or make a merged patch. 

You can craft the scalpels at a Chemistry Station at the cost of either a Scalpel or Surgical Scalpel, under the Utility section. The base weapon is rusted and stained, but you can mod it to be clean and polished, heat treated, or gold plated. Base damage is 13, but it has a meaty crit multiplier. If I went any lower with the damage I wouldn't be able to use it, and if I went higher it would be a bit ridiculous. Feel free to change the values or make suggestions on balance if you have a solid argument one way or the other or if I've accidentally horribly balanced it, I play with super difficult settings and everything kills everyone pretty easily so I have a poor frame of reference.

Versions available in 1K/2K/4K resolution, although I'm unsure if they're properly optimized and would appreciate knowing more about that if anyone is so inclined. Given the automatic texture scaling in the game, I don't actually think I've ever seen the 4K textures on my rig, so I don't know if they would even be worth it, would go with 2K either way.

I want more junk melee weapons, saws, wrenches of the non pipe variety, shovels, femurs, bottles, pillows, buttercup legs, scissors, spatulas, plungers, table knives, clothes irons, hammers, bowling pins, and a number of others. Scrap melee lets you use some of these, and MCAM lets you use frying pans. Both are fantastic, but the scalpel and hammers are the most egregious offenders in my eyes so I figured I would do something about one of those for now. I plan to do more weapons, especially guns, but I wanted to start off with something that didn't have moving parts and wouldn't be too difficult to readjust if I biffed something up. Also, I am totally aware that scalpels are one time use tools and would become dull super quickly or break, but until someone re-introduces weapon and armor health, I'm content with the "Its a videogame" excuse.